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July, 2025

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Opinions on overexposing snow in edits?

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Woody.
Posts: 435 - Karma: 4,891
Been seeing a lot of edits recently with really overexposed snow and it’s kinda growing on me if done right.
3 years ago
14 0
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aldicigg
Posts: 228 - Karma: 1,396
def interested in ns's opinions as well, i kinda like it sometimes but was really weirded out when i first saw it, thought they just forgot an nd and wanted to keep the shutter long
3 years ago
9 0
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ajbski
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 5,422
to me its not artsy at all. just someone who doesnt know how to work a camera.

but im liking stuff thats underexposed, grainy and white balance is set so the snow is grayish or creamish like bp and bdogs ensemble.
3 years ago
21 2
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1234567891011121
Posts: 1750 - Karma: 13,851
Hate it
3 years ago
23 1
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eheath
Posts: 61978 - Karma: 126,982
To each their own, but personally im not a fan of it, but it seems to go along with the grittiness of SD cameras and people enjoy that too.
3 years ago
15 0
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weastcoat
Posts: 6510 - Karma: 75,510
Copycat move. Looks awful. No better way of saying hey I don’t understand How to operate a camera.
3 years ago
19 3
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Nick_T
Posts: 71 - Karma: 471
Get an nd
3 years ago
6 0
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Woody.
Posts: 435 - Karma: 4,891
ajbskito me its not artsy at all. just someone who doesnt know how to work a camera.

but im liking stuff thats underexposed, grainy and white balance is set so the snow is grayish or creamish like bp and bdogs ensemble.


For the most part when it’s done it’s usually on purpose and not cause of user error
3 years ago
9 0
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_brrett
Posts: 1742 - Karma: 29,007
I know nothing about cameras so I don’t even know what u guys are talking about
3 years ago
17 1
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andrewsmart
Posts: 273 - Karma: 2,585
It looks good if the filming and editing compliment it, or if there are coloirful rails or trees and clothing etc to contrast the snow. The problem is when people do it without knowing how or why.

Some shots in this edit use the effect really well, but only in tasteful circumstances:
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1004675/itsnotmuch
3 years ago
15 0
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weastcoat
Posts: 6510 - Karma: 75,510
andrewsmartIt looks good if the filming and editing compliment it, or if there are coloirful rails or trees and clothing etc to contrast the snow. The problem is when people do it without knowing how or why.

Some shots in this edit use the effect really well, but only in tasteful circumstances:
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1004675/itsnotmuch


I totally agree this is the right amount of brightness added. You can still make out most of the snow details. I think what OP is getting at is shit so bright that you can’t even tell it’s snow, you just see a skier and rail and the brightness starts to effect the skier’s figure itself.
3 years ago
10 0
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andrewsmart
Posts: 273 - Karma: 2,585
weastcoatI totally agree this is the right amount of brightness added. You can still make out most of the snow details. I think what OP is getting at is shit so bright that you can’t even tell it’s snow, you just see a skier and rail and the brightness starts to effect the skier’s figure itself.


Yea I meant more so at like 0:52 when he hits the sign the snows super bright, but it works really well. Any brighter for the rest of the vid would just take away.
3 years ago
8 0
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keagan.karstens
Posts: 1639 - Karma: 35,497
Instagram filters>
3 years ago
6 2
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rojo.grande
Posts: 1615 - Karma: 13,183
Set my wb wrong a few times and refuse to use the footage. That’s my standpoint
3 years ago
4 0
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eheath
Posts: 61978 - Karma: 126,982
rojo.grandeSet my wb wrong a few times and refuse to use the footage. That’s my standpoint


yo, wb is the easiest thing to fix in post, hmu if you need help
3 years ago
7 0
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rojo.grande
Posts: 1615 - Karma: 13,183
eheathyo, wb is the easiest thing to fix in post, hmu if you need help


I played w it a bit but prolly did it wrong. You familiar with resolve at all?
3 years ago
2 0
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eheath
Posts: 61978 - Karma: 126,982
rojo.grandeI played w it a bit but prolly did it wrong. You familiar with resolve at all?


for the most part basic color correction is pretty universal but I have uses resolve. its pretty easy with skiing, you just mess around with the white point in your highlights (aka color temp) in your color wheels and just move that around until the snow is the shade of white you want. You can also do with this temp/tint sliders but its a bit more limited than using the color wheels. Im pretty sure resolve has an eye dropper for wb as well, you can select what is white in your scene and it will automatically adjust the wb.
3 years ago
6 0
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ajbski
Posts: 1313 - Karma: 5,422
you cant fix overexposure in post... too much media loss.
3 years ago
0 0
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eheath
Posts: 61978 - Karma: 126,982
ajbskiyou cant fix overexposure in post... too much media loss.


