Histogram In Premiere Pro

1) General Understanding. A histogram is a graphical representation of the tonal values of your image. In other words, it shows the amount of tones of particular brightness found in your photograph ranging from black (0% brightness) to white (100% brightness). Evaluating the histogram. First, let’s look at the histogram, which you can see below. The histogram shows the range of darkest areas to the brightest areas in the image, with the darkest on the left and the brightest on the right. When a peak is pushed to the very top of the histogram, that means you have an area that is over or underexposed.

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  • Notice in the image above that the Histogram in Premiere shows the minimum black and maximum white levels as numbers for each color. This lets you find peaks that may escape your eyes in the Waveform Scopes because the peaks are too small to see.
  • In this tutorial, I’ll go over how to read various video scopes in Adobe Premiere Pro, including the RGB parade, histogram, waveform, and vectorscopes. I’ll also discuss how to customize the Lumetri Scopes display panel. Before we get started we need to make sure we have the Lumetri Scopes panel open by selecting Window Lumetri Scopes.
  • This cannot be done with scripting. You would need to have some sort of image parsing plug-in or (MAYBE) call a helper app that does generate a histogram, create an image on the fly, and display that in a tabbed palette. I'd look at ImageMagick and ImageJ to see if either of those might handle what you need.
jdvosNewbie Private MessageJoined: Oct 05, 2012 05:19Messages: 20Offline
Solved byOct 05, 2012 06:05 I just invested in the Cyberlink PowerDirector 11 Ultimate Suite based on reviews from previous versions of PowerDirector (9/10) but my main reason for purchasing the suite was to get ColorDirector as I spend a lot of time color grading my work (mostly underwater).
The few reviews that were out gave it very high ratings and praise so it seemed only reasonable to assume that it was a 'full feature' color correction program.
After searching the software I was shocked to discover that the most basic and essential tools for color correction were missing; Histogram and Scopes.
Am I mistaken or is this really the case? Has anyone else raised this issue? I can not believe that something this basic would be omitted and I really hope I am just missing it in a menu somewhere.
Premiere If I am right, is there any chance Cyberlink can include it in an update (quickly)?
Any advice or tips are welcome...
QUICK UPDATE:
I am also unable to find any tools to show where clipping of highlights/blacks are occurring which if the above is true basically means that all color correction is performed based on what it is 'you see'. Without even going into detail as to what this means with regards to uncalibrated monitors and 'guess work', this makes color grading videos professionally next to impossible...

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PIXSenior ContributorPrivate MessageJoined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02Messages: 2649Offline
Oct 05, 2012 14:14
Hello jdvos,
Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you've been disappointed by some missing functionality. You've not missed anything. ColorDirector does not have the features to which you've referred: Histograms/Scopes or tools that show clipping. These are common in most higher end color correction applications. ColorDirector is, perhaps, not necessarily aimed at that market.
I'm assuming you didn't trial the software before purchase. Reviews don't always tell the whole story!
CyberLink has a 30 day refund policy, if you find the software doesn't meet your needs. All you need to is contact Customer Services @ https://membership.cyberlink.com/prog/support/cs/customer-services.do
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jdvosNewbie Private MessageJoined: Oct 05, 2012 05:19Messages: 20Offline
Oct 06, 2012 02:36 Hi PIX
Thank you for the honest reply.
I am actually quite happy with PowerDirector and despite this glitch with ColorDirector I think I will hold on a while longer.
I do however not agree entirely that these functions are usually limited to higher end color correction applications.
Nowadays the most basic photo/video editing software and point and shoot cameras have a little histogram which is critical to any photo/video equipment and software as its the simplest way to accurately depict the exposure, light/dark data along with proper color data (RGB).
In the case of PowerDirector/ColorDirector:
Premiere We've been given this massive array of tools which will undoubtedly lead to different clips on a timeline having different exposures, brightness and darkness levels (even if all filmed one after the other). The only way to have some consistency and to have these clips accurately matched is to try to use histograms to get similar outputs. Histogram In Premiere Pro
Its also worth mentioning that on the Cyberlink website the 'Ultimate Suite' is advertised in a manner where its target market is clearly stated as 'For Pro and Commercial Video Producer'.
I'm sure Cyberlink could very easily make a little update to at least include a floating histogram for the preview screen in both PD and CD which would turn this awesome package into something nearly flawless.

