Image and Sound Optimization Tutorial

1. Image & Sound Optimization

2. Download the Media Bits
Find the link to the Image and Sound
Optimization Materials above.

3. Download the Media Bits
Open a clip by double-clicking. Click on the
arrow to download each clip

4. Import the Media
• Open a new Premiere Project and import the
12 images and 2 sound files.

5. • We’re working with still images (they’re faster
to download) and short sound clips.

6. Assemble the Timeline
• Switch Workspace to Assembly. Assemble the
related clips on the timeline. I’m using the two
sound files first, then the image files, Latimer
first, Little second, Ahlfeldt third, Tolland fourth.

7. Part 1: Sound Optimization

8. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!
• FIX YOUR LEVELS AND TRANSITIONS (quick cross
fades) FIRST!
• Fix all your audio levels and layerings in your
whole piece first.
• Make sure you have nat-sound (B-roll sound) so
your b-roll isn’t ‘airless.’
• Make sure this sound is ‘J’ cut in whenever
possible (with a fade.)
• When someone is talking, ‘duck’ the audio of any
background sound.

9. Switch Workspace to Audio and resize
the audio tracks so you can see the
audio waveforms.

10. Listen to the John Oliver clip; note how
strong it sounds. Listen to the second sound
clip; note how it sounds less strong.

11. We’re going to apply an Effect to the second clip:
AUDynamics Processor

12. Under Individual Parameters, I set:
- Compression Threshold & Headroom to 9 (apx.)
- Master Gain to 5 (apx.)

13. • When adjusting for your doc project, your
settings may need to be adjusted.
The goal is to get consistently higher voltages
without clipping (going into the red.)

14. View the Audio Track Mixer pane and note how the voltage is
now consistently stronger with the applied effect.
From -8 to -4 may not appear to be much but the difference in sound and viewer
attention is important. Your sound clips, especially your Narration/VO and your
sound bites may improve more dramatically
The goal is to get all speaking (Sound Bites and Narration/VO to consistently peak
at -4 or better to be competitive with tv/web viewing)

15. Part 2: Image Optimization

16. Switch Workspace to Color Correction

17. • Let’s start with the
first Latimer clip.
• Notice how the (blue)
waveform depicts the
brightness levels of
the image.

18. • There are many ways
to adjust brightness
levels and color
balance.
• I’m choosing to use
Video
Effects/Adjust/Auto
Levels
• Drag that effect onto
the first clip.

19. • Under Auto Levels, I
adjusted the White Clip
until I brought the skin
tones in the bright part
of the face to around 70
ire.
• Remember, levels are
set to skin tones
generally.

21. • I also go and add the
Video Effects/Color
Correction/Fast Color
Corrector filter; the
color looks a little too
intense and hot.

22. • I’m interested only in
nudging the color
balance a teeny bit away
from the yellow-green.
• More importantly, I turn
down the Saturation a
bit.

23. • Here’s the result.

24. • 100 ire
• 7 ire

25. • Usually, many shots
from the same camera
session will require the
same filter correction.
• Once you figure out
one, you can copy and
paste the filters with
their settings and apply
them to the similar clips.