[Hector Berrebi]

[Cris Daniels] “This is the app I have been using to transcode DSLR footage for Final Cut and they have verified that Canon uses the 601 matrix with the DSLR’s, of course nobody quite knows why…..

https://rarevision.com/5dtorgb/

I have don’t know if all QT files are acting this way, most are correctly tagged Rec709 internally. This Canon footage is an aberration,most HD footage should come in as 709. If its all coming in 601, AMA is the culprit.”

interesting link

i couldn’t find mention of the 601 thing, but still looks interesting
looks like it won’t output DNX

will look into it 🙂 thanks

however, regardless of what canon chose as color space, it would seem as if AMA interprets all QT files as 601, i’ve tried quite a few

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

hi frank

here is a workflow that works for me and i think might save you some time on your next project

1. link to AMA volumes (considering original camera folders are untouched)
2. log, organize, rename (before or after transcode both ways work)
3. transcode to offline DNX 36
4. edit
5. hide or rename your Avid Mediafiles folder, sequence will go offline
6. reconnect AMA drive and relink your sequence, make sure all available drives is selected, as well as “allow relinking of AMA…”, also, in relink to, select any video format
7. it should relink to your original AMA files
8. select relinked sequence and transcode to higher DNX, like 185/220

this worked for me on canon projects as well as RED,
although acting slightly strange with RED files
(transcoded sequence clips are nameless, i think its a bug, need to further check it) it does work well

note that canon DSLR files can have the same name quite easily, 4 digit naming conventions are (for lack of better word) stupid. in this case i believe Bouke’s advice on reel names can come handy, though i’m not quite sure how to do it
you could probably solve the several (hopefully) conflicts coming from files with same name manually too

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

hey Jeff 🙂 hope you are well

you’re right. while in p2 xdcam or RED analysis is correct in that column

every qt file i link is seen as 601…

this should be fixed

see you in april

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

“Just curious why you want to spend the time importing? I thought AMA allows you to link to the DSLR’s native format files an edit without having to use an AVID codec. Is AMA just not quite there yet?
jason”

hi Jason

[Hector Berrebi]

i’ve just checked to be certain
loaded a canon volume through AMA
added a “color space” column (isn’t it cute they became columns…)
MC5 interprets file as 601 (curious enough)
in color correction mode i get no clipping and can see superwhites above 235 and superblacks below 16

after transcoding to DNxHD 120 (PAL side of the wrold), which is the proper workflow for canon (AMA then transcode) file still retains info in superwhites and blacks

however they are corrected to 709, as they should be

coming from FCP, think of AMA + transcode as sort of a log and transfer tool, not as useful as L&T, but will get you there

if you use xdcam BTW, you can safely and smoothly work via AMA with no transcoding or importing involved (same goes for P2)

*note to avid 🙂 an avid L&T tool would be nice in this tapeless world of ours.

its quite funky though… canon DSLR HD files are 601?? why?

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

hi Aaron

if you are referring to the new feature in MC5 when opening a new project or changing a project in the format tab, then the difference would be in handling formats natively shot in RGB/YCbCr color spaces for finishing and color work. avid’s YCbCr is 4:2:2 color space meaning it is suitable for formats shot 4:2:2 (most pro HD formats such as dvcprohd, xdcam 422, most prores files,SR captures, and more). in this sampling method, half of the color information is lost in camera. sounds hard… its not that bad 🙂 broadcast requirements are 4:2:2, our eyes hardly notice the differences, and most of the viewing equipment (TVs and projectors) wont be that subtle anyway. if you generally work with 4:2:2 material, in 4:2:2 space you should be happy

RGB is a color space in which each primary color is individual captured with its luminance values included (unlike ycbcr where luma and chroma are sampled separately). some cameras shoot either in RGB or in 4:4:4 sampling, both keeping all color information (RED, ALEXA – both as raw and as prores 4×4, uncompressed HD coming from dual link hd-sdi cameras, some variation of SR and more)

when working with these formats and finishing on same AVID you would choose RGB
for higher fidelity and better response in color work and better looking video.
consider though, that hardware requirements are strict and quite high, from your drives’ speed to your video card and monitor.

when working with RGB materials for an end result which is YCbCr you can also select RGB, to maintain full color space until final export or output

this will only work for 1080. SD and 720 is ycbcr

its nice that AVID added this option to MC.
i’ve used it on RED material and was pleased with results, which ended up being ycbcr.

