Doug Johnson Productions

Scope guide · Color & matching

Vectorscope

Inspect color direction and strength, compare a neutral area, and separate shadows, midtones and highlights.

ExpressProfessional

Learn & Reference / Scope library / Vectorscope

Is the color balance consistent between shots?

Add this view from Add scope > Vectorscope, then choose the input you want to inspect. Use the pane's i button for its in-app reading guide.

Read this example.

Fresh studio-pair workspace. Vectorscope is lower left; Picture provides subject and prop context above.
Fresh studio-pair workspace. Vectorscope is lower left; Picture provides subject and prop context above. Click the image for a larger view.
  1. Content near the center has relatively little chroma. Neutral and low-saturation areas contribute here.
  2. Traces extending toward targets show stronger components in that direction. Connect skin and colored props with their contributions in Picture.
  3. A region around one face helps distinguish skin contributions from clothing and colored props.

Try it yourself.

  1. Select Studio pair / neutral baseline in Picture and Vectorscope.
  2. Compare Single with tonal Split to inspect shadows, midtones and highlights.
  3. Choose Cb/Cr or Opponent Chroma. On a known neutral patch, enable White balance guides (D65).
  4. In Professional, connect a compatible Sony network camera, select a neutral color cluster and run Auto WB from Camera controls. Keep the camera still and choose a reference with enough pixels away from clipping. Auto WB skips trial settings that clip the reference or still leave the camera value unchanged after one retry. Review, restore, or keep and optionally copy the result.

Useful controls.

  • Projection offers Cb/Cr, Opponent Chroma and HSV, each defining distance differently.
  • Trace, Guides and Performance adjust visibility, targets and sampling.
  • Professional shared regions and object selections isolate subjects across supported scopes.

D65 guide labels describe observed cast direction near neutral. Supported SDR Rec.709/Rec.2020 interpretations enable this guide.