What does DAVINCI 2K have that motion +Colorista + Conduit doesn't!

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Nik Manning

Well-known member
Alright I am really thinking of getting into color grading and I realize that when people go get there movies color corrected most changes happen in realtime. Power windows

Features of the 2K Plus:
  • PowerWindows™ - industry standard tool invented by da Vinci for multi-layered area isolations
  • Vector Plus™ - precise hue, saturation and luminance qualifiers that can overlap in all three color dimensions
  • Custom Curves™ - independently adjust RGB gamma
  • Gallery™ - resolution-independent reference store
  • PowerGrade™ - user-defined effects library
  • TLC™ – editing control to command varying machines within a suite
  • Palette™ - paint and titling interface for joining stills with third party graphics
Power Windows - Colorista has that.
Vector Plus - Conduit has that.
Custom Curves - I don't know for sure but I believe Conduit has that.
Gallery- that can easilyt be made in motion. Just open a folder that has the different looks in it.
TLC- If this is device control motion can do that.
Palette- errr huh? If they mean add fancy text motion can definetely do that.

Anyone ever used a davinci here? If so please add some feedback. I don't want to get my hopes up so please give me some info.

Just so I am clear with my intent. I plan to get deep into color grading and charging 75/hr to color grade. I plan on color grading footage shot digitally. SD,HDV,DVCPROHD. I am also considering taking a davinci 2k class just so I know what I am doing and have the credentials to prove it.

Just the thought of having to pay $500/hr to use a davinci is crazy to me. Thanks
 
That's cool. I might have you CC some of my stuff lol

Do you have the hardware for this system? If not what kind of set up are you going to get?
I've always wanted to get this system too.
 
I currently just have a dual 2ghz g5 for editing, but I plan on starting with everything upto 720p24. The dual 2ghz g5 should work for that if I do it up. Then I plan on selling it and getting a mobile coloring setup with a 17 inch macbook pro for editing upto 720p24 plus a small color monitor. Eventually I would want to move upto a mac pro, but I don't want to invest to much into it if there isn't a market. My dual 2ghz will edit dvcprohd 1080p easy so I will keep it for a while.

Does anyone know if motion +Colorista + Conduit can color match from scene to scene?

All of Davinci 2k info is very vague. I think they do that on purpose.:)
 
da Vinci internal processing is very high, more relevant to ultra high end projects/output. The processing is something like 4:4:4 and floating point.

I am not sure if FCP truncates everything back to 8-bit when these plugins return the processed footage. I could be wrong, I don't use or follow FCP closely. Next major FCP upgrade is sure to be a jaw dropper, if Apple implements the technologies from the acquisition path taken recently.
 
CCing on the the davinci machine is so worth it its retarded. I shot a commercial on MiniDV, and had it CCed at Nice Shoes Post house. I the footage uprezzed to a lightly compressed 1080 format. D1 i think?

From there they adjusted the curves, and removed the slight vingette from the 16mm 35 lens i was using, they matched up the colors using these animated motion estimating masks that cause almost no increase Noise. Then they CCed for look after all the footage was matched. Then, they went in, and masked the actors faces and brought the levels up even higher to make them pop.

After that they used the sickest Denoising filter ever. it removes noise, with no ghosting.

then they mastered in DVCpro50.

The comercial aired and it looked like a million bucks. I was flaberghasted. If i had the money i would pay for pro CC ANYTIME.
 
Nik Manning said:
Just so I am clear with my intent. I plan to get deep into color grading and charging 75/hr to color grade. I plan on color grading footage shot digitally. SD,HDV,DVCPROHD. I am also considering taking a davinci 2k class just so I know what I am doing and have the credentials to prove it.

Just the thought of having to pay $500/hr to use a davinci is crazy to me. Thanks
Click to expand...
I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. The biggest problem with your plan is that you think that color grading is all about the hardware. And since you can buy something much cheaper than a Da Vinci you think the world will beat a path to your your door. Think again.

The hardware is just a tool for the colorist to use. Colorists are freaks of nature. If you could combine the DNA of Stephen Hawking and Michelangelo the end result would be a colorist. They are a rare breed of science and art. A good colorist is well compensated because his clients follow him wherever he goes. Again, it's not about the hardware. They have a loyal following because they have gift to invoke a mood or set a tone that otherwise never existed on the negative.

