Blackmagic Design just announced a $500 price drop for its Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC 6K). This Super 35 6K-capable camera with EF lens mount is now therefore available for $1,995.
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K was announced last year in August. With that camera, Blackmagic Design offered an alternative body for customers who liked the Pocket 4K but wanted a larger sensor with 6K video and Canon EF mount. If you want to refresh the camera’s features and specs, make sure to check our extensive coverage of the BMPCC6K:
The BMPCC6K features a Super 35 sensor with 6144 x 3456 resolution (16:9 ratio). It can record up to 6K 50fps video in Blackmagic RAW. In some resolutions, there are also various flavors of ProRes available. The camera has a Canon EF lens mount and the same dual gain ISO as the Pocket 4K – ISO 400 and 3200 (maximum ISO value is 25,600).
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera features built-in CFast and SD UHS-II card recorders, and a USB-C expansion port for recording directly to an external SSD. On the back of the camera, there is a 5-inch touchscreen for monitoring and camera control.
The record light becomes a tally light so customers can see which camera is on air. The ATEM Software Control camera page has a camera control unit (CCU) style interface for adjusting and matching their cameras. Users can move the CCU control vertically for iris and left to right to adjust the black level. It’s the same as a broadcast CCU. There are also controls for color tint to balance camera as well as focus, gain, and shutter speed. At the same time, customers can still record Blackmagic RAW in the camera for editing later.
Altogether, the BMPCC6K was offering a lot for its price even before the price drop. Now with the $500 off, it is a lot of camera for relatively little money in my opinion. If you are interested in buying the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, we will be happy if you use the following links to our partner stores. With no extra cost, we get a small commission from your purchase which helps us running cinema5D.
Were you planning on buying the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K? What do you think about this price drop? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
Chroma Key is used everywhere these days, but it can still be a humbling experience to properly pull a key if you‘re not doing it all day for a living. If you are working in the Studio version of Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve you do have one of the best Keyers in the world at your fingertips. But working the Fusion page is not for everyone. Don‘t fret — there is a decent Chroma Key hidden in DaVinci Resolve‘s Color page.
When Blackmagic introduced the 3D qualifier to DaVinci Resolve I was impressed by how much better it was to select ranges of colors for secondary color correction, compared to the old qualifier algorithms.
What I did not realize at first was that you could use the 3D qualifier to pull chromakeys. Turns out: you can!
And boy does it work well!
Check out this Quick Tip Video, where I‘ll show you how this works.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
A few Tips on Shooting Greenscreen
Of course, the results of a chroma key depend on the quality of the footage you are trying to key. To get keyable footage, keep these things in mind:
Use the highest possible quality your camera can record — maybe rent an external recorder if the internal codec is weak.
Use the proper shade of highly saturated green or blue as a background. Just simple green cardboard does not cut it.
Light the subject and the screen separately
Put a Kicker-Light on the hair of your talent. Put a quarter or half CTO gel on it.
Light the green screen as evenly as possible to about 40% brightness.
Get as much distance between your talent and the screen as possible
Make sure your white balance is correct
Use Greenscreen over Bluescreen whenever possible. Digital cameras usually compress the blue channel the most and that’s exactly where you need information when keying Bluescreen.
If you have questions, requests or ideas for future Quick Tip Videos, please write in the comments.
Blackmagic Design released DaVinci Resolve update to version 16.2.2 which brings various improvements and fixes like support for exporting .srt files without formatting, support for RED 7.3.1 SDK, ability to assign frame rate on YouTube, Vimeo and Frame.io renders and more.
Blackmagic Design first announced DaVinci Resolve 16 at last year’s NAB. You can take a look at our article with the Resolve 16 first feature demo video here. Since then, Resolve 16 received a few updates already. Now Blackmagic Design announced the 16.2.2 version with few interesting updates and fixes. Let’s take a look at what has been improved.
DaVinci Resolve 16.2.2
According to Blackmagic Design, the new DaVinci Resolve 16.2.2 Studio improves performance and addresses a few issues based on customer feedback.
This is an overview of all the improvements and fixes included in DaVinci Resolve 16.2.2 update:
Hardware-accelerated H.265 Main10 renders on supported Macs.
