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[xJavonta]

I know it's probably just because I don't know how to use it, but FCPX just feels so backwards compared to Premiere. Like, my whole workflow in Premiere is so smooth and easy, and I can't achieve anywhere near that level of productivity in FCPX. Ugh.

I'm determined to learn it though. My professor is teaching it in this class and while he said that we can use Premiere to edit if we want, I feel like Final Cut is like an industry standard and would just generally be good to know.

Update: I've stuck with it, and I LOVE it. Feels so much faster than Premiere does. At least, when I'm editing on my MBA FCPX is much much faster.

Also, started teaching myself After Effects and it's really cool. Wish I got into this stuff earlier.

I'm not sure that's even close to true at this point. In 2009-12, maybe. But the rise of the DSLR and Premiere's seamless handling of the codec really helped push it ahead of everyone else.

Yeah true. I know the department at my university was going to switch the curriculum over to Premiere but stuck with FCPX in the end.

 

[Anton Sugar]

I did it.

I bought a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k EF. Just came in stock yesterday.

Sounds like they're making good progress on the magenta issue, but gonna do some extensive testing when it arrives next week.

 

[afternoon delight]

I did it.

I bought a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k EF. Just came in stock yesterday.

Sounds like they're making good progress on the magenta issue, but gonna do some extensive testing when it arrives next week.

Would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Spaghetti]

I did it.

I bought a Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k EF. Just came in stock yesterday.

Sounds like they're making good progress on the magenta issue, but gonna do some extensive testing when it arrives next week.

Nice.

I'm still holding onto my 4K Ursa Mini for a little while longer, but I'm considering the 4.6K now BM appear to be trying to fix the issues with the sensor.

Flaws aside, you get so much bang for your buck.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Absolutely!

Nice.

I'm still holding onto my 4K Ursa Mini for a little while longer, but I'm considering the 4.6K now BM appear to be trying to fix the issues with the sensor.

Flaws aside, you get so much bang for your buck.

Yeah, I've read that the magenta issue mostly shows up on f5.6 and above, which I rarely shoot at. Still, as you said, really encouraging that they're taking it seriously. I'm hoping my cam is from one of the newer batches that apparently aren't affected nearly as much, if at all.

 

[Spaghetti]

Yeah, I've read that the magenta issue mostly shows up on f5.6 and above, which I rarely shoot at. Still, as you said, really encouraging that they're taking it seriously. I'm hoping my cam is from one of the newer batches that apparently aren't affected nearly as much, if at all.

Fingers crossed. I've heard the colour temperature settings in the 4.0 firmware help a lot, and you can always dial out the magenta to some degree in Resolve, but I'm sure we'd all prefer to not have the issue in the first place.

I might be holding off on a purchase until maybe a 2.0 version of the camera, but I warts n' all I'm still very tempted to get it when I have enough cash. For the price, and an image comparable to an Arri Alexa, it's a goddamn steal. Even at rental, I can get the 4.6K for three days for roughly the price of one day with an Alexa Mini.

Right now I'm looking into finding a portable lighting solution with the 4K. A pair of Amaran AL-528 LED lamps (one spotlight, one wide spread) seem like my best option. I'm not much of a lighting guy so my knowledge in this area kinda sucks, but it's better than nothing.

 

[Sec0nd]

Anyone here working on the latest and greatest 27" 5K iMac with the best specs? I'm wondering how that machine handles video editing, especially working with 4k footage. I was on the edge of buying a similar specced Hackintosh machine, excepted that machine would have a better graphics card the 980 Ti. But through ways I'm also able to get the lastest iMac for the same amount of money.

Benefits would be obviously be the glorious 5K screen and a way more stable platform than a Hackintosh. Though the Hackintosh would probably (?, I dunno honestly) a bit better and a tad more flexible with hard disks and other components and whatnot.

Probably leaning a bit more towards the iMac now. It all depends on the fact if it's powerful enough to edit 4K footage with, since it's also powering a 5K monitor and stuff.

 

[brerwolfe]

While I can't help with your specific question, I can tell you I edit 4k footage on my $2k MSI laptop just fine. No hiccups to speak of. Same goes for my custom built desktop pc from 2012.

