5DtoRGB beta available for download

T

Thomas Worth

Active member
Just letting everyone know that a beta copy of 5DtoRGB is now available. It may still have bugs, so use it at your own risk. Please contact me if you have any problems.

I've included a copy of our dMatrix software, which lets you interactively construct a custom decoding matrix you can then import into 5DtoRGB (you don't have to settle for BT.601 or BT.709 anymore!) It works like a color corrector, but operates directly on the YUV (YCbCr) data without any additional processing. It is a good way to do first pass color correction because it combines first pass corrections and a decoding matrix into one operation. dMatrix is very limited at this point and far from complete, but I wanted to get it out there because I think it has enormous potential.

You can download the DMG for Mac OS X (64 bit only) here:

http://rarevision.com/5dtorgb/
 
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I still don't know the difference between that and streamclip, maybe that has been bought up before but what exactly are there advantages of this over simply using streamclip?

I not super technical on this topic so I don't exactly know what the following are: operating directly on the (YCbBr) data + decoding matrix + dMatrix + etc.
 
What about a Windows version? I can't test it if I can't even run it. :)

Looks great by the way, I can't wait to try it out.
 
This is very cool, thank you. One question, does anyone know if the Cineform conversion with the YUV checkbox also uses quicktime like final cut, compressor, or MPEG?
 
tackleqb said:
I still don't know the difference between that and streamclip, maybe that has been bought up before but what exactly are there advantages of this over simply using streamclip?
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MPEG Streamclip (as well as many other converters) uses Apple's QuickTime H.264 decoder to decode footage from the Canon cameras. We've found that Apple's decoder has a problem with chroma upsampling, which introduces artifacts into the red and blue channels. 5DtoRGB does not rely on QuickTime for H.264 decoding, so it doesn't have this problem.

5DtoRGB also embeds the timestamp from THM files into its output files as timecode. And it does not require that the Canon directory structure to be intact like the Canon plugin does (the THM just needs to be in the same directory). You can also specify any random timecode value if you want.

I not super technical on this topic so I don't exactly know what the following are: operating directly on the (YCbBr) data + decoding matrix + dMatrix + etc.
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Basically, there are three steps required to get Canon H.264 video into something that looks correct on a monitor:

1.) Decode+deblock the H.264 stream
2.) Upscale the chroma channels (Cb and Cr) to full resolution
2.) Decode the YCbCr channels to RGB using a decoding matrix

Normally, for step 3 you would use the inverse of the same matrix used to encode the video. In the case of the Canon cameras, a BT.601 matrix is used (yeah, I know it's HD, but it really is 601). So, you would use a 601 decoding matrix to recover the original RGB data. However, you don't have to do this. You can choose to decode YCbCr any way you want, but normally most software just assumes BT.709 or BT.601 and doesn't give you much choice in this regard. With dMatrix, you can invent any decoding matrix you want. This is useful if, for example, you have footage that was shot with the wrong white balance setting. Well, instead of having to decode with a 601 matrix and then perform corrections, you can combine these into one step. This reduces the number color operations to the footage. It's sort of like using Adobe Camera Raw when shooting stills.

The bottom line is if you're trying to get the highest quality image out of the camera, you have to work with the pixel data in its most basic form (which is raw YCbCr 4:2:0, right off the H.264 decoder). That's what 5DtoRGB does.
 
This sounds really great Thomas, I'm always looking for ways to maximize quality. Can you tell us when/if there will be a Windows beta available? Thanks. :)
 
is there a ETA on a fully functional version? I'm gonna be editing a 7d feature in a couple of weeks and would love to use this for it...
 
Hey Adam is there a way we can pay you now and get the 8 sec limit lifted and then just get the alpha version when it is available?
 
samphibbs said:
Hey Adam is there a way we can pay you now and get the 8 sec limit lifted and then just get the alpha version when it is available?
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The main reason for the 8 second limit is to discourage people from using 5DtoRGB in a production environment. Since it's not finished, I don't want people to rely on this for their projects. I think it is very close, though. The quicker the feedback comes in, the quicker I can get things fixed and offer a stable version. So, tell your friends!

The Windows version is coming. Obviously, ProRes won't be supported. DNxHD will most likely replace ProRes on the Windows side. And of course, DPX output will be supported.
 
Thomas - I've just done some quick and rudimentary tests, comparing the conversion results from 5DtoRGB directly to Quicktime's efforts and also Magic Bullet's, 'Grinder'. The results were interesting!

I used to Nuke (my compositing tool of choice - I work in the VFX industry) to view the results and quickly compare the separate RGB channels. 5DtoRGB wins hands down. It seems to interpolate and negate the noise/compression artefacts very effectively, particularly in the weaker channels. I also compared the results to using a simple de-noise filter (again in Nuke) to see if I could replicate what 5DtoRGB was doing. While it smoothed out some blocking and reduced noise it also caused too much detail to be lost - 5DtoRGB manages to retain good detail.
I have to say, Magic Bullet Grinder gave the worst/noisiest results - even Quicktime was better!

I also compared the difference between some of the ProRes codecs too while i was at it - ProRes LT unfortunately showed some blockiness, particularly in the Blue channel - where as 4444 was smoother.

I couldn't see an option to export to DPX, is this a bug?? - I would like to try that option - this being the preferable export option for VFX work.

Also, would I be correct in assuming that 5DtoRGB is effectively remapping the pixels in the image?, therefore rebuilding the channels and perhaps making the image a tad more robust for colour grading work?

Great work so far! Put me down for a release copy!


Stephen
 
StephenTappin said:
I used to Nuke (my compositing tool of choice - I work in the VFX industry) to view the results and quickly compare the separate RGB channels. 5DtoRGB wins hands down.
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That's great to hear! Thanks for posting your results.

I couldn't see an option to export to DPX, is this a bug?? - I would like to try that option - this being the preferable export option for VFX work.
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It's not a bug. It's disabled for now, but I'm getting ready to post an updated copy so I may enable it in this new version.

Also, would I be correct in assuming that 5DtoRGB is effectively remapping the pixels in the image?, therefore rebuilding the channels and perhaps making the image a tad more robust for colour grading work?
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It's rebuilding the chroma channels only. With 4:2:0 data, the luminance channel is already full resolution so we don't need to mess with it. The chroma channels (Cb and Cr), are 1/4 the resolution of the luma channel, and therefore need to be interpolated to full resolution. 5DtoRGB does an excellent job at reconstructing chroma, which naturally makes for a better grading experience since chroma interpolation artifacts either don't show up at all or show up only under very intense grades. Generating a higher quality source for color correction was one of my primary goals with this software, especially since the H.264 compression is working against us in this area.
 
Chris Santucci said:
I know, thanks. I read the instructions, but nothing happens when I drag the media to the droplet. Am I missing something?
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Are you talking about 5DtoRGB or dMatrix? The version of dMatrix in the DMG requires that you use File-->Open... to load a file, so dropping onto the program icon won't work. I'll fix that in the next upload.
 
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