Basic Question

[sbcooler]

Below, from RED's home site, I posted what programs can work with red footage.

My question is, using the latest Apple and Final Cut Pro version, what does it mean that I can only use Quicktime Reference files? Is that less quality or less information about the images than using the NATIVE R3D files? How does this effect editing and quality of final images? Is using Apple and Final Cut Pro (latest version) going to give you the same quality as using say Scratch?

Thanks for whomever can help me understand what this means-
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RED's HOME SITE:
What programs can Natively use R3D/RED ONE footage?
At this point there are 4 applications that can work with Native R3D footage, they are REDCINE, RED Alert, Scratch and Final Cut Pro 6.02 and later. REDCINE and RED Alert are complimentary applications for transcoding footage from the RED ONE camera and also allow for some basic "One Light" color correction and Shot Framing. REDCINE is cross platform, RED Alert is Intel Mac only. FCP is Mac only and needs to be on an Intel Mac in order to utilize the REDCODE plugin, NOTE FCP only uses the QT reference files which access the RAW R3D files, it does not actually use the Native R3D files to edit with. Scratch can open and work with Native R3D files.

 

[Mark Phelan]

In FCP you will be utilizing a proxy that refers back to the R3D file. Yes, you will still be able to get the full resolution on rendering, but must, for now, work with the Quicktime proxies during editing. Also check out Crimson to work alongside FCP to help in the process. Just remember, all of this will change over the next few months and years.

 

[sbcooler]

When you say I am working with proxies...does that mean I do not actually see the full 4K of resolution on my 30" screen? Is a proxy just a scaled down version of the video? If I render a proxy will it play at it's full 4K resolution? Does Apple/Quicktime plan to be able to play the raw RED file in the future?

Thanks-

 

[Harky Jewett]

The proxies are just "wrappers", a way for Quicktime to read and display the raw files. They are not actual movie files.

The highest quality proxy displays the raw at half the resolution. So for a 4K Raw file you'll have a 2K proxy, then 1.5, 1, and .5K

If you want to see the R3D at full resolution you'll need to open it in RedCine or Red Alert.

Apple Color is supposed to be able to read the R3D files natively at some point. At the moment, though, it looks like Adobe has beat them to it.

Check the 4K Workflow forum for more on this.

 

[Craig Parkes]

Just a note - unless you have some sort of experimental prototype monitor, you will NOT be able to view the full 4K resolution on your monitor anyway - I am unaware of any 4K production monitors.

You can edit in Final Cut from the proxy files and then conform in Redcine by using the third party intermediate tool Crimson, and then have an exported sequence for finishing in whatever program you want to finish on in a range of optional formats.

Alternatively you can batch convert to another format, e.g DPX sequence, Prores Quicktime etc before you begin to edit using Redcine or Red Rushes/Redline based on settings set up in Red Alert (or use Compressor to batch export Prores files from the Quicktime proxies, although you do not have the control over the debayer quality etc using this methodology that you would with going through Red Alert + Red Rushes/Redline or Redcine.)

 

[Harky Jewett]

Just a note - unless you have some sort of experimental prototype monitor, you will NOT be able to view the full 4K resolution on your monitor anyway - I am unaware of any 4K production monitors.

Good point. However, you can open a 4K file (raw, tiff, dpx, qt, etc.) it will just go passed the borders of your screen unless you scale it down.

 

[sbcooler]

Thank you all. I understand. My 30" screen can only display 2560 x 1600 but that's pretty damn good I think for starters...also I am more interested in working in 3K with the Scarlet so I should be able to see most of the resolution.

Thx again-