Just giving you options.

 

[Sec0nd]

While I can't help with your specific question, I can tell you I edit 4k footage on my $2k MSI laptop just fine. No hiccups to speak of. Same goes for my custom built desktop pc from 2012.

Just giving you options.

Cheers! Though I don't really plan on going Windows. Primarily because I'm a bit in love (read: used to) macOS and would love to also combine it with my 2011 Macbook for light/proxy editing on the go. Also the iCloud synching between Macbook, iPhone and potential iMac or Hackintosh would be stellar.

 

[Sec0nd]

Double post!

Is there at this point a reason to get the Phantom 4 over the Mavic? Mavic seems to have pretty much the same quality as the Phantom 4, is really stable and insanely small. Is there anything that's standout better on the Phantom 4?

 

[Benjamin_MFF]

Availability is the only issue that is effecting the Mavic right now. If you are looking for a platform that you can pick up today and grab a bunch of batteries for and start flying, the Phantom 4 is your bread and butter.

There is more safety with a larger craft as well, including the option of prop guards (which disables the obstacle sensing system, for some reason). It's easier to recover from a crash due to how the body is shaped and the camera is in a safer location.

If you're looking for portability, the Mavic is king, even beating out the size of the Karma. Due to the high demand, it will take till December to receive an order and that is with limited battery supplies. Over the new year there will be higher stock of these items (batteries, chargers, props).

 

[hypernima]

Anyone here try out Nikon Hacker?
My Nikon just decided to lock me out because I have a replacement battery and I lost my OEM battery/charger ages ago so this is my only hope due to funds.

 

[crisdecuba]

I realize this may have been asked before in the thread, but I couldn't find it. I'm looking for the best software for animating text onto a video. I use adobe premiere and it can handle text and motion, but it feels a bit clunky and limited. Are there any tools out there that allow for some slick text animation, and that ideally connects with Adobe premiere in some manner?

 

[Lys Skygge]

I realize this may have been asked before in the thread, but I couldn't find it. I'm looking for the best software for animating text onto a video. I use adobe premiere and it can handle text and motion, but it feels a bit clunky and limited. Are there any tools out there that allow for some slick text animation, and that ideally connects with Adobe premiere in some manner?

Adobe After Effects? I believe it's pretty much the industry standard for elaborate text and title sequences.

 

[crisdecuba]

Adobe After Effects? I believe it's pretty much the industry standard for elaborate text and title sequences.

Oh, thank you! easier than I thought then in terms of connecting with premiere hehe

 

[nintendork666]

On a scale of 1 - 10, how tacky do you guys find digitally added film grain/scratches/dust/hairs/etc?

 

[seventynine]

On a scale of 1 - 10, how tacky do you guys find digitally added film grain/scratches/dust/hairs/etc?

Depends on your usage and the motivation behind it.

It can look pretty good https://youtu.be/54bYkzPZF9o

 

[Anton Sugar]

Ursa Mini kit is coming together. Doing a bunch of different tests on my cheapo cfast cards tonight to see which recording formats are reliable on them. I'll post some grabs once I have em.

 

[oatmeal]

Anyone here working on the latest and greatest 27" 5K iMac with the best specs? I'm wondering how that machine handles video editing, especially working with 4k footage. I was on the edge of buying a similar specced Hackintosh machine, excepted that machine would have a better graphics card the 980 Ti. But through ways I'm also able to get the lastest iMac for the same amount of money.

Benefits would be obviously be the glorious 5K screen and a way more stable platform than a Hackintosh. Though the Hackintosh would probably (?, I dunno honestly) a bit better and a tad more flexible with hard disks and other components and whatnot.

Probably leaning a bit more towards the iMac now. It all depends on the fact if it's powerful enough to edit 4K footage with, since it's also powering a 5K monitor and stuff.

I'm using almost maxed iMac (only thing is 40GB of RAM). Best computer I have ever owned. Just cut a feature on it, 5K raw on a 2k timeline. No issues at 1/2 res.

Using a thunder bay RAID which helps with that.

