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Questions:

• What should and does it consist of?
  • Including anything non-obvious e.g. “tucked away”, “additional Downloads”, “obscure” etc.
• ???

Answers (as far as I can tell…):

•  _Support & Communities
  • Looks at first sight like any application’s Help dialog, but on deeper inspection is also connected web-wise and answers to questions are not restricted to Adobe products.
• After Effects
  • In contrast to Premiere, which is for conventional light-touch editing, this is for heavy effects and compositing etc.
• After Effects Render Engine
  • Render farm: Network rendering with watch folders and render engines.
  • Previously, it was possible to install render engines on as many machines as wished, but not so under CS5.5, where a separate serial number must be obtained for each machine.  For small guys like me that makes it pretty useless.   It seems likely that a more flexible option will exist in future versions.
• Audition
  • Audio editor, derived (many years ago) from CoolEdit.
• Bridge
  • A combination of media file manager, media manager, metadata editor, also does some kinds of media processing.
  • Can be run standalone or from within apps e.g. Premiere: [File > Browse in Bridge…]
• Color Finesse
  • A multi-host (including Premiere & AE) plugin that goes above and beyond typical NLE color correction.
  • On my system it only appears to be available under AE.
• Device Central
  • Simulates media appearance etc. on a range of devices such as cellphones.
• DigiEffects FreeForm
  • Manipulate a flat object into almost any shape using displacement maps and meshes in 3D space.
  • Examples: flowing cloth, animated loose filmstrips, rippling fluids, terrain flyovers, welded metal, morphs, reveals.
• Encore
  • DVD authoring.  Menus can be created in Photoshop (using special layering techniques).
• Extension Manager
  • Manage extensions (broadly like plugins) associated with various Adobe programs.
• ExtendScript Toolkit:
  • Adobe workflow command-script editor
  • An IDE (along the lines of Visual Studio) for scripts in Adobe Bridge, itself serving to automate workflows involving multiple Adobe applications.
• Flash Professional
  • A multimedia authoring program to create content for Flash-enabled platforms/devices.
• Flash Catalyst
  • A designers’ tool for creating the user interface for Rich Internet Applications.  Primary function of being a GUI composer for Adobe Flex components.
  • Can import Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, or Flash XML Graphics (FXG) files.
• Help
  • A help resource not only with local help-documentation but also capable of searching beyond, even beyond Adobe, to find solutions.
• Illustrator
  • Vector graphics editor e.g. useful for typesetting and logo graphics design. It is the companion product of Photoshop.
• KeyLight
  • An advanced chroma-keyer, tackling reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair.
• Media Encoder
  • Encodes audio and video media content.
• Mocha
  • Stand-alone tracking and roto tool to help solve problematic shots challenging the built in tools of After Effects and Final Cut by bringing advanced planar tracking and matte creation tools
• OnLocation
  • Direct to disk recorder / logger also acting as monitor with waveform monitor and vectorscope.  And no doubt much else.
• PhotoShop
  • Such a big noun that it became a verb…
• Premiere Pro
  • Primary editing app, with emphasis on productive cutting and smooth playback etc., minimising the need to render, leaving heavy effects and compositing etc. to AE.
• Story
  • A collaborative script development tool/service. There is an application for working alone on an offline version and a web-based service where you can sync up with an online version.
• Ultra
  • Vector-keyer (simple-to-use effective chroma-keying) that was once a standalone app by Serious Magic, now available as a plugin within Premiere (but not AE).  I get the impression it is regarded (or at least branded) as simple to use but ultimately less sophisticated/capable than KeyLight (???).
  • Serious Magic used to highlight its capabilities regarding reflections, semi-transparent areas and hair…
• Utilities
  • ExtendScript
    • An integrated development environment (IDE) for the creation and debugging of JavaScript code for Adobe Bridge, to facilitate workflow-enhancing automation of tasks between elements of Creative Suite.
  • PixelBlender
    • A simplifying basis for implementing image processing algorithms (filters or effects) in a hardware-independent manner, taking advantage of parallel processing / GPU etc.
    • Downside to commercial developers is that code using it may be more visible / understandable.

…and a one or two other free downloads from Red Giant

• http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/free/ 

I heard about and saw DaVinci Resolve in action on Den Lennie’s music video course/experience.  As a result I looked it up on the web and discovered there was a free version.  At that time the free version was limited to only a couple of nodes depth (I think) but was still useful.  Since then DaVinci have released a new version (8.1.1) without that restriction.  Confusingly, back in October I downloaded “version 8.1.1″ with patches and also “version 8.1.2″.  Something got out of step somewhere!  But for ease-of-life, I will stick with their latest download, described as “version 8.1.1″.

I downloaded a copy of DaVinci Resol;ve Lite 8.1.1 to my MacBook Pro (MBP)  I went to http://www.blackmagic-design.com/support/ then selected (in this order): [Host=MacOS], [Product Series=DaVinci Resolve], [Product=DaVinci Resolve Lite].  That gave a page prompting for user info (e.g. contact details)which I duly filled.  After that I was taken to the download page.

