Cineform COLOR SPACE and project bit depth at DVinfo.net

Alex Raskin · April 23rd, 2010, 01:21 PM

- What color space should I set After Effects Project Preferences to?

1. When working w Cineform RAW files natively captured by SI-2K

2. When working with Cineform FilmScan files converted from Canon 7D mov's

- Is there an advantage setting AE's bit depth to 16 or even 32 bit Float, vs 8 bit?

Thanks.

David Newman · April 23rd, 2010, 03:55 PM

I turn all color space processing off. I use 16-bit modes generally, as this all the range you get on output, but has good precision for processing. Use 32-bit for HDR work.

Alex Raskin · April 23rd, 2010, 04:09 PM

Cool, 16 bit projects is what I've been using.

With Color space, things are not as simple here. I'm guessing you have a monitor that displays 70-80% of the Adobe RGB gamut, which is the case with most monitors out there.

I actually have "wide gamut" monitor that is in fact 120% of the Adobe or so. (NEC 2690WUXI2 with its own calibrating software+hardware.)

Without choosing the Color space that my monitor was actually calibrated for, AE (or any other image program) displays colors that are too vivid comparing to the original.

So basically I choose sRGB in AE Project Settings. Then it seems to display colors correctly. (If I leave it as None, it defaults to *my monitor color space* and then colors are displayed as too vivid and contrasty vs original.)

However this is still just my guess. It was based on the observation that, say, still digital cameras seem to have sRGB color profile embedded as default when images are saved.. so I thought, maybe Cineform is also sRGB.

If Cineform's video files in fact conform to sRGB, then I'm doing it correctly. Otherwise, please let me know what is the actual Cineform color space, so I could choose correct AE color profile. Thanks.

April 23rd, 2010, 01:21 PM	#1
Alex Raskin Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,435	Cineform COLOR SPACE and project bit depth - What color space should I set After Effects Project Preferences to? 1. When working w Cineform RAW files natively captured by SI-2K 2. When working with Cineform FilmScan files converted from Canon 7D mov's - Is there an advantage setting AE's bit depth to 16 or even 32 bit Float, vs 8 bit? Thanks.

April 23rd, 2010, 03:55 PM	#2
David Newman CTO, CineForm Inc. Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California Posts: 8,095	I turn all color space processing off. I use 16-bit modes generally, as this all the range you get on output, but has good precision for processing. Use 32-bit for HDR work. __________________ David Newman -- web: www.gopro.com blog: cineform.blogspot.com -- twitter: twitter.com/David_Newman

April 23rd, 2010, 04:09 PM	#3
Alex Raskin Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,435	Cool, 16 bit projects is what I've been using. With Color space, things are not as simple here. I'm guessing you have a monitor that displays 70-80% of the Adobe RGB gamut, which is the case with most monitors out there. I actually have "wide gamut" monitor that is in fact 120% of the Adobe or so. (NEC 2690WUXI2 with its own calibrating software+hardware.) Without choosing the Color space that my monitor was actually calibrated for, AE (or any other image program) displays colors that are too vivid comparing to the original. So basically I choose sRGB in AE Project Settings. Then it seems to display colors correctly. (If I leave it as None, it defaults to my monitor color space and then colors are displayed as too vivid and contrasty vs original.) However this is still just my guess. It was based on the observation that, say, still digital cameras seem to have sRGB color profile embedded as default when images are saved.. so I thought, maybe Cineform is also sRGB. If Cineform's video files in fact conform to sRGB, then I'm doing it correctly. Otherwise, please let me know what is the actual Cineform color space, so I could choose correct AE color profile. Thanks.