Hey guys. This is my first post. I am a active member of the Star Wars fanfilm community. We over at theforce.net have been trying to come up with ways to get the ulitmate film look for video footage. So after taking in all the different ideas and trying them out, I complied all that information into one tutorial for film looking footage. I call it the CineAlta tutorial because that is the type of cameras George Lucas used on Episode II. Anyway, just use this tutorial as a starting point for film looking footage. Also, I'd like any comments or suggestions on possible improving anything about the tutorial. Thank you.

http://www.geocities.com/pixelmagic2002/CineAlta1.html

You will find the link to the two different parts at the bottom of the introduction page linked above.

If anyone has trouble accessing the above link, it's because some bad html sneaked in. Try http://www.geocities.com/pixelmagic2002/CineAlta1.html.

Thanks for the tutorial, Daniel. Are you at Iowa State?

Thanks Robert. I fixed the link. No, I don't go to Iowa State.

Daniel, excellant overview. Your section on depth of field (DOF) is inaccurate. This article (http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/optics/dofskinny.php) on DV Info should help. If you have questions concerning DOF please post them here. (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3926)

Hi Daniel,

This is a nice article, I especially like your section on color timing.

I would like to give your article a home on dvinfo.net, in our Cinematic Attributes from Digital Video section. Of course there would be a link back to your original location and I would need a short bio about you.

The only thing is, two small inaccuracies would need to be edited or perhaps just simply removed: "...try to shoot with a shallow depth of field by keeping the iris open as wide as possible" and "...to control depth of field, take the camera as far back as you can, then zoom into the subject." For more info, see Ultimate Jeff Donald's Depth-of-Field Skinny at http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/optics/dofskinny.php

Let me know, as I'd like to put this online as soon as possible. Great job, Daniel!

Hey Chris. You are welcome to put my tutorial up on your site. Where is the Cinematic section. I'm new to this site, and I don't know how to find anything. Yep, I'm stupid. Take it for what it's worth. But you can edit or do whatever you want with my tutorial.

Very interesting Daniel. I am curious as to how you see the workflow for, say, a ninety minute project using your process. How would you edit, then do your motion, color correction techniques?

Well, the motion part of the tutorial would have to be done BEFORE you edit. And you would have to edit the color correction on a shot to shot basis anyway. It would take a while, but worth it I think.

Why would you have to do the motion enhancement before the edit?

Thx for the great tutorial.

Rob

Well, if you edit the interlaced signal, then you don't have to do it before the edit. However, if you de-interlace your footage, then edit it, you cannot apply the motion technique after the fact.

Thanks Daniel, see http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/index.php -- it will go in the Cinematic Attributes from Digital Video section. I'm in New York at a tradeshow right now but will add it very soon. Thanks again,

Finally they're up... see:

http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/filmlook/broadway1.php
http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/filmlook/broadway2.php

Thanks,

That's very good Chris, thank you. But to my embarrasment, I have since learned a few things that in my tutorial are inaccurate. I accidently wrote that you should close your iris down for shallow depth of field, when I meant to put OPEN your iris up. Also, the resulting motion blur from this technique is actually 1/40th of a second, not 1/30th, just a couple of minor details.

Okay Daniel, I corrected that page, you might want to look over it and make sure I did the right things. Thanks again,

Much better Chris, but below the right hand picture it needs to read 1/40th instead of 1/48th like before. But, I don't know that it makes much difference.

How would this process compare to using Magic Bullet?

Magic bullet adds pixels to the image while this just uses the same amount and just overlays the fields. The resolution is the same while magic bullet increases image resolution.

Rob:D

Nice looking image.

Um, just one question. Where is the original image before the first curve adjustment? I'd like to see the source image.


:-)

Michael