Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

1st 1,2,3...

preset :
  • view = RAW
  • analysis meter = RAW
  • [ ASA/ISO setting irrelevant ]

1) colour balance via grey card or EXPODISC (principally to get a good balanced look in the LCD)
2) set aperture as required (shutter mainly @ 1/48)
3) apply ND / grad ND to get levels as far right without clipping (ignoring highlights); traffic lights also help
optional : double check via FALSE COLOUR if hard to deteremine what is allowed to clip

The light meter is the RED One.
For what its worth, when metering (level) with RED One the following is what I've noticed 'view=RAW' equates to the following ISO/viewing :
- Rec709 = 320 ISO
- RedSpace = 200 ISO

The rest is all done in post via the wonderful, essential, brilliant RedRocket card ;-)
 
This is quite a challenge! My personal 1,2,3 for getting exposure right has changed many times as my knowledge/experience level changed. Understanding the camera and the tools it provides for monitoring the image is the only way you get exposure right every single time. Especially since there really is no "Right" or "Wrong" exposure...There is only "What I wanted", and "NOT what I wanted". Anyway, here is how I do it nowadays:

1. Frame the shot and choose f-stop. (leave ISO at 320)

2. Make adjustments until I like what I see in the monitor. Checking zebras and histograms as I go. I generally ignore the little traffic lights and hardly ever use false color.

3. Hit record, and the most important step of all...watch my final results! That is how you will ultimately learn to trust your eye no matter how you choose to get to the proper/desired exposure.

If the question was, "What are the top three things anyone can do to get well exposed RED footage?" I would answer like this:

1. When in doubt, give the camera daylight balanced light and more of it :)
2. Don't change ISO from 320
3. Learn how to read a histogram and use it!
 
Exposure right

Exposure right

Jannard said:
OK. Let's hear it. I want to know your 1,2,3 for getting exposure right. I'm curious how many do it differently (or the same).
Jim
Click to expand...

Step up.

1. Put a white card in front of the subject. Use an 80 series filter as needed or a skylight filter. Only shoot with optical daylight balance.

2. Look at the waveform and adjust the 90% white card to be 25% of the linear sensor data. In otherwords set 90% white card at 10th bit just on.

3. Expose with camera set to 5500K EI320 and correct in post using 4K REDLOG TIF in DANCAD87.EXE (tm).
 
ISO 320
zebras/ND filters
noise reduction in post if necessary

I think shooting RED and having at least a minimal understanding of post go hand in hand.
 
Not an R1 owner (waiting for the S35 **drums fingers**) but the techniques I've always used go back to my days as a view camera still photographer, and are based on Zone System and a slew of photographic exposure/development science coursework at RIT in the 1970s. My hunch is most people from a film background do much the same thing.

Basically I've got two techniques, depending on whether the client wants to go directly to output with a minimal, one-light grade or not. (In photographic terms, whether I'm shooting chromes or negative.)

Minimal grading, or working directly with the Quicktime proxies without color correction:
It boils down to the mantra: expose for shadows, develop for highlights. In digital terms, that means set exposure to get adequate detail in the darkest areas that need to have detail, (which is NOT necessarily the same thing as the darkest area of the scene), then select the appropriate gamma/curve to bring the most important midtone & highlight areas to the desired brightness. Lather, rinse, repeat, since the choice of curve may move your shadow exposure slightly.

For edits that will employ shot-by-shot grading in post:
I generally aim to hold the highlights (except brilliant speculars) a bit below clipping, applying gamma/curve to get the desired overall contrast range, then print down to the desired tonality in post. This maintains the maximum signal:noise ratio, and the maximum amount of detail in shadow areas. This might mean exposing a low-contrast "night" scene in the middle of the histogram, then darkening it by a couple of stops in post.

The histogram/false color features --which I don't currently have in my current cameras-- are incredibly helpful in making those evaluations. As it stands, I'm completely dependent on a highly accurate monitor on-set and setting zebras at various levels.
 
Run & Gun style:
1) False color to check exposure on skin tone or other critical elements, to see what is clipping and to see if anything that matters is more than 3 stops under 18% gray.
2) Check histogram, stoplight and barber pole in EVF/LCD.
3) Toggle from RedSpace or rec 709 into RAW view mode for a quick check.

Taking the time to get it right style:
1) During lighting set up or rehersals; pick the critical element in the scene and use false color to place it at the primary green midtone (nominal 18% gray).
2) Roll 3 seconds at that middle exposure, roll 3 seconds at a stop over and 3 seconds at a stop under.
3) Take that test clip and open the r3d (with all metadata turned off) in Scratch back in the van and do a quick color grade. View it in a light controlled environment on the Ecinema, check the waveform and histogram, etc. Use that knowledge to pick the stop and/or adjust lighting.
BTW - step 3 can also be done in RedAlert, just a bit less accuracy.

The crux of the biscuit is a genuine feedback loop where you get a chance to judge the RAW image properties, not the monitor tap.

FWIW I agree with those who keep the ISO and color temp settings at defaults. Once you start messing with these values then you lose your benchmark and can never be sure if the issue you are concerned about is real or a red herring.

Cheers - #19
 
Also, one thing I've learned that's pretty helpful is if you have any control over the light, fill the shadows with more light than you want, and crush them back down in post -- minimizes noise.
 
many procedure,

I walk about with directors finder & contrast glass.

planning to field angle. see light-width on spot meter. plan an exposure.
I'll set PL and ND filter then turn on the RED.
set EVF intencity (full or -10 notch) and white balance, it's only at first.

