Editor’s notice: Because of Reuben Evans and Mixing Light for sharing their experience for this text and the Frame.io Workflow Guide.
It’s been 12 years for the reason that RED One camera revolutionized the world of digital cinema, however nonetheless right now many filmmakers have but to totally combine uncooked video into their workflow.
Regardless of the RED One’s success in proving that raw capture could be affordable, it additionally demonstrated the challenges of working with uncooked video in post-production. Certain, uncooked video seize is extraordinarily highly effective, however because the saying goes “with nice energy comes nice accountability.”
Fortunately for us, the business has advanced radically within the final decade, and recording and dealing with uncooked video has grow to be a lot simpler. As digital camera know-how has progressed, uncooked seize has filtered down via the highest-end cameras and is now even accessible in some of the most entry-level models.
However although capturing uncooked is now simpler than ever, there’s nonetheless quite a bit to think about earlier than making the bounce.
In right now’s article, we’ll discover why uncooked is so superb, the way it could make your workflow extra highly effective, and what you should know earlier than selecting it in your subsequent challenge.
As with almost every part technical on this enterprise, uncooked video is difficult. Which means there are some frequent confusions concerning the idea amongst many filmmakers, so right here’s a fast recap.
Uncooked vs RAW
Earlier than we get too far in, let’s get one thing out of the way in which. The time period “uncooked” is just not an acronym, so it doesn’t have to be capitalized each time you write it.
That mentioned, a number of main corporations use the stylized “RAW” as a part of their very own proprietary branding. This has led many to consider that the all-caps spelling is the usual, which often causes sufficient confusion that some assume “uncooked” is completely different than “RAW.” The excellent news is that they imply the identical factor, so don’t fear an excessive amount of about it.
Whereas neither time period is is wrong or inaccurate, the all-caps is simply not grammatically obligatory. So for this text, we’ll be utilizing the time period with out all-caps.
What’s uncooked?
To completely perceive uncooked video, we’d like to check out how digital cameras work.
Think about you’re capturing a scene. First, mild hits the article(s) you need to seize, bounces off the article(s), and finds its manner into your digital camera’s lens. Then the lens focuses the sunshine onto your digital camera’s digital picture sensor.
As a result of digital cameras are, nicely, digital, and light-weight is analog, the digital camera should interpret the sunshine to make a picture.
The final course of goes one thing like this; the sensor measures the depth of sunshine hitting every photosite and interprets that data into digital values (1s and 0s). These values are then handed off to a picture processor, which makes use of complicated mathematical features to remodel them into visually-displayable data. That’s how an ordinary picture file is made.
However a uncooked picture is the uninterpreted mild data that your sensor captures, earlier than it has remodeled by the digital camera’s processor into a picture file.
Debayering
A time period you’ll hear quite a bit when discussing uncooked is “debayering.”
Put merely, debayering is the step in picture manufacturing that provides coloration to your picture. However for the curious, right here’s a bit extra element on the method.
As you most likely know, the sensor in your digital camera is made up of tens of millions of tiny photosites (mild sensors) that measure the depth (brightness) of sunshine. By themselves, these sensors don’t have any strategy to detect the wavelength (coloration) of sunshine, to allow them to solely produce black and white pictures.
Nonetheless, by placing a coloured filter (pink, inexperienced, or blue) on high of one in all these photosites, the sunshine brightness information may be interpolated into coloration data as nicely. How is that? As a result of for those who put a coloured filter excessive of the photosite, solely that individual coloration mild will have the ability to move via. So a photosite, which as we mentioned can solely detect brightness, can be utilized to measure the brightness for only one coloration of sunshine with any such filter.
These filters are organized in a selected sample with a purpose to generate full coloration protection throughout all the sensor. The most typical of those filters is the Bayer sample, named after scientist Bryce Bayer. To “debayer” a picture is to make use of a mathematical perform to extract coloration information from the sunshine data of your digital camera’s picture sensor.
One factor that may shock you concerning the Bayer sample is that there are two inexperienced filters for each pink and blue one. This may appear complicated at first, however the cause for it’s primarily based on our organic imaginative and prescient system and how humans perceive color. In brief, our eyes are extra delicate to inexperienced than they’re to pink and blue.
