Adjusting Image Settings

Let's make sure the image looks great. This page covers the essential image settings you'll use in almost every setup: exposure, white balance, and focus. We'll start with the defaults and work from there.

tip

Before adjusting image settings, make sure the lighting in your space is set up the way you want it. The easiest lighting to work with is flat lighting, evenly dispersed light throughout the scene. Adjusting image settings before your lighting is finalized will likely require re-adjusting later.

Starting from Defaults

We recommend resetting all image settings to their factory defaults before making adjustments. This gives you a clean baseline to work from.

Using the On-Screen Display (OSD)

1. Press [Menu] on the IR remote to open the OSD.
2. Navigate to Restore Defaults using the arrow keys.
3. Press [Enter] to confirm.

Using the Web Interface

1. Log in to the web interface.
2. Navigate to Camera Settings > Advanced tab.
3. Click the Default button to revert all advanced settings to factory defaults.

You can also reset individual setting groups (Exposure, Color, Focus) from their respective tabs by clicking the Default button on each tab.

Auto Focus vs Manual Focus

Auto Focus (Default)

Auto Focus is enabled by default and works well in most situations. The camera continuously adjusts focus to keep the subject sharp as you pan, tilt, and zoom.

• AF Zone: Determines where the camera looks for focus. Options include Center (default), Top, Bottom, and Front.
• AF Sensitivity: Controls how quickly autofocus responds. Options are Low, Normal (default), and High.

tip

For most setups, the Center zone and Normal sensitivity work well. If the camera is hunting for focus in a low-contrast scene, try switching to Manual focus.

Manual Focus

Switch to Manual focus when you want to lock in a specific focus point and prevent the camera from adjusting automatically.

1. In the web interface, go to Camera Settings > Focus tab.
2. Change Focus Mode from Auto to Manual.
3. Use the Focus slider to adjust focus until the image is sharp.

The SNAP Button

The SNAP button performs a one-shot autofocus. The camera runs autofocus to find the sharpest focus point, then returns to manual mode. This is useful when you want to quickly lock focus without staying in full Auto Focus mode.

Focus Limit

If the camera keeps trying to focus on objects very close to the lens (like a table edge or podium), you can set a Focus Limit to prevent it from focusing closer than a certain distance.

1. Go to Camera Settings > Focus tab.
2. Enable the Focus Limit checkbox.
3. Set the Nearest Pos to the minimum distance you want the camera to focus on (e.g., 2 meters).

Exposure Basics

Exposure controls how bright or dark the image appears. The Move 4K offers several exposure modes, but for most setups, you'll want to start with Auto.

Exposure Modes

Mode	When to Use
Auto	Default. The camera automatically adjusts Iris, Shutter, and Gain. Best for most setups.
Manual	Full control over Iris, Shutter, and Gain. Use when you need precise, consistent exposure.
SAE (Shutter Auto)	You set the shutter, and the camera adjusts the iris. Useful when you need to control motion blur.
AAE (Aperture Auto)	You set the iris, and the camera adjusts the shutter. Useful when you need to control the depth of field.
Bright	Optimized for low-light conditions. The camera prioritizes brightness.
OnePush	Press a button to let the camera set exposure based on the current scene, then lock it.

Quick Exposure Adjustments

If Auto exposure is close but not quite right, try these adjustments without switching to Manual mode:

• Exp-Comp (Exposure Compensation): Adjusts the overall brightness up or down. Range: -7 to +7. Default is -3. Turn it up if the image is too dark, down if it's too bright.
• Backlight: Enables backlight compensation for scenes with a bright background (like a window behind the subject). Toggle On to brighten the foreground.
• Gain Limit: Sets the maximum gain the camera will apply in low light. Range: 0–15. Default is 5. Lower values reduce noise but may result in a darker image.
• Anti-Flicker: Reduces flicker caused by artificial lighting. Set to 50Hz or 60Hz to match your local power frequency. If you see banding or flickering in the image, try changing this setting. We recommend turning this feature off if shooting in sunlight.