Blackmagic RAW clip LUT name can now be viewed in clip metadata.
Ability to assign frame rate on YouTube, Vimeo and Frame.io renders.
Support for marking Frame.io comments in markers as complete.
Nudge keyboard actions can be used in the sync clip dialog.
Support for exporting .srt files without formatting.
Support for RED 7.3.1 SDK.
Support for the Rec.709-A gamma option for QuickTime player compatibility.
Preference to automatically tag Rec.709 clips as Rec.709-A.
Addressed level shifts playing some short H.264 clips on Mac systems.
Addressed loss of audio transition when trimming clips in the timeline.
Addressed issues with stabilization not being available in the inspector.
Addressed issues with incorrect channel order for audio waveform display.
Addressed an issue with previewing in Fusion when in proxies mode.
Addressed an issue with using reference sizing with timeline wipe.
Addressed an issue with aspect ratio metadata in some MXF renders.
Multiple performance and stability improvements.
Price and Availability
As always with DaVinci Resolve, this update is available for free for existing customers in both free Resolve and in paid Resolve Studio. Both macOS X and Windows versions can be downloaded from Blackmagic Design Support Page.
Blackmagic Design recommends backing up all active databases and current projects before upgrading to this release. They encourage all users to update Resolve 16 systems to version 16.2.2.
Do you use DaVinci Resolve 16 for your work? Does this update bring any improvement or fix that you experienced? Let us know in the comment section below the article.
In this cinema5D Quick Tip Video, I‘ll show you how to work with LUTs in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve and how to avoid a mistake that many Resolve users make when starting out using LUTs. This tip is relevant for both the Studio- and the free version of DaVinci Resolve.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Image credit: cinema5D
A Few Words first
Much of what I learned about software and techniques, for the last decade or so, I have learned online.
There are lots of free and paid tutorials out there on the internet. Some better than others but with time and effort, it‘s possible to learn just about anything including post-production software and filmmaking techniques.
I love comprehensive, hours-long step-by-step tutorials that walk you through whole software packages. But what I love even more are those small ones that focus around one specific piece of knowledge.
I find it exciting to learn a new little trick that speeds up my workflow, improves quality or lets me do some cool new stuff.
Because I think you might also be interested in such little nuggets of knowledge, I‘ll share what I have collected over the years.
Oh, and one last thing: I did some teaching in the past, but it’s the first time I’m talking directly on camera — like most camera people I don’t fancy being in front of the lens, but I bit the bullet for you guys. :-)
To LOG or not to LOG
Because I would have loved to know what’s in this first Quick Tip Video when I began using Resolve, I have decided to start with a tip about LUTs.
Since the advent of cameras that shoot LOG gamma many filmmakers very often employ LUTs to normalise their footage to REC.709 or REC.2020, convert colourspaces and to creatively style their productions.
I don’t particularly like using LUTs — mainly because they “throw away” image information as you will see in der video — but sometimes it’s unavoidable or convenient.
While DaVinci Resolve is a powerhouse of a software package, it does not hold your hand in any way and it’s easy to make mistakes that can mess up your work big time.
In this tutorial, I covered the basics of how to properly use LUTs for whatever purpose. I used a LUT that normalises LOG down to REC.709, but the principles apply to LUT usage in general.
If you have questions, ideas, suggestions or maybe have a little gem of knowledge to share yourself, please put them in the comments!
The initial Blackmagic Camera Setup update had a patch number of 6.9.3. However Blackmagic reported a problem with this firmware batch causing noise in the highlights.
Firmware update 6.9.4 has addressed this bug, and provides all of the same features listed below:
Add language localization support.
Add slider and 1/3rd stop increments when adjusting ISO.
Add common off-speed frame rate options above slider.
Add ability to embed custom LUTs in Blackmagic RAW clips.
Add sidetone level adjustment.
Add improved ballistics and scaling of audio meters.
Add choice of -18 or -20dB reference levels for audio meters.
Add ability to remap the HFR button.
Add ability to disable function and HFR buttons.
Add ability to remap VTR and Ret buttons on B4 lenses.
Add quick media switching from the heads up display.
Add support for HDR metadata in SDI output.
