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Quicktime Proxies FCP to Color Question

Gabriel C.

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Hi Guys,

I know this has been discussed, but sadly, I'm still a bit confused. I've just locked picture on our first RED feature film "Growth", and now it's time to color correct. We edited using the "H" proxies.

What is the best way to color grade at home at this point? I have FCS, an 8 core mac, a great Panasonic color correction monitor, a KONA 3 card, and decent eyes. Should I send the proxies to color? Should I batch transcode the files used in the edit to "wrap" the r3d's in individual quicktimes, should I grade in redcine?

I am in dire need of advice. 85% of the film looks amazing, but there's about 15% that needs some real color attention - almost everything else we got in camera, and it looks amazing!!!!

Thanks in advance,

Gabe
 
If your timeline is simple, you can send the timeline from FCP to Color using "Send to Color" menu command. Then Color will open with the timeline referring the R3D files.

If you have time remapping and filters, or spanned files (long shot that spanned to multiple R3D files) you might run into problems in Color that Color won't playback right.

If that is the case, you can use Clipfinder workflow to log and transfer to create wrapped R3D QT then send to Color.
 
Gabe,

Send your FCP timeline to Color.

Save your Color project and close.

Then use Clipfinder or his Color bug fixer to fix the looping bug.

ReOpen you Color project in Color and go to work.

When you are finished coloring, render everything from Color. I use ProrezHQ.

Then in Color send your project to FCP. This will make a new sequence in your original FCP project linked to the color corrected footage.

If you don't edit with the _H proxies you can use Clipfinder to conform you edit to _H proxies. I typically edit with _M or Prorez proxies.

Now you just have to learn Color.


Mahalo,
Dusty
 
THANK YOU GUYS ...

One more question. Are the proxies good enough to color from, or do I need to re conform in some way?

Thanks!

Gabe
 
The proxies are not even real proxies, they are actually just links to the original footage. So, you'll grade full quality in Color if you pass it the edited proxies (apart from the drop in resolution, which is currently inevitable).
 
Great News!!! So, shots that are 3K, or shots that I push in on in post, I'm thinking of exporting an EDL, taking into After Effects, and exporting as 2K ProResHQ - so that the 3K or pushed in on shots are truly 2K - does that sound right?

Last, do y'all know a good place in Los Angeles to go for color grading that has reasonable rates?

What a wonderful thing it is to be the beneficiary of your tutelage.
 
Ah, yeah, you're aware of the current 3k issue.

Didn't try the after effects route but if your workflow didn't work, you can use monkey extract to render from your XML. Clipfinder could do it but it will render the whole length of the clip at this point.
 
Regarding 3K, you have two options:

The Clipfinder Beta can render with in- and out-points.

If you rather use AE, send the XML from a rough edit (no SFX) in FCP to Premiere and transfer that to AE (either by dynamic link or importing the project).

If you can read some German, send me a PM, I wrote a workshop on the FCP -> AE route.
 
Uli, I thought the in/out point support in Clipfinder beta is not working yet.
 
From the integrated help:

"You can now set in-point, out-point and poster frame for each clip.
If you need multiple in-/out-points in a clip, you can duplicate a clip by pressing CMD-D."

I did not have the time to test it enough to say that it always works. It's a beta, after all.
 
What about the whole debayer thing? If I render my timeline from the Proxies what is the debayer set to vs. what it would be set to in clipfinder vs. AE vs. Monkey Extract vs. Color?

Would it be much better quality to go through a Monkey Extract situation? So much of my timeline has gentile CC on it from the three way color corrector. Would it just be silly to render and print that portion of the film from the FCP timeline and take the more difficult footage out to a professional CC house (using scratch or something)???

Thanks!
 
In FCP you have the choice between half standard and half high via a system control that is installed together with the plug-ins.

Half high can be very good except in extreme low-light situations.
 
So you think there will be a perceptible difference if I take my low light scenes into redalert or color or monkey extract and apply the full debayer? Does color use full debayer? Does Monkey Extract?

Thanks!!!!
 
In FCP you have the choice between half standard and half high via a system control that is installed together with the plug-ins.

Half high can be very good except in extreme low-light situations.

Does the REDcode system control apply equally to ProRes transcodes as well as RED Native QuickTimes?
 
@ Gabriel: Color does half only until now, but RA/RR, RC and Clipfinder do full if you want.

@ Steve: yes for ProRes and yes for native if rendered in Color.
 
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