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PIXSenior ContributorPrivate MessageJoined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02Messages: 2649Offline
Oct 06, 2012 04:08
Hello again,
Your suggestions are certainly worth putting to the R&D team. I'm no developer myself, so I have no idea how difficult it would be to implement... but I'll refer this thread to the team for consideration.
The CL website refers to PowerDirector as being for the 'Pro and Commercial Video Producer'. It's true the word pro appears in the ColorDirector blurb http://www.cyberlink.com/products/colordirector/features_en_AU.html
We won't waste our time discussing which software does what & what costs what. We'll end up going around in circles.
I enjoy using PowerDirector too, along with the other software in Director Suite. Glad to hear you're going to continue using PD.
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wilzerNewbie Private MessageJoined: Oct 30, 2011 14:33Messages: 3Offline
Mar 22, 2013 14:18
Just completed my 3rd Upgrade from PD 9 to 10 and now 11. Want to echo the histogram comments and add to my wish list. also noticed that histograms ARE available in PhotoDirector, so why not in ColorDirector. Also white and black eye droppers would be nice in white balance for ColorDirector.
Hummm, did I mention you already have histograms in PhotoDirector
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jdvosNewbie Private MessageJoined: Oct 05, 2012 05:19Messages: 20Offline
Mar 22, 2013 14:24
As awesome as PD11 has been in terms of sheer speed and ease, I've given up hope that it will ever include these (seemingly basic) features. After waiting months for a reply or some form of update to inject a bit of hope, I've now purchased CS6 Premiere Pro and do 95% of my editing there and sometimes 'play' with PD11.
Hopefully the next release offers a bit more for those who actually do hold on... Intel Core i7-2630QM @ 2.00GHz
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stevekSenior ContributorPrivate MessageLocation: Houston, Texas USAJoined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18Messages: 4663Offline
Mar 26, 2013 08:53Histogram in premiere pro presetsHistogram in premiere pro after effects
Quote:As awesome as PD11 has been in terms of sheer speed and ease, I've given up hope that it will ever include these (seemingly basic) features. After waiting months for a reply or some form of update to inject a bit of hope, I've now purchased CS6 Premiere Pro and do 95% of my editing there and sometimes 'play' with PD11.
Hopefully the next release offers a bit more for those who actually do hold on...

Just a question. What part of a video would the histogram be based on? It is easy with a photo but with a video, there could be several color changes depending on what frame is being viewed at the time.
Forgive me, I do a lot of video editing but not a lot of 'fancy' stuff. .
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jdvosNewbie Private MessageJoined: Oct 05, 2012 05:19Messages: 20Offline
Mar 26, 2013 09:24 Not something I can answer quickly, but if you google 'colour correction and grading vectorscope histogram', it will point you in the right direction and I'm sure you will find heaps of info on the subject.

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stevekSenior ContributorPrivate MessageLocation: Houston, Texas USAJoined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18Messages: 4663Offline
Mar 26, 2013 09:55
Quote:Not something I can answer quickly, but if you google 'colour correction and grading vectorscope histogram', it will point you in the right direction and I'm sure you will find heaps of info on the subject.

Thanks, I looked and can't afford those professional programs. I guess I'm just going to correct by eyesight. .
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wjr002MemberPrivate MessageLocation: Kingscliff, AustraliaJoined: Jun 29, 2011 20:22Messages: 117Offline
May 11, 2013 04:26
I'll back up the OP's suggestion for either ColorDirector or PowerDirector.
Apply the histogram over a clip, selection or the whole Movie. Average it over the selection and you would soon see what threshold you need adjusted. PD12 Ultimate Suite (upgrade from PD11 Ultimate). PhotoDirector 5. PowerDVD13. YouCam 5.
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PIXSenior ContributorPrivate MessageJoined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02Messages: 2649Offline
May 11, 2013 06:32
Gentlemen,
I've added this idea to the CDR suggestion box http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/27486.page#155113
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Michael8511ContributorPrivate MessageLocation: U.S.A. IndianaJoined: Jan 14, 2012 16:12Messages: 374Offline
Jul 05, 2013 19:27
I would like to see YC waveform and RGB Parade scopes to help with color correction. I have trun that suggestion in.
Stevek the scopes will show you the info of your colors where the scrubber is on the timeline. I guess is a clip if the start to change much you could do a split in that area of the clip and make the ajustments in that part.
From what I have seen using a YC waveform scope and getting the black and whites where they need to be. Then looking at the RGB Parade scope and the red ,green and blue look even your colors are good to go.
I have just started learing about color correction with shoot raw photos. Intel i7 5960X overclock to 4 Ghz 16 GB of ram.
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CharlieWh1971234324Newbie Private MessageLocation: UKJoined: Apr 24, 2016 08:50Messages: 2Offline
Apr 24, 2016 09:34 I have been reading customers questions and reading the responses from Cyberlink and am frankly disappointed by the responses and I do wonder whether Cyberlink retain a scant regard for their customers. Software is a competitive market and vendors who treat their customers as though they were idiots will surely not be around for too long.
jdvos rightly pointed out that any software in the current selection of offerings purporting to be for commercial or professional users would include features such as waveform or histogram as the most basic of features. Without them it’s impossible to see clearly that changes throughout clips are correct and have a measure of that.
I’ve been using PowerDirector and I quite like it to be honest. However, now that I’ve got the colour-grading stage of things began looking into it. Due to previous disappointment with Cyberlink their product has been last on the list to look at. Now I know that there are no basic tools to measure the grading effects of clips I won’t be purchasing further.
Fine, treat customers like idiots and then patronise them by effectively telling is that it’s up to us to interpret the bullshite on the website. For Cyberlink to say that PD is for commercial or pro users but actually thats where it ends and not makre it clear that CD is not for Pro or Commercial users is rudeness it really is. Why would a pro or commercial user use PD for video editing and not have a requirement for a similar level in colour grading. Ridiculous!

