Wanting to Get the "flattest" video from DVXa

Matt Grunau

Matt Grunau

Adobe Demigod
High all, I recently shot something in 24p, and some of the blacks were just a tad crushed, nothing major.

I was wondering:

Would would the scene files settings ideally be to give the least contrasted, flat-est looking video, giving me the most to work on in post. Right now, I have:

Detail Level - -3
V detail - 0
Detail Coring - 0
Chroma Phase - 0
Color Temp - 0
Master Ped - -3
Auto Iris - -1
Gamma - Cine-like
Matrix Norm
Skin Detail - Off
V Detail - Mid

I changed the Master ped to 0 and that helped somewhat, and for some reason, the Gamma at Low or Norm looks like it is giving a little less contrast that at Cina-Like, though Cina-Like looks like it brings out more midrange values.

I'm just wanted the least contrast and good color representation (of course with white balance) as I can get in camera. The rest, I would like the lattitude to adjust in post.

Any settings ideas?


Thanks in advance


Matt
 
Pulled this from THIS thread in the HVX section, courtesy of "cardmaverick":

Camera Settings:

Pedestal +15
detail level 0
V detail level 0
detail coring -2
chroma level +7
chroma phase 0
color temp 0
gama cinelike D
matrix cine-like
skin tone detail 0ff
operation Film Cam
180 degree shutter
24 FPS
camera f/stop 2.4
Nikon 50mm f/stop 4.5
white balance preset 3200 K

The WHY?

Why +15 on the pedestal and +7 on the chroma level? Post. Thats why. Flexibility. Thats why. The camera compresses my color, so I better start off with as much as I can get right? Right.
Because I can always desaturate without hurting the look of the footage. As for the pedestal, it's all about exposure flexibility, and pixel quality. A bright recording is cleaner than a dark one.
So I chose to get as much information as I could.
 
rcbrown23 said:
Pulled this from THIS thread in the HVX section, courtesy of "cardmaverick":

Camera Settings:

Pedestal +15
detail level 0
V detail level 0
detail coring -2
chroma level +7
chroma phase 0
color temp 0
gama cinelike D
matrix cine-like
skin tone detail 0ff
operation Film Cam
180 degree shutter
24 FPS
camera f/stop 2.4
Nikon 50mm f/stop 4.5
white balance preset 3200 K

The WHY?

Why +15 on the pedestal and +7 on the chroma level? Post. Thats why. Flexibility. Thats why. The camera compresses my color, so I better start off with as much as I can get right? Right.
Because I can always desaturate without hurting the look of the footage. As for the pedestal, it's all about exposure flexibility, and pixel quality. A bright recording is cleaner than a dark one.
So I chose to get as much information as I could.
Click to expand...
operation Film Cam
180 degree shutter
24 FPS
camera f/stop 2.4
Nikon 50mm f/stop 4.5
white balance preset 3200 K

I don't understand this part. This is the setting for a 35mm camera? Or if this the setting on some newer dvx? How do I get a flat look with the older DVX. Thanks hope I don't sound too ig-nant. This is all French in an English accent
 
I pulled that from the HVX section, so some of it (what you pointed out) does not apply.

The rest of it should do the trick on your DVX, though...

-brown
 
cobraclutch2 said:
How do I get a flat look with the older DVX. Thanks hope I don't sound too ig-nant. This is all French in an English accent
Click to expand...


I've played with the settings rc posted. Mostly it is in the Master Ped. That takes your blacks up pretty well, which will give you more room to play.

I set my Master Ped at +10, and captured some things, and noticed an immediate improvement in how much I can control the darks. I left my Gamma at Cine-like, and left the Matrix at Norm. I may change those, but the results so far, even with just the Master Ped are what I was looking for. I also changed my Detail Level to 0, Auto Iris to 0, upped the Chroma Phase to 7 and the results have been markedly improved.
 
You know, I went through the same thing a few months ago. I went with really extreme capture-everything settings in order to work in post.

I hated it. I do a lot of post grading, and I don't think I'm half bad at it, but the image coming out of the camera at master ped at -12-15 with the chroma cranked was gross and I could never seem to do anything with it.

Since then, I have shot, shot, and shot some more and have settled on these settings, for now...

DVX100a:
Detail -4
V Detail -7 (shooting squeeze)
Coring +5
Chroma +3
Master Ped +2
Gamma - B. Press
Matrix - Cinelike
Skin Detail - Off
V Detail - Thin

I really like what the DVX generaly does with the blacks if you aren't too extreme with your Master Ped settings.
 
BennisHahn said:
V Detail -7 (shooting squeeze)
Click to expand...

Never heard this before. What is the connection between squeeze mode and Vertical Detail level?

Also, if you are really serious about shooting flat, lower the detail, increase the coring... and do all of your sharpening in post.
 
On the DVX, try not to blow the Chroma too high. go in to the positive numbers, but not +7. the DVX100 series already captures more color information than almost any other DV camera, and you have to understand, chroma levels, WILL blow out just like luminance. Look at your RGB parade waveform. Pushingchroma to +7 will clip your color information, and supersaturate your color. thats bad. keep it like +3 +4 max. you want to preserve detial, and sometimes that means getting the "exposure" right more than getting it ALL on tape.


I reccomend doing the same with the HVX as well. Despite 422 color, preserving color detial is important too, not just the amount. I keep mine at +2, its rich saturated, and leaves TONS of room for playing.
 
TimurCivan said:
On the DVX, try not to blow the Chroma too high. go in to the positive numbers, but not +7. the DVX100 series already captures more color information than almost any other DV camera, and you have to understand, chroma levels, WILL blow out just like luminance. Look at your RGB parade waveform. Pushingchroma to +7 will clip your color information, and supersaturate your color. thats bad. keep it like +3 +4 max. you want to preserve detial, and sometimes that means getting the "exposure" right more than getting it ALL on tape.


I reccomend doing the same with the HVX as well. Despite 422 color, preserving color detial is important too, not just the amount. I keep mine at +2, its rich saturated, and leaves TONS of room for playing.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is very true. Also, you don't really get much useful information by raising your master ped above zero, and you do waste some of your gamma curve on what will either be ugly muddle or shadows you'll want to crush in post.
 
actually, raising the master ped up high helps preserve detial in the shadows. a lopng time ago i did a test where i shot at -7 materped and +7 and then matched them up in post. the +7 had alot more detial in the shadows and was slightly cleaner. the Master pedestal of +15 keeps the "black" level at about 15 or 16 Ire points. the HVX is noisiest in the 0-30 range. keeping the "blacks" off the noise floor helps keep the blacks clean.

Though you have to do it VERY carefully and in a good CC program. 99% of the time ,i just shoot with master ped low in camera. the difference is noticeable but not night and day.
 
on the HVX Bpress is awesome. its basically "noiseless"(relatively speaking). i love it. i tend ot very carefully over expose with Bpress active, keep as much of the picture as high as possible in the ire curve, this way the detial in the shadows is retianed. then bringing it back down in color correction, this way the less noisy gammacurve picture, gets lowered, and the darks wind up nice and clean.

I used to like Low Knee. but it starts rolling off the highlights too soon. Because of this, slightly over exposing, youre losing information to soon in the gamma curve. i have since graduated to using a mid knee, or high knee, while being VERY careful with expoure.
 
Thanks for the HVX feedback Timur. B-Press my fave, although I don't have a broadcast HD LCD to compare/confirm the real level of noise in Cine-D, which looks bad on my laptop/DV Rack, yet is not a fair interpretation of what is seen on a proper HDTV or broadcast monitor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top