[WINDOWS] MLV to DNG Batch Converter v1.9

[Rush]

Proxies are veru useful.
It's impossible to work with DNG in real-time.
So I edit ProRes and replace it with DNGs (making color correction) before final render.
Don't see any other way to work with RAW faster

[gary2013]

Proxies are veru useful.
It's impossible to work with DNG in real-time.
So I edit ProRes and replace it with DNGs (making color correction) before final render.
Don't see any other way to work with RAW faster

I drag n drop ML RAW files straight into PPro CC ver 7.0. I can play them in real time with the Quality set to full. Now, what can be faster than that? Do not use PProCC Import and MLV files will not work. The adobe 7.1 update does not work i also have the Ginger HDR plugin installed and maybe that is why it works. I don't know. It just works and I can also apply effects. All raw files are noisy so I use Neat Video "after" the edit is final because that filter chokes real time playback. I also use Ginger white balance if needed and adjust levels with adobe fast color corrector if needed. If you keep Neat Video disabled, then it all runs real time with the full quality setting.

[Rush]

I drag n drop ML RAW files straight into PPro CC ver 7.0...

Yes, it is because Ginger HDR plugin... Very nice, thank you!

[gary2013]

Yes, it is because Ginger HDR plugin... Very nice, thank you!

yet, there is no interaction with the plugin. i just installed it to the correct folder for ppro. i assume it is doing something in the background.

[jayzed]

My understanding is that Ginger HDR is based on a dematrixing wrapper. It loads raw files into the wrapper that can then be viewed in prempro and AE. There is a utility provided that can be used to create the wrappers outside of these apps as well.
Ginger HDR also comes with a couple of plugins that allow tonemapping. I believe these were specifically designed for HDR time lapse but can also work well on raw files which can have values outside the standard range.

The plugins are also an interesting, if number heavy and intricate, way to colour correct your raw (or any) clips. They can do things many standard colour correcting tools can't such as faux HDR and adjusting just the shadows, midtones or highlights in a way I haven't seen outside of a heavy duty cc app like Resolve or Speedgrade using qualifiers etc.
One of the compositors I came across at work sometimes uses Ginger HDR on computer generated high dynamic range renders which have been output in EXR format, particularly if he doesn't have access to Nuke.
One problem I've seen is that if Ginger HDR is installed in AE, it takes over ownership of raw files so the ACR workflow is not possible. There is a separate plugin folder for PP where it can be installed which allows you to use Ginger HDR in PP but leaves AE with the ACR method.

Note, this is a different location to the standard media core plugins, used for both apps and Media Encoder, for Win 7 the main folder is found at:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\7.0\MediaCore which installs Ginger HDR to both AE and PP.

Whereas the PP only Win7 folder is:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro CC\Plug-ins\Common

[ChadMuffin]

This is probably a mlv_dump thing but, wanted to throw it out there anyways. Would it be possible to set start and stop points on the clips and only export that section? Sometimes, there is a lot of extra footage that doesn't need to be converted, would help cut down on converting times.

[tonybeccar]

This is probably a mlv_dump thing but, wanted to throw it out there anyways. Would it be possible to set start and stop points on the clips and only export that section? Sometimes, there is a lot of extra footage that doesn't need to be converted, would help cut down on converting times.

Actually yes. You can set an in and out frame number. It will be a bit complicqted to make a live thumb preview and sliders. And another thing.. when you are doing a lot of files altogether.. would you use it? Because it should be specific for each file.. and to be honest in a production type of work where you have markers and director indications.. i wouldnt cut anything there..

[czdodo]

People! To all who are getting the error "mlv2dng" has stopped working.. its because of mlv2dng. The program is discontinued and has flaws. Will switch back to mlvdump when i get back and upload. Meanwhile if someone has an older version of mlv converter they can upload.. as i dont have them with me now.

Sorry about the unstability.

Hi!

Is there a solution now for batch converting the MLVs?
I have the same issue, as it was mentioned before.

Thanks!

[ChadMuffin]

I don't know how many people would use the start and end points for converting, but it would be nice. You have a great point about production work and wanting to keep everything but, documentary style work usually had a lot of unnecessary footage waiting for things to happen. I was working on a side project and only used about 15% of the footage which just took longer than I hoped for converting and then, Re-scrubbing through the footage once converted to prores. It was just a idea, that's all. Thanks for all your work!

[ted ramasola]

@Tony,

I'm still using ver 1.6 since it did not give me problems, do you advice I download the latest on the first post?

Also, I suggest if its possible from your end that you have option for users to download previous builds so users can "backtrack" to a previous version in case they encounter bugs in the current.

Many thanks.

[czdodo]

@Tony,

I'm still using ver 1.6 since it did not give me problems, do you advice I download the latest on the first post?

Also, I suggest if its possible from your end that you have option for users to download previous builds so users can "backtrack" to a previous version in case they encounter bugs in the current.

