MLV App - All in one MLV Raw Video Processing App [Windows, Mac and Linux]

[theBilalFakhouri]

@all: did someone test the latest commits? I would like to know it working for new releases...

Just tested PNG and TIFF exports with latest commits on Windows, both works fine and the issue seems fixed.

[bouncyball]

Yeah dual iso is a PITA really.

Mlvfs code was not intended for 10-12bit RAW processing. I changed this and it now supports, "kinda", this RAW modes, but there was a lot of nuances with white and black level calculations/conversions and I have to say that aside of 14bit it is not reliable at all.

Also it is "super quick" as turtle , because of complicated loops which can not be correctly multithreaded with openmp.

Adapting cr2hdr to mlvapp is also hard because @dmilligan did a great job to optimize and sometimes cut corners for speed's sake and those code parts are very different.

[masc]

Just tested PNG and TIFF exports with latest commits on Windows, both works fine and the issue seems fixed.

Thanks a lot.

Also someone tested the update dialog? Github changed its webpage, so parsing for updates was completely broken. I reimplemented it in another way now, which hopefully is more future proof. For testing this, you'll have to change version number in .pro file to something smaller, then qmake, then clean, then build. If you want to see the 'update available' dialog on MLVApp startup, you have to delete MLVApp from registry (or equivalent on other platforms) or wait a day (or change system date).

[ricardopt]

Hi everyone.

Is there a way or does anyone know a lut that can "transform" any of the log formats to f-log? like sony slog to f-log? Or is that not possible?

Thanks

[wib]

I think you can try this : exporting with Alexa Log-C preset from MLV App, and then in Resolve Davinci, with the plugin CineMatch, you can easily convert the resulted Arri Log video to a F-Log curve.

[Icaab]

Hello.
Worked on the latest version of MLVApp. I put already familiar settings for me, but after watching the exported video - noticed a defect: the strings on the guitar are like floating (waves), which was not in the original.
I tweaked the other settings, but honestly I don't even know where this problem comes from.
I've never seen anything like it.
https://mega.nz/folder/WxYl0RSA#bF_IT0yBZtKtZl3lQ-4p7w

[masc]

@Icaab: sharp vertical lines... one of the biggest disadvantages when recording with 1x3 (anamorphic) mode. This problem is also visible in your MLV. The movement of the partial vertical lines is exactly 1pixel in footage (so 3 on your sensor, and/or 3 desqueezed). This is just lack of image information - the compromize when using the 1x3 mode.

[Icaab]

@Icaab: sharp vertical lines... one of the biggest disadvantages when recording with 1x3 (anamorphic) mode. This problem is also visible in your MLV. The movement of the partial vertical lines is exactly 1pixel in footage (so 3 on your sensor, and/or 3 desqueezed). This is just lack of image information - the compromize when using the 1x3 mode.

In short, got bad source and rewrite everything? ))
Is it possible to record string instruments in any other way? I don't recall seeing musical instrument footages recorded at the expense of the Magic Lantern.
I've never seen 1x3 cause me this much trouble. I thought it was the best adapted
(Recently shot a video with similar settings MG and vertical lines I did not see. I do not understand anything. Would use preset x5 and 1x1 if space allowed)

[Danne]

I think you oversharpened the footage. Or used some setting not working too good. I tried exporting with some minor changes. Looked good to me. Exported to 10bit h265:
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/mlv_app_compiler-git/downloads/M31-0100.mov
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/mlv_app_compiler-git/downloads/m31.marxml

[Icaab]

I think you oversharpened the footage. Or used some setting not working too good. I tried exporting with some minor changes. Looked good to me. Exported to 10bit h265:
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/mlv_app_compiler-git/downloads/M31-0100.mov
https://bitbucket.org/Dannephoto/mlv_app_compiler-git/downloads/m31.marxml

Yes, the defects are now minimal. Thank you , I'll keep that in mind. I'll sit down with your settings.
But in the future, If I shoot for example string instruments, is it better to do it in 1x1?

[masc]

But in the future, If I shoot for example string instruments, is it better to do it in 1x1?

You could also try fast lenses with much bokeh... here those lines are blurred and the effect is less or not visible.

[Icaab]

You could also try fast lenses with much bokeh... here those lines are blurred and the effect is less or not visible.

Interesting...the shooting was carried out with the Sigma 18-35 lens and the 2.2 aperture to capture the focus of the character and the instrument
Earlier, I ran tests with the same ML firmware settings, but with a lens Sigma of 16-50mm and an f/2.8 aperture, but I noticed more aliasing on strings than, as you put it, sharp vertical lines.