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stevekSenior ContributorPrivate MessageLocation: Houston, Texas USAJoined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18Messages: 4663Offline
Apr 24, 2016 10:48 You resurrected a 3 year old thread to complain about obsolete software? Perhaps I'm missing something. Color Director does have a function for Histograms. From the help files:
'HistogramThe histogram is a graphical representation of the color tone distribution in a selected video. During the playback of a video clip, the histogram values will continually change, indicating how the lighting in the video image changes.The X axis of the graph represents the RGB color tone value between 0 and 255, while the Y axis indicates the number of pixels in the video that have this value.The histogram is created with the three RGB (red, green, and blue) color values given to each pixel in the video image. The gray portions indicate where all three colors overlap on the histogram, while yellow, magenta, and cyan appear when two of the colors overlap. Click R, G, or B to view the red, green, or blue color channel values only in the histogram. Click RGB to return to the original histogram display and display all the channels.'
I'm not going to address your relationship with Cyberlink. Also that 99+% of the responses on this forum are NOT from Cyberlink. Most responses are from USERS. Remember that respect is earned; not demanded.
Yoiu are certrainly welcome to buy other software that is better -- if you can afford it !

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CharlieWh1971234324Newbie Private MessageLocation: UKJoined: Apr 24, 2016 08:50Messages: 2Offline
Apr 24, 2016 15:51 Tw*t!
Obviously you can't afford it. I'm convinced now, premiere pro it is

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SkibumMemberPrivate MessageJoined: Nov 10, 2009 01:41Messages: 97Offline
Apr 24, 2016 16:01 You can get a FREE version of Davinci Resolve 12 by Blackmagic Design. I've been doing all my color grading on it.
Davinci Resolve 12

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stevekSenior ContributorPrivate MessageLocation: Houston, Texas USAJoined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18Messages: 4663Offline
Apr 24, 2016 17:28
Quote:
Obviously you can't afford it. I'm convinced now, premiere pro it is

I expected a response like that.
Yes, I can afford it and I'm old enought not to get into a pi-- match with a person who doesn' t want to know the truth or even try to understand that products change and improve.
Why do you think that the world owes you anything?

Histogram In Premiere Pro Presets


Good-bye and good luck.

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PIXSenior ContributorPrivate MessageJoined: Sep 21, 2011 00:02Messages: 2649Offline
Apr 28, 2016 12:01 CharlieWh1971234324,
This is not a place for personal abuse. As Steve pointed out, whilst the earliest version of CDR did not have histograms (the subject of the OP's concern), the recent/current versions do. One click displays under/over exposed areas. Nobody should be abused for simply stating a fact. Respectful disagreement is perfectly acceptable.
Whilst the point jdvos made back in 2012was valid, it's irrelevant to raise it now. CyberLink clearly saw that the feature needed inclusion, just as other user suggestions have been taken on board.
In fact, the histogram/clipping display feature was first included in CDR2

Histogram In Premiere Pro After Effects

which was released in

Histogram In Premiere Pro 2020

2013.
ColorDirector may not suit your needs. As Skibum noted, there are alternatives. We all need to use software that meeds our own requirements.
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Histogram In Premiere Project

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SkibumMemberPrivate MessageJoined: Nov 10, 2009 01:41Messages: 97Offline
Apr 28, 2016 16:20
Hey, Thanks for that PIX. I've kind of faded away from ColorDirector and didn't realize histograms were included with it. I'm going to give it another look.
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