Which one of these three clips looks best to you?

[The Last Laugh]

Hi!

As some of you may know, I'm working on producing clips so that I can eventually open a clip store (while still selling physical videos). I'm making progress, but I still have some experimentation to do.

Among other problems, I'm having a hard time deciding how much I need to modify the clips so that they look ok on most monitors. I'm especially worried that my clips may be too bright or too dark for most people. That's because different users have different monitors, personal monitor settings, video card settings, etc. What I see on my own monitor may be quite different from what you see on yours.

The three links below correspond to three different versions of the same short tickling clip. I'm sorry it's only 5 seconds long, but the main purpose of this clip is to get an idea what its various versions look like on other people's screens.

I would really appreciate if you could take a look at all three versions and indicate which one you like best, without changing the video settings you use for your system. The only difference between them is the level of contrast I used when creating them, which also affects brightness. If it's not too much trouble, I'd be curious to know if the versions that you like less are too bright or too dark for you. Also, do they look very bad or just not quite as good as your favorite?

I'm not sure how much of a difference the results of this poll will make, but it's possible that they will help me produce better clips. And for that I thank you in advance.

<a href="http://www.thelastlaughinc.com/g1.wmv">VERSION 1</a>
<a href="http://www.thelastlaughinc.com/g2.wmv">VERSION 2</a>
<a href="http://www.thelastlaughinc.com/g3.wmv">VERSION 3</a>

 

[Papabear1]

Honestly I could not see any difference in the clips. The ticklee is pretty cute and I would like a longer clip but as for me any of the types would be fine.

 

[laughingboy2000]

version 2

 

[Fiend1]

Agreed. Version 2 seems to be the best quality image.

 

[somebody231]

It was hard to choose... all have good quality, but I think version 2 has the best.

 

[Budweiserbob!]

I '2' wish '2' choose version '2'. 😀

 

[FT Tklr]

Didnt notice a big difference, but im on my laptop tonight.

I cant wait until you get a clip store up! Please hurry... lol

 

[The Last Laugh]

I cant wait until you get a clip store up! Please hurry... lol

I'm really trying my best. But this brightness/contrast thing is really slowing me down. For most people on the TickleTheater, Version 2 is the best. But for some strange reason, Version 1 is by far the favorite of most people who answered this poll on the TMF. I don't get it, the forum from which the clips are viewed/downloaded shouldn't make any difference at all. As for me, Version 3 looks best on my own monitor, hands down. These widely varying results make for a very confusing situation. I mean, based on the results of the poll so far, it seems I can't use my own monitor as a reference. So as you can imagine, I'm having a hard time creating the clips, since I have to make picture modification half-blindly, never knowing exactly what the clips will look like on other people's monitors. This requires a ton of experimentation, and that takes a lot of time.

 

[Footmark500]

Not much difference to me.Version 1 seems more natural cause the girl is less red in her face.

 

[The Last Laugh]

Not much difference to me.Version 1 seems more natural cause the girl is less red in her face.

I see. So it's not so much a matter of brightness than of contrast. Hmm, this is going to be harder than I thought. I was especially interested in knowing if there was a level of brightness that people preferred, but it seems contrast is also an issue. In most cases, people didn't specify what they liked or disliked about the various versions, so I don't know what to do. Seems like I still have a lot of work and experimentation to do.

From a personal point of view, I tend to prefer when colors are darker and more intense, even if it means colors that aren't totally natural. I find it better than duller, more washed out colors. But since it's possible not everyone shares my preference, I'll have to work on this some more.

In any case, thank you very much for the feedback

 

[ktickler]

Well, it is always an issue of brightness and contrast and, most importantly, the display medium. Everyone's monitor will show the video if a different way because each person has set the brightness/contrast settings differently. There is also the glare, the amount of ambient light, the age of the monitor, LCD vs. CRT, the ColorSync calibration, the Gamma, etc.

I personally prefer Video 1 because it has the right amount of brightness and contrast to see the background, the skin, the clothes, etc. It is soft and pleasing to the eye. In Videos 2 and 3 the colors start getting saturated. Especially the black. In Video 3 you can't distinguish the shadow from the wall.

I guess I see your point of preferring darker and more intense colors, but considering that the average viewer has "cheap" and uncalibrated monitors, the softer (duller) version is better.

Just my opinion... 🙂

 

[mart]

Well, it is always an issue of brightness and contrast and, most importantly, the display medium. Everyone's monitor will show the video if a different way because each person has set the brightness/contrast settings differently. There is also the glare, the amount of ambient light, the age of the monitor, LCD vs. CRT, the ColorSync calibration, the Gamma, etc.

I personally prefer Video 1 because it has the right amount of brightness and contrast to see the background, the skin, the clothes, etc. It is soft and pleasing to the eye. In Videos 2 and 3 the colors start getting saturated. Especially the black. In Video 3 you can't distinguish the shadow from the wall.

I guess I see your point of preferring darker and more intense colors, but considering that the average viewer has "cheap" and uncalibrated monitors, the softer (duller) version is better.

Just my opinion... 🙂

I agree with this view. To me all the versions are pretty good, but No. 1 is the most pleasing. I am looking forward to your clips - far less cumbersome than videos and you can choose the sections you really want to see.

 

[diddywc]

verison 2 seems best on my screen

 

[laughingboy2000]

I'm really trying my best. But this brightness/contrast thing is really slowing me down. For most people on the TickleTheater, Version 2 is the best. But for some strange reason, Version 1 is by far the favorite of most people who answered this poll on the TMF. I don't get it, the forum from which the clips are viewed/downloaded shouldn't make any difference at all. As for me, Version 3 looks best on my own monitor, hands down. These widely varying results make for a very confusing situation. I mean, based on the results of the poll so far, it seems I can't use my own monitor as a reference. So as you can imagine, I'm having a hard time creating the clips, since I have to make picture modification half-blindly, never knowing exactly what the clips will look like on other people's monitors. This requires a ton of experimentation, and that takes a lot of time.

Honestly, if brightness/contrast is the only thing you're worrying about, just release the clips. I didn't notice any significant difference between the 3, and version 2 only looks best to me a TINY bit over versions 1 and 3. But theres absolutely nothing wrong with Version 1 and 3, and I probably couldnt tell the difference unless you asked me to compare again.