baselight avid guide mac

Version 4.3

Baselight

Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Baselight

Product Version: Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) Document Reference: FL-BL-UG-0582-BaselightAvidGuideMac Document Version: 3 Modified: 28/08/2013 16:43 FilmLight 2013

All rights reserved. No parts of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systemswithout the written permission of the publisher.

Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners. The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademarks.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this document or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it. In no event shall the publisher and the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document.

Contents 1Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction 1

About this guide 1Tutorials 1Guide conventions 2Terminology 3

Chapter 2 - Installation and setup 5

Prerequisites 5Installing Baselight for Avid 5

Updating your software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Installing a new licence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Licence FAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Control methods 10Keyboard/mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Control panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Tablet/pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Client monitoring 15Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Contents 2Chapter 3 - Getting started 17

Adding a Baselight filter in Avid 17The Baselight for Avid User Interface 18

Baselight for Avid menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Layer details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Parameter control panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Inside/outside controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Keyframe display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Grading panel selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Matte panel selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Layer manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Image Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21BLG menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Viewing options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Close button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Stack Manager and layers 22Working with layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Moving around and between clips 25Playing the clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Moving around the clip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Moving between clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Customising the user interface 27Viewing options 28

Panning and zooming the Image Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Viewing parts of the grade stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Comparing frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Applying a Truelight profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Scopes 30Undo/Redo and Reset 32

Chapter 4 - Grading 33

Adding a primary grade 33The grade types 34

Film Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Video Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Curve Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Hue Shift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Six Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Grading through a matte 71Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Contents 3Chapter 4 - Grading (cont.)

The matte types 72Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74DKey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Matte RGB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Hue Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Specifying the input for a matte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Adjusting the matte 99Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100Erode/Dilate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102In/Out Blur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Matte Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Median . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Sander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Adding a garbage matte 109Auto-tracking shapes 110

Creating a One Point Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Two Point Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Adjusting the shape position relative to a track . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Detaching a shape from a track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116Tracker management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Object tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Combining mattes 119Grading inside and outside a matte 120Using the Scratchpad 122

Scratchpad memory slot organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Grabbing a stack version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Recalling a stack version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Viewing all stack versions at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Comparing two stack versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Clearing Scratchpad slots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Using Baselight Grade (BLG) files 126Applying grades from a BLG file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Saving grades to a BLG file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Contents 4Chapter 5 - Other processes 127

Accessing other processes 127DFuse 128

DFuse controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Edge Crop 129

Edge Crop controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Glow 131

Glow controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Look 133

Look controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Median 136

Median controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Nyquist Filter 138

Nyquist controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138Sharpen 140

Sharpen controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Shuffle 142

Shuffle controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Soften 144

Soften controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Technical Grade 145

Technical Grade controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Telecine Grade 147

Telecine Grade controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Transform 148

Transform controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Truelight 156

Truelight controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Chapter 6 - Keyframes 159

Auto-keyframing 159Disabling keyframe mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Keyframe display 160Modifying and deleting keyframes 162

Keyframe edit types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Modifying keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Moving keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Deleting keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Copying and pasting keyframe data 164Keyframing shapes 165

Copying and pasting shape keyframe parameters . . . . . . . . . . 166Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Contents 5Chapter 7 - Using other control panels 167

Artist Color panel 167Connecting the Artist Color panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Using the Artist Color panel with Baselight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Tangent panels 174Connecting the Tangent panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174Using the Tangent panels with Baselight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

JL Cooper panels 176Connecting the JL Cooper panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Using the JL Cooper MCS Spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Using the JL Cooper MCS3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Chapter 8 - Advanced configuration 181

Customising Baselight 181System preferences 181

UI settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

GPU rendering 183

Chapter 9 - Troubleshooting 185

Crash reporting 185Client monitoring 186Artist Color panel 186

Appendix A - Keyboard shortcuts 187Using keyboard shortcuts with Baselight 187Baselight shortcuts 188Numeric keypad modes 192

Grading mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Scratchpad mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Appendix B - Working with interlaced material 195Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Contents 6Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction 1About this guide

1 - Introduction

Baselight for Avid seamlessly incorporates the worlds best colour correction system directly within your Avid Media Composer and Symphony edit suites. It provides a comprehensive subset of the powerful grading tools and features available on full Baselight systems, giving you an intuitive, high quality and flexible colour correction solution.

Baselight Editions provide the same core toolset as full Baselight systems, with the same graphical user interface but as a software-only package which can be incorporated into an existing NLE or VFX workstation. This approach delivers the high quality grading tools of Baselight and Truelight colour management directly into your workstation, and as the Editions share the same data structures as the full Baselight systems, projects can be seamlessly transferred and shared between users and facilities.

About this guide

This guide describes how to install and use the Baselight tools within Avid Media Composer and Symphony on Mac. It also explains how to set up the various control surfaces with Baselight.

This guide assumes that you are already familiar with Avid Media Composer and Symphony 6.

Tutorials

To see Baselight for Avid in action, go to:

www.filmlight.ltd.uk/tutorials

Then just select Baselight Editions > Baselight for Avid from the sub-menu.

Here you will find a series of tutorials including an overview, working with layer mattes, keyframes and trackers, and more. You can also check out the general Baselight tutorials for more hints and tipsBaselight Editions provide most of the functionality of full Baselight systems with a few exceptions.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction 2 Guide conventions

Guide conventions

Within this guide, references to user interface items such as menus, on-screen buttons and keyboard shortcuts are shown in the following way:

Convention Description

Bold Menu selections and UI buttons are shown in bold text:

Scene > Close indicates the Close option under the Scene menu. Open means the Open button.

Keyboard keystrokes are shown in bold within angle brackets:

means press the F2 key on the keyboard.

The function of some keystrokes can be modified using a modifier key:

means hold down the Cmd key and press A.

The other modifier keys are and . Modifier keys may also be used in combination:

means hold down both Cmd and Shift and press A.

Italics Cross-references, directory paths, filenames and application names are shown in italics.

Fixed width Text that appears on the command line or in a shell, or that you need to type, appears in a fixed width font:

Run the command ls means type ls on the command line and press the key on the keyboard.

Blue text Hyperlinks and email addresses are shown in blue.

1, 2, 3... Operational steps are numbered sequentially (1, 2, 3...) to guide you through the process.

Lines that start with an arrow () describe any notable outcomes of the preceding step.

Indicates a warning or an important note.

Indicates useful information.

Indicates a field or control that can be keyframed.

Indicates a field or control that can be ganged.

!

iBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction 3Terminology

Terminology

Like any specialist system, Baselight uses some of its own terminology to describe specific objects and functions. To avoid potential confusion, the following is a brief explanation of some key terms used in this guide.

Term Description

Format The format provides a way for Baselight to store information about a sequence itselfsuch as the frame rate or pixel aspect ratio-that is not stored within the individual image file.

Frame One of the many still images that compose the complete moving picture.

GPU Graphics Processing Unit.

Histogram RGB histogram display of the frame currently being viewed in the Image Window, which shows the distribution, in 10-bit code values, for each of the red, green and blue channels for the currently displayed frame.

