Tonal Ranges

A third method of viewing your image enables you to determine how best to adjust the image using your color correction tools: viewing the tonal range of your image. Tonal range is made up of three parts: highlights (brightest components), shadows (darkest components), and midtones (what's in between). Using the Premiere color correction tools it is very easy to look at the tonal range of your image, quickly understand which portion of your image falls into which tonal range, and then make exact adjustments (Figure 22.3).

Figure 22.3. The left frame shows the clip as it plays; the Program Monitor displays the same frame with its tonal range being revealed. Highlights appear as white, midtones as gray, and shadows as black

Say you want to cool off the flesh tones of your character's face. Analyzing the tonal range you determine that the character's face is a midtone. Using color correction tools you then selectively add blue to the midtone range only. The technical term for color correcting these three tonal ranges is three-way or three-point color correction. The Three-Way Color Corrector effect offers you full access to the individual tonal ranges as well as the entire image. The Fast Color Corrector can make adjustments to the entire image only. For quick color adjustments Fast is the effect to use; for more detailed corrections use the Three-Way effect.