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thedest

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  1. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Juxx989 in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Lets talk about art.
     
    The example posted by Miller is too soft. Making the entire video soft is not beautifull, its a flaw. Whats the point of using expensive lenses to deliver a soft video?? You can soften a skin texture, but making the entire scene soft is wrong. The video will look like a low resolution out of focus video. With high end codecs, like raw, you can make the skin look soft and sharpen the eyes, for example. Eyes need to look sharp, otherwise the person will look lifeless and the video will look like a distant dream. He is also throwing away good dynamic range. He is blowing out the face of the main subject. She is like a pin up girl, but he graded her like a zombie shot on a low dynamic range camera. Her skin tone is green. One thing is to add a graded color to the scene, to create a mood, the other is to add a color cast that makes the skin tone look horrible.
     

     
    I said it once and I will say it again. Applying pre-set looks like mojo, film convert tools, LUTs etc are not the way to do it. Grading is REALLY easy. You dont need those tricks.
     
    And here is my simple grading for commercial use.
     
    What did I do?
     
    - Made her skin look soft
    - Gave her a pin-up skin tone
    - Increased the sharpness and contrast of her eyes, to make them stand out
    - Changed her eye color, because I like blue
    - Added a lot of saturation in her lips, to create a sexy look
    - Increased the sharpness and the saturation of the yellow, to make her hair stand out
    - Added some split toning (blue and purple) while mantaining her skin tone
     
    Now I can see me gaining the contract for the commercial, while James grading would be only usable for an underground alien movie.
     

     
     
     
    COMPARE THE 3 VERSIONS:
     



  2. Like
    thedest got a reaction from OzNimbus in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    And here is a 4K framegrab graded by me from an original ProRes file from the Blackmagic Production Camera.
     
    It was graded to recreate a "real life" look, with enough blacks, lift/gamma/gain, saturation and local contrast
     
    CLICK HERE TO SEE IT IN 4K: '>
     
    The amount of detail IS amazing. You can see the dials from that womans clock. But then again, you need to bring it to life in post.
     
    If anyone is interested, I can share the original graded video, with no youtube recompression.
     

  3. Like
    thedest got a reaction from tosvus in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    WOW! I dont think that you know much more than your neighbourhood. There is an entire world out there, my friend. You need to get out of your desk. You just sounded like Hitler right now! That may be one of the most stupid and nonsense comments EVER!
     
    Have you ever heard about miscegenation? Let me tell you a secret: even black people can have blue eyes!
     
    One of the hottest girls in the planet has a dark skin tone and blue eyes.
     
    Let me present you to Adriana Lima.
     

  4. Like
    thedest got a reaction from HurtinMinorKey in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Lets talk about art.
     
    The example posted by Miller is too soft. Making the entire video soft is not beautifull, its a flaw. Whats the point of using expensive lenses to deliver a soft video?? You can soften a skin texture, but making the entire scene soft is wrong. The video will look like a low resolution out of focus video. With high end codecs, like raw, you can make the skin look soft and sharpen the eyes, for example. Eyes need to look sharp, otherwise the person will look lifeless and the video will look like a distant dream. He is also throwing away good dynamic range. He is blowing out the face of the main subject. She is like a pin up girl, but he graded her like a zombie shot on a low dynamic range camera. Her skin tone is green. One thing is to add a graded color to the scene, to create a mood, the other is to add a color cast that makes the skin tone look horrible.
     

     
    I said it once and I will say it again. Applying pre-set looks like mojo, film convert tools, LUTs etc are not the way to do it. Grading is REALLY easy. You dont need those tricks.
     
    And here is my simple grading for commercial use.
     
    What did I do?
     
    - Made her skin look soft
    - Gave her a pin-up skin tone
    - Increased the sharpness and contrast of her eyes, to make them stand out
    - Changed her eye color, because I like blue
    - Added a lot of saturation in her lips, to create a sexy look
    - Increased the sharpness and the saturation of the yellow, to make her hair stand out
    - Added some split toning (blue and purple) while mantaining her skin tone
     
    Now I can see me gaining the contract for the commercial, while James grading would be only usable for an underground alien movie.
     