Image Window The window within the Baselight UI that shows the clip that you are currently working on.

Keyer A keyer is designed to isolate colours so that they can then be adjusted or enhanced via the grading operators.

Keyframe A frame that is used to indicate the beginning or end of a change to the grading controls.

Layer A layer essentially groups related grading operations to make it easier to work with them. A stack can contain multiple layers. Each layer contains the grade(s) applied to the clip as well as links to any inputs for those grades, such as a matte created from a shape or key.

Matte A matte masks specific parts of an image to allow a different correction to be applied, perhaps to highlight the detail in someone's face or soften the colour of an object. A matte can be created using shapes, or by using a keyer to isolate certain colours.

Scratchpad A look retrieval system that allows grade stacks to be saved and applied to an image using the numeric keypad buttons.

Stack A single clip can have any number of operations applied to it. The order in which operations are applied is determined by the order of layers attached to the clipthe grade in layer 1 is applied before layer 2 and so on. This column of operations is known as a stack.

Stack Manager The part of Baselight that manages layers, and essentially groups related items to make it easier to work with them.

UI The Baselight User Interface.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction 4 TerminologyBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 5Prerequisites

2 - Installation and setup

Prerequisites

To use Baselight for Avid, you must be using:

Mac OS X 10.6.8

Media Composer/Symphony 6.0.3 or above

You must use version 6 or greater as Media Composer/Symphony and Baselight for Avid are 64-bit applications.

Installing Baselight for Avid

Follow these instructions to install Baselight for Avid.

To install Baselight for Avid:

1 Download the Baselight for Avid .dmg installation file.

2 Make sure that Avid is not running and double-click the .dmg file.

The Baselight disk image is mounted on the Desktop.

3 Double-click the Baselight Avid-x.x.xxxx.pkg installer file.

4 Follow the installation wizard to install the software.

5 Click Close when it has finished installing. You can then unmount the Baselight disk image.

6 Start the Avid application.

7 The first time that you use the Baselight filter, you will be prompted to install your licence. See Adding a Baselight filter in Avid on page 17.

If you are upgrading your installation of Baselight for Avid, you should back up your Avid projects first.iBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 6 Installing Baselight for Avid

The Baselight Licence window is displayed.

8 Enter your serial number. This is a 20-character code and should have been emailed to you automatically when you purchased the product.

9 Click Activate.

The licencing system will send your machine ID to our licence server, which locks your computer to this serial number and activates your licence.

Updating your software

To check if there is a newer version of the Baselight for Avid software available:

1 Display the Baselight for Avid window.

2 On the Baselight menu, select Baselight > Check For Updates....

Figure 2-1: Baselight Licence window

If you cannot connect to the internet from the machine on which Baselight for Avid is installed, see the activation instructions in My computer cannot talk to your activation server. What can I do? on page 8.


Chapter 2 Installation and setup 7Installing Baselight for Avid

Installing a new licence

If you purchased Baselight for Avid, or downloaded the trial version, you should have received a serial number at the time of purchase. You will be prompted for this code when you first use the product (as described in the previous section). Enter the serial number and the appropriate licence will be installed on your system.

If you installed a trial version and want to purchase the product, or have obtained a serial number for the full product, you can do this from the Baselight interface.

To install a licence:

1 Display the Baselight for Avid window.

2 On the Baselight main menu, select Baselight > Licence....

The Baselight Licence window is displayed.

3 If you already have a serial number for the full product, enter it into the Serial Number field and click Activate.

The licencing system will send your machine ID to our licence server, which locks your computer to this serial number and activates your licence.

4 If you need to purchase the full product, click Buy. This will take you straight to our web store.

5 Once you have purchased the product and obtained a serial number via email, follow on from step 3 above.

Licence FAQ How do I activate my product licence?

Follow the instructions in Installing Baselight for Avid on page 5 or Installing a new licence on page 7.

Note that your machine ID may change if you re-install your operating system, re-format your hard drive, or make other changes to the hardware. If you attempt to reactivate Baselight for Avid after performing tasks such as those listed above, or after a complete system failure, you may receive an error message as we cannot match your system details to the details stored on our licence server. If this occurs, contact [email protected] and provide as much information as possible about what has happened to your computer, including your serial number. We will then help you to reactivate the product.

If you cannot connect to the internet from the machine on which Baselight for Avid is installed, see the activation instructions in My computer cannot talk to your activation server. What can I do? on page 8.


Chapter 2 Installation and setup 8 Installing Baselight for Avid

How many systems can I activate my product licence on?

The end-user license agreement permits you to install Baselight for Avid on up to two computers for your own use. This means that you can install the software on your main computer as well as on a laptop or home computer; however, the software on the laptop or home computer must not used at the same time as the software on your primary computer.

If you attempt to activate the product on a third computer you will be told that your activation limit has been exceeded.

My computer cannot talk to your activation server. What can I do?

If you want to activate Baselight for Avid on a machine that is not connected to the internet:

1 Note down the serial number and the machine ID of your system. This ID is listed on the window that is displayed after you enter your serial number into the product and click Activate.

2 On a system that is connected to the internet, go to:http://activate.filmlight.ltd.uk

3 Enter your serial number and machine ID into the fields on this page.

4 When your licence file has been created, save it onto a removable media device and then copy the file onto the system on which you want to use Baselight for Avid.

5 Add a Baselight filter to a clip in the timeline, then click the instance of the filter in the Effect Editor. The Baselight Licence window is displayed.

6 Enter your serial number.

7 Click File... and browse to the licence activation file. Select it and click Open.

Your licence will be activated.

Figure 2-2: Baselight Licence windowBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 9Installing Baselight for Avid

Can I migrate the product from one machine to another?

Yes. We recommend that you read the End User License Agreement which includes the following provisions for licence transfers.

You can generally only transfer the licence from one system to another if the original system from which we determined the machine ID has been lost, stolen, damaged, upgraded or replaced.

Plan the migration carefullyit is not a good idea to migrate in the middle of a critical period in your project. Note, however, that you can use Baselight for Avid on up to two computers so you should be able to continue working at all times if you have not used up both of your licence activations.

It is not enough to simply uninstall the product from the original system and install it on the new systemyou must contact us to migrate your licence. Download and complete the Licence Transfer Form (available from the link below) and email it to [email protected].

http://www.filmlight.ltd.uk/store/store-faqs/#migrate

Our support staff will contact you with the updated licence file, at which point you can install the product on the new system.

Note that licence transfers are entirely at our discretion and we reserve the right to refuse to issue a new licence activation without explanation. We will ordinarily only permit ONE licence transfer in any twelve month period.

We do also allow for a one-time, permanent licence transfer to a third party, provided that you remove all copies of the product in your possession. Renting licence keys is contrary to the terms and conditions of the End User License Agreement. Contact [email protected] for further details.

My licence wont activate using the automatic procedure. What can I do?

Follow the instructions under My computer cannot talk to your activation server. What can I do? on page 8 to activate your licence manually.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 10 Control methods

Control methods

Baselight supports an array of control surfaces, including the Avid Artist Color panel and the Tangent Element and Wave panels. You can also use a keyboard with a mouse or a tablet/pen.

