Crooping resulting in soft image

[Richard Ramos]

Hi there. I am a RED user based in Abu Dhabi. I need to crop the edges of some files when transcoding to Full HD. I am working with REDCINE-X, have tried all the setting on the framing tab, center crop, custom, frame guide, but the resulting image is kind of softer than the "uncropped" transcoded one. Can someone help please. I am transcoding to PRO RES HQ. Original files are 4K 16:9.
What am I doing wrong?



Thanks in advance

Richard

[Bob Gundu]

What size are you cropping to? If you are cropping from 4K to HD framing, yes it will be soft. Scaling to HD will look great.

[Johnny Friday]

What size are you cropping to? If you are cropping from 4K to HD framing, yes it will be soft. Scaling to HD will look great.

Forgive my ignorance here Bob...but cropping from RCX vs. Scaling....i think i've not checked or noticed this....So if i just transcode out to prores 4444, then of course i'm scaling...NOW, back in Premier with R3d's....and choosing 16:9--that's also scaling yes? Cropping is only going to come into play when i actually CROP the image as i like it? A bit confuisng on the terminology at times...so if i then use pan and scan inside of Premier....im now back to cropping? I also found a few soft images when i was transcoding out of Premier...so not sure if i had actually cropped then when i moved the image around to choose area i wanted in 16:9.

[Bob Gundu]

Sorry guys I may have misunderstood the original question. Lets get this straight... the two outputs in question are both 1080 HD that was transcoded to ProRes? One has some black bars on the top and bottom, and the has no black bars but is a little softer? Just curious if the transcode was done using a Red Rocket Card? Every software will give different results when outputing a scaled or non-scaled file. They all handle it differently. Even outputs from RCPX are different depending on hardware vs. software transcodes. So there are many variable. Richard, can you specify what settings you have for your output?

[Johnny Friday]

Bob:
what do you call or how can you explain cropping vs. scaling? Or is it one and the same?....If for example you are taking an R3d that was shot in 5k HD or 5k FF and are tanscoding to Prores 16:9....either from Premier or RCX....you can just put in that as your final output...and leave as center crop. But, where does scaling come in...OR am i just confusing those two terms?

[Chris McKechnie]

I think in terms of scaling, it's taking an entire image and fitting it into a given frame. Cropping is essentially removing a part of the image. When you're editing in premier, make sure "scale to fit" is not set as a default sequence setting. You will get much sharper images this way. :-)

I don't know if that clarifies anything up, or if it just is more confusing.

[Johnny Friday]

yep....that does it. And clarifies it....I think what maybe was meant by Bob is or think he meant is cropping is best...instead of scaling...that had me stumped....and then wondering if we were all using same terminology for same thing....but yes, got it clearly here...but don't think that answers Richard's question....about why it is not sharp....But one thing about transcoding to say prores...is a resulting desaturated, less contrasty and less sharp look than when in RCX...but many things to evaluate as well...such as being at 1/2 to full rez, then do a focus/sharpness test at 100% instead of "fit to screen" to see how sharp and in focus the image REALLY is before you transcode out to another codec and smaller image size.