MAgic Suite...presets tips plz at DVinfo.net

Joe Cox · April 28th, 2005, 06:23 PM

umm which one is the best preset in magic suite?????? thx guys peace!

Dominic Jones · April 29th, 2005, 07:30 AM

MB doesn't realy work like that - you can rarely (well, never in my experience) use a preset straight out of the box. Try a few and see which lands you closest to the look you're after (it's not a case of which one's best, but rather which one best suits the footage you've shot and the look you're after).

Once you've got something close, play around with it until you're happy with the result. So if it's looking good but over saturated, try bringing down either or both of the pre and post saturation controls, for instance.

It takes a while to get the hang of MB, but once you're there it's pretty good - better than any of the other dedicated "film look" filters in my opinion.

Dominic Jones · April 29th, 2005, 07:34 AM

Oh, FWIW the presets I tend to start out with (off the top of my head) are:

Buffalo for high contrast stuff (like noirish interiors, for instance)
Un-bloom for high contrast footage that I want to take some of the contrast out of (such as bright sunlight with little or no fill)
Bleach bypass, if you want - well, a bleach-bypassed look!
Bistro for colourful high key shots (comedy or light drama style lighting)

Hope that helps, but remember the above is probably more a factor of how I tend to light and my personal taste than any experience or talent!!

Joe Cox · April 29th, 2005, 08:57 PM

thx for the help...im going to try those presets..do u have any video that is affected my mb coz i want to know what im aiming for like my eyes doesnt even know what a Film look looks like if you know what i mean..i tried looking at a real movie but i didnt know where to start editing and clicking and typing numbers...do u think you can maybe point me to the right way..thx for the tips though it really helps..peace!

Dominic Jones · April 30th, 2005, 08:32 AM

Yes, I have used MB on a number of lower-end projects - we're a bit busy at eh moment but I'll try and find time to stick up some before and after shots of different scenes and the settings I used... Nudge me if I don't get round to it!

Just to re-iterate, yes try those presets but don't expect them to look any good without some fiddling. Unfortunately I can't really remember how I tend to fiddle with them off the top of my head (I think I took pre sat and contrast down and post sat down a touch with Buffalo for the noiresque interioirs I last did), but bascally have a play and don't get disheartened!!

Good Luck!....

Joe Cox · April 30th, 2005, 03:58 PM

ok well im just gonna wait for the screenshots or movies so i know what im aimining for b4 i start messing around :) thx again!

Glenn Chan · April 30th, 2005, 09:52 PM

Joe, what editing program are you using? Some of them may be useful for getting good exposure levels into Magic Bullet.

If your editing program has a histogram or video scopes window, bring it up. The histogram will show your exposure levels. With some presets (i.e. Gold Crunch), you need the exposure to be in the middle pre-Magic Bullet. A simple brightness and contrast filter can bring the values into the middle.

2- Try all the presets. You can select one preset and push the arrow keys to move between the presets (I think that works).

If you toggle the settings on/off, you can get a good feel for what they do. With the diffusion, turn the grade setting to max and play with the other settings to get a feel for what they do.

Joe Cox · May 1st, 2005, 08:31 PM

hi, i havve mb in after effects....does it have a histogram thing??sorry im just a noobie...thx again...

Glenn Chan · May 2nd, 2005, 12:47 AM

Go into adjust --> levels filter.

Joe Cox · May 2nd, 2005, 05:07 AM

yo..do u have a preset for that effect?? and do i move the input black,gamma etc to make it go to the middle? the histogram i mean...?thx again..sorry about the noobiness..thx

Glenn Chan · May 2nd, 2005, 04:56 PM

The following website should give you a fairly good idea of how to use a histogram:
http://www.shortcourses.com/how/hist...histograms.htm

Joe Cox · May 3rd, 2005, 04:56 AM

i dont want to mess around with these thing yet...i want to know what im aiming for..do you have any sample images...so i can practice my eyes with film look thx

Glenn Chan · May 3rd, 2005, 12:55 PM

Joe, why not make a copy of your after effects project and mess around there?

Joe Cox · May 3rd, 2005, 03:50 PM

yea but im saying is like i dont know what the image is supposed to look like...the Film look quality...sorry if im not making things clear

Glenn Chan · May 3rd, 2005, 07:10 PM

Well that depends on what you define as "film look". Generally there are two different definitions:

A- It looks like it was shot on film, including the technically-inferioir aspects of it such as grain. Sometimes you may also want film damage, scratches, dirt, projector weave, etc. The misfire things for Magic Bullet (Suite?) do this.
B- It looks like Hollywood. Everything about the image looks good. If you want this look, then try to use Magic Bullet to make things look as good as possible. Your may want to add a tint based on your artistic judgement.

If you want your footage to look like Hollywood, there are some things that may limit you from reaching it:
lighting
which is related to the exposure latitude of video... with video, you have to make sure you don't lose important image detail because of video's lesser dynamic range.
art direction
set design
visual FX
etc.