This guide describes both the keyboard and Artist Color methods of controlling Baselight.

Keyboard/mouse Keyboard shortcuts

To use the function keys (, , and so on) for Baselight-specific operations, you must go to the Keyboard section of your Mac system preferences and ensure that Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys is selected.

To access your system preferences:

Click the Apple menu at the top-left of your screen and select System Preferences.You can then select the Keyboard option.

Note that the F9-F12 keys still default to Desktop and Dashboard shortcuts; to change this, go to the Mission Control section of your Mac system preferences and change the shortcuts to use non-function keys.

A quick reference to keyboard shortcuts is provided in Appendix A - Keyboard shortcuts starting on page 187.

Setting up your mouse

To work with Baselight, you need a three-button mouse. You also need to ensure that the middle mouse button is used for the middle-click functionon some Mac systems, it can be used as a shortcut to open Expos or the Dashboard.

To do this, go to the Mission Control section (or Expos & Spaces section) of your Mac system preferences and make sure that the middle mouse button is not assigned to Expos or the Dashboard.

If you are not using a three-button mouse, make sure the right mouse button is set as the Secondary Button in your Mouse preferences.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 11Control methods

Gestural controls

Baselight provides a quick means to access and adjust many controls directly from within the Image Window with gestural controls.

To use the gestural controls:

1 Make sure that the Baselight filter is open.

2 Hold down the key and then enable gestural controls by pressing the key (grave key).

The currently active control is indicated at the top left corner of the Image Window, for example, Edit: Lift indicates that the Lift control is active. The menu items displayed depend on the type of operator selected before pressing .

3 To select a different control, move the mouse pointer towards the top of the Image Display. The available controls appear in a row across the top:

4 Move the mouse pointer to highlight the control that you want to select and then click the mouse to make it active.

The name of the selected control brightens.

5 To adjust the control, drag the mouse in a circular motion over the centre of the Image Windowclockwise to increase the control, anti-clockwise to decrease. Note that the amount the controls move is related to the speed at which you circle the pointer.

These controls are not available from all operator types.i

Figure 2-3: Gestural controls

As the mouse pointer is brought near to a control, its name is highlighted with a grey boxBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


6 Adjustments can also be made by moving the pointer to the lower left corner of the Image Window. Two grey squares appearclick them to step the control up or down by the indicated amount:

Where a control has separate adjustments for Red, Green and Blue, moving the mouse pointer closer to the control name at the top of the Image Window displays three toggle buttons.

7 Click these buttons to enable/disable gestural control of the corresponding individual R,G or B control. Enabled controls have bright buttons.

8 Hold down and click one of the toggle buttonsthe other two are turned off.

9 Try selecting the different controls and enabling/disabling control for individual R,G,B sliders to make some adjustments to your grade.

10 Turn off the gestural mode by pressing again.

Figure 2-4: Up and down gestural controls

Figure 2-5: RGB controls

These toggle buttons are linked to the ganging buttons for their respective controls in the grading controls panel. The UI ganging buttons therefore serve a dual purposein gestural mode they determine which individual controls are active. However, when the UI sliders are moved directly, the ganging buttons determine which controls are locked together.

Click here to increase

Click here to decrease

Blue control disabledRed and Green controls enabled


Chapter 2 Installation and setup 13Control methods

Control panels Artist Color panel

The Artist Color panel can be used to work with layers and adjust grades.

The buttons on the Artist Color panel have been mapped to work in one of four modesStack Manager, Layers, Parameters or Displayto provide access to as wide a range of functionality as possible. For ease of working, it can be a good idea to use Baselight with both the Artist Color panel and a keyboardthis way, the panel can stay in a grading mode while the keyboard can be used to perform layer management, keyframing and so on.

For a full description of the Artist Color functionality, see Artist Color panel on page 167.

Tangent panels

Baselight supports the Tangent Wave and Elements panels. For more information on setting up Tangent panels, see Tangent panels on page 174.

JL Cooper panels

Baselight supports both the JL Cooper MCS3 and MCS Spectrum control panels. To find out how to set them up, see JL Cooper panels on page 176.

While the Artist Color panel can be used, the Artist Transport panel cannot be mapped to Baselight functionality as Avid supports this panel natively.If you are using both the Artist Color and Transport panels together, see page 168 for instructions on how to set up the panels correctly.



Tablet/pen Note that the tablet/pen and mouse work in parallel and both support the same functionsreferences made to the mouse also relate to the use of the tablet and pen. The following table gives details of the operational terms used in this guide:

* Some operations (such as zooming and panning) require dragging the pen while hold-ing down the lower side switch. In this case, the pen does not have to be touching the tablet, it just needs to be close enough to move the pointer.

Term Tablet/pen Mouse

Click Tap the pen on the tablet. Click with the left mouse button.

Double-click Quickly tap the pen twice on the tablet. Click the left mouse button twice in quick succession.

Right-click Press the upper switch on the side of the pen.

Click the right mouse button.

Middle-click Press the lower switch on the side of the pen.

Click the middle mouse button.

Click and hold Tap the pen down on the tablet and keep it pressed down.

Click the mouse button and hold it down. If a specific button is not mentioned then this refers to the left button.

Drag* Tap and hold the pen down, and then draw it across the tablet without releasing the downward pressure.

Click and hold the mouse button, and then move the mouse while still holding the button down.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 2 Installation and setup 15Client monitoring

Client monitoring

If you have a suitable video card and have enabled external client monitoring within Avid (by clicking the Toggle Client Monitor button at the bottom of the Avid timeline), then Baselight will update the client monitor as you adjust the grade.

Note, however, the client monitor may not be updated in real-time. This is because of the AVX2 infrastructure that all Avid plugins must use. If your video card is particularly problematic, contact Avid for support and send an email to [email protected] so that we aware of the problem.

You can switch off client monitoring within Baselight. To do this:

On the Baselight for Avid menu, select Baselight and disable the Monitor Video Output option.

Client monitoring is switched off within Baselight. This setting is remembered the next time you open the Baselight UI.

This does not affect the client monitoring setting within Avid itselfyou will still see the image within the client monitor, but it will not be updated while the Baselight UI is open.


Chapter 2 Installation and setup 16 Client monitoringBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 17Adding a Baselight filter in Avid

3 - Getting started

Adding a Baselight filter in Avid

The Baselight filter can be found on the Effects tab in the Media Composer Project Window. To add an instance of the filter to a clip:

1 Click the button in the Project Window to display the Effects tab.

2 Navigate to FilmLight, then drag the Baselight filter onto the video track within the clip in the timeline.

3 Open the Effect Editor.If it is not open already, select Tools > Effect Editor from the Media Composer menu bar, or click the button above the timeline.

4 In the Effect Editor, click the Baselight instance.

The Baselight user interface is displayed.

The parts of the user interface are described in the following sections.

The green dot in the corner of the clip in the timeline shows that the Baselight effect is applied in real time as the sequence plays back.