Add ‘LUT’ icon to status text overlays.
Add ‘PRE’ icon to status text overlays for preset timecode.
Add 2:1, 1:1 and 4:5 monitoring frame guides.
Add customizable frame guides.
Add ability to lock timecode to SDI Input.
Retain jam synced timecode after power cycle.
Improved jam sync timecode accuracy after playback.
Improved stability when using external or program reference.
Improved compatibility for embedded audio on SDI outputs.
Improved accuracy of status text on SDI outputs.
Improved ND filter status text.
Improved auto exposure speed and performance.
Improved media formatting user interface.
What’s new in Blackmagic RAW 1.7
Added support for Panasonic EVA1 Blackmagic RAW clips captured by Blackmagic Video Assist.
Added support for Canon EOS C300 Mark II Blackmagic RAW clips captured by Blackmagic Video Assist.
Blackmagic RAW Adobe Premiere Pro plugin general performance and stability improvements.
So to confirm – anybody who did update to the 6.9.3 must update to 6.9.4 to fix the noisy highlight bug, all other features of the updates remain the same.
Updates are valid for the original Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro G1 only; it’s always nice to see camera manufacturers keeping older camera bodies up to date.
Blackmagic Design announced a new update 8.2.3 for its ATEM Switchers. The update adds adjustable audio delay on the analog inputs on ATEM Mini models and it allows the DVE (digital video effect) to scale more than 100% in size on ATEM Mini and ATEM Mini Pro. Furthermore, Blackmagic Design announced a minor manufacturing update 3.1.2 to its Video Assist 12G 5″ monitor/recorder.
ATEM Switchers and Video Assist 12G Updates. Source: Blackmagic Design
The ATEM Switchers from Blackmagic Design have gotten quite popular as an affordable multi-camera solution. Even more so due to this year’s situation with lockdown and the significant increase in live streaming. Back in April 2020, Blackmagic Design introduced the new ATEM Mini Pro Switcher.
When compared to the standard ATEM Mini, the Pro version adds a new hardware streaming engine via Ethernet, recording to USB flash disks and new multiview for monitoring all cameras and more.
It is good to see that Blackmagic Design keeps updating its products with new firmware versions. What does the new 8.2.3 update for the ATEM Switchers bring?
Blackmagic ATEM Switchers 8.2.3 Update
The new software update 8.2.3 adds the following new improvements and fixes to ATEM Switchers:
Adds adjustable audio delay on the analog inputs on ATEM Mini models. Users can select up to 8 frames of audio delay on analog microphone inputs.
Allows the DVE (digital video effect) to scale more than 100% in size on ATEM Mini and ATEM Mini Pro.
ATEM Mini Versus ATEM Mini Pro. Source: Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design further released a Developer SDK for ATEM Switchers 8.2.3 that allows updating of hardware control and software interfaces for ATEM production switchers.
Blackmagic Video Assist 3.1.2 Update
Another minor update from Blackmagic Design is a manufacturing update 3.1.2 for Blackmagic Video Assist 5” 12G monitor/recorder. For more information about the new Video Assists 12G, take a look at our article from IBC 2019.
Blackmagic Design announced two new control panels for its switchers. The new ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel features 2 M/E rows with 20 input buttons and 2 independent system control LCDs for each row. The ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel features 4 M/E rows with 40 input buttons per row and 4 independent system control LCDs for each row. This large panel includes 24 LCD’s for custom labeling of every button on every row.
In April 2020, Blackmagic Design already updated its compact switcher line – the company introduced the ATEM Mini Pro. The existing ATEM Mini received a little larger and more capable colleague.
In yesterday’s live stream, Blackmagic Design introduced two new products for larger live productions. The existing ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel received two larger siblings – ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel and ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel. Let’s take a short look at the features and specs.
Every ATEM Advanced Panel is basically an accessory for a Blackmagic Design switcher like for example the ATEM Constellation 8K that provides a better and faster workflow. The Constellation 8K is a switcher with 40 12G-SDI inputs, two 12G-SDI outputs, and 24 12G-SDI AUX outputs. Even though the switcher can function without the advanced panel via its built-in control panel or software control panel, Blackmagic recommends getting one of their Advanced Panels for faster and easier operation. The Advanced Panels have physical broadcast quality buttons, knobs, and a t‑bar fader to access all features in the switcher, all at the same time.
