-
Conforming an offline AAF with a single master 444 file for grading.
Hi guys,
I am grading a huge project (150+ mins, 30+ cameras, 10+ episodes).
I am receiving an AAF for the whole timeline and a master QuickTime hq 444 file on which the color grading should take place.
There are no camera source files and no AvidMediaFiles, only the big hq 444 file. The master hq file has all the video effects and transitions burned in.
My questions are…
1. Is there a way to conform the offline AAF using the master hq 444 file? Like it would happen with a pre-conformed EDL?
2. The AAF is with offline media, but the timeline clips keep their names as logged into the Avid bin. Is there a way to sort the clips in the
color page (maybe even in the edit page) so I can apply a preset on all the clips having the same name (the same Avid source name, that’s the camera name)?
Thanks,
Raz
-
4 Replies
-
I would start by using the Resolve feature of Scene Cut Detection on the Media page to import the master file. This should accurately chop the master into individual shots. Place that on the top track of the imported AAF timeline and then identify the shots that group with a particular camera & scene. If you color code those clips, then on the Color Page, you can select clips by color and put them in a group. If you then apply a color space transform to that group, post clip grade then you can get each camera in the correct color space but still be able to apply grades pre the transform. I prefer that to using a LUT but if you want you could put a LUT post clip grade, but not before or you will bake it in.
Where you have dissolves or other transitions, you should have them as a single clip which makes it difficult to manage color space if a transition goes between different cameras. You will need to keyframe grades across transitions. I certainly hope you got a file that was textless otherwise your grades will also bake into the text.
-
Wow I didnt think this kinda of workflow was allowed these days.
-
Thanks so much guys!
-
Yeah. Ouch.
Scene Detection is the automated way to go. It has its limitations and gotchas.
Consider trying to set up a scenario with a bare-bones EDL, since you are dealing with a single Video Layer (Textless, I hope), then use the EDL as a cutting guide. The Blade tool is going to be something that you may become very familiar with, even if your Scene Detector will get you most of the way there. It won’t detect transitions. AS cited above, you will have to sort out the midpoint of the dissolve, or whatever it is, then match the duration, and then manage the grade transition. There are some colorimetry migrations, from colorimetry A to colorimetry B that just will be very awkward. SO much better to have a populated timeline with individual clips.
It will be very unfortunate if there is a special VFX transition — like a page turn or something. That will be something you should charge extra for.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up