Sage

Thanks @majoraxis; There are slight differences between the conversions (more so with Tungsten). Nothing significant, but it is likely the reason for any visual disparity

People have been asking to have an example of the Alexa conversion on HLG footage, and want to know if it is as good as VLog It is a precision match; I finally got around to shooting a comparison, and here are the stills. HLG, HLG with GHa Tungsten Main (no further alteration), VLog, and VLog with GHa Tungsten Main (no further alteration) Also, something interesting and useful coming soon.

Here is a gif comparison of the unaltered GHa Tungsten Main conversion, and original V-Log color with matched contrast and saturation:

Yes, every shot in E2 is 8 bit. Many are 1080p 120fps, and many are underexposed. I'd like to do something more technically rigorous soon Here is a 10 bit example, with original V-Log, and GHa Tungsten main conversion:

Here are the core conversions, without my punchy grade. I tend to grade red, and I think in a couple of these shots the red shirts cast a glow on their faces:

Mmm, that is a good monitor. Could you send me examples or timestamps? Web encoding does change the appearance of videos, but more so a contrast shift, depending on the original format. Emotion II was graded further on top of the conversions, to add a lot of punch

The latest page to the PDF is attached. The problem, I believe, is that GH5 VLog L footage has an unusual full luminance flagging for video footage. This was corrected to read correctly in Adobe programs in May of this year. The key for VLog L and LogC footage is that full white (pointed into overblown light source) places below 768. If its above 768, the levels are set to video (which need to be set to 'Full' or 'Data' in Resolve) I can't give away my secret sauce

Thanks tihon84; Yes, it's a very close match to the Alexa. The only thing closer is the Alexa You won't have to make any further adjustments to improve the match, other than an accurate WB ahead of the conversion. And you can subsequently grade it to the look that you intend. The lenses were Nikon Series E, 24, 35, & 50, with .64 Speedbooster.

C++, I'm trying to improve at this as we speak - It won't.. The problem with that first effort was that I failed spectacularly I invested so much into it, and I almost gave up at that point

Go you Attila! That's actually a pretty close description of my first process. What I've done since is the hush hush part ; ) Hang in there. Indeed, I intend to beat that price ; ) Its a tale of two markets; before I added HLG support, which reduced the effective price by $100, people told me the price was low. After HLG, it seems that the market opened to those who wouldn't have considered it before because V-Log was a no-go (it was originally going to be V-Log only) Its best that the market for the pro variation is smaller. A neutral color science shift is a subtle thing, and only those who feel that this price is a giveaway, have worked with Alexa footage and know what to expect should get it. I want to include powerful looks with the lower cost version, as well as reduced technical complexity.

Thanks Majoraxis. With the LogC conversion, V-Log L effectively becomes LogC, so you can then use the footage as you would Arri LogC. In the case of Logarist, they support LogC directly. Though, I think you will find the results of the Main and Soft conversions to be ideal. In terms of special Resolve considerations, it is important to ensure that your clips are set to 'Full' or 'Data' luminance levels, under Clip Attributes. And, as with Premiere, place any white balance correction before the conversion node in the chain (and use the tint and temperature controls to alter white balance). All other color alterations go after the conversion node. The software I'm referring to there is my own, geared to a very particular task Thanks Oliver. The native color science is indeed difficult, especially tungsten. I may introduce something next year that will be a simplified, budget conscious option

I can say, several pieces of software in chain. However, I will be coding something that will fine tune the process, and simplify it to one. Thank you austinchimp. I hear you about the luts; I bought many of the Alexa-like luts in my quest. Support for Hybrid Log-Gamma was just added, and something *may be released next year that will be more budget and hobbyist oriented. No one will pay more for the conversion to be a reality than me. It was a huge savings for me though, because the used Alexa package that I almost bought last year was over $20K for everything that I needed to get it to work (and the GH5 moves a lot better) I am preparing a series of Gif comparisons to demonstrate the difference between native GH5 color and the unmodified main GHa conversions. If you would like to see the conversion in action, send me stills from raw footage

Yes, both modes are supported. Its the 8-bit V-log modes which are different. For an accurate conversion with 8-bit V-log, there is an 8-bit [PRE] file for use in-line before the conversion. Thanks Fritz. Applying further color cast grades is perfectly acceptable and intended. The GHa conversion itself was carefully put together to ensure absolutely no artifacts. Indeed, the conversion appears to improve the appearance of macroblocking on some 8 bit footage, because of the placement of color and skintone in the Alexa color science. The conversion is completely neutral, with no 'look' or color cast. The 'Soft' variation places contrast and saturation for further color cast grading.

