Olivier Madar
09-21-2008, 07:12 AM
I have done my first images with the Red this week end, and I want to find the best and easiest workflow as possible. RedAlert and RedCine seem to be a "must have learned" programs before anything else.
I tried several searches on reduser with keyword like "redalert", "manual", "beginner", and the name of several button and check boxes that I can find in this application, but nothing very helpful for a nob like me.
Alexej send an interesting post named Manual RedAlert, but there were not a lot of answer.
The post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19007 in wich big T gave us some of his tips for a rapid workflow, help me in that kind of treasure hunt, but I need more, and I think a lot of people does not want to spend as many hours reading the forum as i did 3 hours spent in reading the RedAlert section in reduser).
So it would be helpful to have at least something like a quick start guide for Redalert and redcine, Maybe, i have missed some teaching ressource, but I don't think so. Sorry for my english, but i am sure this "frenglish" speaking is sometime more understandable for a lot of people outside the english speaking country.
Here is a snapshot of the Redalert windows with a nice rose, badly exposed, and a folder produce by the RedOne.
What I know :
- Redalert works only on the CPU, not on the graphic card of the Mac. Redalert is useful to create new RSX files. This very little xml file comes with the .rdc folder create by the Red where you can see the Rawdata file (.r3d), the quicktime references files F, H, M, P (.mov), and the rsx file that contain all the image adjustement like ISO, color temp, color space,... (.rsx)
- You don't have to worry a lot of your camera ISO and color balance when you use it because, these settings will only show you a better image in the viewfinder or the LCD, and anyway, you have to do your best for a 320 ISO exposure with daylight : do the light, choose the best T stop lens, do a good focus, and don't spend to much time with ISO or color balance because you can do that in post with Redalert
- An interesting question from ale : "How match the color from red alert to quick time?" in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5949. But the answer of Rob Lohman in 11/16/2007 seems a little obscure to me "set matrix to camera rgb (not 2), set rec709 gamma curve, don't play with black level or the curves, create quicktimes"
- The Defaults button give you the preset you had on the Red when you shooted
- The histogram button show you the 3 RGB curves, and the zebra the highlight that you can configure in % of pure white.
- OLPF : OLPF compensation is some amount of sharpening to counter-act the softening from the optical anti-aliasing filter (like it's built into many video cams right from the start). You can leave it off and do some sharpening with similar tools in post, like unsharp masking, but it's a well implemented filter and 'medium' is a good starting point (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- DRX : DRX is Dynamic Range eXtension. It's copying information from a non-saturated channel into a saturated one (if there is any). So, you can recover some hightlight detail when one or even two channels were blown out without getting a tint in highlights. A trick known to colorists for years, but very well implemented here, practically a no-brainer were we needed a lot of steps with other software. Just decide your Lelvin and exposure first, staying away from the right edge of the histogram, then turn up DRX until you like the result. I think I read a very detailed explanation somewhere by Adam Wilt, but can't find it right now (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- Tint is 'turning' the colors around the wheel, it works more or less like the old American TV sets tint. (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- Matrix on or off is activating or de-activating all color 'wizardry', if it's off, colors are left like they came from the camera (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
What i don't know :
- The "metadata button" give you something very near, but difffrent than the "Defaults button". But what exactly ?
- The "Grade" button did something diffrent again
- The choice of the Color space is something very difficult to understand for me. In my reading, I did realize that I should choose Redspace or Rec709 (seem the best choice for grading in HD ?). I see a lot of difference, but for my primary workflow (reference files in FCP), i need some advice to choose.
- What does the "R" and "M" checkboxes mean ?
- The curve : I can do some change on the curve, but how do i change Red, green, or blue channel separetly ? What do the little blue, gray, and green pixel on the curve mean ? When i check the "R" or "M" check box after oing some changes in the curve, all i have done is resset, why ?
I tried several searches on reduser with keyword like "redalert", "manual", "beginner", and the name of several button and check boxes that I can find in this application, but nothing very helpful for a nob like me.
Alexej send an interesting post named Manual RedAlert, but there were not a lot of answer.
The post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19007 in wich big T gave us some of his tips for a rapid workflow, help me in that kind of treasure hunt, but I need more, and I think a lot of people does not want to spend as many hours reading the forum as i did 3 hours spent in reading the RedAlert section in reduser).
So it would be helpful to have at least something like a quick start guide for Redalert and redcine, Maybe, i have missed some teaching ressource, but I don't think so. Sorry for my english, but i am sure this "frenglish" speaking is sometime more understandable for a lot of people outside the english speaking country.
Here is a snapshot of the Redalert windows with a nice rose, badly exposed, and a folder produce by the RedOne.
What I know :
- Redalert works only on the CPU, not on the graphic card of the Mac. Redalert is useful to create new RSX files. This very little xml file comes with the .rdc folder create by the Red where you can see the Rawdata file (.r3d), the quicktime references files F, H, M, P (.mov), and the rsx file that contain all the image adjustement like ISO, color temp, color space,... (.rsx)
- You don't have to worry a lot of your camera ISO and color balance when you use it because, these settings will only show you a better image in the viewfinder or the LCD, and anyway, you have to do your best for a 320 ISO exposure with daylight : do the light, choose the best T stop lens, do a good focus, and don't spend to much time with ISO or color balance because you can do that in post with Redalert
- An interesting question from ale : "How match the color from red alert to quick time?" in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5949. But the answer of Rob Lohman in 11/16/2007 seems a little obscure to me "set matrix to camera rgb (not 2), set rec709 gamma curve, don't play with black level or the curves, create quicktimes"
- The Defaults button give you the preset you had on the Red when you shooted
- The histogram button show you the 3 RGB curves, and the zebra the highlight that you can configure in % of pure white.
- OLPF : OLPF compensation is some amount of sharpening to counter-act the softening from the optical anti-aliasing filter (like it's built into many video cams right from the start). You can leave it off and do some sharpening with similar tools in post, like unsharp masking, but it's a well implemented filter and 'medium' is a good starting point (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- DRX : DRX is Dynamic Range eXtension. It's copying information from a non-saturated channel into a saturated one (if there is any). So, you can recover some hightlight detail when one or even two channels were blown out without getting a tint in highlights. A trick known to colorists for years, but very well implemented here, practically a no-brainer were we needed a lot of steps with other software. Just decide your Lelvin and exposure first, staying away from the right edge of the histogram, then turn up DRX until you like the result. I think I read a very detailed explanation somewhere by Adam Wilt, but can't find it right now (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- Tint is 'turning' the colors around the wheel, it works more or less like the old American TV sets tint. (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
- Matrix on or off is activating or de-activating all color 'wizardry', if it's off, colors are left like they came from the camera (from nomad in post http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=287837)
What i don't know :
- The "metadata button" give you something very near, but difffrent than the "Defaults button". But what exactly ?
- The "Grade" button did something diffrent again
- The choice of the Color space is something very difficult to understand for me. In my reading, I did realize that I should choose Redspace or Rec709 (seem the best choice for grading in HD ?). I see a lot of difference, but for my primary workflow (reference files in FCP), i need some advice to choose.
- What does the "R" and "M" checkboxes mean ?
- The curve : I can do some change on the curve, but how do i change Red, green, or blue channel separetly ? What do the little blue, gray, and green pixel on the curve mean ? When i check the "R" or "M" check box after oing some changes in the curve, all i have done is resset, why ?