Best way to monitor with FCPX–what’s your take

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Oliver Peters] “I presume their sentiment is along the lines of the “race to the bottom”. If you promote a tool that supposedly anyone can use and it’s cheap, then the skills you bring to the table aren’t valued.”

Hmm. I assume all of these guys are editing on the two year old $299 FCS3 upgrade?

I don’t know, $299 or $1499 or $3499. If you’re a Pro, it’s not that huge of a difference, you know?

[T. Payton]

[Oliver Peters] “If you promote a tool that supposedly anyone can use and it’s cheap, then the skills you bring to the table aren’t valued.”

Same thing happened in the 90’s with “desktop publishing”. If history is any indication, workflows will be simplified, and talent will win out in the end.

——
T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque

[Oliver Peters]

[T. Payton] “Same thing happened in the 90’s with “desktop publishing”.”

My own take – at least as it relates to editing technology – is that it follows a bell curve. When everything was cut on film, the cost of the tools were relatively cheap. Then video editing became the norm and the industry went off on a tangent of more and more expensive toys for about 4 decades. Now we are on the downward side of that curve. Probably started with the introduction of Avid and EMC2 when these were the cheap tools in relationship to a $1M online bay of the day, circa 1990.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Michael Johnson]

I just printed a CD using the new FCPX and it shows interlacing issues when played on DVD. I suspected it when I was editing it because I could see some lines but they weren’t as conspicuous as on TV. The DVD is for TV broadcast and unfortunately is the only format I can send the TV network. Can I use Compressor or do something in FCP X that can get rid of the interlacing issues? Please help! 🙂

[Michael Holmes]

Well, this thread has died out, but it is right on the issue I am struggling with. So please let me ask the same question, but add some conditions.

First, let me say I am one of the unwashed masses, the definition of amateur. I shoot videos of live bands (I have mixed/mastered songs for these local bands for years), as a favor to the bands. I just love music. I am retired (an old codger) and this is a hobby, a contribution to band members I’ve known for years. If I didn’t do this, nobody would do it…….because the bands have absolutely no money, ever. I love doing it, and they appreciate getting the videos. Everybody is happy, as long as the social security checks keep coming.

My question:
What monitor should I use for color grading, and how do I calibrate it?

Conditions (Sorry, you may disagree, but…..my conditions):
– Output is always H.264 QT movies, 30% are compressed to the Internet. That’s it.
– I shoot with two FS100 camcorders, always 24P, never enough light in the clubs, only FCP X, always ProRes.
– I wish the monitor to be a computer monitor, not a monitor “for broadcast”.
– I only want one monitor, not two……two monitors get in the way of the Pro Tools audio work.
– I currently use an HP 2711x monitor, calibrated regularly with Spyder4PRO, and a Mac Pro 2×2.4 quad core.
– I absolutely love color grading. Don’t ask me why, it is just fun for me.

I have looked hard at the Eizo CG275W, but it somehow sits wrong with me (remember, amateur) to use something other than a computer monitor for what I do. Sorry, I can’t argue with my gut. Maybe current technology makes this wrong, but I am assuming that this will change quickly in the Internet world.

So, what computer monitor will give me the best chance of a product with the color I intended?
(I have seen many comments about the HP DreamColor……..is that it?)

How exactly do I calibrate it? (what tools do I need?)

Please help me on this….I’d really like to make a decision and get along with shooting videos. 🙂
Thanks!

[Oliver Peters]

[Michael Holmes] “My question:
What monitor should I use for color grading, and how do I calibrate it?”

Given your criteria, what’s wrong with the set-up you have? You are color correcting for the internet, so what you see in the FCP X viewer is going to be reasonably valid for what you deliver. Do some testing and judge what you see on your screen versus other comparable outputs – a DVD on a TV, a web video on a few other screens, etc. It’s the equivalent of judging your mix on car speakers. If what you see on your screen translates reasonably well, then you don’t need anything else.

That being said, Dreamcolors are nice and so are the 27″ Apples. I’ve also seen folks take the graphics card’s second output via HDMI to a good quality Panasonic plasma that they can hang on a wall for a big image. They get very reliable results. Again … for the target deliverable that you described.

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com

[Michael Holmes]

Thank you, Oliver.
Your logic makes sense to me.

Interestingly, I have a 50″ Panasonic plasma on a wall about 40 ft. away in another room. With a Cat 2 HDMI cable and a couple of holes in the walls, I could use that as you described.

Let me ask you some followup questions please.

(1) Is the original Mac Pro ATI Radeon 5770 card adequate? Do other cards have advantages in terms of better image quality or something else? (I know zip about graphics cards).

(2) Is my current calibration approach adequate? The Spyder4PRO is a pain in the neck to use, but it seems to maintain consistency. I could also use it on the Panasonic. And I could upgrade to the Spyder4Elite for more control over parameters.

(3) If I find the HP2711x frustrates me for some reason and I later decide to step up to a better monitor, do you have a preference between the DreamColor and the Apple 27″? Calibration better on one? (A downside to the DreamColor for me would be returning to 24″. I have grown accustomed to 27″……..all things being equal, I would opt for 27″.)

Thanks again for your help.

[Oliver Peters]

[Michael Holmes] “Is the original Mac Pro ATI Radeon 5770 card adequate? Do other cards have advantages in terms of better image quality or something else? (I know zip about graphics cards).”

The 5870 has more video RAM. There will be no image quality difference. Various GPU cards simply offer better or worse performance. I’m not sure how much difference you’d see with FCPX. I have the 5870, but have never tried it with the 5770. I think you’d need to also add an adapter to get from the card to the Panasonic via HDMI. You should be able to run the plasma and a 27″ monitor from either the 5770 or the 5870 or an NVIDIA Quadro 4000.

[Michael Holmes] “(2) Is my current calibration approach adequate?”

It should be fine, although I’ve never really used these. So, I’m afraid I don’t have an answer. I typically calibrate by eye and use color bars. You really don’t have a lot of control over most external consumer/prosumer plasmas, LCDs, etc.

[Michael Holmes] ” If I find the HP2711x frustrates me for some reason and I later decide to step up to a better monitor, do you have a preference between the DreamColor and the Apple 27″? Calibration better on one? “

I think the Dreamcolor will give you more calibration options, but yes, it’s smaller. For a single screen, the 27″ is about the minimum. The Apple displays tend to look good with little calibration, but then we’re talking video for the web and not fine art photography 😉

– Oliver

Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com