Another concert, tried to improve color...

A

AlexLF

Active member
Shot with DVX200 + Atomos Shogun Inferno 10bit 4:2:2 29.97p, color graded with DaVince Resolve 14.

https://youtu.be/q0irzQMcLjs - Ray Charles - Blues In The Night

Well, I'm still learning the color science. It looks ok to me, but it seems like it's a bit oversaturated... I need a book on color grading (already found one).

Anyways, it seems it's better than what I had before.

Thanks for watching.
 
My eyes are bleeding from the radioactive oversaturated reds in the instruments and the banner on the back wall.

- Greg
 
Yes, I'm buying a book. I mean there needs to be a scale in my head and something I could build on. Not sure where to start but the book should be ok.
 
oh, ok, got it!

I can do color correction in photoshop easily for photo. but not in resolve yet. but I'll learn.

Thank you!
 
AlexLF said:
I can do color correction in photoshop easily for photo. but not in resolve yet. but I'll learn.
Click to expand...
The principles are similar.

Use a calibrated monitor and scopes. Both visual inspection and the scopes should tell you your black levels are way too high.
How did you capture? Rec.709, HLG, V-Log? And did you use the proper color transforms in Resolve?

In Resolve the visible range is 0..1023 on the scopes, make sure you export with video levels when you want to upload to YouTube.
 
It doesn't look natural, but I don't mind it at all. Mainly because what is natural? The lighting doesn't make black levels easy to control, and there is differentation between the the black of the girls tights and the guitarists black trousers (I know US=pants, but I have no idea what tights are?). There is a kind of style to it - so I personally don't have huge alarm bells ringing. Sure, it's a bit flat - but you can see everything. For me the problem is the audio, which for me is what is a bit lacking. I assume it's just audio off the camera mic? That for me is where I'd spend my time.
 
Cary Knoop said:
The principles are similar.

Use a calibrated monitor and scopes. Both visual inspection and the scopes should tell you your black levels are way too high.
How did you capture? Rec.709, HLG, V-Log? And did you use the proper color transforms in Resolve?

In Resolve the visible range is 0..1023 on the scopes, make sure you export with video levels when you want to upload to YouTube.
Click to expand...

It's DNxHR HQX to Atomos Inferno 10 bit 4:2:2.
As to proper transforms, I just applied Panasonic LUT (VLog to 709) and then made some manual changes in the Resolve Color tab (it was too dark). And this is probably completely wrong. But this is the first time I use files from Atomos. So I don't know how to do it. Yet.

Here's the output from Resolve actually - https://inus.blob.core.windows.net/...=L0pNT03M48WPA1KnBnYvEpQW2ESCMwXX5KQgJXO8F74= (it's in Microsoft Azure cloud). Probably not the same video but from the same concert, same Resolve project.

I'll play more with the colors and let's see how it goes.
 
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paulears said:
It doesn't look natural, but I don't mind it at all. Mainly because what is natural? The lighting doesn't make black levels easy to control, and there is differentation between the the black of the girls tights and the guitarists black trousers (I know US=pants, but I have no idea what tights are?). There is a kind of style to it - so I personally don't have huge alarm bells ringing. Sure, it's a bit flat - but you can see everything. For me the problem is the audio, which for me is what is a bit lacking. I assume it's just audio off the camera mic? That for me is where I'd spend my time.
Click to expand...

Well, the singer actually likes it, at least that's what she says ;).

The audio is coming. I ordered Sound Devices Mixpre-10T. Not just for concerts but also to record vocals (since there are bunch of vocalists around me). So the sound should improve when I get the recorder. Now I wonder how can I do shooting and sound recording alone...
 
I don't know if the video link has been changed or not but the video I just watched has some black crush going on. ? Looks like DVX200 footage to me with going to pure black beyond a certain point. The main reason I did not buy one of these was this perma-black crush in the low end you can not seem to get rid of. Yes, the reds are over as well.

