BetaSP component into FCP 10-bit - any reason to do it?

	Re: BetaSP component into FCP 10-bit - any reason to do it? by christopher wright on Oct 6, 2005 at 3:34:39 am Wrong again! Always capture at 10 bit if you are doing color correction, SFX, compositing or even titling. If you can't see the difference in your composites you either need a new monitor or glasses. You can even easily see the difference doing a frame by frame look at straight dissolves. I get a lot of work away from the DV and 8 bit "post boutiques" by showing clients the very noticeable DV and 8 bit artifacts versus 10 bit color space. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: BetaSP component into FCP 10-bit - any reason to do it? by christopher wright on Oct 6, 2005 at 7:15:29 pm Adolpho, I am not confusing anything. If you capture in 8 bit, you have,in essence, an 8 bit "capture card." Just because a card can even do up to 12 bit capture, if you select 8 bit, you are capturing 8-bit. Pixels is pixels, and more is betta'. Capturing in 10 bit from betacam, and even S-VHS, has its distinct advantages in that anyone can use Easy set-ups in FCP to ensure that you have a 10 bit PROCESSING work flow and sequence set-up from the outset, and can proceed immediately without worrying about "upconverting" your clip in AE, Combustion, Motion, Shake or any other compositing app. With the cheap prices of todays storage drives, capturing 10 bit uncompressed SDI should be painless and a no-brainer. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: BetaSP component into FCP 10-bit - any reason to do it? by christopher wright on Oct 7, 2005 at 6:41:04 pm "Those bits are useful, however, when you process the image for compositing, graphics, etc." "If you set the timeline to a 10 bit codec, then you truncate less of that extra information" "Usually the kind of thing that benefits more from this is rarely done on an editing application and more in a compositing/graphics package, where sources frequently are 10/16/32 bits (things coming from graphics, compositing or 3D packages, for instance) and are also processed at those wide color spaces. Moving a 10 bit file from those to FCP will allow you to mantain as much as possible that color information." Adolfo, Much more succintly stated, but my points exactly. When you are working with various input sources in one project, from HDV component, Digibeta, Beta and even S-VHS, it is better to always work in a uncompressed 10 bit workspace. Why not simplify things by capturing everything that way as well. Very noticeable banding issues on gradients, text/graphics degradation/artifacts, and lack of color information for keying, filtering and color correction when dealing in an 8 bit environment are well known by any high end post house. As I stated before, these are so noticeable on a decent monitor, that I do a good portion of work fixing and "onlining" many clients projects that have been started and "finished" in 8 bit and DV only captures by smaller boutiques. The disk space used should not be a major consideration today, especially considering the amount needed for true HD work. Since I am always going out to compositing programs to tweak clips, this is the only way I will work. I have taught compositing at the graduate level for six years now, so am well aware of the issues you are trying to clarify. I actually am doing mostly HD and film scan work now and am using the higher 16 bit and floating point color spaces in my compositing work. So I'll let gladly let you attach the "8 bit Boutique" moniker to your business model, I'll stick with the "floating point boutique" for mine! ;>) Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index