The existing ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel features a single M/E row with 10 input buttons and 1 system control LCD screen. Although it’s a 1 M/E panel, users can control all M/Es in larger switchers. The input buttons feature user customizable colors and button label LCDs. There’s also a joystick for the DVE and a T-bar fader.
The new ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel features 2 M/E rows with 20 input buttons and 2 independent system control LCDs for each row. Plus each row can control up to 4 M/Es in larger switchers. Both rows and all input buttons include LCDs for custom labeling. Each row also includes an independent select bus. This new model replaces the older ATEM 2M/E Broadcast Panel – it offers more features while being smaller.
Blackmagic introduced an even larger model with the ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel. It features 4 M/E rows with 40 input buttons per row and 4 independent system control LCDs for each row. This large panel includes 24 LCD’s for custom labeling of every button on every row.
The Blackmagic Design live stream has been reuploaded to Youtube, so you can watch it to get a good overview of all the new features of the ATEM Advanced Panels.
The panels offer transition control, transition styles (mix, dip, wipe, DVE and more), keyer control, fader bar for manually blend transitions, built-in fade to black (FTB) button, joystick for precise control, and more. For a full overview of the functions, you can also take a look at the Blackmagic Product Website.
Price and Availability
Both new ATEM Advanced Panels are now available for pre-order. The ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel retails for $6,159 and the larger 4 M/E model costs $18,485. There is no info yet when these new models will ship. We will keep you informed.
Do you do live productions? Do you have experience with the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel? Would you consider one of the larger panels? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
Blackmagic Design has just announced a new production camera – Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. It has a super35 sensor and shoots BRAW full-sensor readout in 12K up to 60fps, 8K up to 110fps, or 4K in super16 crop mode up to 220fps. Apart from internal dual CFast and SD UHS-II card slots, there is a USB-C connector for recording on external drives. The camera comes with a PL lens mount which is interchangeable to EF or F mount. There is internal ND filter as well. The URSA Mini Pro 12K will be available in July 2020 for $9,995.
New Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. Source: Blackmagic Design
After announcing “only” the new ATEM Mini Pro in their live stream in April, Blackmagic Design disappointed some of their customers waiting for a new camera. This time the company really announced a new camera – so let’s take a short look at it.
Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K
In the live stream, Grant Petty first announced two new Video Assist 3G and new Ultra Studio Recorders 3G. Then he proceeded to a new camera and I have to say that I was surprised. He announced a new production camera – URSA Mini Pro with 12K video resolution.
12K resolution with 6K crop. Source: Blackmagic Design
The camera has a super35 sensor with 12,288 x 6,480 resolution and DCI 17:9 ratio. That is a ridiculous 80 megapixels in each frame. Grant Petty explained Blackmagic went for 12K so that filmmakers can easily reframe shots for 8K or 4K delivery. The ultra-high-resolution should also be useful for VFX and high-end green screen work. The sensor is brand new, it has a new color science, and according to Blackmagic Design, it is the first sensor designed especially for BRAW. BMD says the sensor has up to 14 stops of dynamic range.
New Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. Source: Blackmagic Design
From outside, the camera looks the same as older URSA models, but the internals is brand new according to Blackmagic Design. The camera comes with PL-mount but offers an interchangeable lens mount to Canon EF mount or Nikon F mount.
The sensor’s native resolution is 12K but it can record in lower resolution without crop and without binning as well. The supported full-sensor recording modes in Blackmagic RAW are as follows:
12K up to 60fps
8K (8192 x 4320) up to 110fps, 8192 x 3408 up to 140fps
6K up to 110fps
4K (4096 x 2160) up to 110fps full-sensor or up to 220fps in super16 crop mode
New Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. Source: Blackmagic Design
The camera has internal ND filters, Dual CFast card slots, Dual UHS-II SD card slots, 12G SDI output, and USB-C port for recording on external SSDs. An interesting feature is that the camera can record on two CFast or SD cards at the same time which offers up to 900MBps (500MBps for SD) recording speed. Dual card recording (called “Record RAW on 2 Cards”) means that every second frame gets saved on each card. If you lose one card, you still get a usable file, but with only half the frame rate.
