G7 Test Grades & Settings

[mercer]

Over the past few months I have been testing the G7 for the best settings, the best lenses, I own, and possible looks/grades. I am in the process of finishing a feature script that I intend on shooting over the next couple months, so here are some looks I have been trying. 

Using cinelikeD requires a lot of work to be done to get the skin tone less orange, so that is what I have been working on primarily. This shot was taken with the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 24-50mm zoom lens. 

[mercer]

This one is with the Tokina RMC 35mm f2. This is also cinelikeD with everything dialed down. His skin looks orange here, but it is showing good on the vectorscope. His blotchy, Scottish skin is proving to be difficult.

 

This one is the same Tokina lens but I used the Natural profile with a variation of Andy Lee's settings. I left everything at default except I dialed down Saturation.

This one is still with the same Tokina lens and Natural profile, but I used Andy Lee's settings for the G7, which are... Contrast -5, Sharpening 0, NR 0, Saturation -5

And here's the last one. This was shot with the Minolta MD Rokkor-X 28mm f2 using CineLikeD with everything dialed all the way down.

 

[mercer]

Just to add, I really commend you colorists out there. It is a craft all its own and I'm not sure I'll ever get a good grasp of it. But thanks for humoring me. 

[bunk]

I don't think CineD is your enemy. If I were you I would use the basic settings and only reduce Sharpness and Noise Reduction.

And invert it's (profile)curve during grading. Here i only adjusted the color and LiftGammaGain a bit.

This is what happens when the curve is applied.

...that, or use Balazers LUTs.

[mercer]

9 minutes ago, bunk said:

I don't think CineD is your enemy. If I were you I would use the basic settings and only reduce Sharpness and Noise Reduction.

And invert it's (profile)curve during grading. Here i only adjusted the color and LiftGammaGain a bit.

This is what happens when the curve is applied.

...that, or use Balazers LUTs.

Thanks Bunk, not bad. I use Color Finale with FCPX and it comes with a basic CineLikeD to rec709 LUT. So, I use that for the first layer, then I adjust the curves, the master and the red and blue and then I finished it with an Impulz Tetrachrome LUT. I was trying to keep the warm glow of the afternoon sun on his face, but it was hard to keep it from looking like a spray tan. I originally used CinelikeD with Contrast at 0, Sharpness and NR at 0 and Saturation at -2, or -3. I was getting decent results, but everything I was reading said Natural was the best. 

[TheRenaissanceMan]

I've heard of good results with several different settings: 

- Natural with minimal tinkering. -2 contrast at most. This is what I use with my GH3 and on GH4 shoots.

- CinelikeV with contrast dialed down and shadows +3/idynamic low. This provides a look that's mostly finished in-camera. Haven't messed much with this yet.

-CinelikeD dialed down, with a LUT applied to bring the footage to a neutral starting point. Check out the DVX User thread on the Leeming LUT for more information. I'm looking more into this right now, as I'm contemplating an upgrade to the G7.

[mercer]

16 minutes ago, TheRenaissanceMan said:

I've heard of good results with several different settings: 

- Natural with minimal tinkering. -2 contrast at most. This is what I use with my GH3 and on GH4 shoots.

- CinelikeV with contrast dialed down and shadows +3/idynamic low. This provides a look that's mostly finished in-camera. Haven't messed much with this yet.

-CinelikeD dialed down, with a LUT applied to bring the footage to a neutral starting point. Check out the DVX User thread on the Leeming LUT for more information. I'm looking more into this right now, as I'm contemplating an upgrade to the G7.

Thanks, I'll check that out. Honestly, I'm surprised how much latitude the G7 has before everything falls apart. As you can tell, I have pushed the shit out of these images. But I think the last one turned out okay, and that is CinelikeD dialed down, so there may be something there. 

[jbCinC_12]

I think you're doing an excellent job nailing your coloring down.  I do agree, trying to work on skin tones can be a challenge all in itself.  Also in agreement with RenaissanceMan and the LeemingLUT, if you're ever with reddit, there's a Panasonic G7 group, and I'm trying out a LUT that can mimic BMCC flat color profile.  Lemme know if you're interested.  I'm learning too as well, so learning from here at eoshd and similar sites are great.