     
     
     
    COMPARE THE 3 VERSIONS:
     



  5. Like
    thedest got a reaction from HurtinMinorKey in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    I understand you Andrew, and I know your style.
     
    As I said, if I were grading it for commercial purposes I would do it differently. I would add some split toning, I would fix her skin, maybe enhance the color/clarity of her eyes. But not when testing a camera. As I said, I can see James grading being used on a vodka commercial. Mine wouldnt be accepted. But I can also see my correction being used on a documentary, while James grading wouldnt.
     
    The problem with artistic gradings is that our taste is very subjective. And when we try to make too much art when reviewing a camera, we can make people think that the camera has some kind of problem. Its not hard to find people that hate Blackmagic cameras because they think that all Blackmagic videos look surreal, have bad colors, no contrast, color casts and look like old damaged movies. And thats because that kind of "art" wont impress a lot of people.
     
    There are lots of people that like the impact of the "you are there" look. My girlfriend hates me when I take pictures of her and I dont hide her pimples. I hate that "Sweet 16 Photo Book" soft glowing look. I like to see details, and Im not alone in this world.
     
    When reviewing a camera, its always nice to show the full potential of the camera when recreating a natural scene.
     
    Im not against art though. I can appreciate graded videos sometimes, but not every time.
  6. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Orangenz in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Spray tan? Are you using a bad monitor? Have you checked your gamma/saturation settings? Bad dye job? You sound like those blog girls that review make ups and chanel purses. Dont get me wrong, but im a man, and I like to see what the camera can show.
     
    When im testing a camera, im not searching for good makeups, im looking for what the camera can capture, including bad skin texture, if the skin is like that.
     
    If you are in Africa, shooting an old dude that has been under the sun his entire life, would you like to see a soft-baby skin? Please...
     
    Thats not a topic about getting a job on a commercial - and let me tell you, the amount of bad commercials these days is HUGE. Maybe because those producers think like you? Anyway, thats a topic about what the camera can capture.
     
     
     
    Yes, I can se his grading being used on a vodka commercial, but I cant see it selling the camera. When reviewing a camera, they should show everything, not hide skin problems. His skin is blue/green and its glowing with no texture. She looks like an alien. Is it better than a tan? We are not looking at a models portfolio, we are looking at a camera sample. If the model has a bad makeup or a bad skin, the camera needs to show it.
     
    And let me tell you another thing guys. If a guy is a pro, it doesnt mean that everything he does looks good. Being a pro only means that you get paid to do something. Please, dont be a fanboy, unless you are getting paid to do it. We are all grown up guys. Being a fan boy is not pretty, if you are a big boy.
     
    Those pro gradings look bad, and im pretty sure that every final consumer will think that.
     
    Film convert tools and LUTs are a lost cause - and they are the main reason why most prosumers hate Blackmagic cameras. All of those videos look surreal. They are like bad impressionist art. People like to see what their eyes can see.
     
    People post bad gradings, with only shades of mid-grey, compressed highlights, bad colors and color casts and use the excuse that its a "filmic" look. ITS NOT!
     
    Here is a comparison between film and digital. So stop using that "filmic look" excuse! Its just a grading made by a person with a doubtful taste!
     

  7. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Marino215 in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Spray tan? Are you using a bad monitor? Have you checked your gamma/saturation settings? Bad dye job? You sound like those blog girls that review make ups and chanel purses. Dont get me wrong, but im a man, and I like to see what the camera can show.
     
    When im testing a camera, im not searching for good makeups, im looking for what the camera can capture, including bad skin texture, if the skin is like that.
     
    If you are in Africa, shooting an old dude that has been under the sun his entire life, would you like to see a soft-baby skin? Please...
     