Blackmagic RAW 12-bit format has been updated as well. There is a new film curve for BRAW – generation 5. BMD says it should offer better highlight roll-off, better skin tones, and more flexibility in post. Grant Petty also demonstrated how he edits the 12K footage on a laptop and in multi-cam mode on a Mac Pro. There are new Q1 and Q3 quality level settings and the new 18:1 constant bitrate setting.
New Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K. Source: Blackmagic Design
The new Blackmagic URSA Mini Recorder lets users record 12-bit Blackmagic RAW files onto 2.5″ SSDs, including the latest U.2 NVMe Enterprise SSDs for data transfer speeds of up to 900 MBps. The recorder is designed to attach directly to the back of the URSA Mini Pro between the camera and the battery and it is controlled via the USB-C.
New Blackmagic URSA Mini Recorder. Source: Blackmagic Design
Pricing and Availability
BMD says they will first ship the camera to selected high-end DPs to get feedback from them and then it gets shipped to all other customers in few weeks. The price for the camera body will be $9,995. The URSA Mini Recorder will cost $395. The updates for DaVinci Resolve to work with 12K are coming soon. The camera, of course, includes a full version of the DaVinci Resolve Studio.
What do you think about the new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
In yesterday’s live stream Blackmagic Design announced new Blackmagic Video Assist 3G models – more affordable alternative to 12G models. Coming in two versions – with 5″ and 7″ touchscreen LCDs – the models offer recording in up to 1080p60 in ProRes or Avid DNx to SD cards via HDMI or 3G-SDI inputs. Available now for $495 (5″) and $695 (7″). Also announced were new UltraStudio 3G Monitor and UltraStudio 3G Recorder. Both pocket-sized devices offer 3G-SDI and HDMI connections plus high-speed Thunderbolt 3. Available now for US$115 each.
New Blackmagic Video Assist 3G and UltraStudio 3G announced. Source: Blackmagic Design
Aside from the surprising Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K camera announcement (you can read all about this new camera here), Blackmagic Design’s CEO Grant Petty also announced two new affordable Blackmagic Video Assist 3G monitors/recorders and two new UltraStudio 3G devices. Let’s take a short look at them.
Blackmagic Video Assist 3G
The first thing Grant Petty announced in yesterday’s live stream was the new Video Assist 3G monitor/recorder. There are two new models coming with different screen sizes – a smaller 5″ model and a larger 7″ model. The idea behind those new models is to bring a more affordable alternative to Blackmagic’s Video Assist 12G models.
Both models can record up to 1080p60 video via HDMI or 3G SDI inputs. The recorded video is saved to affordable SD cards. The larger Video Assist 7″ models include 2 SD card slots so users can swap out any full cards even during recording for infinite length recording. The new Blackmagic Video Assist 3G models support recording in 10-bit Apple ProRes and Avid DNx. There is no BRAW recording within the new models.
The touchscreen LCD can be customized by adding or removing overlays such as current filename, focus peaking, zebra, false color, frame guides, 3D LUTs, and more. 3D LUTs support allows monitoring shots with the desired color and look. LUTs can even be “baked in” if desired. On-screen, there are dedicated buttons for play, stop, and record, plus a mini timeline for scrolling through recordings.
New Blackmagic Video Assist 3G announced. Source: Blackmagic Design
The SDI and HDMI connections are multi-rate, so all models handle SD and HD television standards. Standard definition formats include NTSC and PAL. 720p HD standards include 720p50 and 59.94p. 1080i HD interlaced formats include 1080i50 and 59.94. 1080p HD formats include 1080p23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94 and 60p. Plus users can also work in 1080 PsF formats.
When working in SDI formats, customers can record 2, 4, 8, or 16 channels of audio. For connecting microphones, the 7″ model has 2 XLR analog audio inputs with phantom power and high definition audio sample rates of 192 kHz at 16 and 24 bit per sample. The audio meters can be changed between VU or PPM ballistics.
