How to post process raw files

Started by itsDPmikey, August 18, 2014, 12:18:15 PM

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itsDPmikey

quick question.. How do you get the washed out/raw  LOOK out of the camera? It seems to be auto colored in CameraRaw in After Effects.
I love this &^*$ MAN!

Stedda

Quote from: itsDPmikey on August 18, 2014, 12:18:15 PM
quick question.. How do you get the washed out/raw  LOOK out of the camera? It seems to be auto colored in CameraRaw in After Effects.

Color Grade your files to taste. Thats whats great about RAW.

Or look in the Post Processing Forum for one of many color profiles or long posts on doing just that, color grading.
http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=13009.msg126102;topicseen#msg126102
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jimmyD30

Quote from: itsDPmikey on August 18, 2014, 12:18:15 PM
quick question.. How do you get the washed out/raw  LOOK out of the camera? It seems to be auto colored in CameraRaw in After Effects.

Check your ACR settings, are they default?

Either way, applying a Log Conversion LUT (like VisionLog/CineLog) in ACR will convert your DNGs into Log space, which has a very washed out/dull look.

comurit

Quote from: itsDPmikey on August 18, 2014, 12:18:15 PM
quick question.. How do you get the washed out/raw  LOOK out of the camera? It seems to be auto colored in CameraRaw in After Effects.

http://www.vision-color.com/visionlog/

Midphase

Quote from: itsDPmikey on August 18, 2014, 12:18:15 PM
quick question.. How do you get the washed out/raw  LOOK out of the camera? It seems to be auto colored in CameraRaw in After Effects.

Use Resolve  8)

Frank7D


Midphase

Quote from: Frank7D on August 19, 2014, 06:12:28 PM
Easier to just change the settings in ACR.

In the long run, ACR is not a good solution. Processing raw in AfterEffects is incredibly slow and cumbersome. The app was not designed for that purpose (much like Lightroom). Resolve on the other hand is very powerful, fast, and best of all free.

dyfid

Although for some shots a different demosaic algorithm is more suitable than Resolve 11. http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=13012.0

ayshih's description in the link nails it.

I find DCB algorithm in Rawtherapee (mac / windows / linux) also free vastly reduces the crazy coloured strands in line skipped versions of ML raw from things like spec highlights on water that Resolve can't deal with. But on the whole Resolves demosaic is fast and good quality output I find.

One thing about raw image processing tools like ACR, Rawtherapee, UFRaw etc is the raw data and l*a*b based tools that Resolve is currently without. There's only so much that can be done with RGB adjustments and LUT's. But horses for coarses, where you want to invest / spend / waste time and what sort of image you want to craft or not.

Thomas Worth

Quote from: Midphase on August 19, 2014, 07:09:32 PM
In the long run, ACR is not a good solution.
Midphase is right. Don't waste your time with ACR. It uses an extremely slow, CPU-based high quality demosaic algorithm that does not work well with moving images. Besides, After Effects is notoriously slow at everything. While it is a fine app for compositing and VFX, you pay for its excellent flexibility by giving up performance.

Resolve, on the other hand, uses a GPU-based renderer, which is designed specifically for realtime demosaicing/debayering and playback. The "BMD Film" setting in Resolve will also give you the "washed out" RAW look you want.

reddeercity

I disagree, ACR is the only way to get the best and most acute  results .
Resolve still can't debayer ML Raw right at best its a big compromise ,
It you per-grade with ACR in A.E. I find the workflow is faster in the end.
I done the resolve workflow & find it not faster just more convenient and you still
have to spend the time to grade ,where as per-grading . Bulk of you grading work is already done.
And the other bonus you can archive the file  as long as you use a Good codec , I'm referring to the new prores 4444 xq
which can save the data @ 16bits up 550Mb/s 1080p.
Let face it we are working with raw with photographic color space not video, so you must treat it as such and prepare it properly
to enter in the Video color space. There will always be short cuts to quality but can you live with the results , personally  I can't .
Just my two cents . :D
 
 

Thomas Worth

Quote from: reddeercity on August 19, 2014, 11:24:15 PM
I disagree, ACR is the only way to get the best and most acute  results .
This isn't necessarily true. I'm fairly sure ACR can't account for the curve baked into footage from Blackmagic cameras, for example. So results from ACR on Blackmagic footage won't be as accurate as Resolve.