 

[Sec0nd]

I'm using almost maxed iMac (only thing is 40GB of RAM). Best computer I have ever owned. Just cut a feature on it, 5K raw on a 2k timeline. No issues at 1/2 res.

Using a thunder bay RAID which helps with that.

Cheers! I indeed end up going for the maxxed out 5K iMac, and like you said it works like a charm! Ended a 4K piece on it yesterday with zero issues. So that's great.

One drawback though regarding the 5K iMac. It makes 1080p footage look like utter shit compared to 4K+ footage!! Guess I'll be shooting everything in 4K from now on not to frustrate myself lol.

 

[brerwolfe]

I was in Scottsdale last week for the Champions Tour finale (read: senior golf). I was sitting and editing 5 to 6 videos a day, then today decided to put together a little recap of the winner. It's overly dramatic and makes me laugh, but I think it came out well for what it was.

https://vimeo.com/191745026

 

[Anton Sugar]

Alright, if anyone is interested in purchasing any of the following, PM me:

Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT
SLR Magic 10mm 2.1 lens
Lanparte cage w/top handle and shoulder pad
4x Sandisk Extreme 240gb SSD
Alphatron EVF
15mm rod clamp risers

Some of it is on eBay already but hasn't been bid on yet, so I can always cancel them.

 

[Sec0nd]

Guess the Mavic shortage worked in my favour. Just bought the Phantom 4 Pro after they announced it yesterday! Though the portability of the Mavic is insanity, the 4 Pro just looks incredible. Finally 100 Mbps codec on a consumer drone.

 

[Flo_Evans]

ha some fool let me play around with their scarlet...

Man this thing is a BEAST.

 

[grounded_dreams]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a light meter app for the iOS? Seen a few and not sure which ones is best.

Looks like the Cine Meter with WFM seems a decent one, but that's not free.
Will be getting a proper stand alone reading soon, but looking for something in the interim.
Any advice would be handy, free ones would be even better?

 

[Benjamin_MFF]

I've heard good things about Lumu:
http://www.lu.mu
and they have a $99 meter that works with their app. If you want to get a simple meter, Sekonic DigiCineMate is solid and goes for $280:
http://www.sekonic.com/united-states/products/l-308dc-u/overview.aspx

What meter are you waiting on?

 

[killertofu]

I can't believe I took this long to use Mocha. HOLY SHIT. The amount of time I've wasted roto-ing all these years.

 

[grounded_dreams]

I've heard good things about Lumu:
http://www.lu.mu
and they have a $99 meter that works with their app. If you want to get a simple meter, Sekonic DigiCineMate is solid and goes for $280:
http://www.sekonic.com/united-states/products/l-308dc-u/overview.aspx

What meter are you waiting on?

Looking for an actual app version for iOS tbh, but thanks.
Will be getting a Sekonic Flashmate L-308S in a month or so.

 

[Gobias]

So, I need a new, affordable laptop for editing. Any solid option for around $500-$700 that someone could recommend? I use Adobe Premiere although I guess I could use Final Cut if a Macbook is my best option.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Might need to rent a high speed (at least 120fps) camera for some food prep shots, any recommendations?

 

[brerwolfe]

I love my Canon 1DX mkII, hard not to recommend it if you already have some Canon glass.

PGA Tour asked me to shoot a husbands vs wives wiffle ball game at 120fps last week, so here's that edit:

https://vimeo.com/192271760

 

[Spaghetti]

Doing a few camera/lighting tests for a film I'm trying to get made.

Bought a couple LED panel lights, but they didn't quite give me the amount of light I wanted when dealing with the Ursa Mini 4K's native 400 ISO. A third light as a fill probably would have helped light some of the details more on the actor's face. It's a moody look, but a bit too murky for what I wanted. Adding an Aputure 120T as the key light would probably make the difference, but I don't have the cash on hand for that right now.

I also didn't use any gels, so I've not quite got the 'street light' look on the light, but when we shoot for real I'll invest in CTO/CTS gels to get the look right.

 

[Flo_Evans]

I love my Canon 1DX mkII, hard not to recommend it if you already have some Canon glass.