Meter Region

The Meter Region determines which area of the frame the camera uses to calculate exposure:

• Average (default): Evaluates the entire image. Good for evenly lit scenes.
• Center: Prioritizes the center of the frame. Good when your subject is centered.
• Top: Prioritizes the top of the frame. Useful when the subject is in the upper portion.
• Smart: Analyzes the entire image and finds the best location for exposure calculation. We recommend turning this feature off if shooting in sunlight.

White Balance Basics

White balance ensures colors look natural under different lighting conditions. The wrong white balance can make your image look too warm (Red) or too cool (Blue).

White Balance Modes

Mode	When to Use
Auto	Default. The camera adjusts white balance automatically. Best for most setups.
Indoor	Optimized for indoor lighting (~3200K). Use under tungsten or warm LED lights.
Outdoor	Optimized for outdoor lighting (~5600K). Use in daylight or mixed outdoor/indoor scenes.
OnePush	Point the camera at a white surface, then press the OnePush button. The camera locks white balance based on what it sees.
Manual	Full control over Red Gain and Blue Gain. Use when you need precise color matching between cameras.
VAR	Set a specific color temperature (2500K–8000K) along with Red/Blue gain adjustments.

Quick White Balance Tips

• If the image looks too red/warm, try switching from Auto to Outdoor, or lower the Red Gain in Manual mode.
• If the image looks too blue/cool, try switching from Auto to Indoor, or lower the Blue Gain in Manual mode.
• For the most accurate white balance, use OnePush: point the camera at a white card or white wall that's lit the same way as your subject, then trigger OnePush.

Fine-Tuning the Image

Once exposure and white balance are dialed in, you can fine-tune the image with these settings:

Image Tab Settings

Setting	Range	Default	What It Does
Luminance	0–14	8	Overall brightness of the image.
Saturation	20%–200%	90%	Color intensity. Increase for more vivid colors, decrease for a more muted look.
Contrast	0–14	9	Difference between light and dark areas. Higher contrast makes shadows deeper and highlights brighter.
Sharpness	Auto, 0–11	9	Edge definition. Too high can introduce artifacts; too low can look soft.
Hue	0–14	8	Shifts the overall color hue. Usually best left at default.

Noise Reduction

In low-light situations, you may notice grain or noise in the image. 3D Noise Reduction helps smooth this out:

• Range: Off, 1–8, Auto
• Default: 7
• Higher values apply stronger noise reduction but can make the image look softer or introduce motion artifacts.
• Auto lets the camera adjust dynamically based on lighting conditions.

Matching Multiple Cameras with Color View

If you're using multiple cameras in the same space, you'll want their images to match so switching between them doesn't create a jarring change in exposure or color. The Color View workspace in Horizon gives you professional-grade analysis tools to match cameras precisely, not just by eye.

Step 1: Set All Cameras to the Same Baseline

Before you start matching, ensure all cameras are starting from the same settings:

1. Set all cameras to the same Exposure Mode (start with Auto).
2. Set all cameras to the same White Balance Mode (start with Indoor or Outdoor, depending on your lighting).
3. Set all image settings (Luminance, Saturation, Contrast, Sharpness, Hue) to their factory defaults.
4. Zoom all cameras out to the maximum and point them at the center of the scene.

tip

Place a white or neutral grey card in the center of the frame under your key lighting. This gives you a consistent reference point across all cameras.

Step 2: Open Color View on Each Camera

1. Open the Horizon web interface for your first camera in a browser tab.
2. Switch to the Color View workspace by clicking the Color tab at the top of the dashboard (between Basic and Studio).
3. Repeat for each additional camera, opening each in its own browser tab or window.
4. Arrange the browser windows side by side so you can see all cameras at once.