one thing though… it is a bit confusing that its called RGB 709. unless i’m terribly wrong its a mistake on Avid’s side. it should be called 4:4:4, or just RGB

RGB and 709 are different color spaces, where black and white have slightly different values (clipped in 709)

as 709 is a broadcast recommendation, and there is no need currently (and in coming years) for 4:4:4 broadcast material, the the options should be RGB (for film and potentially web) and 709 (which would mean Ycbcr 4:2:2 hd)

is there any use for YCbCr 709 4:4:4 option?

would be glad to be corrected on this one…

if you refer to export and import settings btw, then its a different matter, more dealing with white and black clipping

hope this helps

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

been there 🙂
have you tried applying a keyframe first?
most effects transitioned to advanced mode

hope this works

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

just be on the KF… thanks… somehow escaped me 🙂

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

hi Aaron

short answer… don’t learn a complex software like MC5 on your own. take a course.

a bit longer: there is an effect called paint, it has a function called magic mask that can do what you are looking for, even in a masked region, instead of entire frame. look for tutorials on this tool, i believe there are some.

and as of MC5, its in real time 🙂

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting

[Hector Berrebi]

hey Matt

this became a quite a long answer… didn’t have time to write a short one

i use both avid and FCP for many years, and teach both systems in several colleges and schools.

the FCP inferior media management issue has been around for a long time and in part is related to how different both systems are in dealing with media.

however accusations like that don’t just appear without a reason.
this is what think.

1. Media Path. FCP remembers where your media is, ANYWHERE, which means that if you’re messy (and a lot of post people are) you might disconnect a drive, a flash drive or even eject a CD which had on it media you used and now is offline. if you’re not that messy, you might rearrange a large project and misplace stuff, put folders in new folders, change their names or, by accident, delete them and media becomes offline. FCP remembers a path, any path, and allocates it to media, break or change the path – media offline. its a lot more frequent to get offline files when opening a project in FCP then in AVID, true, its not too hard to reconnect, but it can be a hassle. i’ve often had to handle large projects for conform or online and depending on how messy the offline people work, i did pull out my hair in anguish several times. Once, on a feature that came in for re-editing of a few scenes the audio was all wrong once we reconnected, and as it was several months after the last person worked on it, and the project was transferred to a few hard drives, it took hell to realize eventually that somewhere in the HD’s there was another folder with the correct audio files.
Avid (pre AMA) remembers one path only – the Avid Mediafiles folder. it has to be on top level of your drive and it can’t be renamed. very hard to lose a path this way, even if you are a very messy person.

FCP stores the file’s path in the clips properties, if this path is not there anymore, you have to manually point FCP to the new path to reconnect. in most cases (all cases?) you don’t have to point avid anywhere to find anything. closest to that is refreshing media directories, or forcing AVID to re-scan media folder by trashing msm files.

2. media management tools. FCP had a decent set of tools to find, reconnect, move, or recompress media. however, recently i discovered a bug that really pissed me on a tight project. i was onlining a project, and in media manager tool, i chose to recompress the sequence to Prores. i gave it a new destination and started the 22 hour process (40 minute sequence). 2 hours before it ended, a cable was accidently disconnected and the process stopped, unfinished. now, in Avid, you would start it again, telling Avid to “ignore media already on target drive” and that’s what Avid will do. FCP does not have this feature, furthermore, as FCP only creates the new project/sequence at the end of the process and then associates the new media with it, i couldn’t automatically reconnect the sequence to the new media in order to check what was missing and only recompress what i needed (instead of 22 hours again). i had to manually reconnect 160 or so clips in order to determine what wasn’t recompressed before i could start the process again… hassle.

its not that the FCP tools are all bad. i like how media management works most of the time. once in a while, i really hate them though.

now that MC5 is so strong on AMA, avid users will soon find out how organized they must be when working, or encounter some media pain.

yet, in AMA, if you move a QT file out of its directory, it becomes offline, move it back in, and its on line again… no repointing to the file. do the same in FCP, and you’ll have to reopen the project for the file to be back online on its own, or manually reconnect.

in one aspect i think FCP is better than Avid in media handling and management. the Log and Transfer tool is a nifty piece of work, and i miss it when i’m in Avid. counting out XDCAM and P2, tapeless workflows in Avid are still not quite there. its getting close with AMA, but still some way to go. i think a the transcode process in Avid should be put in a new tool for logging and inputing media from cards.

there’s probably more, but i must get back to work 🙂

hope this helps

hector

Hector Berrebi
Schibber Group
prePost Consulting