No director in his right mind is going to have his film graded by an unknown quantity because it's cheap. He's going to use the same colorist he's always used because he knows the colorist will add value to the film. He wil gladly pay $500/hr or even $750/hr (Spirit) for the artistic value that the colorist provides.

You can find a few resource's out there on very basic color correction, Steve Hullfish's book comes to mind. But you'll be hard pressed to find much about the art of color grading. If you can demonstrate that you have an artistic ability that far exceeds the average joe you might have a shot at a small portion of the market. Otherwise why would people bother spending $75/hr when they can handle the grading themselves?
Also, don't waste the money on the DaVinci class. No one cares about credentials, they care about what your reel looks like.
 
milksac said:
I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. The biggest problem with your plan is that you think that color grading is all about the hardware. And since you can buy something much cheaper than a Da Vinci you think the world will beat a path to your your door. Think again.
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Nope I don't think it is about the hardware that is why I think I can do it. If I thought that then it would be davinci or bust. But I believe trial and error works for most industries. Do it as a hobby until I work out the kinks. Then start charging for my services.

milksac said:
The hardware is just a tool for the colorist to use. Colorists are freaks of nature. If you could combine the DNA of Stephen Hawking and Michelangelo the end result would be a colorist. They are a rare breed of science and art. A good colorist is well compensated because his clients follow him wherever he goes. Again, it's not about the hardware. They have a loyal following because they have gift to invoke a mood or set a tone that otherwise never existed on the negative.

No director in his right mind is going to have his film graded by an unknown quantity because it's cheap. He's going to use the same colorist he's always used because he knows the colorist will add value to the film. He wil gladly pay $500/hr or even $750/hr (Spirit) for the artistic value that the colorist provides.

Also, don't waste the money on the DaVinci class. No one cares about credentials, they care about what your reel looks like.
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I disagree that all or most colorist are freaks of nature. It is just color. The basics don't change. If Davinci was cheaper there would be more colorists. Just like how cameras got cheaper and now there are more directors. Some suck some are amazing, but they would have never got a chance if it wasn't for mini dv.

I expect for people to pay for the quality of the final product.
 
Robert86 said:
That's cool. I might have you CC some of my stuff lol

Do you have the hardware for this system? If not what kind of set up are you going to get?
I've always wanted to get this system too.
Click to expand...

PM me if you have some footage I would love the practice!
 
You could always look into FinalTouch. It runs on OSX and was recently sold to Apple. Im guessing Apple will be integrating it into the Final Cut Studio or as a stand alone coloring system soon. There are also some nice control surfaces for it out there as well.

http://www.siliconcolor.com/products.html
 
Nik Manning said:
It is just color.
Click to expand...

That's quite an understatement...color is something that is intrinsically complicated, and yes, the basics might not change, but the basics are very wide in scope and there are even more specifics when you get down to it. People can spend their whole lifetime studying color and they would still not master it.

Either way, it's an interesting field and I think worrying about software/hardware should be the least of your worries. Go pick up some art books and study traditional art like Carvaggio, Michelangelo, Monet, etc...
 
kai said:
You could always look into FinalTouch. It runs on OSX and was recently sold to Apple. Im guessing Apple will be integrating it into the Final Cut Studio or as a stand alone coloring system soon. There are also some nice control surfaces for it out there as well.

http://www.siliconcolor.com/products.html
Click to expand...

Yes, I did some research before I posted this.
Final Touch SD=$1,000
Final Touch HD=$5,000
Final Touch 2K=$25,000
SpeedGrade=$12,000
Lustre= $140,000
Davinci 2K = around $200,000
Nucoda Film Master=???
Pablo HD= ???

These are all the Color grading Systems I could find that offer realtime color grading.
 
kai said:
You could always look into FinalTouch. It runs on OSX and was recently sold to Apple. Im guessing Apple will be integrating it into the Final Cut Studio or as a stand alone coloring system soon. There are also some nice control surfaces for it out there as well.

http://www.siliconcolor.com/products.html
Click to expand...

This is my most anticipated purchase. I reall hope that Apple pushes Final Touch into Final Cut. I am very very very hopeful.
 
The primary colors and secondary colors don't change. The color wheel doesn't change. It is just color. Everything else is your experience and how you view color.
 
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