Luminosity Masks in Premiere?

[John Right]

I often shoot real estate videos and struggle with blown-out highlights from windows during editing. I recently saw a video with perfectly exposed interiors and windows—here's the link, check out 0:33: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRaVZ0LUKLw

I’d love to replicate that effect. I suspect they used a slider and shot two takes: one for the interior and one for the windows. My challenge is how to blend those clips together. In PS I would use a luminosty mask, or mask in the expsoure entirely. How would one blend the different exposers like in the video?  Any suggestions?

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi, @John Right,

Thank you for reaching out. It’s great to hear from someone with a shared background in real estate video production! I even recognize the voice-over artist in that video—I used to work with him! Kathy Garver was another VO artist I worked with. She was on a TV show in the 60s, "Family Affair."

Regarding your question, while the HSL secondary controls in Premiere Pro can be used for selective color correction based on luminance, I believe what you’re seeing is that the windows have been gelled with ND diffusion, allowing for balanced exposure between the interior and exterior shots.

Additional lighting can prevent the shot from being completely blown out, though it won't match the quality of what was shown in that YouTube video. I hope this insight helps. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.

Best regards,
Kevin

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[John Right]

Thanks for getting back to me, Kevin—and a fist bump to my fellow real estate video specialist!

I hadn’t considered using ND gels on windows before. It sounds like it could be really time-consuming to cut and apply gels to each window for every shot. Do you happen to know anyone in the industry who has experience with this kind of workflow?

Also, I noticed that some of the doors on the property are open, which means you’re getting a direct view outside into the backyard, side yard, and front yard. It doesn’t seem like there would be an easy way to set up an ND gel for those open doors or sliders, unless I’m missing something.