Adobe Ultra Virtual Sets at DVinfo.net

Lloyd Claycomb · February 3rd, 2008, 10:22 PM

I've been messing around with Ultra's virtual sets and they seem very good, except I haven't gotten to the point where I'd be able to produce anything from Ultra yet.

My question is, is Ultra (specifically the virtual sets) of a high enough quality to use for a regular cable-TV show or product-oriented DVDs? In the skilled hands of a pro Ultra user, can they look "real" enough to be mass-broadcasted?

Perhaps it's a "in your opinion" type of question.... Is it worth going through the learning process, or is it a waste of time if the end result required is top-notch?

Ben Syverson · February 4th, 2008, 01:58 PM

Personally, I think they scream "infomercial."

Lloyd Claycomb · February 4th, 2008, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Syverson

Personally, I think they scream "infomercial."

That's what I was afraid of too. Hmm....

Do any of you guys use them for "professional" shoots?

Lloyd Claycomb · February 11th, 2008, 10:11 AM

Anyone use Adobe Ultra for professional work? Or is it kids' play?

Paul Cascio · February 16th, 2008, 10:23 PM

To me, they just don't seem detailed enough to look realistic. However, if you reduce brightness and saturation and also defocus, the look is much better.

Jim Ross · February 24th, 2008, 11:15 PM

If you light well and take special pains to do it right you can get phenominal results with Ultra. And as far as looking cheap? I have seen two different sets from Ultra in use on ESPN. And it l did not look like an infomercial at all. It looked REAL. I only knew it was a set because I had just used the very same one that week!

In fact (IMO) infomercials and many commercials I see would look BETTER if they were done in ULTRA, heh heh! I have seen some crappy keys for locals and I am in a big city (Atlanta).

Yes, I am sure there are better apps out there. And there are limits to Ultra. For example you must lock your camera down with it. And you really need to light well. They "Tell" you how easy it is to get a good key, and it is. But "Good" only looks good. If you want excellent results you really have to work at it and learn your stuff, which only comes from experience. Or your results will look like a "good key" and for me that is not enough. I don't want people to say "oh that looks almost real!" What I want is people to not realize it is a key at all. And that takes practice.

I have since moved to Shake4 and hope to do some really smokin' work. As soon as I crack that 5,000 page manual . . . . . . . . .

Jim

Paul Cascio · February 25th, 2008, 06:48 AM

Jim,

When you refer to lighting, do you just mean "lighting for a good key" or something else? Can you give me some tips and maybe show some stills?
Thanks

Greg Quinn · March 19th, 2008, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul Cascio

To me, they just don't seem detailed enough to look realistic. However, if you reduce brightness and saturation and also defocus, the look is much better.

my 0.02c worth is that you've hit the nail on the head. At least for HD work, I've found them to be unusable - aside from the garish design & coloring (ESPN would be a good venue for some of these), the detail is nowhere near fine enough without tweeking for high rez work. You can always create your own high def sets too using png files and using the alpha channels to bring in background moving graphics. The Ultra keyer itself I've found to be limited but not at all bad, but since I'm Mac based, the workflow has been an issue. The more you get into it (however reluctantly), the more you realize that pro's will often use several different keyer's on a single blue/green screen scene, and the stars sometimes need to be aligned correctly to be able to key using softtware like Ultra.

Giroud Francois · March 20th, 2008, 01:41 AM

so the question is, how do you create your own virtual sets for Ultra ?

Andrew Hoag · June 12th, 2008, 05:42 PM

Being in the Washington DC area, I took advantage of the BET Studios that sit in NW Washington DC.

I witnessed the filming and explanation of post production of the daily 30 second news updates broadcast across all the BET channels.

Basically, all of their sets are created in photoshop/illustrator and look pretty good if I say so myself. But of course, as mentioned, these kind of sets are limited to news room kind of footage. When you say "professional" shoots, what do you mean? What are your needs/what are you trying to create and accomplish?