I believe EVF..
so it's finished when have not uncomfortable feeling.
some time toggle RAW mode when have few highlight margin.

If more exposures are necessary, change shutter 1/33"..

(make sense...?)
 
It sounds like there are a lot of ways to keep the image inside the posts... noise on one side and clipping on the other. If the goal is to give yourself (or trained professional) as much to work with as possible for grading... knowing where both ends are seems critical.

We have tried to give you as many ways to do this as possible. Going forward, we are trying to simplify the process. I really can't wait to release the new FLUT program and hear the reaction. I have been testing for a few weeks and don't ever want to go back. Remember Build 16? And then Build 20? This is bigger. But tools are just that. No substitute for experience. This community is great. Threads like this are really important. Lots to learn from the experimentation of others... ideas to try, techniques to consider.

Thanks to the community for the contributions and time. We all benefit.

Jim
 
Always welcome however little my contributions can be, but thank you for always pushing the envelope constantly.

Yes a tool is always a tool and experience as with anything is always the King, but when the tools are designed to be better and easier used in order to achieve the best results, then the experience is more pleasant and the time can be better put to use to create what ever you are using the tool to create.
 
bravo great KETCH :driving:
 
1- Quite good feeling with the 5,6 Lcd (nice gray chart to get the right angle)
2- False color (fantastic tool!)
3- Check raw

Meter for prelights.
Iso between 250 and 400 depending on the project.
Redspace.

No bad surprises in post... Very happy with the tools we have to check the signal.
 
David Mullen ASC said:
Yes, I believe in the importance of viewing R3D frames later, just to check how I'm doing.

You hit on an important issue, which is to strip the metadata settings off and get back to as close to the original RAW image as possible before beginning color-correction.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way.

1. I light the set using a meter set to 200 ASA.
2. Set exposure to taste while viewing RAW on onboard monitors. Directors monitor will be tweaked to be more saturated and contrasty.
3. Process files to look like RAW (ISO 200, Camera RGB, Rec 709, WB ~5000k), then grade.

Works for me. In my experience, if it looks good in RAW view mode on the EVF, it looks good. I feel like shooting RED is like shooting a contrasty 200 speed film stock.
 
1. Use an HD monitor that I trust/swear by and adjust exposure to the look that I want. (usually with RedSpace @320iso)
2. I look at the Reds RAW histo to make sure it is in agreement with what I want the look to be. Ie: for a normal shot I like to see the "mountain in the middle". If I am going for a moodier look then a smaller hill to the left is ok, but not too low! you can crush it later. I am not afraid to clip highlights within reason, it's the middle greys I want centered and clean.
3. I peek at the RAW image just to make sure that the info is there that I want there.
 
Charles Angus said:
I feel the same way.

1. I light the set using a meter set to 200 ASA.
2. Set exposure to taste while viewing RAW on onboard monitors. Directors monitor will be tweaked to be more saturated and contrasty.
3. Process files to look like RAW (ISO 200, Camera RGB, Rec 709, WB ~5000k), then grade.

Works for me. In my experience, if it looks good in RAW view mode on the EVF, it looks good. I feel like shooting RED is like shooting a contrasty 200 speed film stock.
Click to expand...

It may seem contrasty because you are throwing out highlight range at ISO 200 (unless it is a low contrast scene). Every rated ISO is based on a curve. The higher the ISO, the more highlight protection and smoother the roll... but also the higher the noise. That's why most stick with ISO 320-500 on a RED ONE. And 500-1000 on an M-X. These ranges are a good balance (usually) between range and noise.

Jim
 
you have something to beat.. vDSLRs
 
1. Set ISO to scene to get desired look and allow room for curve in post.
2. Look at it by eye.
3. Set F. stop and shoot.

I have shot so many hours of Red footage I know how get the look I want out of the camera. Like DPs that have shot Film for a long time know how to get the look out of the film stock. Just as HVX users F900 users and so on. THe red one is a amazing tool when put in the hands of someone that wants to accept it for what it is and use it to the best of its ablilitys. It has built the revolution and no science or color chart will change the way users keep making amazing images. Film making is art and there is no calculation for that. The science of film does apply when going for a look. Im sure if you put all of the red footage that was ever shot all next to each other there would be times you thought it was a HVX and times you thought it was 35mm.
 
1. Try to get the colour tempreture of the scene around 5000 K by using filters or gels.
2. Using the lightmeter to balance the lights in the shot to each other (setting up), but only use in camera meters to set exposure for sensor
3. Always leave the camera at 320ASA and use Histogram, Raw clipping and False colour to set the exposure in RAW mode as much to the Right ( as bright as possible) without clipping Highlights I want to keep Information/Detail in.

4. Maybe than need to adjust the lighting to raise the shadows I want to be detailed, above the noise floor or bring the mids closer to the highlights, to avoid underexposing them while preserving detail in highlights.
 
This is an interesting thread. I have never used a Red One, but plan to own a Scarlet by fall of next year. I have shot on 16mm a few times and from the way many of you discribe the process it is quite similar as far as checking the meter, setting the asa and f/stop. But with the Red cameras there is instant feedback and the ability to tweek the image on set.

I am extremely interested in hearing more about the new FLUT Color, Gamma, and Sensitvity Science. These types of discussions are the types of discussions that lead to better final images, which is what we, and our audiences, all want in the end.
 
Im from the video and digital age of todays "film making" so this may see a little strange but for me.
Its 1. 320 iso. Set camera up to RAW. Check histo to make sure all the info is there you can possibly get.
2. make changes for what ever your project or look is.
3. Check histo again and maybe through a light meter out there for kicks. Shift histo to the right a bit and shoot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top