Figure 3-1: Locating the Baselight filter

The first time that you use Baselight, you will be prompted to activate your licence before you can view the user interface; see page 5 for more details.

i


Chapter 3 Getting started 18 The Baselight for Avid User Interface

The Baselight for Avid User Interface

If you have used the Baselight colour grading system, the Baselight for Avid user interface (UI) will be familiar to you. When you first view the UI, it displays the parameter control panel alongside the inside/outside controls to allow selection of the common grade types.

The Baselight for Avid user interface opens into its own window. When the interface is open, the Avid controls underneath do not functionyou can click the + (plus) button to use full-screen mode if you like.

To resize any of the panels in the interface, click and drag on the splitter bars. As the panels scale, the text also scales.

Baselight for Avid menu

This menu provides access to information about Baselight for Avid (including your machine ID). It also provides access to the Preferences and the User Guide, as well as viewing and display options.

The Preferences are described in System preferences on page 181.

Layer details This section displays the name assigned to the layer, which you can edit. The allows you to bypass the current grading layer or matte operator when viewing the image; you can perform the same operation from the keyboard by pressing .

Figure 3-2: Baselight for Avid User Interface

Image Window

Viewing options

Histogram

Layer details

Parameter control panel

Grading panelMatte panel

Layer manager

Keyframe display Inside/outside controls

Baselight for Avid menu

BLG menuBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 19The Baselight for Avid User Interface

Parameter control panel

This is the main functional area of the UI screen. It changes automatically to show the controls and options for the currently selected operator (for example, the Film Grade or the Shape matte).

Inside/outside controls

The inside/outside controls allow you to select grade types inside and outside of a matte.

The standard Baselight grade types are available by defaultFilm Grade, Video Grade, Curve Grade, Hue Shift and Six Vector. You can customise the inside/outside controls to make other grading processes available, such as the DFuse and Soften operators. For more information about customising these controls, see Customising Baselight on page 181.

For information about the grade types, see Chapter 4 - Grading starting on page 33.

Keyframe display The relative positions of keyframes for the currently selected clip are shown at the bottom of the parameter control panel. The keyframe display also allows you to scrub through the current clip. For more information, see Chapter 6 - Keyframes starting on page 17.

Grading panel selection

The grading panel is automatically displayed when you open the Baselight filter, giving you access to the inside/outside controls and thereby to the Baselight grading options.

If you move away from the grading panel and need to go back to it, you can do this by pressing on the keyboard or clicking the grading panel selection button.

Figure 3-3: Grading panel selection buttonBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 20 The Baselight for Avid User Interface

Matte panel selection

To access the matte options, press the keyboard shortcut for the matte that you want to use (see page 190) or click the matte panel selection button.

This replaces the inside/outside controls with the matte controls. Once you select one of the matte options, its controls are displayed in the parameter control panel.

For more information about working with mattes, see Grading through a matte on page 71.

Figure 3-4: Matte panel selection button

Figure 3-5: Matte controls

Matte controlsBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 21The Baselight for Avid User Interface

Layer manager Grades in Baselight are inserted in layers; a grading layer contains the grade(s) applied to the clip and any matte elements (such as a shape or key) that have been used to define inside/outside regions. Use the layer manager to select a layer, add a new layer or delete a layer; you can also re-order layers using the and buttons.

The layer manager also displays the number of the layer that is currently selected.

For more information about working with layers, see Stack Manager and layers on page 22.

Image Window The Image Window shows the current clip, scaled to fit horizontally within the display area. The Image Window allows you to pick a colour as input to a keyer, or to draw a shape matte over the image.

To view areas of the image in more detail, the Image Window can be manually panned and zoomed. See Panning and zooming the Image Window on page 28 for details.

Histogram The histogram is an essential tool in the Baselight UI. This panel is updated in real-time and shows the distribution, in 10-bit code values, for each of the red, green and blue channels for the currently displayed frame.

You can view the histogram either filled or unfilled. To change this setting, right-click the histogram and enable/disable Fill Histogram.

Figure 3-6: Layer manager

Layer manager

Figure 3-7: HistogramBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 22 Stack Manager and layers

If you want to switch off the histogram, select View > Histogram from the Baselight for Avid menu. The Image Window area then enlarges to fill the space.

The View menu also allows you to select up to four different scopes to be displayed alongside or in place of the histogram; see Scopes on page 30 for more information.

BLG menu The BLG menu allows you to load grade data from a BLG file, or export your current grading stack as a BLG file. For more information, see Using Baselight Grade (BLG) files on page 126.

Viewing options The controls immediately below the Image Window allow you to view different parts of the grade stack (page 29), or apply a Truelight profile to the image (page 30).

Close button To close the Baselight window and return to Avid Media Composer, click the red button at the top left of the window, or press on the keyboard.

Stack Manager and layers

Grades in Baselight are inserted in layers; a grading layer contains the grade(s) applied to the clip and any matte elements (such as a shape or key) that have been used to define inside/outside regions. Multiple layers can be added to each clip; the group of layers attached to an clip is called the grade stack. Layers are managed by the Baselight Stack Manager, and essentially group related items to make it easier to work with them.

A layer can contain a mixture of grade types, both inside and outside a matte. For information about grading inside and outside a matte, see page 120. Note that the inside/outside controls can be customised to show your preferred grade and matte types; see Customising Baselight on page 181.

Working with layers

To add or remove a layer, or change the order of layers, use the layer manager.

When you add the Baselight filter to a clip in Avid, a layer is added to the clip automatically. The current layer displays a white dot to the left of its name; for all other layers, the dot is greyed out.

Figure 3-8: Layer manager

Layer managerBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 23Stack Manager and layers

To add a layer:

Keyboard/mouse: Click the layer manager and then click the button.You can also press to add a new layer beneath the current layer with the Film Grade operator selected, or to add a new layer with the Video Grade operator selected.

Artist Color: Press APPLICATION until the Layers mode is selected on the display screen. Press the button from CG1-4 or PG1-4 that corresponds to the layer you want to add.For example, press CG2 to add layer 2.The display screen shows layers 1-8; to access layers 9-16, hold down Ctrl (the NAV button towards the lower left of the panel). The layers that already exist are displayed in larger, bold text; a plus symbol (+) is displayed in front of layers that can be added.

To delete a layer:

Keyboard/mouse: Click the layer manager and select the layer that you want to delete, if it is not already selected, then click the button.You can also press to remove the selected layer.

Artist Color: Hold down Shift (the button at the bottom left underneath NAV), and press the button from CG1-4 or PG1-4 that corresponds to the layer you want to delete.To delete a layer from layers 9-16, hold down Shift and Ctrl.

To select a specific layer:

Keyboard/mouse: Click the layer manager and then select the layer from the list.You can also press or to select the next layer above or below the current layer.

Artist Color: Press APPLICATION until the Layers mode is selected on the display screen. Press the button from CG1-4 or PG1-4 that corresponds to the layer you want to select.For example, press CG1 to select layer 2.The display screen shows layers 1-8; to access layers 9-16, hold down Ctrl (the NAV button towards the lower left of the panel). The layers that already exist are displayed in larger, bold text; a plus symbol (+) is displayed in front of layers that can be added.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 24 Stack Manager and layers

Processing order

You can move a layer up and down in the grade stack by selecting the layer that you want to move, and using the and buttons on the layer manager to move the layer up or down.

