This tutorial explains why NEOiD PTZ USB PRO 4K cameras installed in the same environment can show different colors, even with the same configuration, and shows how to make them all look the same.
The content is based on a real support case: a studio with controlled lighting, three NEOiD PTZ USB PRO 4K cameras and production in vMix, with the image captured via the HDMI output.
The customer could not match the color between the cameras in the live cut, even with the same color adjustments on all of them. The signal chain was:
Camera → HDMI output → USB capture card → PC with vMix
Camera IP stream → WebUI in the browser, used only for control and monitoring
Cameras with different color tones from each other in the same environment.
Color changes when the camera zooms, moves or focuses on an object.
Image arriving at vMix in 1080p, even though the production was planned in 4K.
WebUI preview freezing with all three cameras open at the same time.
White balance in automatic mode: in this mode the camera measures the framed scene and recalculates the color all the time. Since each camera points to a different place, each one ends up with a different color, and the color changes with every zoom or movement.
Misaligned resolution in the chain: the HDMI output was set to 1080p30 and the vMix project to 1080p, while the IP stream was in 4K30. The customer wanted the HDMI output to be 4K30.
4K stream in the WebUI: three 4K streams (16 Mbps each) open in the browser were building up cache and freezing the preview.
Fix the white balance to VAR, with the same color temperature on all cameras.
Align the program chain to 4K30: HDMI output, capture card and vMix.
Reduce the WebUI stream to 1080p, since it is used only for control, so the video does not freeze all the time.
Have access to the WebUI of each camera through the browser. For adjustments via the OSD menu, use the remote control or the WebUI itself (PTZ/OSD → OSD).
Have access to vMix settings and to the capture card inputs.
Write down the color temperature of the studio’s spotlights or LED panels: this is the starting point for the white balance adjustment.
In the camera WebUI, go to Image → White balance → WB Mode and select VAR.
In Color temperature, set the value appropriate to the studio lighting (from
2500 Kto8000 K). In the support case that originated this article, the ideal value was4900 K.Repeat the procedure on all cameras, with exactly the same value.
Alternative via the OSD menu: using the remote control, or via the WebUI in PTZ/OSD → OSD, go to Color → WB Mode, select VAR and adjust the Color temperature.
In the OSD menu, go to Setup → Video format and select 4K30 (or 4K25 in 50 Hz systems).
Confirm that the capture card delivers 4K to the computer. Many USB cards accept 4K on the HDMI input but send at most 1080p to the PC.
In vMix, go to Settings → Display.
Set Output Size to
3840×2160.Set the Master Frame Rate to the same rate as the camera (
30p).In the input of each capture card, select
3840×2160at30 fps.
In the WebUI of each camera, open the video settings.
In the primary stream, change the Resolution to
1920×1080, with a frame rate of30or60 fps.
The IP stream does not interfere with the HDMI output: vMix continues to receive 4K through the capture card.
Place the cameras side by side in the vMix multiview and frame the same white or gray object with all of them.
Zoom, move and focus each camera: the color should remain stable.
Confirm that the WebUI of each camera runs without freezing.
With the white balance fixed and the video chain aligned, the cameras maintain the same color in any framing.
4900 K is not a universal value. The correct temperature depends on the lighting of each studio. Use the color temperature of the spotlights or LED panels as a starting point and adjust while looking at a white object.
If the lighting changes (lamp replacement, new spotlights, set change), adjust one camera and replicate the value on the others.
Since the cameras are in the same controlled environment, keep the other color parameters the same on all of them, such as Saturation and Hue. If brightness also varies between them, apply the same reasoning to Exposure: avoid automatic mode and use the same values.
Automatic white balance is useful in places with variable light, such as events and outdoor areas, but not in a studio with controlled lighting.
If the colors are still different after these steps, open a ticket with NEOiD support.