preliminary edition three · eiger media engine the development programme also produced the pablo...

Copyright Quantel 2006. Preliminary information only. All information is subject to possible change

What’s new in version 3.6 Pablo, iQ, eQ & QEffects Preliminary EDITION THREE

2030 -23 -20 2005E3a September 1st 2006


Table of Contents Page Introduction 3 Colour Correction 4 Editing 8 I/O and Conform 10 Other improvements 12 Appendices 13 Version 3.5 late breaking features FAQ on Colorspace


Introduction Version 3.6 is the fourth feature release of ‘3’ series software for Quantel Pablo, iQ, eQ and QEffects. The previous three releases (3.0, 3.5 & NAB 3.5) added new tools for everything from short form commercials through broadcast trailers to Digital Intermediate grading. Version 3 software also helped enable new technology developments such as real time Pan and Scan, Dylan FC workspace, raw 4K playback, accelerated foreground processing using the new Eiger Media Engine and background processing using Time MagicTM.

Eiger Media Engine The development programme also produced the Pablo 4k, 2k and HDRGB colour corrector systems which combined software and hardware advances to produce a new industry leading colour grading system. A further Pablo system – Pablo HD – is being launched at IBC, which addresses SD and HD colour correction requirements for Post and Broadcast.

The new Pablo HD will be launched at IBC This white paper has all the up to date information on what’s new. Final specifications may change. We hope you’ll find it useful – please contact me if you have any questions.

Mark Horton. August 2006 [email protected]


Colour Correction DI & HD and colour grading is a major growth area in Post and Film and the latest Version 3.6 developments give significant operational benefits for grading in feature film, commercials or long form applications: Revolver Revolver is a suite of new software tools for Pablo1. Revolver uses a different kind of mathematics to cascaded (layered) colour correction. With cascaded colour correction, colour transformations are typically made ‘one layer at a time’. With Revolver, you select the 'input' colour you want to change, either from the Pablo panel, or by picking a colour by pen from the screen and then define an 'output' result, which could include a change in hue, saturation or luminance (HSL). The output can be fine tuned - for example using 'width' & 'softness' controls. You can get many different looks ranging from precise isolation of single colours to subtle tints. Revolver has six 'barrels' which means six distinct and complex input to output changes can be made - all on one layer. Six RGBCMY input presets (Red Green Blue Cyan Magenta & Yellow) and six customisable Input/Output presets are included and there are many ergonomic options as to how you drive it, including the panels or tablet.

Note the six ‘barrels’ Revolver applies multiple colour transformations to a single layer and applies all that as one single equation. This speeds up colour correction processing times whatever resolution you are working at.

1 A pen and tablet version of Revolver will be available on QColor. HSL Fettle will be available on all systems.


Here is a practical example of revolver: Let's say you have the sequence of the car below and you are using cascades. You might make four different cascades to adjust 1. the grass, 2. the stripe on the road, 3. the sky and 4. the car. Each of those cascades is a different process. This means four processes. Revolver works in a quite different way. Using Revolver you can adjust the look of the grass, then the stripe on the road, then the sky and car on a single layer and apply all that as one single equation – as a single process.

Original

Result


Partial Settings Transfer Previously created colour settings can be used to selectively replace elements in the current shot. Revolver, fettle, shaped, HSL or lights values from one shot can be used on another. Useful when a look has been established & you want to try it out elsewhere.

Partial Setting Transfer Six Vector HSL selection A new 6 vector RGBCMY function for the HSL keyer has been added – a popular request from colourists converting to Pablo from other colour correction systems.

6 vector HSL


Cascade Input Source Selection Cascade also gets a new 'input source select' function. This allows to you change which cascade is the 'pipe' to the cascade you are working on2.

Cascade input selection

Other Colour improvements A new HSL Fettle display has been added to the existing YUV and RGB Fettle displays – precise changes can be made using graphs & ‘colour points’. Fettle keyframe positions are now on a keyframe graph, making adjustment easier. There is also a new colour 'balance' control which allows matching of lift and gain.3

2 As well as these new tools the NAB version of V3.5 gained the ability to burn in 3D Look Up Tables and added new luminance aperture correction controls in the Quantel filter plug ins. See appendices for details. 3 A more sophisticated version of the existing ‘Null Cast’ tool.


