Digital Workflow for Light

[Chad Clemans]

(Edit)
I need a good technical reference [book/website] on gamma, histograms, false color, and other metering guides so I can "follow the light" from lighting design through sensor photosites, color correction, transcodes, etc all the way to presentation; maybe then I'll stop seeing on-set lighting and software based color correction as being two different things. Any suggestions on what I should be reading?

 

[Charles Angus]

What is a digital workflow for light?

I'm still stuck using photons...

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

What is a digital workflow for light?

I'm still stuck using photons...

Stop being so analogue, man. Geez.


To the OP... I think you simply need to understand the difference between how a particular sensor and your eye have different interpretations of light and shadow. It's one of the cinematographers main responsibilities... to understand and then manipulate that difference to achieve desired results. A latitude test using the particular camera and a calibrated monitor/waveform will go a long way. Otherwise I still have no idea what you are specifically referring to.

 

[Subhadip Sen]

This is an interesting topic. I have had to prepare a lot - run camera tests, put it in post, see which settings in the shoot give the best output after colour grading. It is very time consuming and montonous, and it would certainly help if this information was readily available. But, seeing as though there are hundreds of different cameras, millions of different light levels in places around the world, dozens of different colour grading methods, it'll be really difficult to put together a single manual. I think we are limited to finding out what works best for our camera in our location on our post production software.

That said, I suppose there could be a general guide somewhere for a popular workflow, i.e. RED One with FCP.