Both models include a rear tally light, a front panel speaker for clip playback, and a headphone jack. Video Assist uses Sony L-Series batteries, and with 2 battery slots, users can change batteries without interrupting recording. Video Assist also includes a 12V DC power connection.
Blackmagic UltraStudio Monitor 3G and UltraStudio Recorder 3G
Both new devices are portable, pocket-sized capture and playback solutions featuring 3G-SDI and HDMI connections plus high-speed Thunderbolt 3 technology. UltraStudio Monitor 3G and UltraStudio Recorder 3G are powered by their Thunderbolt connections so they can be operated from a computer’s battery or power source.
UltraStudio Monitor 3G is for playing back SDI or HDMI video and the UltraStudio Recorder 3G is for recording SDI and HDMI video. Blackmagic Design decided to announce two separate products to lower the cost and offer devices to customers that don’t need both features. For example, when monitoring using NLE software the UltraStudio Monitor 3G would be a good choice.
New Blackmagic UltraStudio 3G announced. Source: Blackmagic Design
Replacing older Thunderbolt 2 models, these new models feature Thunderbolt 3 which offers more video formats, a greater selection of colorspace, RGB video formats, and lower cost.
Key features:
High-speed Thunderbolt 3 port for high quality video processing
Built in 3G-SDI and HDMI connections on each model
Supports all common SD/HD video formats up to 1080p60
Uncompressed and compressed 10-bit 4:2:2 YUV or RGB quality
Supports DaVinci Resolve and all other video software
Developer SDK available to download free
Price and Availability
The new Blackmagic Video Assist 3G monitors/recorders are available now for pre-order. The price for the smaller 5″ model is $495, the larger 7″ Video Assist 3G will set you back $695.
The UltraStudio Monitor 3G and UltraStudio Recorder 3G can also be pre-ordered now. The price is the same – $115 each.
What do you think about the new Blackmagic Video Assist 3G and UltraStudio 3G? Are you planning to get one of those? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
BRAW Studio V2 for Adobe CC from Autokroma is comprised of three plugins that allow users to work natively with BRAW footage in Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Media Encoder. According to Autokroma, the BRAW Studio V2 offers betters functionality (like the Source Settings Panel) and better performance than Blackmagic’s free BRAW plugin.
BRAW Studio V2 – Premiere Pro Source Settings Panel. Source: Autokroma
Blackmagic RAW (BRAW) is a relatively new video codec developed by Blackmagic Design. Although it is not an entirely clean compressed RAW, it got fairly popular thanks to its balance between RAW settings available in the post production (white balance, exposure, ISO,…) and its relatively compact size. Today, BRAW is available on Blackmagic Design cameras as well as on their Video Assist monitor/recorder.
When it comes to BRAW post-production, the best workflow and compatibility is provided in DaVinci Resolve. Other NLEs can, however, also work with BRAW. Last year in September, Blackmagic Design launched their own free BRAW plugin for other NLEs including Adobe Premiere Pro.
In addition to the free BRAW plugin from BMD, there is also a third-party solution available now – BRAW Studio V2 from Autokroma. The company claims its solution offers more than Blackmagic Design’s BRAW plugin. Let’s take a short look at the BRAW Studio V2.
BRAW Studio V2 for Adobe CC
The BRAW Studio V2 from Autokroma is comprised of three plugins that allow users to work natively with BRAW footage in following Adobe CC apps:
Adobe Premiere Pro – enables importing and editing BRAW footage, BRAW Studio Panel includes features such as the Source Settings Panel, Sequence XML Export, Timecode correction, etc.
Adobe Media Encoder – enables re-encoding and creating proxies for BRAW footage.
Adobe After Effects – enables importing BRAW and modify/experience the color grading in real-time with BRAW Studio Layer Settings filter, directly within AEfx interface.
The new Source Settings Panel enables users to modify the RAW parameters in a docked panel and it is compatible with batch operations on a selection of BRAW clips. This Panel also provides useful utility and workflow features, for example correcting NTSC timecodes and importing the footage metadata (Panel UI is available in Window top menu -> Extensions). A comprehensive list of the Source Settings Panel features can be found here.
