Color Space confusion with the Scarlet and in General

[Mike P.]

Thanks for the heads-up, Steve!

[Kevin Marshall]

I thought it was best to monitor RC3 and RedLogFilm on set for lighting and reference purposes, as viewing an image with a curve would trick you into thinking you would need more light in a dark area... etc...

RedLogFilm isn't a proper gamma for viewing an image directly on a monitor without a LUT. It certainly could be a useful tool, but not how I monitor my images on set, and definitely not what I'd send out to a client monitor.

[Mohammed El Sharqawy]

I got a samsung series 9 computer display and x-rite idisplay pro and calibrated the monitor to REC 709, i think this deal would be under 500..
well, most people will tell you that this is an epic fail.. for me, I've compared it to a sony trinity that costed tens times more. I think I'm seeing a great percentage on this sammy.. the only bad thing I find is the viewing angles, you gotta place your head in the middle..

[Hector Berrebi]

1. So you have the options of recording RedlogFilm and Red Gammas, but how do you even see true red gamma spaces on a Rec 709 calibrated monitor?

color spaces and monitoring can be a complex topic. here are some points to help you think about it.

1. its not the color space you record in that really matters, but the color space of your final product, and how you are monitoring it i.e.. if you are outputting to broadcast HD or Bluray - REC 709,
and if you are outputting to digital cinema - DCI P3. you will need a monitor that supports the colorspace you will output.
2. the color spaces differ mainly in their GAMUT, or, how many colors can they represent out of the human visible spectrum. DCI P3's GAMUT is wider than 709, and monitors that support this color space are more expensive, FSI's LM2461W is a good option at a decent price for a monitor with a very wide GAMUT and DCI P3 support. their smaller CM170W, is only 17" (yet full HD in resolution) and at 3295$ is the least expensive monitor I know of, capable of both 4:4:4 and DCI P3 support, on a native 10 bit panel.
* from what I was told by the RED team at NAB, their REDRAY projector will have a wider color space than DCI P3, and will be grading quality for monitoring

in any way, outputting to a color space you cannot properly monitor is wrong. and risky.

3. watch out for xvYCC, its 709's successor (IEC 61966-2-4), supposedly better, and with a wider GAMUT. maybe the newer TV sets from sony already support it

4. LUTs are mainly for 2 things today (i'm almost sure). calibration, and film output.

hope this helps

hector