Editing Timeline and desktop ergonomics have been refined, including adding new display modes & implementations of Henry and Editbox style tools for Quantel users migrating to eQ:

New timeline display now includes Tails information Commit Allows groups of edits or individual edits on the timeline or desktop to be committed, i.e. removed, leaving contiguous material, including committing any transitions. Commit also works with multi resolution clips, which is useful for turning a timeline with mixed resolution source material into a single resolution result. Uncut Useful when cutting material on the timeline or desktop, to remove untrimmed cut edits. Preview of Playout to Tape Used if you want to make a ‘drop in’ edit into an existing tape. Set up your monitoring to show the ‘off tape’ playback of the VTR that will be used to make the recording. Then, preview the edit. At the edit point the VTR will switch from off tape playback to show the new material that will be inserted. Segment out with Tails Allows shots to be lifted with their tails intact, making it easier to subsequently drop them back into the timeline and move ‘in’ and ‘out’ points.


Continued Audio ‘Fit to Fill’ with pitch change Clips can be stretched or compressed to fit gaps in the edit & the audio then re pitched to avoid ‘duck voice’ audio.

Audio ‘fit to fill’ on the desktop with Pitch change Stereo to mono split A single stereo pair track can now be split on the timeline into two mono tracks


I/O and Conform New workflow tools have been added to improve efficiency of common tasks: Reference Clip Conform with Destination Timecode Used when you are working on previously edited finished material but you want to re conform from the original source shots. For example, an iQ has been used to conform a feature film and now an SD trailer has been made from the feature film and you are working on the SD trailer. Reference Clip Conform looks through the timeline and the destination (record) timecode used to produce the trailer and takes you back to the original source material. EDL Source Offset An EDL/AAF modification tool that allows source timecodes (or Keycodes) to be ‘rippled’ so that source in and out points can be moved. Batch I/O Batch allows imports or exports to be set up as a batch task. The Batch export function also allows exports to different network locations as different file types – great for versioning and deliverables as it automates repetitive manual functions.

Batch Continued


History Archive New Archive choices now allows you to choose between archiving metadata plus painted and stretched frames only, metadata plus all newly created media or the whole project. These new choices can save considerable time and disc space during archive operations – up to 98% disc space and time taken, compared to archiving an entire project.

History archive

Pause Archive ‘Pause archive’ lets you interrupt an archive (for example because you need the network temporarily freed up) and then resume. Motion Memory (M2) conforming New M2 (speed change) conform options give you the choice of interpreting offline EDL slow motion commands in terms of stretching to field or frame based on nearest (VTR emulation) interpolate (inter field or frame) or replicate (repeats field or frames).


Other improvements Segment based Pan and Scan Pan and Scan can now be applied as before on a timeline level (track) or a segment level (seg). Segments with Pan and Scan can be stored with the pan and scan metadata attached, which can be recalled at a later date. This is very useful for subsequent re editing and also versioning of deliverables.

Segment based Pan and Scan

MXF Popular Broadcast MXF ‘flavours’ - MXF OP1A closed/complete and closed/incomplete with IMX essence at 625 interlaced or 525 interlaced - can now be imported in QIO. P2 (provisional) Panasonic P2 media can be imported via network or from locally attached USB2 drives. The import reads DV25(SD) or DV100(HD) essence from the P2 Op ATOM MXF files. 1080 50i, 1080 25p and 720 60p HD formats are planned. Painting improvements ‘Painting without swiping’ streamlines ergonomics for many graphics and retouching jobs, cutting down the number of gestures needed. Single frames can now be brought to the desktop from the network bin and repeated without the need to go through QI/O, speeding up ergonomics. Using the GUI as a monitor A new monitoring mode selector lets the GUI SVGA monitor be used for full screen monitoring. This is mainly intended for QEffects running on a PC that does not have a monitor connected. Using the GUI for monitoring instead of a Grade 1 quality monitor or calibrated digital projector is not recommended for eQ, iQ or Pablo.


Appendix 1: ‘Late breaking’ NAB version 3.5 features Trackable Zip Brush The ‘zip brush’ has now been linked to the tracker. This is useful for film restoration work (scratch removal) and for VFX wire removal. Set two track points and the system will automatically ‘zip’ in adjacent pixels. Can be used vertically or horizontally .

Trackable Zip Brush Improved aperture correction The existing Quantel filtering plug in has been enhanced. Now, individual colour channels (RGB), or just luminance (Y) or just colour difference channels (U,V) can be selectively sharpened or blurred. Especially useful for modifying flesh tones.

