Filmconvert + Speedgrade workflow

[Rain Man]

So, I prefer to use filmconvert & speedgrade together. However. Applying Filmconvert in PP and then sending the sequence to Speedgrade seems to really slow down my computer. Do any of you use Speedgrade and Filmconvert together? If so, what is your workflow?

I'm running a late 2013 Mac Pro, 3.5 GHz 6 core Xeon E5, 16 GB ram, AMD FirePro D500 GPU

 

[Jim Simon]

I've had and solved this issue. Here's how.

1. Set up a clip in PP using the FilmConvert settings you want to apply to your footage. If you use more than one FC setup, do this for each one. (For example, I use 5207 for my outdoor footage, and 5213 for my indoor stuff.)

2. Export out a LUT from within the FC plug-in. Then remove the effect from the clip.

3. Set up an export for that clip. In the Export Settings dialog, go to the Effects tab and add that LUT you just created. Back in the video tab, choose a DNxHD format appropriate for your footage. (1080p/24, 1080i/30, 720p/60, etc.) I use the 175X bitrate, but you might be able to get away with less, depending on your needs and source footage.

4. Once the export is set up, save those settings and name it for easy reference. Then cancel the export. (The purpose here was simply to create that export preset.)

5. Before you begin editing, use Prelude and that new saved preset to transcode your original footage, and edit with that new media instead of the originals.

This approach has several advantages. First, DNxHD edits soooooo much better than H.264, which is what many of us are shooting these days. Secondly, the FilmConvert settings are now baked into the footage, so there's no need to use that wonderful-but-slow-as-molasses effect in the sequence, thus making the trip to SpeedGrade super smooth by comparison. Third, I find that using the FilmConvert LUT during transcoding goes significantly faster than an export using the effect in the sequence, so the apparent 'down side' of pre-conversion actually works out to be something of a time saver in the overall scene.

The only real disadvantage is that the DNx clips will likely take up more space on the hard drive than the original media. But given the advantages of this approach, and the affordability of very large hard drives, I'm not sure it makes much sense for a professional to let this stop them from using this approach.

One caveat here. Most of the FilmConvert settings are included with the LUT, and in my tests I found no difference between using the LUT or the real effect on the same clip. The only setting that is NOT included with the LUT is the grain. If you want that, you will still need to add the FC effect in the sequence (set everything to 0 except the grain.), however, this can be done last as the grain isn't a factor in color correction and grading.