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Red to Avid workflow
Hello Editors & Post Production experts,
I’m about to start editing a RED Camera show and would like to figure out the best Avid workflow. The project is a very low budget feature film and will not be going through a dailies lab/facility such as Fotokem, Plastercity Post, etc.
In other words, I will have to take the R3D files and somehow get them into the Avid. My plan is to use Avid Metafuze and transcode the R3D files to Avid DNxHD 36 mediafiles.
This is the plan but this is my first RED show and I’ve never used Metafuze so I’m curious to hear from someone who has done it this way. Here are a couple of questions:— I’d like to transcode on my laptop. Since Metafuze runs on Windows, I assume I’ll have to partition by laptop and use Metafuze via bootcamp (which I’ve never done before). Anything to look out for or any tips?
— It’s my understanding that the R3D files will be flat, raw files with no Look Up Table applied. If that’s the case, is there a way to add the LUT in Metafuze as part of the transcoding process? If so, where do you get the LUT? Is this something I need to ask the camera dept for? What should I look for?
— Can sound be transcoded with the video? Any other sound suggestions?
I’m sure there are other methods of getting R3D media into an Avid and I would love to know if anyone has any suggestions. The project starts right away to I’m anxious to figure out this workflow.
Thanks much!Tom Cross
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7 Replies
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Currently working on two Red-originated features, just finished a 40 min TV-movie with Red this summer. All MetaFuze->Avid->DI (BaseLight, Scratch).
– I’ve used my MBP with MetaFuze in BootCamp, Win Vista Biz 64-bit. Works fine. Also used it on an iMac through Parallels (ot supported, but it works). It’s supported on VMWare.
– The RedSpace is being converted to Rec 709 by MetaFuze. That looks pretty dull. Easiest is to add an S-curved color correction in Avid.
Currently, you cannot apply or modify LUTs for R3D files in MetaFuze. You can apply RLX files (generated by for instance RedAlert). These can be used to grade the shots. But you’d have to do that one-by-one. Not too practical. Better to add the overall grade.– Sound from the Red can be transcoded along with picture. That said, usually sound mixers prefer to use their own recorders. Most of them are not too fond of the Red as a sound recording device.
It is wise to copy the name of the resulting clips into the Labroll or Camroll columns. The Tapename is the “old” Red filename, the filename is the actual current filename (there’s a slight naming convention issue). When doing EDLs you need to use the Red16 template in order to be able to use the full Red filename as EDL source name.
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Thanks so much for this info Job. It’s been difficult to find people who actually use Metafuze.
I was watching a video tutorial on the Avid website
https://www.avid.com/metafuze/and it sounded like they were saying that you could apply a LUT:
“For color management insure you have the proper LUT applied, depending on the source.
LUT management can be accessed directly from the Edit LUT button. A series of preset LUTs can then be accessed or custom LUT settings can be created… 1D and 3D LUTs created elsewhere, can also be imported into Metafuze.”Does that sound inaccurate? Or am I misunderstanding what the tutorial is saying?
thanks againTom Cross
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The video quick tour you watched is about using MetaFuze to get DPX files into Avid media. With R3D files, you cannot apply or modify the LUT, there is always a straight LUT conversion applied from RedSpace to Rec709.
Here’s a nice tutorial on MetaFuze specifically about Red files:
https://community.avid.com/forums/post/418673.aspx.I’d recommend checking out the MetaFuze forum on the Avid Community website. Quite a few folks with hands-on experience more than willing to share their experiences.
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Tom
If you are interested we can speak off site about your workflow challenges. You have a couple of options both require a bit of transcoding and time. We would love to help if possible.
Tom Vice
Vice President
nextLAB a Division of FotoKem
818.846.3101 -
I thought the idea was that we share not just the problems/challenges but also the solutions here. I’d much prefer the both of you to keep your discussion on the forum pages. I know I’m interested in what your workflow suggestions would be.
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Thanks to both of you for your suggestions.
For the time being I decided to stay in the Mac world and transcode using REDrushes instead of Metafuze.
I wanted to transcode directly to Avid mediafiles with Metafuze but only had Macs to work with. I could have run Windows via bootcamp for Metafuze but was concerned that all the cores of the CPU wouldn’t be utilized. I do have a couple of questions that are coming up:
— Our production sound mixer is recording directly into the camera so our R3D files have the sound embedded. He is recording 24 bit. However, after I transcode in REDrushes and import into the Avid, the sample bit depth changes to 16 bit. The Avid import settings are set to use the source’s compression and sample rate. In other words, it’s not changing the source to the project’s settings. As a test, I imported a BWF that was supposed to be 24 bit and it came in at 24 bit which seems to support that idea. It seems that either REDrushes is changing the bit rate during transcoding, or that somehow the RED Camera never recorded 24 bit at all.
We threw one of the RED proxies into Final Cut and looked at the audio data and it said 32 bit integer. Any thoughts on what that means?
Tom Cross
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[i]I could have run Windows via bootcamp for Metafuze but was concerned that all the cores of the CPU wouldn’t be utilized.[/i]
Works fine for me. And MetaFuze is faster than RedRushers to begin with.I’ve never used the Red’s audio, so I can’t comment on that.
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