What's New in Compressed Media Support >
Import: Updated RED Support

RED Flip/Flop

The application supports image orientation metadata introduced in RED SDK 4.0. When working with a stereoscopic camera rig where the camera orientation has been modified to capture footage, it is possible to set the orientation of the image at the time of the shoot. The application can read this data and automatically present the image in the right orientation, flipping or flopping as required.

NoteTimelines created with media files with this metadata prior to the extension do not show the media orientation based on this metadata. This may create different results from previous versions. If you created timelines with footage that contains this metadata, the image orientation will be different in the extension.

HDRx Support

You can now import HDRx clips. The Import Preferences > Debayering menu offers a new option, High Dynamic Range, which enables two new menus, Exposure Offset and Highlight Threshold. The Colour > Gamma Curve menu now offers a Scene Linear (16bit fp) option used with High Dynamic Range clips.

HDRx Settings box
  Select how to import RED HDRx files. You can load either the Primary or the Highlight exposures, or blend the two exposures together. You can also generate a High Dynamic Range clip, which converts the Primary and Highlight exposures into a single 16-bit float image; importing an HDRx clip as High Dynamic Range forces the bit depth of the imported clip to 16 bit floating point, and the Gamma Curve to Scene Linear.
Blend field
  Set how to blend the two exposures of a RED HDRx clip.

  With HDRx Settings set to Blend Exposures, this field behaves like the blend in REDCINE-X; the blend also attenuates the artifacts created by the scene operation, which is a blend of the two exposures: -1 shows only the Highlight (X frame), 1 only the Primary (A Frame), and 0 a 50-50 mix.

  With HDRx Settings set to High Dynamic Range, Blend also attenuates the artifacts created by scene motions; set to 1 unless you are troubleshooting motion artifacts.

Exposure Offset field
  Set how much greater the Primary exposure was compared to the Highlight exposure, in units of stops. Only available when HDRx Settings box is set to High Dynamic Range. The Exposure Offset should be set to match the setting on the camera for how many stops separate the Primary and Highlight tracks. This is typically 2 or 3 stops. Enter the same value used to record the footage or you will get bad results.
Highlight Threshold field
  Set the threshold when pixels from the Highlight exposure are used instead of the over-exposed pixels from the Primary exposure. Only available when HDRx Settings box is set to High Dynamic Range. Set Highlight Threshold last because import options such as ISO or FLUT lighten or darken the image. Too high and you get clipping (often including a magenta-coloured cast), too low and the midtones and shadows have noise leaking in from the Highlight track.

Setting the Highlight Threshold in HDRx to HDR Clips

RED import options such as ISO, FLUT, Exposure, and white balance change pixel values, and requires the Highlight Threshold to be adjusted accordingly.

Use whichever method works best with your workflow.

Tweaking the Highlight Threshold in Batch:

1. Open the HDRx footage as a High Dynamic Range clip in Batch, using the Gateway Import node.
2. Set the Viewer to use the Linear gamma curve.
3. Lower the exposure in the viewer (Shift+E+drag) to see both the content of the highlights (from the X track) and of the shadows (from the A track).
4. Set Highlight Threshold as high as possible without introducing clipping.

Tweaking the Highlight Threshold in the Colour Corrector:

1. Bring the Primary clip into the Colour Corrector.

   You need to have set Colour > Gamma Curve to Scene Linear.

2. Set the Viewer to use the Linear gamma curve.
3. Using the Pixel Info tool, find the clip value for the highlights, and note the lowest of the R, G, and B clip points; Green usually clips first in an HDRx file.
4. Back in the Library, set HDRx Settings to High Dynamic Range.
5. Set the Highlight Threshold to the lowest of the clipping points.
6. Import the footage.