The order that layers are stacked in is important, as it determines the order in which operations are applied to the clip. When a stack is processed, the source frames start at the top of the stack and are passed down to the layers below. As each layer processes the images they are fed down to the next layer in the stack until they reach the bottom. At this point, the final result can be seen in the Image Window.

In the example below, a Film Grade is applied in layer 1. The graded output is then passed to layer 2, which applies a Hue Shift grade through a DKey matte, with both a blur and a garbage matte applied to it. The output of layer 2 is then passed to layer 3, which applies a Film Grade through a shape.

Figure 3-9: Example stackBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 25Moving around and between clips

Moving around and between clips

Playing the clip A vertical blue line in the keyframe display at the bottom of the Baselight UI indicates the current playback frame. As this cursor moves along the display, the frames in each clip are displayed in the Image Window.

The Baselight playback controls are as follows:

1 To play back the clip press the on the keyboard.

The timeline cursor moves along the keyframe display and the Image Window shows the frames in the clip as they are played back.

2 To stop playback press the again.

3 To reverse the direction of playback press the key on the keyboard.

4 By default, Baselight loops the clip so that as soon as it reaches the end it returns to the beginning and plays through again.You can bounce the footage instead, so that it plays the clip forwards and then bounces to play it backwards. To do this, select Navigate > Toggle Loop/Bounce from the Baselight for Avid menu.

Moving around the clip

There are several ways to move the cursor around the clip. The following table shows the keyboard shortcuts and their equivalent menu options:

Action Keyboard Artist Color Description

Next/previous frame / ALT+ /

or

+ /

Step the cursor one frame at a time.

Next/previous field + /

SHIFT+ALT+ /

If you are working on interlaced material, step the cursor one field at a time.

Next/previous keyframe / Move to the next or previous keyframe.

First/last frame of clip / / Move to the first or last frame of a clip.

On the Artist Color panel, the SHIFT button is at the bottom-left below the NAV button; the ALT bottom is on the bottom-right.iBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 26 Moving around and between clips

Moving between clips

You can move from clip to clip without having to close the Baselight UI.

To enable this functionality, you must follow these steps first:

1 In Media Composer or Symphony, open the Keyboard palette for your project.To do this, click Settings in the Project window. Scroll down and double-click Keyboard.

2 Open the Command palette.To do this, press on the keyboard.

3 In the Command palette, make sure that Button to Button Reassignment is selected at the bottom of the window.

4 On the Move tab in the Command palette, drag the Rewind button onto the F5 key in the keyboard palette.This maps the F5 key to the rewind function.

5 Drag the Fast Forward button onto the F6 key in the keyboard palette.This maps the F6 key to the fast forward function.

Once this has been set up, press F5 to move to the previous clip or F6 to move to the next clip.

To use this functionality, Baselight assumes:

The left-most button in the Timeline toolbar is the Effect Mode toggle.

The Baselight effect is the top-most effect in the destination clip.If neither of these options are true, then the technique will not work. If you want to use these shortcuts, you may want to put all of the Baselight effects onto a separate track to ensure that Baselight is always the top-most effect.


Chapter 3 Getting started 27Customising the user interface

Customising the user interface

When you select an operator, its controls appear on the left of the user interface. The RGB control sliders can be ganged, allowing you to change more than one control at once. You can also select the hue wheel and master version on the same control.

The inside/outside controls can be hidden to allow more room on the user interface. To hide the controls:

Click the button to the left of the inside/outside table.You can also press L on the keyboard.

Additional operator control tabs can be added. To add a tab:

1 Click the Customise menu and select the Add Page button.

2 From the drop-down list, select the parameter to assign to a control.To reset any parameter to its default value, click the button on the user interface. Alternatively, press the corresponding reset button on the Artist Color panel.

Other grades and effects filters are available, for example Glow, Soften, Sharpen. To add these to your list of operators:

1 Right click on one of the operators in the inside/outside table.

2 Select Change Operator Type and from the list that appears, choose one of the operators.

To add additional rows into the list of operators so you have more grades and effects to choose from:

1 Right-click on one of the operators in the inside/outside table..

2 Select Insert New Row.

An empty row appears.

3 Right-click on the new row.

4 Select Change Operator Type and from the list that appears, choose one of the operators.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 28 Viewing options

Viewing options

You have various viewing options available to you.

Panning and zooming the Image Window

To pan and zoom the Image Window:

1 To pan the image, move the pointer over the Image Window. Hold down the middle mouse button and move the pointer.

The Image Window is panned. Release the middle mouse button to stop panning.

2 To zoom the image, move the pointer over the Image Window again. Press and hold down the middle mouse button.

Now when you move the pointer, the image zooms in or out rather than panning.

3 To return the display to its original size and position (your home zoom position), so that it fits fully within the Image Display, press key on the keyboard.

4 To set your home zoom to a 1:1 pixel view of the image, press on the keyboard.

The Image Window zooms in to display one screen pixel for each image pixel. If you now press , it toggles between the last zoom level and the 1:1 pixel view.

You can also expand the Image Window to fill the Baselight window. To enter full-screen mode, press . To exit this mode, press .

The 1:1 pixel view is particularly useful if you are working with interlaced material, as it ensures that you are only viewing image data from one field at any time.iBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 29Viewing options

Viewing parts of the grade stack

By default, Baselight processes and displays the whole stack up to and including the output of the bottom layer. You can also choose to view specific parts of the grade stack, for example, bypassing layers so that they are not applied to the clip.

To do this, select an option from the Render list. These options are described in the following table.

Comparing frames

You can view the current graded frame alongside or wiped with a bypassed version of the frame.

To do this, use the following keyboard shortcuts:

Render list Description

Selection Output Shows the output of the current operator.

Layer Matte Shows a black and white display of all the matte operations that contribute to the selected layer. Selecting this mode allows you to select and adjust individual operations that contribute to a matte, whilst viewing the net result.

Layer Matte Overlay Shows the matte superimposed in a colour over the current image.

Layer Matte Overlay Invert

Shows the matte against a neutral grey background.

Layer Output Renders the stack up to the selected layer (ignoring any layers below).

Bottom Layer Output (default) Renders the whole stack up.

Bypass All Layers Bypasses all layers and shows the original image sequence. This option also bypasses the output Truelight profile, if one is being used.

On the keyboard, press to bypass all layers. You can bypass the current grading layer or matte operator only by pressing .

Option Shortcut Description

Current frame Restore the default (single-frame) display.

Two-up side-by-side Display the current frame side-by-side with a bypassed version of the frame.

Two-up wiped Display the current frame wiped against a bypassed version of the frame.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 30 Scopes

For example, if you press , you will see something similar to the following image.

Applying a Truelight profile

Truelight is a complete colour management system for pre-visualising film and HD images on electronic display devices. You can apply a Truelight profile to the image. To do this, select the required profile from the Truelight list.