    Thats not a topic about getting a job on a commercial - and let me tell you, the amount of bad commercials these days is HUGE. Maybe because those producers think like you? Anyway, thats a topic about what the camera can capture.
     
     
     
    Yes, I can se his grading being used on a vodka commercial, but I cant see it selling the camera. When reviewing a camera, they should show everything, not hide skin problems. His skin is blue/green and its glowing with no texture. She looks like an alien. Is it better than a tan? We are not looking at a models portfolio, we are looking at a camera sample. If the model has a bad makeup or a bad skin, the camera needs to show it.
     
    And let me tell you another thing guys. If a guy is a pro, it doesnt mean that everything he does looks good. Being a pro only means that you get paid to do something. Please, dont be a fanboy, unless you are getting paid to do it. We are all grown up guys. Being a fan boy is not pretty, if you are a big boy.
     
    Those pro gradings look bad, and im pretty sure that every final consumer will think that.
     
    Film convert tools and LUTs are a lost cause - and they are the main reason why most prosumers hate Blackmagic cameras. All of those videos look surreal. They are like bad impressionist art. People like to see what their eyes can see.
     
    People post bad gradings, with only shades of mid-grey, compressed highlights, bad colors and color casts and use the excuse that its a "filmic" look. ITS NOT!
     
    Here is a comparison between film and digital. So stop using that "filmic look" excuse! Its just a grading made by a person with a doubtful taste!
     

  8. Like
    thedest got a reaction from UltimateMale in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Your point is correct. But the users are also correct.
     
    They are not talking about the amount of detail, they are talking about the PERCEIVED detail. To get a nice looking image you have to know how to ballance the amount of detail captured and the amount of local contrast (sharpening).
     
    Most people still use 1080p displays. In my 4k display, I can clearly see the difference in the amount of detail between the 4k prores and a 1080p video, but once you watch both videos on a 1080p display, the difference is not that big. Why? Because if you have a lot of detail and you dont add LOCAL CONTRAST (some people call it sharpening), your detail wont be noticeable.
     
    So its totally fair to say that, on a 1080p display, a 1080p raw video from a 5D can "LOOK" more "detailed" than that 4k ProRes video. In reality it wont have more detail, but this detail will be hidden by the lack of local contrast.
     
    I dont like oversharpening, but that video is too soft. I know that its a UHD video, but the average person watching that video wont be impressed. And we make videos for the average person.
  9. Like
    thedest got a reaction from nahua in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Your point is correct. But the users are also correct.
     
    They are not talking about the amount of detail, they are talking about the PERCEIVED detail. To get a nice looking image you have to know how to ballance the amount of detail captured and the amount of local contrast (sharpening).
     
    Most people still use 1080p displays. In my 4k display, I can clearly see the difference in the amount of detail between the 4k prores and a 1080p video, but once you watch both videos on a 1080p display, the difference is not that big. Why? Because if you have a lot of detail and you dont add LOCAL CONTRAST (some people call it sharpening), your detail wont be noticeable.
     
    So its totally fair to say that, on a 1080p display, a 1080p raw video from a 5D can "LOOK" more "detailed" than that 4k ProRes video. In reality it wont have more detail, but this detail will be hidden by the lack of local contrast.
     
    I dont like oversharpening, but that video is too soft. I know that its a UHD video, but the average person watching that video wont be impressed. And we make videos for the average person.
  10. Like
    thedest got a reaction from JHines in Beautiful 4K Blackmagic Production Camera footage from James Miller   
    Your point is correct. But the users are also correct.
     
    They are not talking about the amount of detail, they are talking about the PERCEIVED detail. To get a nice looking image you have to know how to ballance the amount of detail captured and the amount of local contrast (sharpening).
     
    Most people still use 1080p displays. In my 4k display, I can clearly see the difference in the amount of detail between the 4k prores and a 1080p video, but once you watch both videos on a 1080p display, the difference is not that big. Why? Because if you have a lot of detail and you dont add LOCAL CONTRAST (some people call it sharpening), your detail wont be noticeable.
     
