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Noise in the dark .R3D areas

Priit Joesaar

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Hi!
I have a problem now. Im quite new working with raw files, but my epic-x settings seem to be just fine. I don´t understand why the black areas are so noisy, If I look at other images in the internet that have been shot with epic they seem clean. Also working with Red One did not have this. Should I know something that I dont know? Here is posted snapshot and also access too the .r3d files. Please help somebody!!! (Shot with ISO 640, compression 6:1)

12228gh.jpg
[/IMG]


Download to R3D File:
https://drive.google.com/folderview...phU3MwMGNRQnl5Sjhmd3g5M1A0aDFRVTA&usp=sharing
 
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The picture you'r showing us is exposed for 3200iso, you shot it at 640 with small clipping of the Kitchen window and the bright day light but when you pan to the interior it's really underexposed.

Either you have to decide for wich you expose (interior or exterior) or you change your iris while you are panning. Other solution is to expose for the kitchen interior and push the shadow and apply a noise reduction like neatvideo wich makes miracles. You can clean your entire frame without problem at 6400iso.

Pat
 
Hi Pat!
Thank you for the reply! This was a test shot. I know that the dark room is underexposed, but with purpose I wanted to show that it has noise, even tho iso is low and compression is good. Im just concerned about future shootings, for instance if I want to have an effect like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMUbF0ItdT0 where the object is exposed but the blacks need to be clean. Is it possible with epic? With my sony ex1 its so easy, dark areas are always clean!
 
Regarding the Band of Brothers example, see this video for how people can both crush the blacks and grade (and soften) skin tones with Davinci Resolve:


Skip ahead to 2:00 to cut out the over-long introduction.
 
Thanks alot for the nice tutorial, Michael!

My question is, based on the settings that I used, should this noise be there or not? Is it normal? For instance if I want to film in the dark without noise, is it possible? For example city in the night etc.

Thanks alot!

Priit
 
There are three equally valid answers to your question: yes, no, and maybe. More seriously there are dozens of threads on this subject that boil down to one fact: the DRAGON sensor is going to tell you exactly what it sees, which includes some background noise, and it is up to you to decide what to do with it. Some make the noise part of the texture of the image. Some crush it down. Some use temporal noise reduction. RED gives you the choice of what to do with it. It is up to you to make that choice.
 
Yes, you can absolutely shoot clean blacks with Dragon, although it is WAY easier with the Low Light OLPF. Like people have mentioned above, you really shouldn't try and raise shadows with the High Light OLPF. If you let your shadows play as dark, or better yet crush them a hair in post, you will see most of the noise go away. That being said, I don't like having to crush my blacks all the time, so I shoot all my darker setups with the Low Light OLPF. In fact, it makes the image so clean that I find I need to ADD grain back into it in the DI just so it looks more natural.

Julio
 
Hello Michael and Julio,

It's not a Dragon Sensor.

Pat

PS. It's fairly easy to get some nice blacks. Further more if you use REDGamma4 wich crushes the black a lot.
 
Hi!
Thanks alot for your help and advice, really appreaciate it!
Yes, its not a dragon sensor. So you say that for an exmaple in this clip https://vimeo.com/104403207 and this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwsJ87olnU0 the blacks would have been crushed? There is no noise seen there what so ever. That would be the result id need to achive to be honest.

I have a clip coming up where i need to film in a totally dark room and have only the face exposed with a light ray (similar to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXowcrBZPjA ) , so I really can not have any noise like i have it right now.
 
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Exposure practices. Lower ISO rating will help infinitely.

My very, very first test shot on old Epic Mysterium-X:
phfx_SCXBow_0001.jpg


A more recent shot on Epic Dragon:
phfx_redDragon_SEJStill_0007.jpg
 
Thanks Phil!
Meaning, to put iso on the lowest would probably help?
Both shots are great i think.
 
Regarding the Band of Brothers example, see this video for how people can both crush the blacks and grade (and soften) skin tones with Davinci Resolve:


Skip ahead to 2:00 to cut out the over-long introduction.

great vid!
 
320 ISO is my go to if possible on MX.Or try Film LUTs (like impulz) that flatten blacks.These are 320 ISO with 90 degree shutter, RG4 with Just a few Kinos on 2ft 2 bulb top light, and 1 single tube front light. so very minimal lighting:
7zkfVPohcDLdTPO2GGhCW3iOqrJupLz2fZI_SMv8f8c.jpg751Ge8oycX4-abtmyXh3b4B-97vIiK3knmT8DGQRiq0.jpgbYz8DnX3_4ojspq5Oh4uDf6ARFrPmy8TnyCXrawBTqY.jpg
and these were lit with one single LED, black of night, 800 ISO using impulz elite chrome LUT:
Ziyon9.jpgZiyon16.jpg
 
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Thanks alot, really appreciate all advice! :)

320 ISO is my go to if possible on MX.Or try Film LUTs (like impulz) that flatten blacks.These are 320 ISO with 90 degree shutter, RG4 with Just a few Kinos on 2ft 2 bulb top light, and 1 single tube front light. so very minimal lighting:
View attachment 69095View attachment 69096View attachment 69097
and these were lit with one single LED, black of night, 800 ISO using impulz elite chrome LUT:
View attachment 69090View attachment 69091
 
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