Waveform Monitor

The waveform monitor shows the relative levels of brightness and saturation in your footage, reading from left to right. Zero percent at the bottom is absolute black, and 100 percent at the top is absolute white. Remember that many Mini DV cameras can shoot over that 100 percent white level, which is fine for the internet but not for broadcast TV.

The waveform monitor shows the specific grayscale value of each pixel in the image, from left to right. So, if you have a black background on the left of the screen, all the pixels in that vicinity will be in the lower part of the monitor on the left. If a bright white object takes up a majority of the right side of the image, the majority of the pixels on the right of the waveform monitor will be toward the top of the monitor at the right.

This monitor shows only specific grayscale value for each pixel in the image. You cannot use the scope to identify specific features, as the waveform has no concept of a pixel being in a particular spot in an i…

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