[mercer]

1 hour ago, jbCinC_12 said:

I think you're doing an excellent job nailing your coloring down.  I do agree, trying to work on skin tones can be a challenge all in itself.  Also in agreement with RenaissanceMan and the LeemingLUT, if you're ever with reddit, there's a Panasonic G7 group, and I'm trying out a LUT that can mimic BMCC flat color profile.  Lemme know if you're interested.  I'm learning too as well, so learning from here at eoshd and similar sites are great.

Thanks, I am definitely getting better than I was when I first got the NX500. Yeah, I'd love to check out that Reddit site and any LUTS you can pass my way. I have been putting two of the same clips onto my timeline. One with a LUT and one without and then I practice coloring by trying to match my ungraded footage to the LUT. I find it's been helping me a lot. 

[bunk]

6 hours ago, mercer said:

As you can tell, I have pushed the shit out of these images.

Hey Mercer,

 

Could you share an ungraded version of both the first and last picture in your second post? Would really like to give those a try.

 

Thanks.

[mercer]

1 hour ago, bunk said:

Hey Mercer,

 

Could you share an ungraded version of both the first and last picture in your second post? Would really like to give those a try.

 

Thanks.

Sure, no problem. Give me a few minutes to wake up. The ones I posted are jpegs, would you rather have a tiff?

[bunk]

No hurries, ...if not too compressed jpegs are fine. Thanks!

[mercer]

1 hour ago, bunk said:

No hurries, ...if not too compressed jpegs are fine. Thanks!

Here you go... I did a regrade using an inverted curve, only 50% strength on the cinelikeD LUT and a different finishing LUT. These were both shot in CineLikeD with everything dialed all the way down. It seems like there is a lot of latitude in the shadows... which is good because I underexposed these slightly. And both were shot with the RMC Tokina 35mm f2 lens.

Have at it.

 

Also they look like they could use a little noise reduction and some sharpening, but I don't have neat video... or even a good photo editing program.

[mercer]

5 hours ago, bunk said:

No hurries, ...if not too compressed jpegs are fine. Thanks!

I found another clip that has Contrast at 0, and everything else dialed down, if you wanted to give that a try as well. I threw a LUT from SmallHD on top of it and adjust the curves a hair.

 

 

[PannySVHS]

Hey Mercer!

thanks for the material. Went for a quick one on the Cine D in PS. So maybe the layers would work the same in Premiere. Did color balance, gradation curve, exposure and alpha with the blue channel as softlight layer on top. I would say light in this particular scene didnt really provide that much magical nuances to pull out of the file. Looks like shot on natural profile. So why not just film in natural anyway:)

 

[mercer]

Panny, thanks that looks better than mine. The first version was the ungraded and the second was my graded attempt. I Color Finale, a plug in that works inside FCPX. I did not color balance, which may be why I am having so much trouble with it. I like the brownish almost golden background, but when I get that looking good, the red in it turns his skin too orange. I'll keep at it. Thanks. 

I also lifted the blacks a little because his jacket was very faded, almost grey. There seems to be a lot of information hiding in the shadows, but I think for my next tests I am going to ETTR. 

[PannySVHS]

Hey Merc!

One thing I recognized, I had to be pretty careful with the color sliders on the Cine D file. Also, light in this scene seems challenging to pull something magical out of this file. We nerds love to talk about thick colors when it comes to the technical side of the digital pipeline. I think thick light would be just as much appreciated. These dull winter days don´t often provide that at them moment. I think one can immediately recognize the magic glow of light by eye. Not talking about magic hour but the very different beasts of light depending on time of the year, day, haze, dust, sandstorm:), region,  whatsoever...:)

[André Eriksson]

The settings from the camera seems fine. I blame any bad skin tones on laying in bed with the macbook at an awkward angle...  

RGB Cruves + very minor hue adjustments in Resolve:

Nice bookeh on that lens btw. 

 

[mercer]

Haha, I'll have to remember that. I was blaming my girlfriend because she kept talking to me while I was trying to nail the skin tones. 

But yeah, this Tokina lens is awesome. I didn't expect much from it when I bought it, but I'm a sucker for 28 and/or 35mm f2 lenses.

Those look great, so you didn't use any LUT at all? I was getting the colors close, but they ended up looking too flat, how did you get that finish polish or sheen to it? Is it simply contrast?

Thanks!

[André Eriksson]

I see now that they turned out quite dark.

Anyway, I think your very first grade looks the best. Maybe a little too orange, I had the same problem. Since I've not seen him in person I'm just gonna assume that he is an orange guy!