Resolve Lite runs on Mac OS but not (yet?) Windows (though that might follow eventually, according to http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-happens-vegas/500520-davinci-resolve-windows.html). My MBP has 8GB RAM and a both an Nvidia “9600M” (on motherboard) and a “9600M GT” (faster separate GPU).

My initial attempt to run Resolve Lite on my MBP resulted in a “whinge-window” about my machine’s GPU not being up tp Resolve’s requirements.  That turned out to be because in the Mac OS Preferences, Energy-Saving mode, I had selected “extend battery life” (or whatever) instead of “max performance” (or whatever).  This selection disabled the “GT” GPU leaving the machine to drop back to the lower-powered motherboard GPU.  Selecting “Performance” mode (and rebooting) fixed the problem - no more “whinge-window”.

The Resolve Lite application filled the whole screen, with none of the usual “three colour buttons” at top-left corner, merely the ability to respond (appropriately) to Command-H (Hide).  The initial screen was some kind of “User Logon” screen with default users Admin and Guest.  I double-clicked on Guest and was greeted by an instruction that I should first set Resolve’s Preferences.  Not unreasonably, it wanted to know which volume to use as Media Volume (for renders etc.).  I chose the HFS+ partition of my GRaid Mini drive, connected via FireWire (FW800).  In fact I created and selected a folder: [/Volumes/GRm HFS+/_App_Specific/DaVinci_Resolve].

Next I looked for some Tutorial videos:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8OaHAQT1fA
  • Official DaVinci company demo of Resolve, based on a”car driving on mountain road” example.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srESTbBbCpw
  •  This YouTube page also links to a multitude of other Resolve demos/tutorials.

I attended, working on one of the camera units.  Had a great time, learnt lots, at all sorts of levels.  Even how to make good use of the Movie Slate application on my iPhone!  Link: http://www.fstopacademy.com/

• http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/142/864634
  • (Looks like a modification of Bill Ravens’ profile I found a couple or so years ago, except that profile had G-B = 32 and no white offset or ATW+2, and the Detail was not set.  Gamma was -40, STD1, Black was -12, Black Gamma was 0)
  • Matrix: On, High-Sat, Level 0, Phase -5, R-G 75, R-B 0, G-R -18, G-B -23, B-R -27, B-G 13. This gives a beautifully balanced color matrix.
  • White: on, Offset A +2, Offset B +2, Offset ATW +2. This will give you a beautiful warm picture, by elevating the reds a little bit
  • Detail: On, Level 0, Frequency +65, Crispening 0, Black limiter +75, White limiter +75. This gives a very nice definition without the artificial sharpening artifiacts. Ideal for DOF adapter shooting.
  • Gamma: Cine-1 for rich-contrast situations, Cine-3 for low-contrast situations. Make cine-1 your standard and avoid cine-4 (too noisy in the shadows).
  • Black: -3 or -4
  • Black gamma: -2. Will help to reduce noise in the blacks.
• I choose instead the following Detail settings:
  • On: Level -5, Freq +25, Crisp +20

iPhone app: “Light Meter”:

• Uses iPhone-4’s cameras (front or rear), displaying image with overlays reporting framerate (can specify fixed e.g. 1/60), f-stop, ISO.
• Usage with my Sony XDCAM EX3 video camera:
  • In settings, I set Stops to Halves, as that’s what the camera uses.
  • I typically use an EX3 with a Tiffen T1 IR-blocking filter.  What’s the ISO for this arrangement?
    • I’m unsure in this area, but here’s my stab at it anyway, possibly flawed:
    • EX3 ISO varies with mode, but 400 ISO is a reasonable estimate.
      • CreativeCow post says: ISO 400 in 1080p modes,  ISO 500 in 720p modes, ISO 800 in 1080i modes
    • Filter loss is 1/2 stop (http://www.tiffen.com/userimages/T1_IR_Charts_SS.pdf)
    • I think that implies corresponding equivalent ISOs of 1080p:320, 720p:400, 1080i:640 (based on data from http://c710720.r20.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/ISO-Shutter-Speeds-Fstops-Copyright-2009-2011-photographyuncapped.gif)
  • What do the EX3’s ND filters do to the ISO?
    • EX3 has ND1=1/8, ND2=1/64
      • (From EX3 user manual, page 50)
    • I think ISO is linear, so if Camera is 320 ISO, they imply equivalent ISOs by simple division:
      • 1080p: Clear=>320, ND1=>40, ND2=>4.5
      • 720p: Clear=>400, ND1=>50, ND2=>6.25
      • 1080i: Clear=>640, ND1=>80, ND2=>10
    • Alternatively, for ND1 filter you can leave the app’s ISO setting as Clear (no filter) and instead adjust the app’s Correction Factor to -3 EV (though it’s maybe better reserved for simulating lighting variations e.g. due to weather, as in the Exposure Value Table further below).
      • I guess from this one off case that EV is logarithmic, since 2^-3=1/8 as per ND1.
      • That guess was later confirmed by further web research (further below), stating that EV is an “additive system”, i.e. operates in the logarithmic domain, base 2.
    • Caution: being an ISO/EV newbie, I can only hope this is is all correct!
    • Nevertheless, when I tried my naive settings they worked just fine - I was successfully able to use the iPhone Light Meter to obtain a sensible camera configuration for good exposure level and (given the ND filters) the kind of shot I want (e.g. degree of DOF).  When tested on the camera, they all worked out as expected.  Cool!
• The Light Meter app optionally displays EV400, EV100, Lux, FootCandle.  Latter units are explained in great detail at at [johnlind…] link below.
• The app can also “log” readings - in the form of jpg images of the screen and overlays including geographical location - to a DropBox account.  For example, when I clicked the [Log] button, a jpf file appeared on my MacBook in the folder [ /Users/davidesp/Dropbox/Photos/Pocket Light Meter].