Quote
Resolve still can't debayer ML Raw right at best its a big compromise ,
Can you cite a specific example where Resolve can't debayer Canon/ML footage properly? I'd like to see this if it is indeed a problem. I haven't had a problem. I believe Midphase uses Resolve, so perhaps he can chime in.

Quote
It you per-grade with ACR in A.E. I find the workflow is faster in the end.
I done the resolve workflow & find it not faster just more convenient and you still
have to spend the time to grade ,where as per-grading . Bulk of you grading work is already done.
reddeercity, with respect it sounds like you're not as up to speed as you probably should be with Resolve. Any professional colorist will tell you Resolve is one of the best tools for finishing. The only people I know that would even suggest color correcting in After Effects aren't colorists and don't know Resolve. I'm not saying you're one of them, I'm just saying in my experience those are the types that recommend an AE workflow. Furthermore, I have worked as both a visual effects and post production supervisor on feature films, and know both pieces of software well. I can say, without hesitation, that After Effects is the wrong tool for color correction and finishing. It is excellent for motion graphics and visual effects work, and I use it extensively for both. I wouldn't consider using it to color correct anything outside of matching elements in VFX compositions. Yes, technically you can use it for color correction. But then you can also write C programming code in Microsoft Word.

Quote
Let face it we are working with raw with photographic color space not video, so you must treat it as such and prepare it properly
to enter in the Video color space. There will always be short cuts to quality but can you live with the results , personally  I can't .
Just my two cents . :D
You should choose a workflow that suits your needs, but it's a bit shocking that anyone who knows both Resolve and After Effects would prefer After Effects. I highly recommend you spend some more time with Resolve. I think once you get more accustomed to it, you'll find it's much better. ;)

dyfid

Quote from: Thomas Worth on August 20, 2014, 12:02:13 AM
Can you cite a specific example where Resolve can't debayer Canon/ML footage properly? I'd like to see this if it is indeed a problem. I haven't had a problem.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/y6z7acar25s86co/000001.dng?dl=0

Spec highlights on water as mentioned in earlier post. Amaze & DCB algorithms have no problem with this. Looks like Resolve 11 uses an ahd variant.

Another example.

http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=13012.0

reddeercity

@Thomas Worth ,and yes you are saying that I'm one of those people!
I Grade & VFX in Autodesk Smoke for Mac and Apple FCPX 10.1.2 .
I use A.E. with ACR only to ProRes 4444 QX 16bit for quick turn around projects .
Like I said it my personal choice , and yes I'm up to speed on resolve 11.
I use Open Exr or Tiff's for my high end projects thought Smoke & FCPX.
Or CDNG's though FCPX .
There is always More then one option for workflow & resolve is just one of many .
If you really get down to it Autodesk Smoke is the Best Super app going , leave Resolve in the dust.
But that's my opinion , and everyone has there opinion and it's good to share opinions  ;D

 




Midphase

Quote from: reddeercity on August 19, 2014, 11:24:15 PM
I disagree, ACR is the only way to get the best and most acute  results .

I'm often amazed at how many times people are willing to go through a much more time consuming and not particularly efficient methodology to gain an imperceptible improvement that pretty much anyone including professionals can not discern. ACR might have a slight edge in dealing with DNG files, but I assure you that in the end, it doesn't matter nearly as much as having an efficient and speedy way to deal with the footage. Resolve is absolutely capable of getting you professional results which are just as good if not better than ACR, while providing a workflow which is designed specifically for video.

I have never had any issues with RAWMagic generated CDNG in Resolve, they have worked brilliantly since the beginning (been using it for over a year now) and AE can't hold a candle to Resolve when it comes to how quickly I can get from a flat look to a well balanced Best Light pass.

Anyone who works professionally with video will concur that trying to process and grade in AE is a frustrating experience at best. Nonetheless, I understand that some people value that very subjective higher image quality far more than their time.

At some point in the future, ACR will be rewritten and receive proper integration in Premiere Pro and Speedgrade, and I'll be happy to revisit it when that time comes, but until then my life is far too valuable to spend it staring an a slow render progress bar!

Midphase

Quote from: reddeercity on August 20, 2014, 01:21:40 AM
If you really get down to it Autodesk Smoke is the Best Super app going , leave Resolve in the dust.

If I had just spent $3500 on Smoke, I'd be telling myself the same thing!   ;D

reddeercity

 Yes, what you said Midphase is true, ACR is slower and can be frustrating at times , but I have a dedicated Mac just for that purpose.
Once I can get the ACES workflow implemented then I will spend my time with Smoke , Just need to get IDT for the 5d2
if possible.