Best DCP 2048x858 practice: cropping or scaling...?

[Martin Beek]

We'll be shooting a feature later this year using both the Epic and the Scarlet. Distribution formats are DCP Scope (2048x858), BluRay 1080p and SD DVD.

There are several workflows to consider, regarding the DCP format.
When shooting in 4K:

• Downscale to 2k in RedCine-X after full debayer, export->edit in NLE and mask/crop vertically to 858 px
  • faster edit and render in 2k, but what is the quality detail/sharpness & DR wise?
• Downscale to 2k in RedCine-x using Nearest Fit 1/2 Premium Debayer, export->edit in NLE and mask/crop vertically to 858
  • No idea what to expect
• Crop the 4k vertically to 4096x1716 (or leave as-is), export->edit 4K in NLE and let the NLE deal with the downscaling to all needed formats at the end of the line
  • heavy on harddisk, processor - quality depends on NLE/renderer/compressor

So in fact it more or less winds down to the question; how good is RedCineX-Pro at downscaling and what settings are to be used? Wanting to retain as much sharpness & DR as possible.
Any advise for downscaling e.g. applying filmgrain, sharpening or other RedCine-X settings are very much welcomed.

Oh yeah, forgot one option: shooting in 2K. Would that be an option - realizing about the crop factor ? Think not - but let me know what you think.


Thanks.

 

[Sascha Rossier]

• Crop the 4k vertically to 4096x1716 (or leave as-is), export->edit 4K in NLE and let the NLE deal with the downscaling to all needed formats at the end of the line
  • heavy on harddisk, processor - quality depends on NLE/renderer/compressor

I'd go with this one. Keep as much resolution as possible until you finish out the deliverables. True - this is heavy on CPU/Disks but i think its worth it and you never know, what is coming up down the road. If the feature busts the blocks and a distributer wants to do a 4K-Release 5 years later (ya never know). Until now my workflow was Shootin on R1/Epic, Edit in Premiere (works realtime with 4K-r3d footage natively on a average todays-standart-machine) then spit out a Proxy for Audio-PostPro, integrate VFX, CC and AudioMaster in After effects (uses the native r3d-files) and render out Final Masters in 4K, 2K, 1K (goes all together in one render pass with several output-modules in AE) and the use your favorite cleaner (Soerensen Squeeze, Adobe Media Encoder) to produce deliverables. Or just spit out the deliverables in AE.
Good thing with this workflow: You always stay on the full-res original r3d-files until the very end of the chain and keep res and detail all the way through. And if you do the crop in the end of the chain you never lose the ability to repo shots in Edit or VFX.

 

[Aleksandar Colancevski]

Regarding scaling, some say that DaVinci scaling is second to none.
I know posproductions use it sometimes just for scaling material.
Its free now so you can try and compare it with Redcine.
I use it for finishing so never tried to make comparison.
My 2 cent

 

[Garrett Sergeant]

Or...

Or...

Why not just finish your DCP in 4K?

 

[Robert L. Mickles]

Why not just finish your DCP in 4K?

My guess is that his distributer wants a 2K DCP? :-/