Picture Profile Recipes

[Andrew Stone]

Bill the work you have done on picture profiles has spurned a lot of good discussion and discovery on making what comes out of the camera even better.

It's unfortunate that your trust was violated in a public manner, however, I really hope you understand how important your contribution to the community of EX users has been. Every day thousands of cameras are capturing better images as a result of your work. Lots of us appreciate it and are reminded daily when we switch on our cameras or begin to work on footage in our NLEs.

I think it is still really important to keep the discussion and the discovery going as there is still a lot of finessing work that can be done. To loose your input Bill would be tragic in my view.

[Chris Leong]

Bill
What Andrew said, in spades.
I've been using your PP settings since the beginning, with a few (very few, actually) modifications. Just wrapped principal on a caveman comedy feature film called "The Missing Link", 21 days shoot and nary a glitch. I agree with you that the RAW looking footage ends up by being the best materials to color correct from and pull DIs, but if you'd like to see what effect your input has had on this thread and my work, well look out for this movie, coming to a theater near you... when it's done.
Previously:
exposureroom.com/5150
exposureroom.com/2012
Both unfinished as yet but shot with Bill Raven PPs!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Brian Chow]

Can anyone direct me to Bills PP? THere are just so many pages in this thread that I was just hoping that someone may have direct access to it. I really appreciate the help that everyone gives on this forum.

Thanks,
Brian

[Clark Peters]

Post number 64 was the first of Bill's picture profiles. There were several tweakings in the pages after that.
Pete

[Brian Chow]

Thanks, will the EX1 profile differ any at all for the EX3?

Thanks,
Brian

[Mitchell Lewis]

The EX1 PP can be used on the EX3. There's only a slight difference (if any) between the EX1 and EX3 PP's.

[Michael B. McGee]

Originally Posted by Mitchell Lewis

The EX1 PP can be used on the EX3. There's only a slight difference (if any) between the EX1 and EX3 PP's.

what might those differences be? if any???

[Kevin Spahr]

The EX3 has a number of memory settings for the interchangeable lenses that is included in the setting files so that would make the files different from one saved on the EX1. The EX3 can "remember" an number of lenses and then when you attach the lens again you don't have to do the compensation settings. (There may be some additional settings for the studio remote on the EX3 - can't remember for sure.) I believe these extra data fields keep the files from being interchangeable between models.

I bet the two cameras would look pretty close to each other if you created identical profile settings on an EX1 & EX3.

It would be nice for someone with both cameras to confirm that...

[Michael B. McGee]

ok, i've read every post on this thread/sticky and i still don't know everything there is to know about Picture Profiles(PP). I've made a list of questions about settings within the PP and hope that all of you, much more technical savvy individuals can help me out.

1. Matrix: Level: what does adjusting this do?
Phase: what does this do?

2. Color Correction: does anyone use this? if so, how and why?

3. Detail: I know detail is but i'm unaware of what (level, frequency, crispening, h/v ratio, white limit, black limit, v dtl creation, and knee apt level) are and what they do.

4. Skin Tone Detail: once again, does anyone use this? if so, how and why?

5. Gamma: Level: what does changing the level do? i can see on my monitor that adding/increasing + lightens the image and vice versa for decreasing/subtracting -. but what is it actually, technically doing?


thanks in advance. you guys are great.

-Mike

[Nick Wilson]

Originally Posted by Michael B. McGee

ok, i've read every post on this thread/sticky and i still don't know everything there is to know about Picture Profiles(PP). I've made a list of questions about settings within the PP and hope that all of you, much more technical savvy individuals can help me out.

Hi Mike

When you have an hour or so, go to

Sony Business Solutions & Systems - Featured

and watch the 2 'Sony Camera Tips' videos. Juan Martinez, who occasionally posts here, explains all of the picture profile parameters.

Cheers, Nick

[Kevin Spahr]

Michael here's some stuff on another Sony site, go to

Sony : Broadcast, Business and Professional Solutions : United Kingdom

Under "PRODUCTS" on the left click on "Broadcast & Pro A/V"
Then on the right side under "News & Events" click on "XDCAM EX Camcorder"
Then in the center of the page is "Reference Information" click on "More"
Close the bottom is "Shooting Tips for XDCAM EX" then finally on the right under "See Also" is a list of shooting tips Issue 4 may help answer some of your questions.

