REDCINE tip...

[Jannard]

Use curves.

You can snap up your shot with a nice s-curve. And it doesn't move your white point (cut off the highlights) or black point. It is my primary and secondary tool. I copy and paste a standard s-curve on all my shots (as they are rolling). Then I go back and tweak the curve depending upon what each shot is asking for. I do NOT touch exposure unless it is absolutely necessary (almost never). Shadow moves the black point. I can darken the shadows without losing data by using a curve, as well as brighten the mid or highlights.

Use a curve. Use a curve. Use a curve. Touch the other controls at great peril to dynamic range.

In order, I check White Balance, use Curves, then add (or subtract) Saturation. That's it unless I have really missed exposure... which I really try not to do.

Jim

 

[Eric Edwards]

Good tips! thanks Jim, I appreciate that and will test this out.

 

[Daniel Reichenbach]

Of course, curves, allways curves, nothing else but curves, that's the essentially beginning of a technical good picture, never cut blacks or highlights, keep the hole range of information

 

[Floris Liesker]

I would make sure to tweak the exposure setting first. The 0 position often clips highlights that are not clipped on the sensor.

 

[Graeme Nattress]

The "Contrast" control also can be used to add a nice, subtle s-shaped curve. A combination of "Brightness" and "Contrast" can quickly and easily add a lot of image "snap".

Graeme

 

[Paolo Tinari]

The "Contrast" control also can be used to add a nice, subtle s-shaped curve. A combination of "Brightness" and "Contrast" can quickly and easily add a lot of image "snap".

Graeme

HE said curves!

 

[Graeme Nattress]

Yes, Jim did say curves. I'm just pointing out that there's more than one way to get a nice curve in REDCine/Alert via the Contrast and Brightness controls. There's more thank one way to get a nice image in these apps!

Graeme

 

[Paolo Tinari]

I was only joking about the Leader, Graeme, i really appreciate your inputs, as usual.

 

[Jannard]

I agree with Graeme that Contrast and Brightness are also usable controls (I always agree with him because he is the smartest guy I know).

The reason I like Curves better is that you can see what you are doing to the image "where" a lot easier. And it is one control. Better graphic feedback and correlation as to what is going on when a change is made.

Jim

 

[Graeme Nattress]

Yes, it's nice to see the curves and their graphic representation of what's going on. That's what I like about the controls we have - they're simple and you can work with them either way or in conjunction!

Graeme

 

[Joel Kaye]

The reason I like Curves better is that you can see what you are doing to the image "where" a lot easier. And it is one control. Better graphic feedback and correlation as to what is going on when a change is made.

Are we getting RGB curves? That would really add a lot of power.

 

[Graeme Nattress]

No. It would only give you more ways to fiddle with the image. Remember, REDCine / Alert are RAW converters - their goal, to develop the image to a nice basic form for "proper" colour correction.

Graeme

 

[Jannard]

Both REDCINE and RED Alert! are very powerful RAW convertors... but they are not grading suites.

I have to say that RED would not have been successful without Graeme's work. He has given so much to this project that it is hard to measure. The color DSP is primarily Graeme's magic. From the demosaic algorythms, RED Alert!, color science, magic focus... we all owe him a debt of gratitude. And I owe him a big bonus!

Jim

 

[Sam Druckerman]

I have to say that RED would not have been successful without Graeme's work. He has given so much to this project that it is hard to measure. The color DSP is primarily Graeme's magic. From the demosaic algorythms, RED Alert!, color science, magic focus... we all owe him a debt of gratitude. And I owe him a big bonus!

Jim

Credit where credit is due!!!

Graeme is a brilliant man, and a really nice guy as well.

Thanks Graeme.

Okay Jim, you're on the record now....

Looks like it's going to be a nice Christmas @ the Nattress's

 

[Joel Kaye]

Both REDCINE and RED Alert! are very powerful RAW convertors... but they are not grading suites.

I guess that settles that!

Yes, Graeme's talents should be well appreciated by everyone. Of course, you were the one smart enough to hire him... and the rest of the team. And now the RED team has been able to shut up a lot of naysayers with a lot more still to come.

 

[Graeme Nattress]

Thanks again Jim.

The question about RGB curves is a good one, and not a request to dismiss rapidly or without thought. A lot of thought went into the design of the image processing pathway, and I can't begin to tell you about the many months spent fine tuning the algorithms, and all the learning that went on to bring us to this point.

The image processing is deliberately as simple as possible, without being so simple as to defeat it's point. The goal of the image processing is not to be able to do everything possible to an image, but to produce as good an image as possible for further, specialist work to be performed on it - it's a RAW converter, as Jim puts it, it's not a grading suite.

I do think though, that with a combination of white balance, RGB gain, brightness, contrast, exposure and curves, you can make spectacularly nice images. Would the addition of the curves for RGB separately significantly expand the looks that can be created? I don't think so. What would take the looks to another level is secondary correction, and that, to me, is a grading suite thing, not a RAW converter thing.

Yes, it will be a nice xmas here because I have my wonderful wife, who's pregnant with my second child, and my daughter, who is just the most wonderful three year old.

Graeme

 

[dvpixl]

very nice

 

[David Battistella]

Both REDCINE and RED Alert! are very powerful RAW convertors... but they are not grading suites.

I have to say that RED would not have been successful without Graeme's work. He has given so much to this project that it is hard to measure. The color DSP is primarily Graeme's magic. From the demosaic algorythms, RED Alert!, color science, magic focus... we all owe him a debt of gratitude. And I owe him a big bonus!

Jim

The G man is such a pro!

I told him that after looking at your shot of the dragster at 4k down converted to 2K through a 2K Christie projector, I almost fell over.

The grain structure (the little of it there is) has an amazingly organic and random feeling. The image is so pleasing with color correction and the slightest bit of post sharpening.

WOW!

Besides that Graeme has been very generous to the digital community.

Thanks again Graeme!

David

 

[Adrian T.]

Graeme is the man! :matrix:

Let's reestablish the praise thread to him which got lost in the server crash!

 

[Jannard]

I can't forget to call out Rob (our Code Chef) for his important part in packaging Graeme's work into a usable format. I think he has written ten trillion lines of code (so far). If it is good, it is Graeme. If it works, it is Rob.

Don't even get me started on Jarred's importance... or Matt's.

Jim