Furthermore, in the BRAW Studio V2, there is a Custom A/B function to quickly compare the different RAW Parameters set. The RAW Parameters can be saved in up to 20 Global Presets and shared across projects in Premiere Pro / After Effects. Users can also access the same RAW color parameters from DaVinci Resolve and load/save them thanks to .sidecar files.
Autokroma claims they are constantly updating BRAW Studio with Blackmagic’s latest features, new cameras supported (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and 6K, URSA Mini Pro G2), new RAW parameters added (color spaces, gammas, highlight recovery, embedded LUT), bug fixes, and so on.
One license of the BRAW Studio works for the same user on up to two computers not used at the same time. It requires macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or higher, or Windows 7 or higher. Adobe CC 2017 to 2020 is supported.
Free Blackmagic RAW Plugin Versus BRAW Studio V2 – What is the Difference?
According to Autokroma, the BRAW Studio V2 offers the following advantages over Blackmagic’s free BRAW plugin:
BRAW Studio Source Settings Panel – RAW settings accessible directly in a Lumetri-like dockable panel, compatible with batch modifications to a selection of BRAW with Presets or Sidecars.
Good timecode for NTSC framerates – the ability to export the timeline to DaVinci Resolve
New BRAW Studio Presets feature
New Custom A/B feature to quickly compare two different sets of RAW parameters
No Replace Clip bug, No Ctrl-Z bug, and Source Settings Copy/Paste is working fine
Metadata inside Premiere Pro (both Properties and Project Panel Columns)
Increased compatibility (CC 2017 and CC 2018)
“Reconnect Full Resolution” button for proxies is working in BRAW Studio
“Collect Files and copy to new location” in Project Manager is working
General Support – Autokroma can fix any issues and answer your questions by email
More information and details on the comparison between the free Blackmagic RAW Plugin and BRAW Studio V2 can be found here.
The BRAW Studio V2 is available for download now for both Windows and macOS. The full price for the software is €65.90. Autokroma, however, offers a free trial for up to 500 frames. The links for download including installation instructions can be found here.
What do you think about the BRAW Studio V2 from Autokroma? Do you edit BRAW footage in Adobe Premiere Pro? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
Blackmagic Design released a new version of DaVinci Resolve 16. The Resolve 16.3 Beta 2 update adds further support for Blackmagic RAW 2.0 on Windows. The update can be, as always, downloaded for free via Blackmagic Design Support Center website.
Blackmagic RAW or shortly BRAW is a fairly popular 12-bit image acquisition codec – especially among DaVinci Resolve users. First introduced during IBC 2018 nearly two years ago, Blackmagic Design constantly keeps updating its codec.
While it is not a “pure” compressed RAW format per definition (the de-mosaic process happens partly in-camera already), it features good flexibility in post-production (enjoyed best in DaVinci Resolve). It is possible to change white balance, ISO, retain some clipped highlights, and so on.
When Blackmagic Design announced the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K last month, the company also announced the arrival of BRAW 2.0 with some new improvements including the new Color Science Gen 5. With this release, Blackmagic Design basically extends BRAW 2.0 support for Windows and improves stability.
Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 16.3 Beta 2
The new version of DaVinci Resolve adds support for Blackmagic RAW SDK 2.0 beta and it brings general performance and stability improvements.
Minimum system requirements for macOS:
Mac 10.14.6 Mojave
16 GB of system memory. 32 GB when using Fusion
Blackmagic Design Desktop Video version 10.4.1 or later
Integrated GPU or discrete GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM.
GPU which supports Metal or OpenCL 1.2.
Minimum system requirements for Windows:
Windows 10 Update
16 GB of system memory. 32 GB when using Fusion
Blackmagic Design Desktop Video version 10.4.1 or later
Integrated GPU or discrete GPU with at least 2GB of VRAM
GPU which supports OpenCL 1.2 or CUDA 10
NVIDIA/AMD/Intel GPU Driver version – As required by your GPU
Blackmagic RAW 2.0 Public Beta 2
The previous BRAW update – Blackmagic RAW 2.0 Public Beta 1 (released July 15, 2020) – added support for the new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, dual card recording, and updated to Blackmagic Color Science Gen 5.
The current Blackmagic RAW 2.0 Public Beta 2 update adds support for Blackmagic RAW 2.0 on Windows and it brings general performance and stability improvements, according to Blackmagic Design.