Many thanks.

Could you please upload it somewhere?

[Panz]

Is mlv dump multithread?
if not, i think there is a way to speed things up a bit.

Just tried converting a few gigs of mlvs with your app tony, but instead of using one window i opened four(as much as the threads in my processor). Seems to work.
So, if possible, you can run multiple instances of mlv dump to speed things up when dealing with multiple files.

Haven't seen anyone talk about it, so i though i'd share. If it's been discussed before, plz point me to it. Thanks

Forgot to mention, i ve been using 1.7.2 with mlv_dump, not mlv2dng.

[kgv5]

I have noticed some strange behaviour - when processing bunch of MLVs straight from the CF card to some HDD folder -  all DNGs are in place where i want them to be while WAVs - some of them are in desired folder and some of them stays on CF cards root folder.  Did anybody have the same thing?

[Arthur Rambo]

Since somebody asked for it, here is a link to v1.6 :

www.samuel-maurin.com/MLV-Converter-1.6.rar

Hope you won't mind Tony. In case you do, just tell me and I will delete it !
I've been using MLC converter to do this clip for french 80s pop icon Desireless (Voyage Voyage amongst others)

[tonybeccar]

Since somebody asked for it, here is a link to v1.6 :

www.samuel-maurin.com/MLV-Converter-1.6.rar

Hope you won't mind Tony. In case you do, just tell me and I will delete it !
I've been using MLC converter to do this clip for french 80s pop icon Desireless (Voyage Voyage amongst others)

https://vimeo.com/87198388

Wow man!!! Incredible video!!!! LOVED it in every way!!! I think it's the best video I've seen with ML so far.. can't believe it's ML really!!! Looks like red or alexa, hehe.. the 5D3 is a beast!!!
Thanks for sharing the previous version.. and thanks so much for all the credits towards these converter!!
I'm back from my holiday now and gonna continue development.. gonna change the interface a bit to make new functionalities, should be great!

Cheers!

[Arthur Rambo]

Thank you Tony, glad you liked it
The grading could be a lot better if it was done by a pro, but since I do everything myself, I have to compromise on some stuff !
Thank you again...

[jayzed]

Wow, M. Maurin. Extraordinaire!

[dossisman]

Since somebody asked for it, here is a link to v1.6 :

www.samuel-maurin.com/MLV-Converter-1.6.rar

Hope you won't mind Tony. In case you do, just tell me and I will delete it !
I've been using MLC converter to do this clip for french 80s pop icon Desireless (Voyage Voyage amongst others)

Does this version extract the audio as well? I love the 'batch' idea behind this, but I need my audio extracted and 1.8 didn't work well for that.

[Arthur Rambo]

I never had twice the same nightly builds nor the same version of MLV converter thanks to Tony and the other brains !
But my guess is that v1.6 should work fine with the audio extractions.
Thank you Jayzed

[5Djp]

Ginger hdr is discontinued for those referring to it.
http://19lights.com/wp/

[czdodo]

Thank you Tony, glad you liked it
The grading could be a lot better if it was done by a pro, but since I do everything myself, I have to compromise on some stuff !
Thank you again...

Nicely done! I found the grading very good, even noticed it before reading your comment, so I think it works perfectly.

btw VSCO Film released a tons of very good analog looking ACR presets, it helped me a lot to finegrade an upcoming project

[tonybeccar]

v1.9 is out!

- Back to mlv_dump cause of the "mlv2dng stopped working" error. It's a pity cause it was SO fast.
- Interface improvements, with bigger queue and saving space on options.
- DUAL ISO SUPPORT! Though it is sooooooooo slow. But anyway I think that's the way it is. (right click selected items on queue)
- Now you can specify the camera ID for multiple cameras. (right click selected items on queue)
- Chroma smoothing option. Default, none. (may change that?)
- Small bugfixes.

To do, a lot! Including full mlv support, black image substraction, better proxies (using xconvert), dual iso options, full metadata window, more options, delete mlv/dng, import dng folders, proper installer/updater... the list is endless.. hope i can do it all soon! CinemaDNG for me is the most important.. will wait for command line... and I was thinking about Dual ISO and CinemaDNG.. not at all possible right??? That's a complication :/

Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f5qm0djcvjo608e/MLV%20Converter%201.9.zip

Cheers!

[arturochu]

looking forward for dual iso support, will try it tomorrow, i'll keep you updated.

[tonybeccar]

looking forward for dual iso support, will try it tomorrow, i'll keep you updated.

Great! Works great I think.. but it's with the default options so as it is max quality it's slow.. adding the options now.. but I don't think anyone will use anything low quality...

[ted ramasola]

1.9 works good Tony.

Its just that it looks for FORMAT.dll all the time, I already downloaded previously from its site and upon first run I pointed the app to the tools folder. Did I do that right? How can I fix this?