By default, Baselight looks for Truelight profiles in the /Library/Truelight/profiles directory; you can find profiles in another directory by clicking the Truelight list below the Image Window and selecting .

For more information about Truelight, visit the FilmLight web site:

http://www.filmlight.ltd.uk/products/truelight/overview_tl.php

Scopes

Scopes analyse the image, measuring the luminance, RGB and YCbCr values. This is useful when matching two shots together.

Accurate levels are displayed, along with an indication of illegal colours according to the current combiner output range.

Figure 3-10: Side-by-side display

There will be an impact on performance when you switch to a Truelight profile, as it is applied using the CPU renderer.i

To view scopes, you must be using a compatible graphics card; presently, nVidia cards are known to be compatible. ATI cards are not supported, because the Apple OpenGL drivers do not support hardware accelerated geometry shaders.


Chapter 3 Getting started 31Scopes

A further benefit is that the scopes measure the image before the application of a Truelight emulation profile, allowing you to check the output levels of the image itself before a display LUT is applied, unlike an external scope.

There are four scope options: Luma Waveform, RGB Parade, YCbCr Parade and a built-in Vectorscope. These can be displayed either in monochrome or colour by right-clicking the scope.

To insert a scope into the Baselight UI:

1 On the Baselight for Avid menu, select Baselight and make sure that GPU Renderer is enabled.The histogram can be viewed regardless of whether the GPU renderer is enabled or not; however, all other scopes require the GPU renderer.

2 Select View > [scope].The scope you select is then displayed to the right of the histogram below the Image Window.Each scope that you enable is added on to the right; if you disable and re-enable a scope (or the histogram), it is also added back on to the right.

3 The brightness level of the scopes can also be changed. Right-click the scope and select Gain > Increase, or Gain > Decrease on the slider value to increase or decrease the brightness.

Luma Waveform is only available in monochrome.i

Figure 3-11: Vectorscope displayed in the Baselight UIBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 3 Getting started 32 Undo/Redo and Reset

4 If you want the scope to reflect the visible area of the image within the Image Window only (for example, if you have zoomed into the image), right-click the scope and enable Enable Pan/Zoom.

5 You can also use the right-click context menu to adjust the quality of the scope during playback and when Baselight is idle.

Undo/Redo and Reset

If you are not happy with the adjustments that you have just made, you can undo the last change by pressing on the keyboard. By continually pressing , you can keep undoing previous changes you made to the project, to the state of the effect at the time that the Baselight UI was popped up. If you want to go any further back, you need to close the Baselight UI and use the Avid undo function.

If you go back too far and want to step forwards again, press to redo the last undo.

Undo and Redo can also be accessed from the Baselight for Avid Edit menu.

By default, whenever you undo or redo a change the cursor position is also restored to where it was when the operation was performed; if you do not want this to happen, deselect the Always Restore Cursor Position On Undo/Redo option on the Edit menu.

If you simply want to reset all the controls in the current parameter controls panel to their default values, press on the keyboard.

Note that this action can also be undone to return the controls to the values they had before they were reset.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 4 Grading 33Adding a primary grade

4 - Grading

Adding a primary grade

Primary grades are applied to the whole image and are typically used to match shots or create an overall look for an image.

When you add the Baselight filter to a clip in Avid, a layer is added to the clip automatically with the Film Grade selected in the inside/outside controls. To add more layers to the clip, you can either use the layer manager , keyboard shortcuts or the buttons on the Artist Color panel.

For more information about working with layers, see page 22. The grade types are described briefly in The grade types on page 34.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 4 Grading 34 The grade types

The grade types

Baselight provides five methods to adjust the colour grade of an image sequence; these methods are described briefly in the table below. For the Artist Color shortcuts, you must be in Stack Manager mode. All grade types can be applied simultaneously to any clip and different types of grade may be freely mixed within a timeline.

Grade type Keyboard Artist Color Description

Film Grade CG1 Film grading controls adjust parameters according to the characteristics of film.

See Film Grade on page 35.

Video Grade CG2 Video grading controls provide an alternative means to colour correct images; these controls provide a familiar environment for colourists who are used to working in a telecine suite or on video projects.

See Video Grade on page 42.

Curve Grade CG3 The curve grade provides spline-based editing of image parameters in RGB and HSL. It allows you to insert control points from a pick point or range; a separate modulation graph for each curve allows finer control of the image area affected.

See Curve Grade on page 48.

Hue Shift CG4 The hue shift grade provides a means to 'rotate' colour hues in an image around the colour wheel; each hue can be shifted up to 60 degrees, or up to 360 degrees using the global hue controls.

See Hue Shift on page 60.

Six Vector The six vector grade splits the colour wheel into six colours, enabling you to shift the hue or saturation of specific colours in the image and grade isolated areas of the screen.

See Six Vector on page 64.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide

Chapter 4 Grading 35The grade types

Film Grade Film grading controls adjust parameters according to the characteristics of film.

To add a film grade:

1 When you add the Baselight filter to an clip, it automatically adds a layer 1 with the Film Grade selected in the inside/outside controls. You can also:

Keyboard/mouse: Press on the keyboard to add another layer with the Film Grade selected.

Artist Color: Press APPLICATION until the Layers mode is selected on the display screen. Press the button from CG1-4 or PG1-4 that corresponds to the layer you want to add.For example, press PG2 to add layer 2.

The layer contains the grade that will be applied to the clip; by default, the Film Grade operator is selected. The layer is labelled Layer:X where X is a number from 1-N as multiple layers can be added to each clip, and is given a unique number. (Note that the layer label can easily be changed to something more meaningfulclick in the Name field in the parameter control panel and type a new name.)

The controls of the selected grade type appear in the parameter control panel:

Figure 4-1: FilmGrade controls

Colour wheel

Master controlShadows/Midtones/Highlights tab SlidersBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


2 Try adjusting the Exposure master control slider and colour wheel and see what effect they have on the image.

The master control adjusts the overall exposure of the image whereas the colour wheel adjusts R, G and B independently. Note that Exposure is expressed in units of printer points.If you are using the Artist Color panel, press APPLICATION until Parameters mode is selected. You can then use the left control ring to adjust the master control, and the trackball to adjust the colour wheel.

3 Adjust the Contrast and Saturation colour wheels to see what effect they have.Each of these controls can be adjusted using either the colour wheel or sliders.On the Artist Color panel, the middle and right trackballs adjust these controls.

4 To change to the sliders, click the button at the top left corner of the control; to change to the colour wheel, click the button.

In colour wheel mode, moving the control point within the colour wheel applies an RGB offset to the underlying RGB controls; moving the master slider up and down moves all three RGB controls together. This mode is selected when the button is showing.In this mode on the Artist Color panel, the trackball moves the control point within the colour wheel, while the control ring adjusts the master control.

In RGB slider mode, each slider adjusts a single R,G or B value. This mode is selected when the button is showing.In this mode on the Artist Color panel, the trackball moves the sliders; the control ring has no effect.