all depends on the camera, I've found in many cases you can save highlights to a point, but if its blown out you're fucked unless you're shootin raw

proper exposure is a tough thing in ski filming, I understand the thought/look behind overexposing because its easier to see the skier. its a balancing act most of the time
3 years ago
4 0
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rojo.grande
Posts: 1615 - Karma: 13,183
eheathfor the most part basic color correction is pretty universal but I have uses resolve. its pretty easy with skiing, you just mess around with the white point in your highlights (aka color temp) in your color wheels and just move that around until the snow is the shade of white you want. You can also do with this temp/tint sliders but its a bit more limited than using the color wheels. Im pretty sure resolve has an eye dropper for wb as well, you can select what is white in your scene and it will automatically adjust the wb.


Sick thank you. I’ve played with tint quite a bit and didn’t get the look I wanted. Tried to resolve it a bit with a new color preset on my rig and it helped a bit. I’ve only really used the color wheels a few times but I need to start messing with them and nodes a bit more. Took a while to learn the camera and I’ve still got a ways to go but dialing in my post is next up. Thanks boss

**This post was edited on Aug 5th 2022 at 1:16:53pm
3 years ago
1 0
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eheath
Posts: 61978 - Karma: 126,982
rojo.grandeSick thank you. I’ve played with tint quite a bit and didn’t get the look I wanted. Tried to resolve it a bit with a new color preset on my rig and it helped a bit. I’ve only really used the color wheels a few times but I need to start messing with them and nodes a bit more. Took a while to learn the camera and I’ve still got a ways to go but dialing in my post is next up. Thanks boss

**This post was edited on Aug 5th 2022 at 1:16:53pm

yeah man color shit is confusing as fuck, it took me a long time to even understand it and im still not a great colorist.

the next step is to learn how to read scopes like RGB parade, this will show you a representation of the color in your image and can be very helpful when trying to dial in your wb, contrast, etc. feel free to DM me if you have any other questions
3 years ago
7 0
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weastcoat
Posts: 6510 - Karma: 75,510
eheathyeah man color shit is confusing as fuck, it took me a long time to even understand it and im still not a great colorist.

the next step is to learn how to read scopes like RGB parade, this will show you a representation of the color in your image and can be very helpful when trying to dial in your wb, contrast, etc. feel free to DM me if you have any other questions


Eheath a real one in this thread. I might be shooting you a message too next time I’m playing around with clips in Premiere… sometimes they come off my camera funny and I don’t understand any of the color grading shit either.
3 years ago
7 0
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mott
Posts: 259 - Karma: 2,106
color grading is bullshit
3 years ago
2 5
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Young_patty
Posts: 3355 - Karma: 39,481
- cool for transitions between clips.

- momentarily blinds me if I’m watching edits in the dark.
3 years ago
5 0
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sarc
Posts: 246 - Karma: 1,886
I always figure it's unintentional.

Back when ntsc was a thing, digital brightness ran either 0-255 or something like 16-235 depending on the digital envelope / colorspace. Very pro editors used to bounce back and forth between the two unknowingly. Serious pros. The end result would have unreasonably high contrast, making white fields all the same color, like overexposed snow.

You'd see it in situations where a live broadcast looks good, but the recap would be very high contrast, because they didn't realize what was happening in the edits. National broadcast TV, used to see it all the time.

If someone's doing this as art I think it's foolish because some crotchety critic out there is going to remember history and assume it's a mistake.

Forgive me I really shouldn't drunk post.
3 years ago
3 0
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sarc
Posts: 246 - Karma: 1,886
Let's say your edits are going from a scheme that uses the number 255 to represent full white to a scheme that uses 235 to represent full white. When converting, the software should scale the whole thing so it looks right. 255 becomes 235, 254 becomes 234.8, 253 becomes 234.6 etc.

But what they used to do is just clip it, lazy bastards. Anything above 235 is set to 235. So all the information about shading above 235 in the original scheme is gone, the white areas look overexposed because the whole area is the same brightness. Converting it back won't restore the lost information, you have to go back to source.

I think now everything is 0-255 so you don't see this, it probably is for arts sake as you say.
3 years ago
1 0
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7997 - Karma: 23,485
Bad stuff. Detracts from the skiing. Overused.
3 years ago
1 0
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