[Phil Lowe]

When you’re color grading DSLR footage though, it can immediately feel like a lot of work needs to be done. The skin tones aren’t always right, color temperature differences are more obvious, and the color generally feels less uniform. Typically DSLR colors don’t blend and bleed into each other softly like they would on film or a higher end digital camera, instead they feel more rigid, defined and separated from each other – more reminiscent of video. Since DSLR footage (no matter how well shot) is never going to be at the same baseline as an Alexa, you’re naturally going to need to push things further in the grade to get that nice looking image. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve often had to spend lots of time with DSLR footage pulling keys, doing noise reduction, and testing looks in order to get it just right, whereas with Alexa footage, the look can be achieved much more quickly, sometimes with just a single primary color correction. This by no means is to say that DSLR footage can’t look nearly as good… In fact I believe in the right hands DSLR footage can compete with the best cinema cameras in the world. But I am suggesting that you need to be aware of state that the footage is coming in as, in order to approach the grade correctly. It’s very tempting to start pushing DSLR footage really far in the grade in order to hide some of less desirable colors, but the better approach would be to color grade that footage to look more neutral first, and then grade it for style.

When coloring DSLR footage, your first step needs to be to correct the footage, not grade it. This will solve two problems: 1) It will give you a more accurate representation of how strong the image is at a neutral baseline, and 2) it will force you to match all of the shots in your sequence first so that they are properly balanced before you stylize them. To start this process, simply assess the shadows, mids, and highlights of your image by using whatever method works for you (scopes, reference images, etc.) to compare your image to a baseline, and then adjust your color wheels so the image becomes more balanced. Often times on Canon footage I’ll need to cool down the shadows and highlights, whereas with GH4 footage I might need to warm up the highlights slightly and cool off the shadows. Every camera is different, but after coloring a handful of shots from any camera you can start to see it’s quirks and will get into the habit of looking for potential problem areas. That said, don’t rely too heavily on past experience when grading footage from a certain camera since lenses, lighting, and many other factors will play a big role in your image. Regardless of how you get there, the goal is simply to get your footage looking as close as possible to what a natural and balanced image from a cinema camera with a stronger sensor/color science might look like. From there, you can choose to leave it as is or push it a little bit further.

https://noamkroll.com/how-to-color-grade-your-footage-for-the-natural-look-why-cinema-cameras-require-far-less-grading-than-dslrs/

I think starting with a flat, neutral look – as suggested by the cited link above – is going to get you where you need to be a lot faster than trying to manage the look in camera. If you have your contrast in camera set too high, good luck pulling any details out of the highlights or shadows. Yes, the 8-bit codec is not nearly as robust as a 10-bit codec, which is why I shoot a flat profile then transcode to the Avid DNxHD 10-bit codec. You could also transcode to the ProRes 422HQ codec. But in either case, I would still only worry about focus and exposure in-camera, and grade in post.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

[John Rofrano] “Why would I want to line up clips on tracks like box cars in a train yard when that’s not the way a story is told.”

Actually, storytelling going as far back as its oral traditions, is a very linear enterprise. Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end. Only a poor storyteller gets confused regarding this order. Modern tools give us ways to rearrange the various parts of a story but, in the end, you’re always going to arrive at that “line of of clips on tracks like box cars in a train yard.”

I get that X allows you to rearrange things quickly. But if you have a solid script, why is that such a selling point? If you’re just throwing things into an event with the intent of building things on the fly, I suppose a non-tracked and unstructured sand box, like X, is the perfect place to play with your clips.

On the other hand, I’ve never had a problem rearranging things in Avid when needed, and I prefer being able to see the beginning, middle and end of my story as I build it. Structure, after all, isn’t a bad thing.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

Forgot to mention that this clip was shot with my 5D MkIII, but the principle is the same with the 7D MkII, which I also own.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

[David Del Real] “I’ve tried in-camera sharpening and that was worse. It seems that sharpening in post is better but I feel like I should be able to get at least a marginally crisper image. Anybody care to share how????”

Turn off (set at lowest possible setting) all your in-camera enhancements (sharpening, contrast, etc.) and shoot a “flat” profile at 1080p 30 (or 24) All-I (about 90 Mbps). Grade in post. If your final delivery is 720p, grade and sharpen the 1080p first then down-scale the video.

Bottom line: to get the best out of any DSLR video, shoot a flat profile then grade in post.

And if you’d like, you can check out my color-graded experiment here (flat link first):

https://vimeo.com/61230039
https://vimeo.com/61230040

Since I’m not shooting digital cinema, I now just use my Canon XF-300 for acquisition using a custom profile to avoid post-grading altogether.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

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[Phil Lowe]

[Bill Davis] “No, but you WERE kinda piling ignorance on top of ignorance.”

I would venture to guess that anyone who’s a professional editor makes backups, Bill. It sounds to me that, in spite of backups, media can get lost in X, which is what you also stated here:

[Bill Davis] “Is it still possible to lose a little work if I’m super unlucky? Sure.”

So tell me how losing work makes one “incompetent” when the dog…er…FCPX “eats” your homework, despite adhering to best practices when it comes to protecting your media???

There’s no question I loathe FCPX, and criticize everything I find wrong with it. But to call someone “ignorant” when you’ve essentially agreed with them, reveals your bias, too. You seem to find nothing wrong with X, despite other people’s experiences with it. That’s fine, but it doesn’t justify your overly aggressive defense of it.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

Why not just export using one of the codecs in After Effects and skip the Encoder step? Exporting to a native Avid DNxHD codec out of AE will import very quickly in Avid, and the MXF file(s) that’s generated on import will go where it’s supposed to.

Here’s a partial list of the codecs AE can output.

Instead of sending to Encoder, choose Add to Render Que and select QT Movie. Choose the rendering codec there.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

Here’s a thread on the Avid forums that may address your issue.

https://community.avid.com/forums/p/88405/570914.aspx

Couple of things…

What type of media are you playing? Does the problem go away if you transcode to one of the DNxHD formats, or are you working with AMA media? Any programs running in the background that you forgot to close?

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

Does the Mbox Mini have user accessible calibration settings on it, or can it be set via software?

I think this is something that refers to Mojo and Adrenaline. In any case, I don’t think it will change the output volume of your device (unless, of course, there’s a way to do that to the device itself, as queried above.)

I just tried changing from -20 to -14 on my MacBook Pro and got the same message. Clicked ok and nothing happened. To be expected, since I’m not running any kind of I/O peripheral.

I would check to see if there’s some way to change the output level of your Mbox, either via a small, recessed pot on the back (or underneath), or via software supplied by the manufacturer. And maybe check for a firmware update for that device, too. Sometimes fixes like this can be fixed via firmware updates. Just make sure you can revert to the older firmware if needed before upgrading.

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

I just applied for two different photog/editing positions at a local station that uses Avid. Turns out all of this may be moot anyway.

Nothing like going home after a long, painful slog through the woods. LOL!

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.

[Phil Lowe]

[Bret Williams] “Roles are just like green eggs and ham. Try them try them!”

LOL! That was pretty good! 😉

Canon XF-300, Canon 5DMkIII, Canon 7D MkII, Avid Media Composer 7.05, Adobe CC 2015, iMovie Pro.