So why is that this time period talked about a lot when discussing uncooked? As a result of since uncooked is unprocessed mild data, the debayering course of may be manipulated after the actual fact, not like customary picture information the place a digital camera’s coloration processing is baked in. We’ll talk about the implications of this extra deeply later, however for now simply know that it makes uncooked video way more versatile.
Is uncooked the identical as log?
No. Uncooked and log are usually not the identical factor, although it’s straightforward to know why they’re typically confused.
Many video cameras now provide the choice to shoot in a “log” or “flat” coloration area, which will increase the dynamic vary of your captured pictures, and provides you extra flexibility in submit.
Whereas log video gives comparable advantages to uncooked video, it’s nonetheless interpreted by the digital camera, and leads to a “regular” picture file relatively than pure mild information from the sensor. White steadiness, noise discount, and sharpening are all baked-in with log footage, so you possibly can’t obtain the identical degree of flexibility as you possibly can with uncooked.
As we simply lined, uncooked video makes it pointless for cameras to do all of the exhausting number-crunching of picture processing by themselves. For uncooked, all of the digital camera must do is precisely measure the sunshine hitting the sensor, and report that information. No inner processing obligatory (apart from information compression, however that doesn’t interpret the sensor mild information, it solely makes it smaller).
After all, you continue to need to course of that mild data if you wish to produce a usable picture, however because it seems, post-production computer systems and software program are very succesful on this regard. That is the place the magic of uncooked actually begins.
Most high quality and full flexibility
Typically talking, uncooked video represents the best high quality picture you will get from a digital camera. However this isn’t simply depending on the digital camera, it has quite a bit to do with what comes after these information are transferred to a pc.
Since uncooked picture seize is just depending on the sensor’s mild information, it doesn’t expertise the identical types of information loss that happens when non-raw pictures move via a digital camera’s inner picture processors. As a substitute, uncooked processing occurs on the workstation facet of issues, the place the total extent of the sunshine information may be analyzed and processed to retain most high quality with out degradation.
However uncooked data doesn’t simply allow you to squeeze out each final little bit of high quality from a picture, it additionally offers you most picture flexibility. Shade mapping, noise discount, sharpening, and numerous different picture processing strategies can all be adjusted in any variety of methods. That’s why so many filmmakers need to shoot in uncooked—it gives essentially the most freedom to experiment and fine-tune the look of a movie after capturing has wrapped.
Sensible benefits to capturing uncooked
Given the very nature of uncooked, sure features of capturing matter much less on set. White steadiness and ISO, for instance, are fully editable in lots of uncooked codecs, so unintended coloration casts or publicity points may be simply corrected in submit. That allows you to spend much less time twiddling with digital camera and light-weight settings, and extra time specializing in the efficiency/substance of what your capturing.
Maybe the filmmakers who admire uncooked seize essentially the most are those that be taught what uncooked can do on set and within the coloration suite. The extra acquainted you’re with uncooked, the higher you’ll know its capabilities and limitations, which finally will permit you to make spur-of-the-moment adjustments throughout manufacturing, figuring out you possibly can appropriately compensate for these adjustments in submit.
Inexperienced Display and VFX Seize
One other state of affairs the place uncooked seize proves extremely advantageous is with pictures supposed for visible results work. As a result of most non-raw codecs use chroma subsampling to scale back seize bitrates, the ensuing footage could cause issues for VFX work, particularly on inexperienced screens.
However uncooked by no means makes use of chroma subsampling, as a result of the debayering course of is just not baked into the file. Thus, uncooked video can be utilized to drag a a lot smoother key across the edges than most traditional footage. Moreover, correcting the “spill” (the quantity of inexperienced mirrored in your topic) is easier due to uncooked video’s coloration management.
You don’t even want to hold uncooked via your complete workflow to achieve this benefit with inexperienced display screen work. For instance, for those who shot 6K uncooked footage, but it surely proves too useful resource intensive for a specific course of, you possibly can transcode to a codec with out chroma subsampling (like 4K ProRes 4444), which will provide you with a a lot cleaner key with out the identical computational necessities as uncooked.
And naturally, in relation to complicated VFX compositing, greater unique picture high quality leads to extra exact and real looking outcomes.