Exposure Values & Exposure Theory:

• http://johnlind.tripod.com/science/scienceexposure.html
  •  <<The full name for Exposure Value, or EV, is the Additive Photographic Exposure System.  Exposure Value has two equivalent definitions.  The first defines how much light will be admitted to the film by the combination of lens aperture and shutter speed.  The second defines how much exposure is required by the combination of subject luminance (e.g., how bright it is) and film speed.  Setting a combination of aperture and shutter speed on a camera with an EV that equals the EV for the subject luminance and film speed should result in a properly exposed photograph>>
  • (The article continues at length.  For example the “Additive” element reflects the fact that this system operates in the logarithmic domain. The article also distinguishes luminance from illumination, explains units such as point-source intensity in candelas, flux in lumens, light illuminating a surface in foot-candles,  light radiated from an area in foot-Lamberts, luminence in candelas per area (square foot or square metre)
  • An EV (Exposure Value) table is presented.  I guess (?) this is useful for the iPhone app, where EV can be shifted up/down by a control, to estimate what would be needed should the lighting conditions vary:
    • -1 EV:  light sand or snow
    •  0 EV:  bright or strong hazy sun (distinct, sharp shadows)
    • +1 EV:  weak hazy sun (soft shadows; distinct sun outline in clouds)
    • +2 EV:  cloudy bright (no shadows; sun creates bright area in clouds)
    • +3 EV:  heavy overcast, but not “black” (no shadows; sun location cannot be determined)
    • +3 EV:  open shade (in shadow but 60% sky not obscured)
    • +4 EV:  deep shade (in shadow with obscured sky; under forest canopy)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_value
  • Exposure value is a base-2 logarithmic scale
  • (This article has a more comprehensive table of EVs and weather conditions etc. than the above)

f-numbers

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-number 

http://www.eskayproductions.co.uk/Avid%20Manuals/AvidCCUG.pdf

• Extremely useful

• As mentioned in an earlier post, there are explanatory and instructional tutorial videos on Cineform’s FirstLight:
  • vimeo.com/13021420, a rapid 10-minute presentation by David Newman.
  • vimeo.com/27220198, a slower (30 minutes) and more thoughtful presentation by a grading expert.
• Additionally there is a great write-up, the First Light User Manual v1.2, at:
  • http://www.cineform.com/pdfs/First_Light_3D_User_Manual_v1.2.pdf

Conclusions:

• The main principle is great - the decoder part of the Cineform Neo codec has to do levels-mapping work etc. anyway as part of its normal function, and so getting it to do the grading at the same time just means altering its scaling factors etc., which in principle means using less CPU as compared to the grading being done in the NLE (post-decode).   Also fewer successive quantizations (hence better overall visual quality).  You can specify different sets of factors (hence grades) for different video files. There are also some “Movie Looks” presets.
• Additionally it gives the ability to split the grading process off to another person (as the tutorial videos show) - a great extra bonus. By using DropBox (say) the two (or more) of you can work in parallel at remote locations, grading-updates appear automatically on the remote NLE. Essentially only a tiny shared grading project file is saved in DropBox, no need to exchange actual video files.

I’m currently trying it out on a client project (non-critical) in Sony Vegas.  I will post my experiences from this separately.

Sony Vegas allows chains of effects (”FX”) to be built up, which can optionally be exported or imported as FX Presets.  Some generous people on the web have offered their own FX Presets to achieve “Movie Looks” (dramatic looks) of various kinds.  These are more about emphasizing different kinds of mood than achieving clinically pure or film-grainy image quality.  Further details below…

(more…)

http://aviddssupport.avid.com/pdf/v10.2/AvidDS_HiRes_Workflow_Color_Guide.pdf