Sorry for this long list of steps but direct links to these articles do not seem to stay valid

There's tons of great info randomly spread through out this journey...

I wish Sony would put all the XDCAM EX stuff at one easy to find place - like the XDCAM EX Micro Site !!!

[Michael B. McGee]

thanks Kevin and Nick. i'll check those site out soon.

[Luis Reggiardo]

I'm shooting a small TV commercial (posted another thread about lighting). First my situation... questions at the bottom of the post.

>GEAR: EX1 + Letus Extreme + Carl Zeiss Planar/Distagon optics (28/35/50/85) that are sold through the Letus webshop.

>TARGET: I'm looking for a nice and sharp TV commercial look, with a filmic touch. Nice well-reproduced colours (product is shown, so it's critical) and really pleasant and classic skin tones.

>LIGHTING: Controlled with 12x12 difussions (sillk for fill + half soft frost for overhead) + 12K PAR HMI (backlight) + 6K PAR HMI (key) + Reflector boards. Possible semi-cloudy day. Close-ups up to wide landscape shots with actors.

>MONITORING: No on the field waveform monitor, so I'll use Onlocation/Veescope/ScopeBox for MAC outing SD through FIREWIRE for Waveform monitoring, then switching back to HD for shooting.

>PP PROPOSAL:
Besides using ND + Circular polar, this is my current PP to try based on Bill Ravens but tweaked from other follow-ups:

Shooting 1080p@25 / 180º shutter

Gain: 0db
Manual white balance

Matrix ...............on
Select................hisat
Level..................0
Phase.................-5
R-G...................75
R-B...................0
G-R...................-18
G-B...................-32
B-R...................-27
B-G...................13

Color Correction..............off
White............................ off
Detail.............................On, Level 0, Frequency +65 (test 30/40), Crispening 0 (test 20/30), Black limiter +75, White limiter +75
Detail Level.....................0
Detail Freq......................0
Skintone.........................off

Knee..............................on
Auto knee......................on
Point.............................90
Slope............................0
Knee SAT level...............50

Gamma Level..............0 (test until -40)
Gamma Select.............CINE1 if sunny day / CINE3 if cloudy!
Black..........................-4, test up to -8/10
Black Gamma..............-2
Low Key Sat: 0

> QUESTIONS:
- What do you think about these settings for my target look? I've used Letus before and for this shot I think the detail is welcomed. The detail tweak was taken from some Letus user blog.
- When switching from SD monitoring back to HD to shoot, I guess it also goes from 50i to 25p (my shooting spec)... so, if I expose with the waveform for the SD/Firewire signal, I'd have to compensate 1 stop for the 50i->25p switch?
- I'm thinking about using up to ND1 on camera, and if in the need for more, go with 4x5.6 ND.3/6/9; using the Carl Zeiss lens between f2.8/4 and the camera iris between 4/5.6... what do you think about this? Remember I'm going after the best detailed picture (without compromising the rotating mirror of the Letus)
- Should I turn the auto knee off?

Thanks!
Luis

[Vincent Oliver]

Sounds like you have all the settings set up, what else do you need to know?

The On/Off button is located at the rear of the camera.

[Luis Reggiardo]

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

Sounds like you have all the settings set up, what else do you need to know?

The On/Off button is located at the rear of the camera.

> QUESTIONS:
- What do you think about these settings for my target look? I've used Letus before and for this shot I think the detail is welcomed. The detail tweak was taken from some Letus user blog.
- When switching from SD monitoring back to HD to shoot, I guess it also goes from 50i to 25p (my shooting spec)... so, if I expose with the waveform for the SD/Firewire signal, I'd have to compensate 1 stop for the 50i->25p switch???
- I'm thinking about using up to ND1 on camera, and if in the need for more, go with 4x5.6 ND.3/6/9; using the Carl Zeiss lens between f2.8/4 and the camera iris between 4/5.6... what do you think about this? Remember I'm going after the best detailed picture (without compromising the rotating mirror of the Letus)
- Should I turn the auto knee off?

Thanks!