A Hidden Profit: New Shade Science
One lesser-known however unbelievable advantage of capturing in some uncooked codecs is that outdated footage may be made to appear to be new with up to date coloration science.
As producers refine their strategies for deciphering colours and picture high quality, and launch these updates in new firmware, these newer mathematical processes can be utilized on the sunshine information of outdated uncooked footage.
That implies that a picture you shoot right now (or years in the past) can truly enhance in look over time. Colours that have been beforehand out-of-gamut may be made renderable with new coloration science, and publicity may be made to roll off extra easily throughout a picture.
Naturally, this function of uncooked footage has large implications for archival footage. It additionally makes adapting older tasks to new supply codecs a lot simpler (assuming you export from a challenge’s uncooked state). For instance, for those who shot 4K video destined for downscaling to HD broadcast with Rec. 709, however you need to ship it in UHD HDR with Rec. 2020 in the future, efficiently regrading the challenge can be way more achievable with uncooked.
Despite the various advantages of uncooked, there are two main downsides: big file sizes and further processing necessities.
With only a few exceptions, uncooked video is nearly all the time bigger than non-raw video. Which means you’ll want extra reminiscence playing cards, extra exhausting drives, and extra time to repeat, course of and transcode information. After all, the precise measurement is dependent upon the kind of uncooked we’re speaking about, however some uncooked codecs require as a lot as 5 occasions the space for storing and bandwidth as non-raw footage.
Uncooked will also be very demanding in your post-production {hardware}. Whereas laptop workstations are way more highly effective than the processors on the within of cameras, working with and manipulating uncooked information continues to be a computationally heavy job. Typically talking, for a system to have the ability to deal with high-resolution uncooked footage easily, you’ll want a beefy CPU and devoted GPU (and perhaps a good quantity of persistence).
Selecting uncooked
Fortunately, uncooked video is available in many various flavors that make working with it in post-production simpler (pure uncompressed uncooked footage can be an absolute nightmare, so nobody makes use of it). Sadly, it’s not all the time straightforward to match them straight, however right here’s a fast rundown of a number of the most typical varieties:
- REDCODE RAW: Initially developed for the RED One, REDCODE cemented RED as a serious participant within the digital cinema area. This format permits full management of a picture’s metadata (white steadiness, ISO, and so on), has a variety of compression choices, and is suitable throughout all main NLEs and post-production purposes.
- ARRIRAW: After all RED is just not alone within the digital cinema area, and ARRI’s uncooked format is a marvel of cinematic know-how. Like REDCODE, ARRIRAW gives whole management over a picture’s metadata, whereas specializing in uncompromising picture high quality and doubling down on compatibility with high-end techniques and software program, although on the expense of file sizes.
- ProRes RAW: A relative newcomer to the digital cinema world, ProRes RAW was created by Apple as an answer to the complexity and efficiency burden of different uncooked codecs. ProRes RAW gives full entry to the picture high quality advantages of uncooked, whereas retaining the playback efficiency of normal non-raw ProRes in NLEs. Nonetheless, ProRes RAW doesn’t supply the usual coloration controls for ISO and white steadiness many have grow to be accustomed to in different uncooked workflows.
- Blackmagic RAW: Following scorching on the heels of ProRes RAW, Blackmagic Design launched their very own format barely one 12 months in the past. Not like ProRes RAW, Blackmagic RAW permits for extra sturdy management over a picture’s metadata in submit, and works throughout extra purposes. Nonetheless, it does partially debayer pictures in digital camera, which implies outdated footage is not going to profit from future refinements to their coloration science.
Different producers like Sony, Canon, and Panasonic even have their very own uncooked codecs, however chances are you’ll encounter them much less typically.
Remember, many uncooked codecs ship smoother playback efficiency by compressing the info stream, which might have some impact on picture high quality. It’s fairly potential to have very highly-compressed uncooked footage that appears worse than customary footage captured in a high-quality codec, although for most common compression ratios the picture can be superb.
It’s price mentioning right here that your notion of uncooked file sizes can be largely decided by the codecs you’re most aware of already. For those who come from a ProRes or DNx workflow, some compressed uncooked codecs will appear to be about the identical measurement or solely barely bigger. However for those who usually shoot with an AVC-based codec, you must count on a lot bigger file sizes than you’re used to, particularly for those who’re additionally making the bounce from 1080p to 4K.
