Creating a light turn on

Hi all.

I'm trying to make the effect of a light turning on. And I mean more than just turning up the opacity. When you cut on a light it takes a moment to get the eyes adjust. I will have to repeat this effect more than once. Any ideas? Maybe there is a Video Filter out there?

Any help would be appreciated.

t.d.
FCP 5
Dual G5 2GHz
2Gig RAM

wow, this is a request that ive never heard before. id probably try using the levels filter under image control. using output and output tolerance, you could keframe a really quick rise from dead black to a superbright, then a second or so ramp back to normal.

There is a camera flash transition effect that is a lot like you describe.

It depends on the light source, too. Incandescent/Tungsten lamps take a split second to come up to full brightness and it depends on the size of the bulb. That's why the transition from Tungsten to LEDs on the back of trucks was so noticable. The LEDs come on instantly.

Fluorescent lamps have that half-way point they go through as the gas inside fires, and they don't come on full brightness right away.

Etc.

Hollywood could never get their studio lights to come on quick enough for the effect, so they used to distract your attention with action and music.

Koz

Thanks for the advice so far. I'll try the levels filter and get back to you.

I'm also working on the mimicing a florecent bulb coming on. It has that slight delay, with a bit of flicker as it turns on.

"camera flash"? Where would I get that transition?

Again, thanks.

any of the vast number of aged film 3rd party filters may help you along the flourescent path. just turn off all the grain and dust stuff and just use the luminance jitter element.

i wonder though if you might be overthinking this a bit. i have found that often we as artists spend a lot of time to get what we consider a realistic effect, when the audience would be just as (if not more) effected by a simpler aproach...

just something to think about...

I agree with Wayne. Since you're applying this in post, and trying to do this in FCP, it's not gonna look real no matter how you cut it. Just get across the idea and try to keep the technique simple.

i am not a genius at this but is it possible to dip to negutive and if so couldnt u key that dip and ad a reverse ( meaning flip the blk to white while in negutive ) and bring it back to normal.

when i turn the ligh on from pitch black for a sec or so it seem like a negutive then it calms to norm but for about 2-5 frames after it seems normal it seems like its darker with a lil 2frame blur.

but i am totally guessing thinking that sometimes a dummy has a intriging idea that may stimulate another. hope it helps

Corbett, the funniest thing about your post is how you described a length of time in real life as "frames". That's when you know you've been in the edit bay too long...

Andy

<<<That's when you know you've been in the edit bay too long...>>>

One of our editors once described his vacation duration...in feet and frames.


One of the things that puts the "lights on" effect over is not having the room altogether dark to begin with. Light coming in the window, electric clock glowing, nightlight in the hallway and the VCR flashing midnight, midnight, midnight.

*Then* you turn the lights on and the whole lighting in the scene changes. Unless you live where mom does in Upstate New York where the farmhouse really does go to zero light a couple of times a month, there is no such thing as a dark room.

You can simulate a fluorescnt coming up with about a quarter second at 1/3 brightness and then it snaps full on as the gas inside the tube fully fires.

And it's always blueish even if it isn't in real life.

"Everybody knows" fluorescents are blueish.

Koz

You might look into manipulating After Effects lights with the LUX plug-in. You can get volumetric lights with this awesome plug-in from Trapcode:

[www.trapcode.com]



When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Thanks again.

wayneG you might be right. This "effect" was a request from my director. I mentioned doing it during filming, but....... Anyway, its a nice trick to have.

For those that have never been to Birmingham, Al, you are not missing much. But what you are missing is the Sidewalk Film Festival. Also, Sidewalk has a 48hr movie making comptetion. I've been the editor for my team. We have yet to take the gold, but we have a good time. The point I was trying to get to, on more than one occasion this forum, and the tutorials on this site, has saved us. Thanks All.