This IS the Avid L2: Re: [Avid-L2] Resolve Processing vs. Ama linking for 4K Project?

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Re: [Avid-L2] Resolve Processing vs. Ama linking for 4K Project?

You could feel free to bake in the LUT in your transcode, because if you have the 'auto-apply' color transforms set to on, when you AMA the 4K stuff, the correct LUT will auto-apply. Even if you don't, it's trivial to do it - just select all the clips in the bin, right-click choose Source Settings, and apply the LUT to all.

On Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 7:29 PM, John Moore bigfish@pacbell.net [Avid-L2] <Avid-L2@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

I have a 4K project coming up and I'm trying to sort out a workflow that will work in our non 4K infrastructure. On these types of projects that are multicam Arri Alexa and Amira shots we typically deliver HD so I take the Camera Raw and use Resolve to created DNX 175X with the LogC to Rec 709 Lut applied. From then on it's a cake walk with the tape names that Resolve makes working perfectly in the Avid Eco system.

On a recent project shot of Sony F55s I used Avid to AMA link and transcode the camera raw to DNX 175X with Avid's automatic Sony S3 to Rec 709 Lut or Color Transform that was automatically applied upon ama linking, that is a preference that seems to default to on with Avid. I transcoded to DNX 175X then had the AEs transcode that to DNX 36 for offline. I was pleasantly surprised that once I had relinked to the DNX 175X I was still able to ama link to the camera raw and force the sequence back to linking to the camera raw. At no point did I attempt to enter tape names so the ama metadata remained intact and the linking worked. Ultimately I just used the DNX 175X media but I could have gone back to camera raw if needed.

Now with this 4K project I'm planning to do the same ama transcode workflow knowing that ultimately I will take my final sequence and link it to the 4K raw media to export the delivery file. My questions are related to working in the DNX 175X world for color correction and having that translate to the 4K raw media. We primarily edit on Avid 6.5.4.x so there is no LUT support however, we do have dongles with support contracts and I have an Avid 8.4 media composer with symphony option that I can use in online. It seems to me I should ama link to the arri footage apply a logC to Rec 709 Lut, I'm assuming Avid has one like Resolve does, but when transcoding I should set the preferences to not bake the LUT in but instead remember to apply the LUT, or is it considered a Color Transform in Avid?, so that when I ultimately relink to the Raw Log C media Avid will remember to apply the LUT/Color Transform. I realize I could ignore any color transforms or LUTs but I've found the Arri LogC to Rec 709 very reliable in getting me to a very good starting point I'd hate not to use it in this workflow.

Now as I type this post I'm thinking wait is Rec 709 still viable in a 4K delivery? I know 4K can afford some other color space options so what is the expected color space for a 4K master or is it up to those receiving the content to determine the color space?

Why is it with only 4 times the number of pixels in 4K that it seems like there are many more ways to screw it up? Can't wait for 8K and above.

John Moore Barking Trout Productions Studio City, CA bigfish@pacbell.net