Step 3: Match Exposure Using the Waveform

1. On each camera's Color View, select the Waveform analyzer from the dropdown.
2. Look at the waveform for each camera. The waveform displays luminance (brightness) across the frame:
   • 0% = pure black
   • 50–70% = well-exposed skin tones/subjects
   • 100% = peak white (clipping)
3. Adjust the Luminance and Exposure Mode on each camera so that your subject falls within the same waveform range across all cameras.
4. Aim for the waveforms to look as similar as possible between cameras.

note

If one camera's waveform pushes above 100%, that camera is overexposed. Lower the Luminance or adjust exposure compensation until the signal drops below clipping.

important

The reference image above is of a lab.The ceiling lights in this room are very bright and not adjustable. You can see the whites in the waveform are nearly clipping. In a real-world scenario, if you've done everything you can on the camera side to reduce exposure, you may need to adjust your lighting setup to avoid clipping.

Step 4: Match White Balance Using RGB Parade

1. Switch each camera's analyzer to RGB Parade. This splits the video signal into separate Red, Green, and Blue waveforms displayed side by side.
2. Look at the three color channels for each camera. For a neutral scene (grey card or white wall), the R, G, and B waveforms should be at roughly the same level.
3. If one channel is higher than the others on a particular camera, that color is dominating; adjust the White Balance to compensate:
   • Red channel too high: Decrease Red Gain or switch White Balance to a cooler preset.
   • Blue channel too high: Decrease Blue Gain or switch to a warmer preset.
   • Green channel too high: Adjust both Red and Blue Gain to balance.
4. Match the RGB Parade patterns across all cameras to make them as similar as possible.

tip

If the R, G, and B waveforms are roughly level for a neutral grey/white element in the frame, white balance is accurate. This is the fastest way to verify color consistency between cameras.

Step 5: Verify Color Accuracy with the Vectorscope

1. Switch each camera's analyzer to the Vectorscope. This displays hue and saturation as a circular plot.
2. For a neutral scene (grey card), the trace should appear as a concentrated dot near the center of the scope. If the dot is expanding outward in any direction, white balance needs adjustment.
3. Compare the vectorscope plots across all cameras. The traces should overlap or appear in the same positions.
4. If one camera's trace is farther from the center, that camera has higher saturation; reduce Saturation to match the others.
5. If the trace points in a different direction, the hue is off; adjust Hue to align.

note

The Vectorscope has labeled target boxes (R, G, B, Cy, Mg, Yl) for standard broadcast colors. If you have color references in your scene (like a color chart), verify they hit the correct target boxes on all cameras.

important

The vectorscope image below shows correct white balance, with the dot near the center of the scope. We've reduced the red and blue gains as much as possible to get the dot as close to the center as possible. The dot is still slightly off-center, which is normal; the goal is to get all cameras' traces in the same position, not necessarily at the exact center.

important

Below is an image of an oversaturated scene. The trace is far from the center of the scope, indicating that the colors are too intense. Reduce Saturation until the trace moves closer to the center.

Step 6: Fine-Tune and Save

1. Use the Before Settings Snapshot analyzer mode on each camera to compare your adjusted signal against the original defaults.
2. Make final adjustments to Saturation, Contrast, and Sharpness to taste, watching the analyzers for consistency.
3. Click Apply at the bottom of the Color Settings panel to commit the changes.
4. Optionally, click the Save Changes (download) icon at the top of the Color Settings panel to export the settings as a profile file. You can later use the Upload button to import that profile to other cameras.

tip

Once you've dialed in a perfect look on your primary camera, click Save Changes (download icon) to export its profile. Then use the Upload button on the other cameras to import that profile as a starting point; you'll only need minor tweaks to finish matching.

Quick Reference: Which Analyzer to Use

Analyzer	Use It To Match...	What to Look For
Waveform	Exposure/brightness	Signal levels in the same range (50–70% for subjects)
RGB Parade	White balance/color channels	R, G, B waveforms at similar levels for neutral scenes
Vectorscope	Saturation and hue accuracy	Traces overlapping in the same positions on the scope
Before Settings Snapshot	Before/after comparison	Visual difference between defaults and your adjusted settings