REDStream

[Gavin Greenwalt]

I would like to formally request a REDStream mode.

It could be one of two things:

1) A 16 bit Tiff with the white balance and color adjustments made but made with the intent to deliver a '12 bit' tiff with 4 bits of over data. For instance. You shoot at 160 ISO load it into REDCine and your 'white point' would be set at 12 bits. When you process all of the over data would still be present in the last 4 bits instead of 'stretching' the color data across the entire 16 bit range. If you don't adjust the exposure or white balance too much you would probably only have data in the first 14 bits worth.

2) A whitebalanceless Filmstreamesque image where I don't have to worry about my white balance clipping any of the channels. I want the green tinged maximum unadulterated data. And I want this to be consistant.

 

[Jeff Brue]

Now we get into the loveliness of bayer pattern math. So if a color isn't really a color but the result of a bayer pattern algorithm operating in 16 bit float wouldn't it make sense to write out the 16 bit float instead of chopping off the 4 bits ? Or better yet mapping those values to a 12 bit space with a curve? I've seen some very strange differences happen when going down the different red final color correction paths.

For shear quality I'd still go with scratch, as you can pull things out of there that you can't pull otherwise. Yes I can prove it sadly I don't have release ability to show it. Plus a deep part of me likes the idea that how you color grade would affect how you debayer the image.