Help removing blue cast

[macaddict23]

Using an HD video camera, I'm trying to record a live presentation of a person standing next to an HDTV. In the viewfinder of the video camera, the speaker's fleshtones are fine, but everything on the TV screen has a blue cast. Any idea what's causing this, and how to fix it?

 

[LethalWolfe]

The lights in the room and the TV have different color temperatures. Tungsten lights, which are typical indoor lights, have a color temp of about 3200K. The TV is probably operating around 6500k if not higher.

The only way to fix this is to get everything working at the same color temp (or at least close enough). Many TVs allow you to adjust the color temp in the menu but I don't know if you'll be able to adjust it enough to fix the problem. Another solution is the replace the light bulbs in the room w/ones of a higher color temp or buy some CTB (Color Temperature Blue) 'gels' to place over the lights. The gels are basically thin, colored sheets of plastic. The final solution is to place a CTO (Color Temperature Orange) gel over the screen of the TV but it could be tricky to do that and keep it from being obvious that there is a sheet of plastic covering the TV screen.

If you've already shot the footage and you have no way to shoot it again and having the TV screen being too blue is unacceptable you can try and fix it a program like Final Cut or After Effects but the process can range from maddening (the camera isn't on a tripod and the speaker keeps waving their hands in front of the TV screen) to dead simple (the camera is on a tripod and never movies and the speaker never gets close to the TV screen).


Lethal

 

[alph45]

- adjustment mask around tv screen, tweak color (FCP, AE, etc).

- add a tracking matte if there is movement.