Anthony Marotti · March 28th, 2010, 05:17 PM

Hello All :-)

Can we still purchase Virtual Sets?

I can't find anything on Adobe's site.

OMG there getting too big for their customers, feels like Microsoft :-(

Thanks All !!

February 3rd, 2008, 10:22 PM	#1
Lloyd Claycomb Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix Posts: 208	Adobe Ultra Virtual Sets I've been messing around with Ultra's virtual sets and they seem very good, except I haven't gotten to the point where I'd be able to produce anything from Ultra yet. My question is, is Ultra (specifically the virtual sets) of a high enough quality to use for a regular cable-TV show or product-oriented DVDs? In the skilled hands of a pro Ultra user, can they look "real" enough to be mass-broadcasted? Perhaps it's a "in your opinion" type of question.... Is it worth going through the learning process, or is it a waste of time if the end result required is top-notch?

February 16th, 2008, 10:23 PM	#5
Paul Cascio Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN) Posts: 1,192	To me, they just don't seem detailed enough to look realistic. However, if you reduce brightness and saturation and also defocus, the look is much better. __________________ Paul Cascio www.pictureframingschool.com

February 25th, 2008, 06:48 AM	#7
Paul Cascio Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bristol, CT (Home of EPSN) Posts: 1,192	Jim, When you refer to lighting, do you just mean "lighting for a good key" or something else? Can you give me some tips and maybe show some stills? Thanks __________________ Paul Cascio www.pictureframingschool.com

March 28th, 2010, 05:17 PM	#11
Anthony Marotti Major Player Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 263	Can we still Buy Virtual Sets? Hello All :-) Can we still purchase Virtual Sets? I can't find anything on Adobe's site. OMG there getting too big for their customers, feels like Microsoft :-( Thanks All !! __________________ AM

February 4th, 2008, 01:58 PM	#2
Ben Syverson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: chicago Posts: 434	Personally, I think they scream "infomercial."

February 11th, 2008, 10:11 AM	#4
Lloyd Claycomb Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix Posts: 208	Anyone use Adobe Ultra for professional work? Or is it kids' play?

February 24th, 2008, 11:15 PM	#6
Jim Ross Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 54	If you light well and take special pains to do it right you can get phenominal results with Ultra. And as far as looking cheap? I have seen two different sets from Ultra in use on ESPN. And it l did not look like an infomercial at all. It looked REAL. I only knew it was a set because I had just used the very same one that week! In fact (IMO) infomercials and many commercials I see would look BETTER if they were done in ULTRA, heh heh! I have seen some crappy keys for locals and I am in a big city (Atlanta). Yes, I am sure there are better apps out there. And there are limits to Ultra. For example you must lock your camera down with it. And you really need to light well. They "Tell" you how easy it is to get a good key, and it is. But "Good" only looks good. If you want excellent results you really have to work at it and learn your stuff, which only comes from experience. Or your results will look like a "good key" and for me that is not enough. I don't want people to say "oh that looks almost real!" What I want is people to not realize it is a key at all. And that takes practice. I have since moved to Shake4 and hope to do some really smokin' work. As soon as I crack that 5,000 page manual . . . . . . . . . Jim

March 20th, 2008, 01:41 AM	#9
Giroud Francois Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: switzerland Posts: 2,133	so the question is, how do you create your own virtual sets for Ultra ?

June 12th, 2008, 05:42 PM	#10
Andrew Hoag Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Gaithersburg, MD Posts: 51	Being in the Washington DC area, I took advantage of the BET Studios that sit in NW Washington DC. I witnessed the filming and explanation of post production of the daily 30 second news updates broadcast across all the BET channels. Basically, all of their sets are created in photoshop/illustrator and look pretty good if I say so myself. But of course, as mentioned, these kind of sets are limited to news room kind of footage. When you say "professional" shoots, what do you mean? What are your needs/what are you trying to create and accomplish?