[ricardopt]

I think you can try this : exporting with Alexa Log-C preset from MLV App, and then in Resolve Davinci, with the plugin CineMatch, you can easily convert the resulted Arri Log video to a F-Log curve.

Thanks for your advice wib, will try the free trial as its expensive for me, have you tried it? 1GB download for a plugin?!

Hopefully one day mlvapp will support exporting to f-log.

Once again thanks for your advice

[ilia3101]

You can implement F log yourself. Select rec2020 primaries(F log uses them), then write the log curve formula forums as transfer function (you'll need to google it to find the formula).

Cinematch looks like the biggest rip off I've ever seen.

(unless it has really amazing gamut mapping algorithms or something).

[Danne]

Also this page.
http://cameramanben.github.io/LUTCalc/
Tool building a conversion lut. F-log is represented.

[ilia3101]

@Danne Perfect!

Cinematch is overkill (and possibly worse) for this use case.

[ricardopt]

Thanks for your feedback ilia3101 and Danne.

I dont have the technical know how to say if f-log is worth it or not, i've been playing with some xt3 and xt4 f-log and eterna video samples and it looks ok, just exploring some other "color sciences" instead of the usual ones.


Thanks for your advices and input.

[ilia3101]

I can also recommend the latest MLV App for producing final/graded rec709 images, in my opinion the new AgX processing is better than most manufacturer's LUTs and "colour science".

It's tonally smooth and handles difficult saturated colours and highlights (like LEDs) with perfect smoothness. Combined with one of MLV App's film filters, I bet it will look way better than the Fujifilm system.



The only area where MLV App is significantly lacking is highlight reconstruction. Davinci is better if you've clipped channels.

[tdnelson2]

It's easy to use the MLV App to export MLV files to CinemaDNG image sequences, but is it possible convert a CinemaDNG image sequences into MLV files?

[tdnelson2]

The closest I can get is using "Transcode and Import RAW2MLV" but it's missing audio and doesn't give me parameters to account for the 1:3 pixel ratio:

[masc]

You found the function. The functionality is implemented in mlv2raw, not in MLVApp. MLVApp uses this little app for DNG import. Not all functions around DNG are supported, but normally there is no camera out there (as far as I know) recording 1x3 footage into DNG files. After import into MLVApp you can always stretch your footage manually from Transformation tab ("Height stretch = 0.33x").

[tdnelson2]

Where can I get mlv2raw?

[tdnelson2]

Is this it? http://www.phreekz.de/wordpress/2014/04/magiclantern-raw2cdng-1-5-0/

Backstory: Amazon Photos provides unlimited photo storage so I'm using it to backup my MLVs after extracting them to DNG sequences (fun fact: somehow Amazon Photos knows to display the DNGs in the correct aspect ratio). It would be nice if I could find a simple, quick, reliable method to get the DNG sequences back to their original state as MLVs with the audio synced up and the FPS the same as before (my 6D MK1 records at 24.01 FPS for some reason). The "Transcode and Import RAW2MLV" option in MLV App does not bring in the audio and doesn't give me the option to compile as 24.01 FPS, only 24.00 FPS. I'm on a mac so I don't think raw2cdng is an option for me.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[masc]

Where can I get mlv2raw?

https://github.com/ilia3101/LibMLV/tree/master/old/programs/raw2mlv

(fun fact: somehow Amazon Photos knows to display the DNGs in the correct aspect ratio)

No fun fact. That's a MLVApp feature. All MLVApp exported DNG files have aspect ratio metadata included and nearly all applications out there read and handle it. The real fun fact: there is one app out there not reading it: Resolve.

... so I'm using it to backup my MLVs after extracting them to DNG sequences

Why do you backup DNG sequences??? I would never do this. Always backup the MLV files! MLV files have much more metadata included - that is way more future proof, no matter what features we will develop and include in future, or what RAW corrections you would like to use in future. After exporting to DNG some RAW corrections are hard/impossible to do - over forever.

[tdnelson2]

Why do you backup DNG sequences??? I would never do this. Always backup the MLV files! MLV files have much more metadata included - that is way more future proof, no matter what features we will develop and include in future, or what RAW corrections you would like to use in future. After exporting to DNG some RAW corrections are hard/impossible to do - over forever.

Honestly, I assumed that MLV files are simply a container for a sequence of DNG images with audio and metadata included. Am I not right? Is there not a way to extract the RAW DNG sequences and metadata from the MLVs in a way that it could be restored to a MLV and be indistinguishable from the original MLV?

For me the whole point of this exercise is to enable me to take advantage of the Amazon Photos' limitless backup. I have my MLV files backed up to hard drives but cloud backup provides unbeatable assurance.