Thanks Don. I did see your bake-in post early on. That rolloff shot in particular is the 1080p 120fps Vlog shot without conversion. Attached is the full converted shot. I found that grading 120fps Vlog results in a tussle between red and green macroblocks, especially when underexposed. If possible, baking in here would be a very wise move. With regards to 10 bit footage, if you choose to bake-in, make sure to accurately white balance in camera. If you know you are the type of person who will not forget to WB, then this will work. If you know you may forget to WB, or want to use presets instead of custom WB, you will likely want to apply the conversion in post. This will leave you the freedom to correct or fine tune the WB should you miss it on set. The conversion is dependent on an accurate white balance, unlike generalized look luts etc.

Those two hacked cams were exceptional. I was quite resolute in sticking with the GH2vk, because I concluded it was all that was needed. Indeed, it remained in use until this year! I'm still keeping it for good.

Thanks Kaylee! It is a legacy piece for me, that I'd been meaning to do since before the GH5. I wanted to upstage the early work, and do something spectacular Thanks Mercer - it was a hacked GH2, set to Smooth -2. I also used a Speedbooster with Nikkor Series E lenses.

The rolloff is accelerated compared to the Alexa, due to the limited dynamic range of the GH5. All the data is there, albeit in a very subdued form. Clipping is left as desaturated detail just below full white. The one area that I revisited, because I felt the same, was when the Red channel clips. Red suddenly shifts to yellow, and this area of the color space is inseparable from actual yellow. There are times when it looks like real yellow/orange image data is too strongly being limited; however be assured, this is precisely where the red channel clips, and red objects unmistakably shift to looking like 'video'. You can resaturate the highlights - though in practice the rolloff is really quite ideal (one of my favorite parts) Thanks Aaron! You convinced me, I finally got around to posting! The Pdf Hlg update is coming soon

Thank you Jonesy Jones, I really appreciate that. I will take it into consideration. Just one light source conversion may still be used on other light sources to good effect. It is likely that it won't earn back what it cost to make, but it is something that I personally really wanted and was passionate about having (I was seriously considering used Alexas last December). Also, the research and development put into this may prove vital in my next, more costly, effort. Currently available color solutions (FilmC) are far from accurate, and are best described as 'looks'. This is something different, and I intend to raise the standard for *conversions specifically (color transformations that should make one format look exactly like another)

"GH5 V-Log and Hybid Log-Gamma are transformed to precisely match the color science of the Alexa, without compromise." "The GH Alex conversion completely transforms the GH5 image, addressing every nuance of color reproduction (from shadows to highlights, low saturation to high saturation, for every possible hue). This includes an organic rolloff which fully eliminates channel clipping." EmotiveColor.com PDF YouTube

DCPs are *intraframe Jpeg 2000, typically around 150GB Cinema-City-tehnicheski_iziskvania.pdf

Its not that bad; plenty of shots don't involve extensive motion, like dialog shots, which could benefit from the space savings. And for the quick motion shots, there is also the 1080p 200mbps All-I, which is wonderful. And you can always just get a card for those 4k All-I shots. We have options, which is a great thing. My anecdotal test involved standing in front of the mirror and floating my hand around while swaying both myself and the camera smoothly back and forth (for both formats). The motion effect was very much akin to a slightly higher shutter speed (both at 180 degrees)

In terms of motion, the All-I is quite an improvement, from my own anecdotal testing. These stills appear to confirm the 'detail sharpening' that affects motion smoothness

Jon, great video, and that is a great feature. Knowing what you've shot has never been so easy.

Hang in there