Basic DPX workflow questions

Alexander Somma · 02-20-2009, 12:20 PM

Hello everyone.

We´ve just finished shooting a short film on Red, and are about to go into postproduction. I´m kind of new to the whole dpx workflow so I have a few basic questions I hope you guys can help me with.

These are the formats and software we plan on working with.
*The edit will be done with FCP and prores files.
*The vfx composites in AfterEffects and colorgrading in COLOR, both from 2K REDLOG DPXs.
*We will be printing to film.

In earlier projects we´d render the vfx composites to unc10bit, then make new prores offlines off of those for inserting and testing in the edit. Then when everything was done we´d do a send to color, grade and render, and send back to FCP.

I know we´ll be rendering out REDLOG DPX files from redcine or redalert, and I know how to set AfterEffects up with log2lin and lin2log.
What I don´t get about the DPX workflow yet is how we´re gonna wrap everything together in the end, as well as test the vfx shots in the edit underways.

We´ve never used timecodes and EDL before because we´d simply name the shots based on their content and edit that.

How do we get the FCP prores edit to COLOR with DPXs?
How do we get the vfx shots from AE back in to the edit?

Alexander Somma · 02-20-2009, 02:30 PM

Too stupid question to get an answer? :)

I was hoping one of you could explain a typical dpx workflow for me.

Tim Whitcomb · 02-20-2009, 02:32 PM

try the search feature. 100's of threads that address RED workflow...

read, search, find and good luck!

Alexander Somma · 02-20-2009, 04:22 PM

I've done a bit of searching and it seems a lot of people are using the crimson workflow.
I saw the videodemo on crimsonworkflow.com, but it doesn't go into detail about dpx.

I understand how I can use crimson to pull only what I need from the r3d files based on the edit, and that I can render DPX from redcine with that workflow, but where do I go from there?

We will start working on the vfx shots BEFORE the edit starts and will continue to update those shots during edit. All the explanations I see start by sending a finished edit xml to crimson.

I Bloom · 02-20-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander Somma

I've done a bit of searching and it seems a lot of people are using the crimson workflow.
I saw the videodemo on crimsonworkflow.com, but it doesn't go into detail about dpx.

I understand how I can use crimson to pull only what I need from the r3d files based on the edit, and that I can render DPX from redcine with that workflow, but where do I go from there?

We will start working on the vfx shots BEFORE the edit starts and will continue to update those shots during edit. All the explanations I see start by sending a finished edit xml to crimson.

Alexander,
Crimson can't get you all the way there today. I think you need GlueTools or to experiment with Premiere/After Effects workflows.
I understand you are working with Shake. I love shake but I'm buying Nuke for my next VFX project because Shake at 4K is to damn slow.

Stay tuned to what is coming from Crimson next though. It's built for guys like you.

IBloom

Alexander Somma · 02-20-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibloom

Alexander,
Crimson can't get you all the way there today. I think you need GlueTools or to experiment with Premiere/After Effects workflows.
I understand you are working with Shake. I love shake but I'm buying Nuke for my next VFX project because Shake at 4K is to damn slow.

Stay tuned to what is coming from Crimson next though. It's built for guys like you.

IBloom

Hey IBloom

I actually I think we're gonna use After Effects since the tests I've done with shake so far are way to slow. I know the editor would prefer to still edit in FCP tho..

I just made a new thread in your own help forum, and really need some suggestions on our workflow. Can you have a look at my post over at your forum?

Ian Karr · 02-20-2009, 09:44 PM

FWIW, if you're editing with FCP on a Kona system, AJA offers a free DPX to Quicktime (and QT to DPX) conversion tool. Just go to the software downloads section of aja.com and look under "utilities".

sbaechler · 02-25-2009, 06:33 PM

If you are outputting to film you should grade at the lab anyway. Only then you can be sure that what you are grading is what will end up on film. The lab should by now be able to help you with your workflow questions.

Regards
Simon

Alexander Somma · 02-26-2009, 12:40 AM

I talked to the lab and they said that the best way for me would be take log DPXs from REDCINE into COLOR, but then work and render it out as rec709 linear DPX (because I have a panasonic broadcast monitor, and they have a LUT that will translate that to log space for film.)

Does this make sense?

02-20-2009, 12:20 PM	#1
Alexander Somma Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21	Basic DPX workflow questions Hello everyone. We´ve just finished shooting a short film on Red, and are about to go into postproduction. I´m kind of new to the whole dpx workflow so I have a few basic questions I hope you guys can help me with. These are the formats and software we plan on working with. The edit will be done with FCP and prores files. The vfx composites in AfterEffects and colorgrading in COLOR, both from 2K REDLOG DPXs. *We will be printing to film. In earlier projects we´d render the vfx composites to unc10bit, then make new prores offlines off of those for inserting and testing in the edit. Then when everything was done we´d do a send to color, grade and render, and send back to FCP. I know we´ll be rendering out REDLOG DPX files from redcine or redalert, and I know how to set AfterEffects up with log2lin and lin2log. What I don´t get about the DPX workflow yet is how we´re gonna wrap everything together in the end, as well as test the vfx shots in the edit underways. We´ve never used timecodes and EDL before because we´d simply name the shots based on their content and edit that. How do we get the FCP prores edit to COLOR with DPXs? How do we get the vfx shots from AE back in to the edit?

02-20-2009, 02:32 PM	#3
Tim Whitcomb Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 1,081	try the search feature. 100's of threads that address RED workflow... read, search, find and good luck! __________________ Kind regards, Tim Whitcomb INDENT STUDIOS RED ONE #103 "Donatello" RED Pro Primes, RED Rocket™ Quantel Pablo 4K w/NEO The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed ~ Albert Einstein

02-20-2009, 09:44 PM	#7
Ian Karr Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 28	FWIW, if you're editing with FCP on a Kona system, AJA offers a free DPX to Quicktime (and QT to DPX) conversion tool. Just go to the software downloads section of aja.com and look under "utilities". __________________ IKA Collective http://www.ikacollective.com 15 East 32nd Street, 10 Floor New York, NY 10016 212-246-4634

02-25-2009, 06:33 PM	#8
sbaechler Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Location: Zürich Posts: 195	If you are outputting to film you should grade at the lab anyway. Only then you can be sure that what you are grading is what will end up on film. The lab should by now be able to help you with your workflow questions. Regards Simon __________________ Simon Bächler // Cinematographer - Camera assistant // Zürich, Switzerland // www.stellanera.com // www.workflows.info

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02-20-2009, 02:30 PM	#2
Alexander Somma Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21	Too stupid question to get an answer? :) I was hoping one of you could explain a typical dpx workflow for me.

02-20-2009, 04:22 PM	#4
Alexander Somma Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21	I've done a bit of searching and it seems a lot of people are using the crimson workflow. I saw the videodemo on crimsonworkflow.com, but it doesn't go into detail about dpx. I understand how I can use crimson to pull only what I need from the r3d files based on the edit, and that I can render DPX from redcine with that workflow, but where do I go from there? We will start working on the vfx shots BEFORE the edit starts and will continue to update those shots during edit. All the explanations I see start by sending a finished edit xml to crimson.

02-26-2009, 12:40 AM	#9
Alexander Somma Registered User Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 21	I talked to the lab and they said that the best way for me would be take log DPXs from REDCINE into COLOR, but then work and render it out as rec709 linear DPX (because I have a panasonic broadcast monitor, and they have a LUT that will translate that to log space for film.) Does this make sense?