Ti use scene files or cahange the look later (Magic Bullet)

J

jramos

Active member
Please help me understand..... I will be shooting 24 with the HVX200A but I think some of the scene files I have seen in most of the sites kill all the colors and make the video flat. Why not shoot with the brighter color settings the camera has and fix it in post ( AE or Magic Bullet) ?

It seen to me that any other software will create the same look as the internal camera setting but I have the option to change any perimeter I want.

My Nikon D700 shoots B&W but I would never use that setting.

Am I missing something here?
 
Here's the thing...

Here's the thing...

As far as the HVX settings go, color is only one small thing the settings affect. in general, there are only two settings that afffect color: one adjusts the amount of color you want and the other adjusts the color temperature. So the "settings" in a general term are tweaked for FAR more reasons than just color.

The settings adjust other things like the master pedestal, detail, aperture, detail coring. Lots of things. So, if you find a setting that you like detail wise etc. dont throw it out cause you dont like the colors. Also are you white balancing your camera? I always shoot with scene file settings. I hardly ever shoot everything on all 0's.

Does that make sense? Setiings are for more than just color. Look online or on Barry's GREAT hvx book and find out which settings adjust the color and tweak them. Dont "not" use the settings cause you dont like the color one gives you. They are meant to be tweaked to your liking. Other wise they wouldnt be incrimental settings.
 
Thanks

Thanks

Thanks for the quick reply and comments!

I have create few scenes files and I am using about 3 of them... I am not talking about about the colors only but all the setting in general.
Detail is similar to contrast and shadows....you can have all the details you want but if you don't have contrast there is not details ( detail can be fixed by good lighting) It is not a white balance problem that I am having....
I am just wondering if it would be better to change the feel of the video in post...post gives me more options when I have better quality video....nice colors and good contrast. After all it seem that the camera is using software to create the look.

Thanks,





mb72378 said:
As far as the HVX settings go, color is only one small thing the settings affect. in general, there are only two settings that afffect color: one adjusts the amount of color you want and the other adjusts the color temperature. So the "settings" in a general term are tweaked for FAR more reasons than just color.

The settings adjust other things like the master pedestal, detail, aperture, detail coring. Lots of things. So, if you find a setting that you like detail wise etc. dont throw it out cause you dont like the colors. Also are you white balancing your camera? I always shoot with scene file settings. I hardly ever shoot everything on all 0's.

Does that make sense? Setiings are for more than just color. Look online or on Barry's GREAT hvx book and find out which settings adjust the color and tweak them. Dont "not" use the settings cause you dont like the color one gives you. They are meant to be tweaked to your liking. Other wise they wouldnt be incrimental settings.
Click to expand...
 
Here are the options you can take your pic. It seems when you are referring to contrast you are needing to decide what your Master Pedestal should be. This tells the camera what to do with the blacks. If im remembering correctly, when this number is in the positive, you will have a flatter image (contrast wise). When the image goes into the negative you are crushing the blacks, i.e. making the blacks blacker. There is the contrast you are referring to. Now, youll have to decide how much to do in post and how much to do in camera. ITs a personal preference thing.

I don't like extremely flat images myself (to begin with). So I tweak the settings as much in camera as I can so I can eliminate as much post coloring as possible. Now the Magic Bullet sweet (in my opinion) should be used after you have the most neutral look possible. So, if you are planning on using magic bullet shoot your stuff neutral then add the stuff in post. But I have found magic bullet to work great for some things and not so great for others (like things that need subtle changes).

Its up for you to determine. Search the forum (if you don't have an HVXbook). You can find the scene files floating around here that come with the book and those are a GREAT place to start for new HVXers. There are some very nice (neutral) scene files in there. Also utilize the new panasonic scene file site now up. I don't know the link so you'll have to search for it. Hope this helps some more and not confuses. Let me know Im happy to lend hand when I can.
 
i consider using scene files for stylistic effects to be kind of a dangerous road. what if you decide you dont want that effect? youre stuck with it. i say use the scene files to make the best of your shooting situation, then do any stylising in post.
 
I'm not really sure how everyone here tweaks out their scene files, but personally I take each setting into account on the spot and try to make the image appear as close to what I personally see with my eyes, of course erring on the side of not having any artifacts present in the footage......sometimes this is like tug of war with different stuff, but whatever, lol.

But yeah, other then that, I totally do not recommend trying to stylize footage in camera.

What is the "style" you are attempting to have with the end product?

As for your camera having the ability to shoot in B&W.....USE IT....I think everyone should shoot some stuff in camera in B&W, the HVX-200 included, atleast when practicing....it helps to really get a feel for alot of things.
 
I personally dont think anyone should ever shoot in camera B&W. Its so easy to do on the computer once you get the footage in. If you shoot color then you can easily make it B&W but if its B&W you cant go back and make it color. But, for practice and messing around sake shoot some B&W, just not for an actual project. Just do it in post.
 
mb72378 said:
I personally dont think anyone should ever shoot in camera B&W. Its so easy to do on the computer once you get the footage in. If you shoot color then you can easily make it B&W but if its B&W you cant go back and make it color. But, for practice and messing around sake shoot some B&W, just not for an actual project. Just do it in post.
Click to expand...

I have to totally disagree. There are just some things that don't get noticed in color....I'm not saying someone should go out and make a professional project that way....heck What I'm saying could be as simple as hooking up an external monitor that can do B&W.

But definitely in still photography this should be done......B&W isn't king in my mind or anything, it just the best practicing tool in my mind.
 
Im not saying don't do B&W. Im saying do the black and white in post and not in camera. I made my HVX's viewfinder B&W to make exposing easier. That way if in post you are going to make your video B&W you know it will look good. All Im saying is, why would you ever shoot B&W in camera when you could just do it in post. If you shoot the video in B&W in camera its ALWAYS going to be B&W. If you ever need the footage for something else, its going to be B&W. Shoot it in color you have the freedom to do whatever you want to it at anytime for any project. What if you shoot B&W for a project and decide you dont like it? Its awlways better to be safe than sorry.
 
It seems you are making the assumption that I'm speaking of doing this professionally, while I keep repeating that I think people should practice in B&W. I think color can make a person lazy and get them to ignore certain bits of contrast within a frame, ways of composition, etc.

Sure if someone feels they want to, stay in color, bring down the color on the LCD, and film that way.....but the core of what I'm saying is that B&W should not be ignored as a way to "look" at a scene.

I do all sorts of crazy stuff when I'm practicing, and most of it I delete......insanely fast footage, insanely slow footage, stuff where I'm playing with flare, filming grass, totally making FuNkY scene files, just all sorts of dumb stuff that ends up looking like crap at the end....and alot of it I do in camera, just to learn more about my camera. So while I agree that you can get more out by filming color and converting in post, I don't think any single way in which a camera can be manipulated should be ignored, or go untried.

This goes to a general rule: never try something new on set.

practice with every funky way of setting up a scene file...monitor footage with it, film with it, check out the footage, play with it in an editor....delete it...then try some more stuff. No avenue should go untried, cause lets face it, we aren't worried about having to buy new tapes or another length of film.

When I practice in black and white though...I do it in camera. I just feel if I'm playing with how to compose with light in B&W, I shouldn't even be worrying myself over post techniques...My full attention should go to composition, contrast, mood, etc. from beginning to end.....now if I was trying to perfect my post work for B&W I would film in color, perhaps doing half my stuff with color on the LCD, and half with it's color all the way down, that way I could deal with both situations, and try to learn to deal with all sorts of stuff.

No matter what, and no matter how each artist practices their craft, I think we both agree that one should atleast consider monitoring footage in B&W.
 
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