PGA Tour asked me to shoot a husbands vs wives wiffle ball game at 120fps last week, so here's that edit:

https://vimeo.com/192271760

Nice, it is limited to 1080p at 120fps right?

I was thinking the URSA 4k v2 https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/blackmagic-design-ursa-4k-v2-digital-cinema-camera-ef

Looks like it can do 4k in 120fps! (and I want to play with one..)

edit: hmm something to consider, I am most likely shooting this video vertical... for menu displays. DSLR or smaller camera might be better.

 

[brerwolfe]

Nice, it is limited to 1080p at 120fps right?

4k at 60/30, 1080 at 120/60/30. It's a great camera, I live shooting with it so much.

 

[Flo_Evans]

4k at 60/30, 1080 at 120/60/30. It's a great camera, I live shooting with it so much.

Hmm it turns out they want a lot of top down shots, and of course no budget or time so I think I'm just going to roll with the a6300.

Seems like the "tasty" Facebook videos are the clients new go to. 2nd time a client has said o me "you know, like tasty?" Ugh.

 

[Benjamin_MFF]

Make that a third, I just received a job offer for a "Tasty" inspired shoot. Funny thing is, I've worked on an official "Tasty" shoot before, and they hung the camera overhead using a speed rail.

 

[Chumley]

What's a good affordable step up from the canon 5d m3 for video right now? A7s2? The 4K on 5dm4 file sizes make it unusable for me.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Make that a third, I just received a job offer for a "Tasty" inspired shoot. Funny thing is, I've worked on an official "Tasty" shoot before, and they hung the camera overhead using a speed rail.

That would be ideal, but of course they want me to set up on location in an open restaurant.

Last time I just used a magic arm clamped to my tripod but it was pretty unstable. Might try and mount it on a c-stand.

It will be interesting framing stuff for vertical displays. I'm going to capture some test footage with my iPhone tommorow haha

I really just wanted to play with a high speed camera in the studio

 

[super-heated plasma]

Hey guys, I made a quick vid showing how I had to fix an actors hair in post with After effects and Mocha. I'm going to make a series of videos showing alot of the post fixes I had to do for my show, including the big vfx shots of ghosts, etc.

I had ALOT of fixes to do in post that hopefully viewers won't notice 99% of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL5fTuZk7s4

 

[Flo_Evans]

Nice, is mocha really that much better than after effects built in tracking? I might have it check it out next time I have to fix something.

 

[oatmeal]

Doing a few camera/lighting tests for a film I'm trying to get made.

Bought a couple LED panel lights, but they didn't quite give me the amount of light I wanted when dealing with the Ursa Mini 4K's native 400 ISO. A third light as a fill probably would have helped light some of the details more on the actor's face. It's a moody look, but a bit too murky for what I wanted. Adding an Aputure 120T as the key light would probably make the difference, but I don't have the cash on hand for that right now.

I also didn't use any gels, so I've not quite got the 'street light' look on the light, but when we shoot for real I'll invest in CTO/CTS gels to get the look right.

Just because you want moody doesn't mean you want no detail. Use the histogram to make sure you're getting information in the blacks.

Even shooting log or anything you need the information. There's no information there.

 

[Flo_Evans]

Ya the blackmagics need lots of light.

I ended up renting an rx100 v. Up to 960fps?? Ok then. Seems like a pretty bad ass pocket cam.

Sensor Readout Number of effective pixels HFR:

Quality Priority – Near 4 Seconds rec time:

240fps/250fps (1,824×1,026)
480fps/500fps (1,676×566)
960fps/1000fps (1,136×384)

Looks like quite the resolution loss at that speed. It will also be interesting to see how my lights work at that speed, I did some iphone6 240fps video tests and you get all kinds of flickering from regular bulbs on alternating current. Might have to shoot it outside lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qOxfnuh2R4 some tests with clays and the chinese buffet! Pretty cool I think I can definitely make it work for this shoot.

 

[super-heated plasma]

Nice, is mocha really that much better than after effects built in tracking? I might have it check it out next time I have to fix something.

infinitely.

