Stupid question about setting LOOK

[Justin Marx]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the RED family, and I was shooting a few days ago and I played I bit to much with the LOOK on set and there was a lot of noise in the blacks.. I think I added to much to brightness, instead of adding light or removing an ND (stupid)

What is the best way to achieve a good look without having to basically start from scratch from RAW..

I guess my real question is what shouldn't I fuck with to keep my image as CLEAN And as exposed properly as possible without being RAW on set.

Do you guys always light to RAW then add the look?

I'd love to have direction on this.. THANKS SO MUCH!! and so happy to be part of the RED family!!

-- Justin Marx

[Carlos Dueñas]

Expose to the right. And you always get RAW with Red cameras, you have to process it in Redcine X and then get what you need (Prores 444, DPX sequence, etc).

[Justin Marx]

Expose to the right. And you always get RAW with Red cameras, you have to process it in Redcine X and then get what you need (Prores 444, DPX sequence, etc).

What do you mean expose to the right.. I know about RAW, just curious on how to make it look as good as possible on set without having to redo everything when processing through RED Cine X

[Carlos Dueñas]

Expose to the right of the histogram.
There is this thread that maybe you found useful
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?59136-Looks...
this one is interesting too.
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread....how-do-I-do-it

[Mark Toia]

Hi Justin,

If you shoot correctly, expose consistently (not saying you don't) and don't keep adjusting your kelvin or tints in camera every shot... (just leave those as neutral as possible)
Then you shouldn't need to add any look other than what the camera sets for you. Just make sure it looks good in the 5 inche, 7inch PRO (NOT THE EVF) and that will translate out to your transcodes as you see it on the day... well it does for us.

Or do as I do... output in LOG / or view in log in RCX, set a single frame look that is generic across the board (either in RCX or FCP) Then copy that look across the lot.... and start editing.
If your exposures are consistent, you wont have to do much in the way of finessing any of the other shots.

but the secret is consistent exposures, kelvin and tints... Pretend your shooting a 5D for a moment, you have to get your exposures dead perfect with that, or your screwed...
Do the the same with the RED, then it's as easy as 1,2,3, .. but instead of a 5D, you have about 20,000 looks you can apply afterwards.

..... I'll be back.. hang on a min....
...
..
ok.. back..

... Just to prove it can be done, I quite literally put a single look on one clip (sorry it was a rush one) and dropped it over the rest, I just took a bunch of screens shots for you.. (i snuck a little window burn in there too :)...
but over all, only one shot had a grade applied, the others have the same grade copied to them...

Simple as that.




hope this helps.
take care..

[Justin Marx]

Thanks Carlos and Mark! Great stuff..

Consistent is the key.. Hey Mark, do you always keep your ISO on EPIC at 800?

Somehow because I am limited it my choices with the 5D I have learned what to do and not do.. I'm still on that learning curve with the EPIC.. The good thing is that RAW is forgiving..

I was wondering why would the histogram show you anything other than RAW info? I wish it would stay in RAW mode while I was in my look for proper exposure.. I don't see why you would base anything on it while in a look if you have changed a lot of settings you could burn yourself by basing anything on the look histogram..

[Mark Toia]

Hi Justin,

I'm just trying to keep things simple for you :)

I shoot at 320 ASA everything.. even at night. As far as Im concerned the chip is still 320, flick to RAW and the exposure stays the same.. so it must be. 320 sings for me...

However... I think it's best for (most) people that are not that good on the aperture to leave it at 800asa as a safe guard, you then have a stop up your sleeve if you bugger up.. Like a little insurance policy. Does not matter if your shooting RED, ARRI, FILM, anything.. never over expose. So leave it at 800asa, just for safety. It's a good place to stay.
I'm from a very high end photography back ground. I shot transparency for over a decade and had to keep my exposures within 1/4 of a stop. I've just taken this knowledge into my RED shooting and hence I very rarely over expose. I protect highlights like I protect my money in my pocket. :)..

Heres another crazy thing that I don't recomend... But I never look at the histograms, ever. I just shoot by eye. If it looks hot on the monitors or the EVF, then it is... I just simply roll back the aperture till it looks good.

[Justin Marx]

Hi Justin,

I'm just trying to keep things simple for you :)

I shoot at 320 ASA everything.. even at night. As far as Im concerned the chip is still 320, flick to RAW and the exposure stays the same.. so it must be. 320 sings for me...

However... I think it's best for (most) people that are not that good on the aperture to leave it at 800asa as a safe guard, you then have a stop up your sleeve if you bugger up.. Like a little insurance policy. Does not matter if your shooting RED, ARRI, FILM, anything.. never over expose. So leave it at 800asa, just for safety. It's a good place to stay.
I'm from a very high end photography back ground. I shot transparency for over a decade and had to keep my exposures within 1/4 of a stop. I've just taken this knowledge into my RED shooting and hence I very rarely over expose. I protect highlights like I protect my money in my pocket. :)..

Heres another crazy thing that I don't recomend... But I never look at the histograms, ever. I just shoot by eye. If it looks hot on the monitors or the EVF, then it is... I just simply roll back the aperture till it looks good.

Interesting, stuff Mark, and the simpler the better ;-)

I guess I just need to get used to my new baby just like anything else..

With the 5D I'm constantly adjusting ISO.. I guess the goal is to work between 320 and 800, just like I never shoot anything above 1000 iso with the 5D..

Do you base your lighting off of RAW on the monitor?

[Joe Kleber]

I just simply roll back the aperture till it looks good.

Which, if you think about it, is still "exposing to the right" but it's just doing it by eye and not by the histogram.

[Mark Toia]

Hi Justin,

Nope.. I leave the camera in default mode... I do nothing fancy with it at all other than set iso to 320.
RED COLOR 2 i think is the default setting... just use that.
Leave it 800asa...
If I'm outside, i leave the kelvin at 5600k and never float it.
If Im shooting inside under tungsten lights, I shoot at 3200k..
But I never transcode the two togeather.. I transcode day light and tungsten in separate sessions.
I like to make all my transcodes as clean and as neutral as possible, I hate burnt in color information, so I discard it set my own white balance.

Like I siad, expose like you would with your 5D, If it looks hot it is.. if it looks dark it is... float between them and you win.
It's as simple as that mate. Try not to complicate it for yourself.