S-Log Color Grading with Final Cut Pro X?

Peter G. Johnson

Peter G. Johnson

Active member
S-Log might extend the gamma curve, but right now it's exceeding my knowledge of editing. Could anyone publish some screen grabs of the color board on Final Cut Pro X using S-Log, something to demonstrate basic editing techniques with ungraded material? Much appreciated. For example, the screen grab below shows an S-Log recorded frame (which by the way was straight to an SxS card) -3db, 3200K, with some subtle illumination from a LitePanels MicroPro. What might I do to improve the image (aside from finding someone good looking.)

s-log.jpg
 
Go into exposure tab, pull down mid tones. Boost the master saturation.

I'm finding that's all I need to get a quick, decent look out of S-Log in X until a proper S-Log LUT is released.
 
Thanks, nateweaver. That's a great start; a practical solution after reading so much goop that I couldn't understand. By a proper S-Log LUT, I assume you mean a firmware update on the camera or in FCPX?
 
A LUT is a "filter" in an editing or color correction program to take s-log as recorded by the camera and make it look normal.
 
Just wondering, and not trying to be mean at all, I'm just curious - Why did you spend ~17k on a camera to edit in essentially imovie v2?
 
Don't want to turn the thread to FCP X wars, but I would say that FCP X does have its uses for certain applications. However, color correction is not among them, IMHO. So I would rephrase the question to a gentle suggestion-- Regardless of how you edit, you might consider a more robust color grading plug-in/app. And I might also suggest not to shoot -3db. I was discussing this with Peter Crithary from Sony, whose comment was "Zero is zero." I would add ND for light control rather than negative gain.

Ned Soltz
 
nsoltz said:
but I would say that FCP X does have its uses for certain applications.
Click to expand...

Right now I'm using it on the job as I shoot to check picture, as I just got s-log earlier this week and am still experimenting with exposure.

I will do the creative edit in FCPX eventually, and then pass to Resolve for final color.
 
How are you planning to pass something out of fcpx? as far as I understand it has zero support for EDL, are you going to just export a giant clip and re-cut it in resolve?


as for the -3db, it reduces your dynamic range on the bottom end. What do you expect when you take the native output of a sensor, then reduce the entire thing by -3db?

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2011/07/why-using-negative-gain-can-be-bad-unless-you-have-an-f3/


Also, completely unrelated, -3db also limits your highlights to 100ire, not taking advantage of superwhites
 
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3hats said:
Ned
Not to go too off topic but what are the downsides of using -3db?
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the short answer (i'm sure Ned and others can provide the long one), i believe it is accurate to say, is that it crushes blacks. i would take that to mean that you're effectively defeating the full extent of your dynamic range.

edit; whoops. already answered. :)
 
I'll stick with the short answer for now. Correct... negative gain will crush blacks and reduce the dynamic range.
 
Thanks for the answer. Which begs the question why is it included as a sensitivity option. Just asking.
 
As I feared, the goop has set in....

As I feared, the goop has set in....

after reading so much goop that I couldn't understand.
Click to expand...

-3db also limits your highlights to 100ire, not taking advantage of superwhites
Click to expand...
edit in essentially imovie v2?
Click to expand...
zero support for EDL
Click to expand...

Ask a simple question, end up with confusing answers. The attachment on my original post was only meant to be a simple illustration of what I'm trying to do with S-Log. The fact that it's at -3db or that I was cooking dinner at the time is irrelevant. None of what I've read has been particularly helpful, even the 'S-Log for Dummies' doesn't tell you how to edit S-Log. I've got DaVinci Lite and that's quite a challenge in itself, so I decided to use FCPX and even Magic Bullet Mojo for the time being. I'm waiting on a Sound Devices Pix 240, so that will be interesting.

You lot need to appreciate that I live in a country (Australia) where if you wander around with anything larger than a handy cam, people think they're going to be on television, so my learning resources are limited to say the least.
 
Peter G. Johnson said:
You lot need to appreciate that I live in a country (Australia) where if you wander around with anything larger than a handy cam, people think they're going to be on television,
Click to expand...

dude, i live and work in nyc and you wouldn't think it but it's like that here, too.

i really wish i could get the work addresses for a few folks so i could show up at a really inopportune moment in their work day, jump right onto their desk so they can't see their computer monitor and shout and make funny faces, then laugh like a ****ing moron as i run out the door.
 
FCP X is more than capable of making your footage look decent without much effort. If that's what you have, no reason to spend money on something else if you don't plan on getting heavily into postproduction. If you do...well that's a different story of course.

The problem with most LUTs I've seen is they're pretty limited. They are simply meant to make things look acceptable for viewing quickly on set or during a dailies/offline session. Not the same as what you'd want to do if you intend to show off your work and have just a few minutes to tweak color prior to showing a client. Here's a 2 minute color pass in FCP X with screen grabs to show the adjustments.

PJCC.jpg
 
Brilliant! Practical and Clear

Brilliant! Practical and Clear

Thanks sincerely, editatjoes. A practical example to work from. I hope that others will find it just as useful. Looking at graphs, tables, charts and lengthy explanations with in-house language doesn't help much.

The PMW-F3 has been priced to be accessible for those who previously couldn't afford it and most likely didn't have the knowledge either. Suddenly everything is in reach (i.e.) S-Logging, external recorders, pro codecs, pro software (etc.) The experts are perhaps bemused that the novices are asking questions. If you know the answer, practical examples will win every time.

Soon Canon will put out its own Super35 and the market will broaden even more. I think however the PMW-F3 is a safe purchase. Canon might have the better lenses, but Sony has s-log!

Does that settle my initial post, or have I opened another can of worms?
 
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