Best way to get useable SOOC footage from GH4?

[jnorman34]

I am shooting short documentary videos of architectural subject matter in daylight situations - in UHD from the GH4.  sample here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuIV4QXeHSk

the budget does not allow for extensive post processing, so I need to be able to get the best useable footage straight out of the camera.  I am currently using the STD setting.  almost all the info on settings for GH4 concern cine-d and cine-v with extensive grading during post - there is not much out there on how to get good footage straight from the camera.  what settings would you recommend?  thanks.

[fuzzynormal]

The reason why there's not a lot of info on how to get good footage straight from the camera is because lighting is always variable from shot to shot.  You could set up something ideal for a building in 9 am sunlight that would look terrible @1pm.  The shadows shift, there's more blacks in one shot, less in another.  When you shoot with post grading in mind you source your stuff kind of generically --knowing you have flexibility afterwards.

Ultimately, the most viable solution for you is to find some sort of personally-created balance on the shots to find an acceptable compromise.  That's totally subjective on you, so it's difficult finding that sort of answer online.

I've done this on my Lumix using STD and then dialing in my contrast and color to what I think looks best for my subject matter.  The good news is that you have 3 Custom settings you can create.  Using this you can make color options for 3 different scenarios you typically encounter and dial in the best color/contrast for each.  i.e.: Morning C1, Afternoon C2, DeepShadows C3, whatever...

[TheRenaissanceMan]

I don't have a GH4, but judging by my experience with the GH3 and a few shoots with a rented GH4, your best options are Standard, Scenery, or Natural at 5NR, -5SH, -2CON. Set Saturation to taste. You might bump Contrast to -3 for high contrast lighting and -1/0 for low contrast lighting, but I wouldn't put it below -3. Don't mess with the Shadow/Highlight curves or Master Pedestal. If you're not planning to do much grading after the fact, make sure you're nailing your exposure and your white balance in camera.

You could try the Cine profiles, but be prepared to deal with waxy skin tones and odd color shifts in the grade. I'm not really sure why people use them--just because they have "Cine" in their names doesn't make them more useful than any other profile.