Barron Gorge National Park

[Michael Warren]

A recent acquisition of mine is a DJI Mavic Pro. I've been practising and have started to take it to some more interesting places.

Although the camera has a lot of issues to work around I think it will do at a pinch for the odd aerial shot to add some interest.

This test video is from an area to do with a long-term project of mine; a doco about the Barron river in North Queensland, Australia.

When I finally choose an appropriate camera I will start the long process of filming.

YouTube (Short URL)

[Doug Jensen]

I think you found your camera. What more do you need that this? Those shots are really awesome. But I can't help feeling the urge to grade it. You should bring those shots into Resolve and add a little saturation and contrast so they pop even more. I gotta get a drone one of these days.

[Michael Warren]

Thanks Doug.

I shot that stuff in D-Log and all I did in post was bring the top and bottom is a bit with levels.

Whenever I need to grade I find it really difficult to get something I'm happy with and it takes me many iterations before I'm satisfied. I find it very hard to get good contrast and pop without crushing the shadows and blowing the highlights and end up with a compromise. As a result, any time I'm just playing I do the bare minimum, as happened here.

I should search for some tutorials.

[Doug Jensen]

Michael, when you say you are grading, are you actually using Resolve, Baselight, or some other true grading program? Because if you're tying to "grade" in your NLE (Premiere, FCP, etc.), that is not grading at all. If you are not using Resolve already, that is what you should explore.

Also, you need to make sure you are monitoring the output on a real video monitor and not just looking at your computer monitor. That makes all the difference. Even a decent quality consumer monitor is good enough once you set it up. If you're on a Mac you can get a Blackmagic box for outputing SDI and HDMI for as little as $135. Well worth it.

You might already be doing these things, but I thought I'd offer the advice anyway.

[Michael Warren]

Thanks for the info.

No, I'm not doing any of those things, although I do know I need to.

I have a video monitor that was connected to my system for a few years, but at the moment I don't have room to set it up. I'm looking for a new house to buy at the moment and staying with friends.

The situation is that because I've been using crappy cameras since I got back into video in 2011 I haven't felt it worth putting a lot of effort into post. That will change once I start to get some source material I feel is worthy of the effort.

I've only been using the colour correction controls in Premiere and do intend to get familiar with Resolve. At this stage I haven't thought of a workflow I'm going to like.

[Doug Jensen]

Well I encourage you to take that next step and learn Resolve as soon as you can. Your raw footage is excellent and you're not doing it justice by not taking to that next level. I am of the belief that everything, no matter what camera is being used or what mode is being use to shoot it, can be improved with grading in Resolve. And it is free. Resolve is not nearly as complicated as people think it is once you understand the 4-step workflow. In fact, I find it a lot of fun. It is the modern equivalent of my old B&W darkroom.

[Michael Warren]

What do you do, bring your individual shots into Resolve, grade and export then import into your NLE?

[Doug Jensen]

Yes, that is my normal workflow for b-roll and stock footage. But sometimes it makes more sense to edit first and grade later. Both workflows are valid for different types of projects.

[Alastair Traill]

Thanks Michael and thanks Doug.

Michael, those shots were unbelievably steady did, you need any stabilisation in the editing? Also I would be very interested in seeing the results after grading in Resolve. Finally good luck with the UX180. It aroused my interest but my reading of some reviews have been a bit of a turnoff.

Doug, I have tried grading and sharpening in FCP but I do not think I ever improved a clip. I will be very interested to see if I can do better with Resolve. Thanks for the tip.

[Michael Warren]

Originally Posted by Alastair Traill

Michael, those shots were unbelievably steady did, you need any stabilisation in the editing?

No. The gimbal is amazing on the recent DJI drones. I did (and still need more) practice to make the drone movements smooth, and especially when flying close to rocks and other obstacles it's hard to keep a smooth movement going before nerves take over and I jerk the controls away.

Also I would be very interested in seeing the results after grading in Resolve.

Me too. I've downloaded Resolve, but it will take me some time before I have enough time to learn it. Maybe, if it's not too much trouble, Doug might be able to show us a grade.

Doug, if you're interested, I can make the file available for you to download and play with if you are unable to download it from YouTube.

Finally good luck with the UX180. It aroused my interest but my reading of some reviews have been a bit of a turnoff.

Any specific points that stand out to you? I think I know all the negatives, but there might be something I've missed. I just can't find anything that doesn't have a bunch of negatives. In terms of picture quality, the GH5 is definitely much better, but the ergonomics and speed of setup kill it for me.

And this is where I'm afraid I'll go back into procrastinate mode. I need to just choose something and start shooting.

[Doug Jensen]

Michael, I'd love to take a crack at grading a few of those shots but I wouldn't want to use the compressed Youtube versions. So if you want to send me 3-5 original clips via Hightail or DropBox, each at least 10-20 seconds long, I'd love to see what I can do. You can have my assurance that I won't do anything else with footage and I won't even post my results. I'll send the graded files back to you and then you can decide what you want to do with them. No obligation to post them. If you don't like what I've done, you can throw them in the trash. Just send me a PM with a download link if you want to proceed.

[Michael Warren]

Thanks Doug. I shoot long clips because I want to concentrate on flying and not worry if I've started or stopped the recording so as a result my files are enormous.

I've split some short clips out and uploaded to Dropbox. Email sent.

[Doug Jensen]

I've got the clips. Hopefully I'll have time to play around with them later today or tomorrow.

[Michael Warren]

Thanks Doug.

I'll certainly post your grade.

I don't know if Resolve has the ability to show everything you did in one screenshot, but if practical, would you be able to post a screenshot of what you did, at least for one of the files?

[Doug Jensen]

Michael, is there a sharpness or detail adjustment on this camera? I'm working on the footage right now and it is so over-sharpened that there is almost nothing I'm going to be able to do to calm it down. It seems to shimmer because looks so jittery. Grading the colors was easy and took just a few minutes, but I don't have any experience with reducing the sharpness without making it look too soft. I have never had to deal with footage like this before in post. Is there an adjustment for that setting on the camera's menus so it could be dialed down next time?