LooksBuilder: Advanced I/O Processing

Input/Output Processing is enabled in the LooksBuilder Preferences Panel. Choosing the Advanced optiion from the I/O Processing pop-up activates a tabbed interface. The default Looks area becomes one of four panel views, with Input, Preview and Output panels all activating.

Each panel includes three interdependent views: A large image of the current view (Input, Preview or Output) and two smaller views of the other two. Controls at the right allow you to change color settings, and your changes are reflected in a Graph panel whose tab is added with the RGB Parade and Slice Graph panels. More about Graphs on this page.

Technical Note: The internal color model of PhotoLooks is radiometrically linear, so all video footage is converted to a 1.0 gamma from the presumed 2.2 default before being processed, and back to 2.2 when output. Advanced Input/Output Processing gives you extra control over this conversion process, with an Input panel where you control how it is interpreted on input, an Output panel to specify output settings, and a Preview panel for cases where footage does not display properly to adjust the Look – Cineon log footage being the prime example.

 

Default mode shows only the Looks panel.

 

Advanced mode keeps the Look panel and opens the Input, Preview and Ouput panels.

 

 

Input Panel

The Input Panel is one of three advanced panels that open up. Here is what you will see. The Tools Drawer pops up in the upper right corner and includes three Tool Area choices, Video, Panalog and Cineon. Video is the default, displayed in the lower left corner as active. The adjustment settings on the right will change according to the tool you choose, as will the default adjustments.

 

 

 

IO Video

Input Panel> Video Tool

Video is one of three tools that can be chosen in the Input Panel's Tool Area. It is selected by default. The Video options can be changed to reflect a variety of advanced linearization options to boost blacks or extend whites in the image to match a custom transform curve.

  • Gamma: The assumed gamma of the input media.
  • sRGB: Assumes that the display is characterized by sRGb color space. This has the effect of sending the gamma parameter toward gray, replacing it with the standard sRGB curve. On by default.
  • ITU-R 601: Assumes 601-clamped color mapping of 16-235 instead of 0-255 for black and white range. Off by default.
  • Black Stretch: Lifts values below the Stretch Below value. Changes are reflected in the Graph and Input image.
  • Stretch below: Sets the threshold for the Black Stretch control.
  • White Boost: Re-maps the white point of the video from the Boost At threshold above 1.0 or 100% IRE. Changes are reflected in the Graph and Input image.
  • Boost At: Sets the threshold for the White Boost control.
  • Highlight Roll-on: Reduces the top input highlight value to add roll-on to the curve.
  • Exposure compensation: Increases or decreases the exposure of the input footage and also alters the curve to reflect the exposure change.
  • Pixel Aspect Ratio: Sets the assumed PAR for the input media. The Looks tool automatically sets the PAR for standard-sized media such as D1, HDV, and full raster HD.
  • 18% Gray Reference: If the current frame includes a middle-gray reference, (for example, on a chart in the shot) you can click in the Input preview area in the center right to use the eyedropper to set that value as middle gray, balancing the image.

 

 

Panalog

Input Panel> Panalog Tool

Panalog is one of three tools that can be chosen in the Input Panel's Tool Area. This transform uses a fixed table that is suitable only for media that has been brought in as raw Panalog data from the Panavision Genesis camera.

  • ITU-R 601: Assumes 601-clamped color mapping of 16-235 instead of 0-255 for black and white range. Off by default.
  • Exposure compensation: Increases or decreases the exposure of the input footage
  • Pixel Aspect Ratio: Sets the assumed PAR for the input media so that footage displays correctly in LooksBuilder.

 

 

Cineon Tools

Input Panel> Cineon Tool

Cineon is one of three tools that can be chosen in the Input Panel's Tool Area.

  • LAD: Sets the reference Color Printing Density value.
  • Middle Gray: Sets the knee of the curve. Defaults to 0.18, linear mid-gray.
  • Pixel Aspect Ratio: Sets the assumed PAR for the input media so that footage displays correctly in LooksBuilder.

 

 

Output Panel

The Output Panel has two output choices: Video and Cineon. Video is the default, displayed in the lower left corner. The adjustment settings on the right will change according to this choice, as will the default adjustments.

 

 

 

Panalog

Output Panel> Video Tool

Video is one of two tools that can be chosen in the Output Panel's Tool Area. The Video Output panel shows an inverse curve from the input and reflects the opposite adjustment to return the output to assumed gamma of 2.2.

  • Gamma: The Gamma of the output media; 2.2 video gamma by default.
  • sRGB: Assumes that the display is characterized by sRGb color space. This has the effect of sending the gamma parameter toward gray, replacing it with the standard sRGB curve. On by default.
  • ITU-R 601: Assumes 601 clamped color mapping of 16-235 instead of 0-255 for black and white range. Off by default.
  • Black Stretch: Lifts values below the Stretch Below value. Changes are reflected in the Graph and Output image.
  • Stretch below: Sets the threshold for the Black Stretch control.
  • Highlight Roll-off: Reduces the top output highlight value to add roll-off to the curve.

 

 

Cineon Tools

Output Panel> Cineon Tool

Cineon is one of two tools that can be chosen in the Output Panel's Tool Area. The Cineon Output panel is chained to Cineon Input settings by default. Click the large chain icon at the top to allow other chains to be toggled off.

  • LAD: Sets the reference Color Printing Density value.
  • Middle Gray: Sets the knee of the curve. Defaults to 0.18, linear mid-gray.
  • Gamma: Sets red, green and blue gamma according to the defined midpoint.

Preview Panel

The controls in the Preview Panel contain chain icons. By default, Preview settings are chained to those of the Output panel. You can un-chain any of these settings and alter the way footage looks as you work in the Look panel (without changing the output appearance). This is useful with images that do not natively display correctly for color correction.