To the OP, if you are shooting VLog, it might be useful to purchase a LUT from a good maker like Leeming who offer a DVX200 LUT. I am an Edius NLE user and I tried the official Panasonic Vlog LUT with GH5 footage and looked terrible to me eyes. Put the Leeming LUT on and it looked great. With LOG shooting you are really relying upon the LUT to make your image so you might want to experiment in that area.

As far as audio goes, it is as far as you want/need to take it. The base pro level is to have a feed from the mixing board and have a mic for live ambient and mix in post. I do not think you need a Sound Devices for that. The camera is fine. Technique and post processing is more important with sound.
 
paulears said:
It doesn't look natural, but I don't mind it at all. Mainly because what is natural?
Click to expand...

Absolutely...any guidelines/rules simply don't apply anymore to anything in today's world unless the person paying you would like you to follow certain protocol.

Set up a focus group with regular people watching that video and 100% will find nothing wrong with it.
 
Yes, the reds hit you when you first open the clip, it's the reddest guitar I have seen!

But..... as the singer's face is also red, maybe there was a red light hitting the stage.
These are things you really need to look at on the night, maybe make notes, or take a quick photo with your phone, or a white balanced camera,
so you have a reference to work off.
eg, if the singer's face wasn't that red, you may pick it up off the photo and have a reference point.

But as an artistic performance, it is fine, I've seen much worse than that. Lighting (maybe it's your iris setting too) is much better than your first recording.

Most event videographers keep audio recording very simple. Record the audio off the desk using an portable recorder, and mix in ambience using either internal camera mics, or better still, a good shotgun mic which will concentrate any voices from the stage which may get missed by the audio desk mix.

Cheers,

Vaughan
(Event videographer for 25 years)
 
Thank you guys for the suggestions.

1. I accidently deleted the file from the cloud, that's why the link I posted doesn't work. I fixed it - here in Microsoft Azure cloud (Jennifer Hudson, I'm telling you I'm not going). The drummer dropped his stick and it's just fun to watch (the band is laughing) :)
2. I actually used (I always do) DSC Labs White N Warm card (http://dsclabs.com/product/white-n-warm/). And I used the warm one. But that shouldn't make reds as they are even though it does add some reds to make warm skin tones. The problem is with the post for sure.
3. Yes, I need to try other LUT's.
4. Audio - that's something I'll explore next time. It's obvious it must be better.

Interestingly, I recorded a theater play yesterday the first time in my life. That should be fun to process :) It was very different from concerts. I couldn't use Atomos Inferno for one, and I haven't used this DSC card. I used 3200K preset. Well, I'll show it when it's done.
 
On the audio front, I noticed this bit in vaughn's post
a good shotgun mic which will concentrate any voices from the stage which may get missed by the audio desk mix.
Click to expand...
I've completely the opposite result with shotguns - any panning across the stage sounds totally strange - all of a sudden, the drums vanish and the guitar amp screams through, or you catch one of the monitors and suddenly get the bass player's mix - I don't think I've ever found them useful on a moving camera - while a cardioid, or the usual built in mic is often pretty good on a static cam for ambience and audience.

I've spent a long time working with audio, and I think am biased towards good audio being the number 1, and good video always behind it - because everybody from 13 upwards is an audio expert, but most people simply don't use their eyes.

My wife retuned the TV set she uses every day, and a month later, I discovered she had replaced all the HD channels with the SD ones, and hadn't noticed, yet she constantly complains it vibrates - which turned out to be distorts on loud volume when the programme material features any low bass.
 
I actually agree on that. I tried to give the singer 4k video and she said she didn't care. She's fine with FHD. But she did asked me about audio.

As to shotguns, I won't use them. I'd go with Rode Stereo Mic Pro+ but I guess this only works when I'm in the center of the scene somewhere.
 
I guess in my defense of using a shotgun, we are usually facing the stage from the back of a hall or larger area, so that 9 degree capture is usually taking in the whole stage. The audio I use is usually from the wide camera, not the other camera(s) which can be roving, and much closer to the stage.
Shotguns are excellent for picking up tap dancing too.

I should've been clearer, sorry.
 
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