GH4 How to get a more 'creamier' look on the GH4 ?

B

bigmouthmedia

Active member
Hopefully that term will make sense - I have the GH4, 12-35/35-100 2.8 Lumix lenses and it outputs some great footage - no qualms there....however, I've watched various videos of GH4 and A7SII and they appear to look more filmic and creamy/dreamy.

Any suggestions how to get more of that type of look ?

I know there are elements like lighting, lenses, etc - I use Atomos Assassin to record 4:2:2 10 bit in 4K generally and always light well but everything looks not entirely videolike but not entirely cinematic either.

Everything is shot in 25p & 1/50 shutter - not sure if 24p is going to make it any nicer !
 
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In post, lower your highlights to around 80 IRE, and raise your blacks a few points above zero. You can learn a lot by taking stills from films (blu-ray.com is a good site for screen caps), throwing them onto your timeline and inspecting them with scopes.
 
Shame I don't have any pantyhose hanging around ! My budget isn't at Voitlanger/vintage lens level yet, but I'm sure they'd change the look. Nobody hires them out either.
 
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Turn the sharpness down. Lowering the saturation helps make a softer look.

Vaseline, womens stockings, Friday night......that's another story.
 
Get a Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 lens and Micro 4/3 adapter on Ebay for around $100. Super filmic image quality, great for low light shots, and you can't beat the price.
 
Here's another crazy one. Shoot with a wider lens and use 4K with 2X Digital Zoom. I use that extensively for wildlife and it makes for an amazing image. Obviously it's hard to get a wider field of view or stabilizer footage that way, but for portraiture like images it's amazing looking.

I also shoot cineV with it's hotter more contrasty curve in the mid range that in combo with the slightly softer 4K 2X image really smooths out the over sharpened look the GH4 can often show. The combo of cineV and 4K 2x gives an acutance or perception of sharpness yet not so harsh and clinical.

The 12mm end of the 12-35 becomes a 60mm equivalent just for reference.

For 1080 finish it's a pretty smooth look.

Cheers,
pete
 
Bern Caughey said:
This look can also be accomplished in-camera by adjusting the Highlight & Shadow menus.
Click to expand...

It's not quite the same. I prefer to get the maximum dynamic range in capture, then compress later. Plus, I find pushing down the highlight curve in camera messes with skin tones.
 
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