Enhanced Quantel filters


Network Conform improvements Extra tools have been added for network conform, to accommodate a wide range of facility working practices: 'Originator from folder' (default) - reads the originator from the folder name, using the 'originator depth' setting to determine which folder level to use. 'Originator from header' (new) - reads the originator from the file header (note that this only works for cin/dpx file formats) 'Timecode from header' (default) - reads the timecode from the file header (dpx only) 'Timecode from name' (new) - interprets the file name as a frame number and converts this to timecode – this is useful for visual effects shots. 'Timecode 00:00:00:00' (new) - assumes all file sequences start at 00:00:00:00 – also useful for vfx shots. MPEG 50 Import of MPEG 50 compressed files is now supported in QIO menu. Licensing may be needed – contact your Quantel engineering channel. Log/Lin in QEffects A new Log/Lin tool in effects allows Log and Lin to be mixed without the need to go to Q Utilities beforehand 3D LUTs burn in 3D LUTs can now be burnt into media on output – either generated internally or imported from a third party application (for example an ‘on set’ grading system) so a LUT ‘look’ can be taken away by a client for review or later use. 25 to 23.98 play out New menu choice that lets you play out a 25 timeline at 23.98.


Appendix 2: FAQ on Colourspace Quantel systems are design to be equally capable in Film and Television work. This note explains the differences between colour space handling in Film and TV and how Resolution Coexistence maximises quality & reduces storage overheads. What are the differences between film and video sources? A little bit of history helps understand this question. Conventional colour correction has always used RGB 4:4:4 (red green and blue fully sampled) colour mathematics - perfect for material shot on film. However, a lot of Television programmes (and now some feature films) are shot or delivered to a Post house or Broadcaster on video tape. Most digital video tape formats use ‘Colour Difference’ mathematics. Modern examples include HDCam, HDD5, D5, Varicam, Digital Betacam, DV & HDV4. Older digital tape formats include D1 and DCT. Legacy analogue tape formats5 include Betacam, Beta SP and M2. How does colour sampling affect disc space efficiency? Colour difference video formats use 4:2:2 sampling, not RGB 4:4:4. Storing material at 4:4:4 takes up about a third more space than 4:2:2. For example recording a 60 minute HD 4:2:2 signal from a tape deck (or from a Telecine HDSDI output) into a 4:4:4 only system can take 80 minutes actual disc space. This is a minor irritant in SD but starts to become a bigger headache with HD longform. In a Resolution Coexistent system, 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 are stored natively, so no unnecessary disc space is used.

Continued What happens if you work in RGB on Colour Difference material?

4 All these formats use YCrCb (Luminance, Component red, Component blue) sampled at 4:2:2 (luminance fully sampled and colour half sampled) or less. 5 Analogue Colour Difference is usually termed YUV but more correctly is Y, (R-Y) (B-Y)

Luma fully sampled and Full Luma & Chroma sampling in 4:4:4 Chroma half sampled in 4:2:2


Usually you get a perfectly good result – but occasionally you can get problems. This is because different colour 'cubes' are used & because of the way videotape formats work.

The YCrCb (YUV) cube & the RGB cube. For historic reasons tape formats have ‘headroom’ and ‘foot room’. For example in an 8 bit Colour Difference tape system, white is usually described as 235 but there is headroom up to 255. Black is usually described as 16 but there is foot room down to 0.6 However in an 8 bit RGB system white is 255 (maximum) & black is 0 (minimum) so there is no headroom or foot room. This means ‘hot’ highlights i.e. anything above 235 and above, or deep blacks (or super black) below 16 have nowhere to go. Subjective problems RGB only systems suffer from can include colour distortions, shadows becoming grey & burnt out highlights, due to clipping. In the example below, the original ‘Marcie’ image on the left has been pushed into ‘headroom’ and ‘foot room’. Processing in YCrCb doesn’t produce artefacts. Processing in RGB results in lost highlights in the hair and lowlights becoming ‘milky’:

YCrCb process RGB process How do I set my system up to capture ‘hot’ images?

6 In a 10 bit system the corresponding values are 940 for white with headroom to 1023 and 64 for black with foot room down to 0.


A registry setting is available (QBlender/Plug In Color/Enable YUV over range) to allow full range Colour Difference material to be worked on at full quality in its original form and range. You can then choose how to best correct the source material into the required delivery formats, without simply ‘hard clipping’ the image. When the project is archived out as data, the original source material is preserved, meaning that no data is lost. Are there any new colour space tools in V3.6? Yes - a new Black/White reference level control for each output allows the black and white reference levels to be set for Dual Link outputs. Clips are automatically adjusted to the output setting on playback. The new control is part of the output select toolset and it allows users to choose between 64-940 or 0-1023. The control is locked to 64-940 for HD and SD single link outputs. This tidies up the existing method which uses a single F1 global setting. The new method gives a dedicated output control which ensures each output is set for the desired result.

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