RAW and bit depth

[Adam Glick]

So, I'm a little confused.

I was originally told that RAW data contains neither color information nor resolution information nor framerate data - just "raw" data (and metadata in the header).

I now read that the RED ONE's native color space is 12 bit.

So here's the question?

Does RAW data collected and recorded using the Mysterium sensor actually posses anything like a native "bit depth" ?

Or is the "bit depth" of the image actually determined when the RAW data is transformed/processed (demoaic'd) and written to some other rasterized file format?

Can someone smarter than me explain this without getting all "mathy" ?


Secondly, if the RED ONE "native color space" is truly 12 bit (as is indicated on the literature) then any 16bit images (such as a 16bbp TIFF file) derived from r3d clips would be interpolated from the 12bit color? yes?

In this case, at what point (what type of footage/shot) would begin to show posterization or a loss of "latitude" after having gone through this process? In practice, is there ANY VFX shot or display technology that can make use of (or resolve) the extended gamut in a 16bit RGB image? Even HDRI doesn't really need a 16bit colorspace does it?

Thanks,

Adam
BOXXlabs

[Graeme Nattress]

RAW data contains colour, resolution and all information needed to make a picture, but, importantly, that picture has not yet been made. RAW data is not very viewable as is, but needs to be processed to be viewed.

The Mysterium chip outputs it's RAW data at 12bit bit depth.

When we convert the RAW data to an image, we make that image at 16bit, and if necessary drop that to a low bit depth for certain output formats, like 10bit DPX.

Because the precision of the math is important, 12bit data is never processed at 121bit, but at higher bit depths, like 16bit or float, so as to preserve all the information in the data from the sensor.

No camera I know produces a real 16bit image. Some will write a 16 bit, but in the case of the Dalsa, for instance, at least 2 bits are padding....

Graeme

[Gunleik Groven]

Graeme! :) Nice

[Adam Glick]

Thanks for the sanity check Graeme!

[sebastian toro]

RAW data contains colour, resolution and all information needed to make a picture, but, importantly, that picture has not yet been made. RAW data is not very viewable as is, but needs to be processed to be viewed

In build 16 i can set the view enviroment to RAW or REDSPACE. When i open the r3d in red cine i have no RAW option, only the REDlog or REDspace and others. How can i see this RAW data information again with no log or colorspace convertion.

Thanks in advance

sebastian toro
sinsistema.tv
bs as. argentina

[Red Rabine]

In Redcine you'll find, in the upper left, a button called "color". That should give you the same as the "raw" view that you have in camera.

Note that this not real "raw" - since it's processed -, but a close image with lineal gamma 1.0