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DPX Workflow in AE
Hi,
This is my first big project working with a .dpx sequence exported from an Avid DS.
I’m having a heck of a time figuring out if I should work in a color profile or not, and I can’t figure out how to properly interpret the footage.
The editor has told me this…
– working in RGB 4:4:4 and 23.976
– LUT for DPX is 709
– us 17 for white, and 236 for black for the cineon conversionOK, is it just me or is that not enough info? If I enter those values into the Cineon settings when interpreting the footage, my footage comes in washed out. If I use a Cineon Converter effect on the footage, Log to Lin, then everything seems too dark. I just have no idea what the right settings are, and I need to be looking at this footage and seeing what the online guys see on their Avid. What do I need to ask them for, what info, so that I can do this properly?
Also, is 16bit a possibility or do I need to go 32bit float?
Is linear light necessary?
Most of my animators/artists aren’t used to working in linear light, but I need to figure out the best workflow for all of this, and soon!
Lastly, the most important factor is, how do I make sure I am outputting back to .dpx in the same color profile as what I was first given?
Matthew T. Lynn
VFX/ANIMATION/EDITING -
3 Replies
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You need to talk to the person who is the recipient of your footage and get the appropriate specs of what they are expecting. You need to have communication with the source and destination contacts; not us. If you are really unsure, send them a small test clip so they can catch any big mistakes before you do any real work.
If it looks washed out, it’s probably a linear curve in a 10-bit dpx.
Linear light is for blend modes, where the layers are blended at 1.0 gamma, and is usually recommended for more natural (physically real) blending. This is a little different concept than the linear gamma curve used to compress greater latitude into a 10-bit dpx.
32-bit will protect over range values better if compositing.
Finally, work in the color space of your output spec and let AE manage color. If the source, workingspace and output are all rec709, that makes it easy. Just ensure in your output settings to keep the same 17-236 scale if that is what the destination contact wants.
Cory
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Cory Petkovsek
Corporate Video -
there are politics involved, and i came into this project after the fact. so, without stepping on peoples feet, i need to figure out exactly what to ask. i cannot just call up the online editor because i believe that has already been done and it’s not my place to do so.
UNLESS i can come to the table with a better description of exactly what info i need.
do i need to know what type of film the .dpx file is from?
do i need to simply know the cineon conversion?what ARE the questions that need to be asked of those receiving the files from us?
Matthew T. Lynn
VFX/ANIMATION/EDITING -
Hi,
I have the same question. I’m working on 2k film scans for the first time and I’ve been reading anything I can find regarding after effects and dpx workflow, linear color workflow, etc. I’ve found conflicting reports on whether to let AE do color management, and if so how to do it. Also it sounds like the workflow has changed with with each new version of AE. I did find this article on working with cineon files…https://magazine.creativecow.net/article/cineon-files-what-they-are-and-how-to-work-with-them
but its not clear what version of AE the author is using. He recommends not using any color profiles. But Adobe’s white paper on color management workflow(found here https://www.adobe.com/devnet/aftereffects/articles/color_management_workflow.html) says you should use the Universal Film Camera Printing Density profile.
Can anyone shed some light on this subject? After all of the reading I have done I have no idea what the correct workflow is. Just like the previous poster, I’m sure I DO have to communicate with my source and destination contacts, but I’m not sure what info I need from them.
thanks for reading–Richard
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