When adjusting an RGB parameter in colour wheel mode, the colour point will not necessarily reach the edge of the hue wheel for all colours. The valid range of each RGB component is -20 to +20 (or -40 to +40 with Extended Ranges on), so combinations of colour wheel position and master slider that would require an R, G or B value outside this range are not possible.



5 Click the button on the Exposure control to change to the sliders, and adjust the sliders via the UI or using the left trackball on the Artist Color panel.

Notice that the three sliders move together. The sliders adjust R,G and B for each control, and by default they are all ganged to each other.

6 Click one of the ganging buttons to turn it off, and adjust the associated slider independently of the others.

7 The ganging buttons toggle on and offclick the button again to turn it back on and then adjust the slider again.

Notice that the sliders move together again but there is now a fixed offset between them.

8 Shadows, Midtones and Highlights can also be adjusted by entering different values for them in their numeric boxes, or by selecting the ShadsMidsHighs tab and adjusting the colour rings for each control.If you are using the Artist Color panel, these controls can be adjusted using the knobs below the display screentouch one lightly to display the control that each knob is mapped to. There are 12 controls mapped to the six knobs; use the < Page and Page > buttons to switch between the available options.Alternatively, press CG2 to access the ShadsMidsHighs tab and then use the trackballs and rings to adjust the controls.

Figure 4-2: Switching between sliders and the colour wheel

You can also use the numeric keypad to adjust the Film Grade exposure; see page 42 for details.

The Film Grade controls can be customised to your preferred method of workingnew tabs can be added that contain your most commonly used controls and the control input can be set to your preferred method of working, for example, colour wheels or sliders. For more details, see Customising the Film Grade on page 40.

Ganging buttons

i



Film Grade controls

The Film Grade provides RGB control of twelve different parameters, allowing the adjustment of the image by affecting different aspects of the film transfer curve.

These controls are split into an upper and lower group within the Film Grade panel. By default the upper part of the panel contains the Exposure, Contrast and Saturation controls and the lower part contains the Shadows, Midtones and Highlights controls along with the Pivot point adjustments. The lower part of the panel also provides a graphical representation of the current grade.

Field Options Description

Exposure Units: Printer Points Default: 0.0 Range: -20.0-20.0*

Shifts the film exposure up or down.

Contrast Units: Relative Default: 1.00 Range: 0.00-3.00

Changes the gamma or relative sensitivity of the film.

Highlights Units: Relative Default: 0.000 Range: -0.500-0.500*

Shifts the exposure of the knee region of the film, above the Highlights Pivot.

Shadows Units: Relative Default: 0.000 Range: -0.500-0.500*

Shifts the exposure of the toe region of the film, below the Shadows Pivot.

Midtones Units: Relative Default: 0.000 Range: -0.500-0.500*

Shifts the exposure of the midtones. This region is defined as the average of the Shadows Pivot, Contrast Pivot and Highlights Pivot values.

Saturation Units: Relative Default: 1.00 Range: 0.00-3.00

Increases or decreases the saturation or colour difference of the RGB values.

Contrast Pivot Units: Cineon Value Default: 445 Range: 0-1023

Fixes the point around which the slope of the transfer curve increases or decreases.

Highlights Pivot Units: Cineon Value Default: 500 Range: 0-1023

Sets the level above which the Highlights control has an effect.

Shadows Pivot Units: Cineon Value Default: 400 Range: 0-1023

Sets the level below which the Shadows control has an effect.

Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


* These ranges are doubled when the Extended Ranges button is enabled.

The Film Grade UI also contains the following buttons:

Button Description

Slider/Wheel toggle Switches the current parameter control between RGB slider mode and colour wheel mode. Note that the underlying RGB parameter values do not change when toggling between these two modes.

Reset Parameter Resets the corresponding parameter to its default value. Note that for RGB slider controls, all three controls are reset to the same value.

Parameter Assignment Selects the parameter to be mapped to the current control. Click this button to get a list of all twelve Film Grade parameters.

RGB gang toggles When enabled, the corresponding RGB sliders move together. Note that in gestural mode, and when mapped to a trackball or knob, these buttons determine the active control(s) in the parameter group.

Keyframe Buttons See Section 6 - Keyframes on page 159.

Extended Ranges When enabled, this doubles the range of the Exposure, Highlights, Shadows and Midtones controls.

Use Matte This button is enabled automatically when you add a matte input to the layer. This allows selective or secondary grading to be achieved. See Grading through a matte on page 71 for more information.

Tab Name Field The name on the currently selected tab can be changed by typing into this box.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


Transfer graph

The graph in the lower part of the Film Grade panel shows the RGB transfer function or LUT (Look Up Table) that represents the current grade. Note that the saturation control has no effect on this graph. Saturation changes are done using a '3D' RGB matrix that is applied downstream of the other grade parameters. This graph can only represent the '2D' components of the grade operation.

Note that it is possible to change the Highlights Pivot, Contrast Pivot and Shadows Pivot by dragging on their respective blue triangles or dashed lines on the graph.

On the Artist Color panel, these controls can be adjusted using the knobs. Press Page > to access the second group of controls; you can then adjust the pivot controls using the three knobs on the right-hand side.

Customising the Film Grade

Reassigning controls

To enable completely flexible working, it is possible to reassign any of the parameters to any of the controls.

The position of controls in the parameter control panel determines which parameters are mapped to the trackballs and which are mapped to the knobs on the Artist Color control surface (if one is being used).

To change the assignment of a control:

Click its Parameter Assignment button (page 39) and choose the appropriate parameter from the drop-down list.

The parameter assignment will be swapped with the control that originally had the chosen parameter.

Figure 4-3: Film Grade transfer graph

The Pivot controls only have a single variable and will only have a single slider if mapped to one of the three controls in the upper part of the panel. Also note that they cannot be set to colour wheel mode, and when used with the trackballs only the vertical axis will have an effect on the control.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


Adding a new control layout page

As everyone likes to work in a different way, it is possible to set up new tabbed pages with different mappings for the upper and lower controls. These pages are selected by clicking their tabs in the grade UI.

New pages can be added by clicking the Customise button and selecting Add Page.

Pages can be renamed to describe their main function by clicking and typing a new name into the Tab Name box.

The order of the page tabs can be changed by using the Move Page Left/Right options under the Customise menu.

The following options are available from the Customise menu, depending on the grade that you are customising:

Option Description

Add Page Adds a new tabbed panel.

Delete Page Deletes the currently selected panelnote that the last remaining panel cannot be deleted.

Move Page Left Moves the tab for the current panel to the left.

Move Page Right Moves the tab for the current panel to the right.

Bottom Section Scale Factor (list)

Allows the bottom part of the panel to be changed in size relative to the top part. The options are: 100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50%.

Left Encoders Right Encoders

Each set of three rotary controls on the control surface can be set to Split or Combined mode. An icon on the UI shows the selected mode:

Split: Each encoder controls a separate parameter group. For RGB groups, the encoder adjusts all values together (ganged).

Combined: Provides control of the individual R, G and B values for the top parameter only. Note that the two lower parameter groups are not mapped to rotary controls and have the icon greyed out:

Restore Page to Defaults (Only applies to first tabbed panel). Restores the controls to their default parameter assignments. Note that actual parameter values are not reset by this operation.