    So its totally fair to say that, on a 1080p display, a 1080p raw video from a 5D can "LOOK" more "detailed" than that 4k ProRes video. In reality it wont have more detail, but this detail will be hidden by the lack of local contrast.
     
    I dont like oversharpening, but that video is too soft. I know that its a UHD video, but the average person watching that video wont be impressed. And we make videos for the average person.
  11. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Chrad in Blackmagic 4K Production Camera - First Sample Videos from Grant Petty   
    I dont understand the hype with those mac's. There is nothing special about the hardware and the software is a pain in the ass. You always have compatibility issues. Whats the point of having a software that works if most things wont work with it? And its WAY overpriced.
     
    I own an Apple display, and thats enough Apple on my life. I cant live with a system that creates that amount of boundaries
  12. Like
    thedest got a reaction from andy lee in Blackmagic 4K Production Camera - First Sample Videos from Grant Petty   
    I dont understand the hype with those mac's. There is nothing special about the hardware and the software is a pain in the ass. You always have compatibility issues. Whats the point of having a software that works if most things wont work with it? And its WAY overpriced.
     
    I own an Apple display, and thats enough Apple on my life. I cant live with a system that creates that amount of boundaries
  13. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Andrew Clunie in In depth test - 5D Mark III and 7D Raw vs Blackmagic Pocket vs GH3   
    You guys are not getting the REAL concept of dynamic range. You guys are thinking that a great dynamic range is just a detailed sky or detailed shadow. Nope! When we talk about dynamic range we are talking about highlights, midtones and shadows - and the gradations between them - those are the steps of dynamic range.
     
    If your camera has 8 stops of dynamic range in video mode, it doesnt matter what you will do in post, it will still have 8 stops.
     
    When you expose your GH3 for the highlights and recover the shadows, you are NOT increasing your dynamic range. You have the same amount of stops. You are just favoring the highlights and the shadows. What happens then? You simply crush and destroy the midtones. In the video posted above you can clearly see that. In the video, everything looks like its made of plastic. You have no gradation in the midtones. The cars look like a colored stain.
     
    The image is NOT cinematic at all. In the BMPCC you will have beautiful gradations well distributed in the highlights, shadows and midtones, and thats why they look cinematic.
     
    So remember, good dynamic range is not about seeing the clouds or whats in the shadows, its all about having great gradations from the bottom to the top!
  14. Like
    thedest got a reaction from LordMartines in 1080p h264 vs 4K RAW   
    As some of you may know, Im about to buy a new camera to play with 4K RAW videos. Since I have to wait until the end of September/October for the release of a possible new version of that camera I decided to do an exercise to understand where I am, and where Im going to.

    So I did some comparison test shots. With the same camera and the same lens I shot the same scene with different settings:

    1st shot - 1080p h264 - FULL AUTOMATIC CONTROL (Exposure, Picture Profile etc) and no post processing.

    2nd shot - 1080p h264 - FULL MANUAL CONTROL + Custom flat Picture Profile (Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation all the way down)

    3rd shot - 1080p h264 - FULL MANUAL CONTROL + Custom flat Picture Profile (Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation all the way down) - USING HDR CORRECTION IN PREMIERE PRO

    4th shot - Compressed 4k - FULL MANUAL CONTROL + Custom flat Picture Profile (Sharpness, Contrast and Saturation all the way down

    5th shot - 4K RAW - 13 stops of DR - FULL MANUAL CONTROL
    ............................................................................................................ .
    I did SEVERAL tests in many different conditions, but I only uploaded 3 of them. .
    [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOLz1bnQXkg[/media]
    .
    ............................................................................................................ .
    ORIGINAL 4K VIDEO .
    https://mega.co.nz/#!4p1DHZoA!UXV36VwTFy_KpA_cvMLPNg5ssupI74e7h7MNj-zVkFU .
    MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD THAT TO SEE THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1080P AND 4K .
    ............................................................................................................ .
    MY CONCLUSIONS
    1. After doing that test I realized that I will never ever again spend more money in a new 1080p h264 camera. NEVER EVER AGAIN.