 

[Spaghetti]

Just because you want moody doesn't mean you want no detail. Use the histogram to make sure you're getting information in the blacks.

Even shooting log or anything you need the information. There's no information there.

I mean, yeah. I wasn't satisfied with it either, but it was just a test.

Stronger key light and using the other LED as the fill would probably have solved the problem.

 

[Sec0nd]

I've got a commercial shoot abroad next week. Looking to film most of it around 60fps, and preferably in 4K. I would normally go for the FS7 for something like this. But I honestly don't really like the colors of the Sony cameras. So I'm looking at the Blackmagic 4.6K now. How does it perform with slowmotion? Can you do slowmotion at 4K ánd raw? Is shooting RAW even worth it? Looking for some tips if I should bring the Blackmagic!

 

[Anton Sugar]

I've got a commercial shoot abroad next week. Looking to film most of it around 60fps, and preferably in 4K. I would normally go for the FS7 for something like this. But I honestly don't really like the colors of the Sony cameras. So I'm looking at the Blackmagic 4.6K now. How does it perform with slowmotion? Can you do slowmotion at 4K ánd raw? Is shooting RAW even worth it? Looking for some tips if I should bring the Blackmagic!

Yes, you can do RAW at 60fps at 4.6k. I don't know if you're *required* to shoot in dual-card mode but it certainly is recommended to help prevent frame drops.

Pretty sure you can do 60p/4.6k at uncompressed, 3:1, and 4:1 RAW. I know for sure you can do it with 3:1 and 4:1.

As for whether or not it's worth it--that's harder to say! I mean, it certainly gives you the "most" image, color, data, etc. to work with. However, ProRes (esp at 4.6k) looks fantastic, as well. RAW helps with more extreme grades, for sure.

 

[Sec0nd]

Yes, you can do RAW at 60fps at 4.6k. I don't know if you're *required* to shoot in dual-card mode but it certainly is recommended to help prevent frame drops.

Pretty sure you can do 60p/4.6k at uncompressed, 3:1, and 4:1 RAW. I know for sure you can do it with 3:1 and 4:1.

As for whether or not it's worth it--that's harder to say! I mean, it certainly gives you the "most" image, color, data, etc. to work with. However, ProRes (esp at 4.6k) looks fantastic, as well. RAW helps with more extreme grades, for sure.

Cheers! I've never used RAW for film. But having edited photos that have been shot raw, having that same amount of control and data for film seems absolutely godly. Though, for some reason, the online videos I've seen of people grading raw film footage it doesn't really look that much more useful compared to grading regular log footage.

It's hard to find some proper research or advice on best shooting styles for the Blackmagic. Some say shooting in ProRes is the best way to go since the added benefits of RAW is incredibly small, and not worth the filesize. Others say that shooting compressed RAW produce smaller file sizes compared to ProRes and give you the added benefits of RAW.

I dunno, it's all so confusing lol.

 

[Spaghetti]

Speaking of RAW, I finally updated my 4K Ursa Mini firmware and was pretty pleased to find RAW 4:1, ProRes 444, and 444 XQ options. I get near double what I used to shooting RAW 3:1 now.

Anyway, here are a pair of screen grabs from my test shoot trying out the Tiffen variable ND. Did the trick in strong, Winter sunlight.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Been a long time since my last update.

Heres my latest project :

https://vimeo.com/192023674

If you guys enjoy these color presets, i've made a lut pack that you can use on your clips. Heres a free lut that you can download freely and will give you guys a similar look. Theres also a more complete pack, if you're interested check the sellfy page.

https://sellfy.com/p/4eZU/

Let me know if you guys decide to give it a shot, what you guys think and share some of your results!

 

[Flo_Evans]

Been a long time since my last update.

Heres my latest project :

https://vimeo.com/192023674



If you guys enjoy these color presets, i've made a lut pack that you can use on your clips. Heres a free lut that you can download freely and will give you guys a similar look. Theres also a more complete pack, if you're interested check the sellfy page.

https://sellfy.com/p/4eZU/

Let me know if you guys decide to give it a shot, what you guys think and share some of your results!

nice! are these intended for log or rec.709?