April 28th, 2005, 06:23 PM	#1
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	MAgic Suite...presets tips plz umm which one is the best preset in magic suite?????? thx guys peace!

April 29th, 2005, 08:57 PM	#4
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	thx for replying thx for the help...im going to try those presets..do u have any video that is affected my mb coz i want to know what im aiming for like my eyes doesnt even know what a Film look looks like if you know what i mean..i tried looking at a real movie but i didnt know where to start editing and clicking and typing numbers...do u think you can maybe point me to the right way..thx for the tips though it really helps..peace!

April 30th, 2005, 03:58 PM	#6
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	ok thx ok well im just gonna wait for the screenshots or movies so i know what im aimining for b4 i start messing around :) thx again!

May 1st, 2005, 08:31 PM	#8
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	hi thx 4 the reply hi, i havve mb in after effects....does it have a histogram thing??sorry im just a noobie...thx again...

May 2nd, 2005, 05:07 AM	#10
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	ok yo..do u have a preset for that effect?? and do i move the input black,gamma etc to make it go to the middle? the histogram i mean...?thx again..sorry about the noobiness..thx

April 29th, 2005, 07:30 AM	#2
Dominic Jones Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brighton, England Posts: 225	MB doesn't realy work like that - you can rarely (well, never in my experience) use a preset straight out of the box. Try a few and see which lands you closest to the look you're after (it's not a case of which one's best, but rather which one best suits the footage you've shot and the look you're after). Once you've got something close, play around with it until you're happy with the result. So if it's looking good but over saturated, try bringing down either or both of the pre and post saturation controls, for instance. It takes a while to get the hang of MB, but once you're there it's pretty good - better than any of the other dedicated "film look" filters in my opinion.

April 29th, 2005, 07:34 AM	#3
Dominic Jones Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brighton, England Posts: 225	Oh, FWIW the presets I tend to start out with (off the top of my head) are: Buffalo for high contrast stuff (like noirish interiors, for instance) Un-bloom for high contrast footage that I want to take some of the contrast out of (such as bright sunlight with little or no fill) Bleach bypass, if you want - well, a bleach-bypassed look! Bistro for colourful high key shots (comedy or light drama style lighting) Hope that helps, but remember the above is probably more a factor of how I tend to light and my personal taste than any experience or talent!!

April 30th, 2005, 08:32 AM	#5
Dominic Jones Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brighton, England Posts: 225	Yes, I have used MB on a number of lower-end projects - we're a bit busy at eh moment but I'll try and find time to stick up some before and after shots of different scenes and the settings I used... Nudge me if I don't get round to it! Just to re-iterate, yes try those presets but don't expect them to look any good without some fiddling. Unfortunately I can't really remember how I tend to fiddle with them off the top of my head (I think I took pre sat and contrast down and post sat down a touch with Buffalo for the noiresque interioirs I last did), but bascally have a play and don't get disheartened!! Good Luck!....

April 30th, 2005, 09:52 PM	#7
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Joe, what editing program are you using? Some of them may be useful for getting good exposure levels into Magic Bullet. If your editing program has a histogram or video scopes window, bring it up. The histogram will show your exposure levels. With some presets (i.e. Gold Crunch), you need the exposure to be in the middle pre-Magic Bullet. A simple brightness and contrast filter can bring the values into the middle. 2- Try all the presets. You can select one preset and push the arrow keys to move between the presets (I think that works). If you toggle the settings on/off, you can get a good feel for what they do. With the diffusion, turn the grade setting to max and play with the other settings to get a feel for what they do.

May 2nd, 2005, 12:47 AM	#9
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Go into adjust --> levels filter.

May 2nd, 2005, 04:56 PM	#11
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The following website should give you a fairly good idea of how to use a histogram: http://www.shortcourses.com/how/hist...histograms.htm

May 3rd, 2005, 04:56 AM	#12
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	thx i dont want to mess around with these thing yet...i want to know what im aiming for..do you have any sample images...so i can practice my eyes with film look thx

May 3rd, 2005, 12:55 PM	#13
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Joe, why not make a copy of your after effects project and mess around there?

May 3rd, 2005, 03:50 PM	#14
Joe Cox New Boot Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 12	yes yea but im saying is like i dont know what the image is supposed to look like...the Film look quality...sorry if im not making things clear

May 3rd, 2005, 07:10 PM	#15
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Well that depends on what you define as "film look". Generally there are two different definitions: A- It looks like it was shot on film, including the technically-inferioir aspects of it such as grain. Sometimes you may also want film damage, scratches, dirt, projector weave, etc. The misfire things for Magic Bullet (Suite?) do this. B- It looks like Hollywood. Everything about the image looks good. If you want this look, then try to use Magic Bullet to make things look as good as possible. Your may want to add a tint based on your artistic judgement. If you want your footage to look like Hollywood, there are some things that may limit you from reaching it: lighting which is related to the exposure latitude of video... with video, you have to make sure you don't lose important image detail because of video's lesser dynamic range. art direction set design visual FX etc.