Capturing uncooked solo
A serious figuring out issue of when/for those who ought to use uncooked for a challenge is the workflow’s scale.
For solo shooters juggling many hats on set, like working audio, publicity, focus, energy, stabilization, and extra, uncooked’s picture high quality and suppleness may be very interesting. With the ability to compensate for onset imperfections or errors is a godsend in lots of circumstances if you don’t have sufficient time or fingers to get every part proper within the second. You’ll nonetheless have to mild your scenes accurately (uncooked isn’t magic), however it could possibly cowl a mess of sins.
Nonetheless, keep in mind that whereas uncooked offers you extra flexibility to patch up points, adjusting all these settings takes longer than customary coloration correction, and the additional processing overhead can delay shopper supply. That may be advantageous for some tasks, however if in case you have a good turnaround, uncooked won’t be the only option.
Working with uncooked
Actually, uncooked is a miracle of recent know-how we should always be pleased about, however for those who don’t need to spend all the day simply being grateful and truly need to get work completed with it, you’re going to want a robust system.
Relying on the uncooked format you select and your laptop’s configuration, you possibly can leverage the facility of a devoted GPU to hurry issues alongside. Some GPUs are designed to offer real-time playback of sure uncooked codecs, like Nvidia’s Touring architecture does for RED’s 8K raw formats. All these playing cards supply unbelievable efficiency, however at eye-watering costs.
However additionally, you will want to verify the opposite elements in your laptop are additionally as much as par, particularly your CPU. Not all purposes will permit your GPU to assist with playback, so the CPU wants to have the ability to deal with playback sufficiently when obligatory. And as with all coloration or enhancing system, you’ll want a considerable amount of ram and storage to stop bottlenecks.
That mentioned, you’re going to want much more than a beefy laptop to work with uncooked. It’s necessary to think about your complete picture pipeline from acquisition to submit, when selecting a digital camera and codec in your subsequent manufacturing.
The price of uncooked
Uncooked information is big. There’s simply no getting round that. Even at respectable compression ratios, most uncooked codecs will burn via a number of gigabytes per minute.
Clearly, this implies you’ll have elevated prices for recording media, on-set storage, scorching storage for submit, backup storage, longer file transfers, slower flip round time, and so forth. Your workflow can positively acquire quite a bit from uncooked, but it surely comes at a really actual price.
These are necessary issues when evaluating the scope of your challenge. The great factor is that these are quantifiable prices. It is possible for you to to calculate how a lot the additional {hardware}, storage, and time will price you, and in case your purchasers pay that much for your time and talent.
And it’s not as dangerous because it as soon as was. A lot of uncooked’s price ache has been eased by latest technological developments, like ultra-fast SSDs at very cheap costs, and exhausting drive prices hitting all-time low. Which means for those who mix the effectivity of the very best uncooked codecs with new I/O connections, and a sensible mixture of storage {hardware}, uncooked can yield a really actual return on funding. However, you’ll have to do your individual number-crunching to see what makes essentially the most sense and make investments accordingly.
Merely put, uncooked gives the best high quality and most versatile possibility for digital picture seize. The power to make huge adjustments to paint, publicity, and lots of different features of a picture with out compromising high quality make it an apparent selection for a lot of tasks.
After all, there’s all the time a tradeoff to such unbelievable high quality and suppleness. Uncooked requires a big funding of time and monetary assets for use correctly. Which means adopting uncooked into your workflow requires nicely thought out choices about each step of your picture pipeline, from the digital camera all the way in which to your shopper, and these choices ought to contain everybody who has to shoot with it (DPs), the individuals who need to deal with it (DITs), and the individuals who need to work with it (editors, colorists, and VFX artists).
If everybody’s on board, and also you’ve made the suitable investments to run issues easily, then uncooked will open up an entire new world of prospects in your work.
If you wish to dig deeper into each facet of movie and video workflow, from seize to evolve to supply you should definitely try the Frame.io Workflow Guide. At over 100,000 phrases, it’s essentially the most complete web site devoted to movie and video workflow.
