Image adjustments

Trim each projector's brightness, contrast, gamma and color so that every projector in the rig looks like part of the same image.

Where the controls are

Image adjustments belong to the projector, not the media, so you set them for each projector.

1. Open the Projectors view: click the projector name in the top bar. (Hover the name instead for a dropdown that switches projector. 1 to 9 pick a projector by position from anywhere in the app.)
2. Click the projector you want in the list on the left.
3. Click Settings at the top of the pane, rather than Outputs, PJLink or Test Pattern.
4. Find the adjustment sliders under Shutter: in the right-hand column on a wide window, or below the resolution, transform and lens controls on a narrow one.

From the Scene tab, select the projector and click Projector Settings at the bottom of the sidebar to go straight to the same page.

Each slider has a number box beside it. Drag the slider for a quick look, or type in the box for an exact value. All six controls start at 1 on a new projector, so typing 1 puts any of them back where it started.

The controls

Control	Range	What it does
Brightness	0 – 1	Scales the whole image down. 1 is the projector's full output, and 0.8 gives 80% of it. Use it to bring a bright projector down to match a dimmer one.
Contrast	0 – 1	Reduces the difference between the light and dark parts of this projector's image. 1 leaves it unchanged. Move it in small steps and judge the result on the surface.
Gamma	0.1 – 3	Bends the midtones without moving black or white. Use it when two projectors match on white and black but the mid-grays still look different.
Red Gain	0 – 2	Multiplies the red channel. 1 leaves it unchanged, and 0.5 halves it.
Green Gain	0 – 2	Multiplies the green channel.
Blue Gain	0 – 2	Multiplies the blue channel.

The three gains set the white balance. If a projector looks green next to its neighbor, pull its green down, or bring its red and blue up.

Per projector, not per clip

These settings apply to everything the projector shows, for the whole show. Use them to match projectors to each other. To change how one piece of media looks, change the media.

Matching multiple projectors

Overlapping projectors show every mismatch: a seam brighter than its surroundings, or one area slightly warmer than the next. Match them in this order: level, then color, then midtones.

1. Set up the room and the projectors as they'll be for the show. Put the house lights at show level, warm the projectors up for at least 15 minutes, and run each one in the lamp or laser power mode you'll use for the show. Matching a cold projector in eco mode is wasted work.
2. Put the same flat image on every surface. The quickest white field is Projectors → Test Pattern → Solid → White, with All Projectors and Drawn On: Surface selected: see Test patterns. For the gamma pass later, put a mid-gray still on the surfaces as you would any other media: see Putting media on a surface.
3. Pick a reference projector. Choose the dimmest one. Brightness only goes down from 1, so every other projector is brought down to match the weakest.
4. Match the overall level with Brightness. Stand where the audience will be and compare each projector with the reference, one at a time.
5. Match the color with the gains. On the white field, pull down whichever channels are too strong. Leave the gains at 1 on the reference projector and adjust only the others.
6. Match the midtones with Gamma. Switch to the mid-gray still. If two projectors agree on white but one gray looks muddier, adjust gamma, not brightness.
7. Check the overlaps last. Areas lit by two projectors get twice the light, so they look bright however well the projectors match. Lowering Brightness on every projector to fix that would dim the whole rig. Instead, fade one projector out across the overlap. Moonblend works out that fade from the scene, or you can paint it with a soft brush on a mask.

Judge on the surface, not on the desk

A projector aimed at a dark or angled part of the set looks dimmer than its numbers suggest. Trust what you see on the surface from the audience position, and make the final call with the room in show state.

Working with others

Image adjustments are saved with the project and shared with everyone on the show, so your changes appear in every connected browser. Each projector can be locked separately: while another operator is editing a projector, its sliders are read-only for you until they release it. See Locks.

Related

• Projectors: position, lens and resolution settings for the same projector.
• Alignment: get the geometry right before you match brightness.