    2. As everybody knows, the Dynamic Range of the RAW is AMAZING. BUT, if you have a video with a good compression method and if you use MANUAL MODE and a good PICTURE PROFILE, in scenes where you dont have EXTREME CONTRAST, RAW dynamic range is not essential.

    3. The color reproduction in the RAW file cant be matched. The compressed 4K have great colors, MUCH better than your average AVCHD video. I could live with that color depth. But the RAW is simply BEAUTIFUL.

    4. The color reproduction in h264 videos is bad. They look artificial and they lack color gradation.

    5. When you use h264 + picture profile + post processing you can have a much better dynamic range than when you shoot full auto videos. The problem is that when you process the video you bring A LOT of artifacts

    6. A 1080p RAW video has much more detail than our ordinary 1080p AVCHD. I couldn't see the difference in detail between the 4K compressed and the 4K RAW, obviously because im using a 1080p monitor

    7. I've seen people saying that when you shoot RAW, you have to watch out for blown out highlights. They say that its better to underexpose. THATS WRONG!! Its easier to recover blown out highlights than shadows. When you recover the shadows you bring a lot of artifacts. When you recover the highlights you bring NOTHING. So to have the best Dynamic Range in your shot, using RAW, you should OVEREXPOSE a little bit your highlights because you can ALWAYS recover a good amount of blown out highlights
    ............................................................................................................

    All the videos were made with a Sony NEX-5R. I used some tweaks to extract a really fast 4K video. Its a low frame rate video, it lasts only 1 second and it overheats the camera, but it was a nice exercise.
     
     
  15. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Axel in In depth test - 5D Mark III and 7D Raw vs Blackmagic Pocket vs GH3   
    Yes they are. They are saying that he should work with charts or start doing only artistic videos. They say his tests are too in between.
     
    Life would be perfect if you could always have a controlled environment, but unless you are James Cameron, you wont have that. We have lots of amateur shooters (like me). Actually, most of us are hobbyists. We dont work with lights and reflectors. We shoot trips, family stuff etc. When I go to the beach with my girlfriend I dont go with lights and reflectors in my back. Journalists dont shoot in controlled environments. Most of us dont have a crew. And please, if you have a crew, why are you shooting with a GH3? If you want to go pro, you should use a real pro camera.
  16. Like
    thedest got a reaction from /p/ in In depth test - 5D Mark III and 7D Raw vs Blackmagic Pocket vs GH3   
    You guys are not getting the REAL concept of dynamic range. You guys are thinking that a great dynamic range is just a detailed sky or detailed shadow. Nope! When we talk about dynamic range we are talking about highlights, midtones and shadows - and the gradations between them - those are the steps of dynamic range.
     
    If your camera has 8 stops of dynamic range in video mode, it doesnt matter what you will do in post, it will still have 8 stops.
     
    When you expose your GH3 for the highlights and recover the shadows, you are NOT increasing your dynamic range. You have the same amount of stops. You are just favoring the highlights and the shadows. What happens then? You simply crush and destroy the midtones. In the video posted above you can clearly see that. In the video, everything looks like its made of plastic. You have no gradation in the midtones. The cars look like a colored stain.
     
    The image is NOT cinematic at all. In the BMPCC you will have beautiful gradations well distributed in the highlights, shadows and midtones, and thats why they look cinematic.
     
    So remember, good dynamic range is not about seeing the clouds or whats in the shadows, its all about having great gradations from the bottom to the top!
  17. Like
    thedest got a reaction from Zach Ashcraft in Surprise! New Sony RX10 sensor has 5K full pixel readout   
    words cannot express how bad those videos look
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