Default Values and Bumps...

Displays a panel allowing default values to be set for each of the grade parameters (for RGB groups the same default value is applied to R, G and B). For each of the non-pivot parameters, bump amounts can also be set for gestural and numeric keypad printer-point control.

Default Ranges Specifies whether the Extended Ranges button is off or on by default.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


Adjusting the Film Grade using the keyboard

You can use the numeric keypad to edit the Film Grade exposure:

Video Grade The Video Grade controls provide a familiar environment for colourists who are used to working in a telecine suite or on video projects.

The controls also provide a graph that displays the LUT represented by the video grade parameters; you can select a CDL-compatible graph, or create a custom graph, which allows you to define areas of the colour space and specify the amount of effect that the lift, gamma and gain controls have on these regions.

Hue Wheel Weightings The translation of RGB values to their corresponding hue position within the colour wheel can be set to either Normal (unweighted) or Perceptual (weighted according to the limits of human vision).

Trackball Sensitivity Controls the relative gearing of the trackballs. Default = 1.00, Range = 0.00 (no response) to 3.00 (very sensitive).

Hue Wheel Angle Determines the relative angle of the colour wheel.

Default = 0 degrees (red at the top), Range = 0 to 360 degrees.

Adjust this to match other colour correctors.

Restore Config to Defaults

Removes all additional panels and restores the first two to their default parameter mappings. Note that this does not reset any of the parameter values.

Save Config to User Prefs.

Saves the current set of panels, their parameter mappings and Slider/Wheel settings to the users preference settings. This means that whenever the current user adds this type of grade, it will always have this set of panels.

Option Description

Numeric keypad Description

* Increase overall exposure by 1 point.

Decrease overall exposure by 1 point.

/, *, = Increase R, G, B exposure by 1 point.

7, 8, 9 Decrease R, G, B exposure by 1 point.

4, 5, 6 Increase C, M, Y exposure by 1 point.

1, 2, 3 Decrease C, M, Y exposure by 1 point.Baselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


To add a Video Grade:

1 On the current layer, select the Video Grade operator in the inside/outside controls.You can also:

Keyboard/mouse: Press on the keyboard to add another layer with the Video Grade selected.

Artist Color: After adding a new layer (if required), press APPLICATION until the Stack Manager mode is selected on the display screen. Press CG2 to select the Video Grade operator.

When the Video Grade is inserted, its controls are displayed in the parameter control panel:

The video controls are split into three groups that affect Lift (the darker parts of the image), Gamma and Gain. For each group there is a colour hue control and a master control.The Video grade panel contains two tabbed pages. The first page contains the RGB controls, which adjust Lift, Gamma and Gain in the RGB colour space. The second page contains the YCrCb controls, which adjust Lift, Gamma and Gain in the YCrCb colour space. If you are using the Artist Color panel, press APPLICATION until Parameters mode is selected. You can then use the CG1 and CG2 buttons to switch between the tabs.

Figure 4-4: Video grade controls

Colour wheel Colour hue control

RGB saturation controls

Master control

LUT graphBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


2 Shift the colour of the shadows towards red by dragging the small control circle in the Lift hue control towards the red part of the colour ring.On the Artist Color panel, in Parameters mode, the left trackball adjusts Lift.

3 Shift the colour of the highlights towards green by dragging the Gain colour hue control towards the green part of its colour ring.On the Artist Color panel, the right trackball adjusts Gain.

4 Darken the overall image by dragging the master slider downwards in the Gamma control.On the Artist Color panel, the middle control ring adjusts the Gamma master control.

5 The main Video Grade controls can be adjusted in colour wheel or RGB slider mode, just like the Film Grade; see page 36 for details.

6 If you would like to extend the range of all master controls to -3.003.00, click the Extended Ranges button.

7 To quickly set up a negative effect on an image, click the Negative button. This sets the Lift master control to -1.00 and the Gain master control to 1.00.There is also a separate set of input fields that control the Saturation of the individual red, green and blue content of the image.

8 Adjust the Saturation by entering new values in the input fields.On the Artist Color panel, press Page > to access the Saturation controls and use the three knobs on the right to adjust the R, G and B valuesthey are ganged together by default.

9 The LUT graph displays the LUT represented by the Video Grade parameters. This graph allows you to view and modify the black and white points of the image by dragging the lines corresponding to black and white up or down; these values can also be modified by entering new values in the Black & White Pivot fields on the UI, or using the knobs on the Artist Color panel.

Note, however, that this limits the extent that you can adjust the colour wheelif you want to use the full extent of the colour wheel, the Extended Ranges option must be deselected.On the Artist Color panel, BANK 1 toggles the Extended Ranges button on and off.

Figure 4-5: FilmLight LUT graph

i

White point

Black pointBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


10 To ensure that the grade is CDL-compatible, click the list at the top-right of the graph and select CDL Compatible.When you select this graph, the Black & White Pivot points are locked down to 0 and 1023 respectively so that they cannot be edited. The Saturation ganging control is also enabled and locked; if the RGB values for this field are different they are all set to the lowest of the three values.You can also create custom graphs, which allow you to specify the level of effect that the Lift, Gamma and Gain controls have on specific regions of the colour space. See Using custom LUT graphs below.

Using custom LUT graphs

To use a custom LUT graph:

1 Click the list at the top-right of the LUT graph and select Default, and then select the Region Graph tab.

The Region Graph is displayed.

The three regions along the X-axis represent the shadows, midtones and highlights in the image. The Y-axis of the graph shows the amount of the effect that the Lift, Gamma and Gain controls will have at each point along the X-axis.For example, in the graph shown above, the Lift control has 100% effect at value 0 (the shadows), reducing to less than 25% on values above 768 (the highlights). If you then increase the Lift to 1.000 in the plugin controls, the adjustment has a much greater effect on the darker areas of the image.

2 To amend the graph, click the curve that you want to adjustLift, Gamma or Gainto enable its controls. Drag the arrows to adjust the angle of the curve, or the control points to adjust the level of the effect to be applied at the start, end or (in the case of midtones) midpoint of the region.

Figure 4-6: Custom region graph

Figure 4-7: Custom region graph with Gain curve selected

Control points for Gain curve

Arrows for Gain curveBaselight Avid Edition (Mac) User Guide


For example, to adjust the graph so that Lift has a 75% effect on value 0 rather than a 100% effect, click the Lift curve to enable it and then drag the ball at the top-left down to a value of about 768 on the Y-axis.

3 If you want to set the control points on the Gamma curve to a single value, right-click the graph and select Reset Gamma To Unity.

4 Any changes that you make to the graph are normally mirrored between the shadows and highlights. If you want to change one of these curves on its own, right-click the graph and deselect Shadows and Highlight Graphs Mirrored.

5 When you make changes to an existing graph, the list at the top-right displays the label Unsaved Graph.To save the graph, you have two options: save it as a new graph, or overwrite an existing graph.

6 To save the current graph as a new graph, right-click the graph and select New Preset From Current Graph.

The graph is given a system-generated name, such as preset

baselight avid guide mac

Documents