If you would like to see a detailed explanation of the available functionality, you can take a look at Blackmagic RAW SDK documentation.
Minimum system requirements for macOS:
Mac Mojave 10.14 or later
AVX, AVX2, or SSE4.1 compatible chipset
Adobe CC 2019 or later for Adobe Premiere Pro plug-ins
Do you use Blackmagic RAW for your work? How do you like this format? Are you thinking about trying out the new URSA Mini Pro 12K camera? Let us know your thoughts underneath the article.
It is not that long ago when one of the smallest full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market – SIGMA fp – received a large firmware update version 2.0. This update unlocked the external RAW recording option over HDMI, Dual ISO, and some other improvements. More information on the update v2.0 can be found in this article.
Now SIGMA released another small firmware update (version 2.01) which irons out some bugs. Let’s take a short look at the new firmware update.
SIGMA fp Firmware Update Version 2.01
The firmware update is available for download now free of charge. The update file itself as well as the manual on how to upgrade can be found on SIGMA Support Webpage. It fixes the following bugs:
Corrected the phenomenon of displaying white corners on DNGs or CinemaDNGs in some development software when using the following combination – SIGMA fp and Panasonic LUMIX S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6 lens with the Lens Optics Correction function Vignetting setting set to “auto” (focal length 20mm and aperture value of f/3.5.).
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Panasonic LUMIX S 20-60mm Lens. Source: Panasonic
Corrected the bug related to Blackmagic RAW codec recording over HDMI with the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G recorder by Blackmagic Design. Please note, that this also requires a new 3.2.3 firmware update for the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G to be installed.
This free firmware update for both 5” and 7″ 12G Video Assist recorders improves the workflow when recording Blackmagic RAW from the SIGMA fp. It adds support for 100 and 119.88 fps, improves color temperature, and fixes trigger recording. It can be downloaded from the Blackmagic Design Support Center.
Do you have experience working with the SIGMA fp? Do you record in CinemaDNG RAW or compressed RAW externally with a recorder? Let us know in the comments section below.
The new DaVinci Resolve 17 Public Beta 2 fixes some bugs, brings further improvements and increases stability. Blackmagic Design also released DaVinci Resolve 17.1 Beta 1 for the new M1 MacBooks and Mac Mini with Apple Silicon.
Almost two weeks ago, Blackmagic Design released the new version 17 of its NLE (non-linear editor) system DaVinci Resolve. Long gone are the days when DaVinci Resolve was only a capable color grading tool. I personally switched to Resolve for all my post-production work over a year ago already.
The new Resolve 17 includes over 300 new features and improvements including HDR grading tools, redesigned primary color controls, improved Fairlight audio engine, plus many other tools for editors including a redesigned inspector, new bin sorting and metadata clip views. For an overview of all the new functions in DaVinci Resolve 17, you can check our DaVinci Resolve 17 article. Recently, Blackmagic Design released Resolve 17.0 Public Beta 2 and 17.1 Beta 1. Let’s take a short look at what is new.
DaVinci Resolve 17.0 Public Beta 2
The first released version of DaVinci Resolve 17 on November 10 was the Public Beta 1. The newly released Public Beta 2 basically only fixes some bugs and brings some other improvements.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. DaVinci Resolve 17 Cut Page. Source: Blackmagic Design
Here is a list of all the new Beta 2 changes:
Addressed an issue with installing from a network drive on Windows systems.
Addressed an issue with black grades when loading projects on non-English locale systems.
Addressed an issue with color picker behavior for color warper in highlight mode.
Addressed an issue with interlaced clips showing watermark for basic interlace detection
Addressed an issue with AAF exports to ProTools.
Addressed an issue with Motion Trails Resolve FX.
Addressed an issue with move action on the cut page.
Addressed an issue with FlexBus channel mapping.
Addressed an issue with timecode entry for custom frame rate timelines.
Addressed an issue with tracking backwards when using optical flow in Fusion.
Addressed an issue with pasting nodes in the Fusion page with dual-screen layouts.
Addressed an issue where using Fusion corner pinning would sometimes cause a crash.
Addressed an issue where rendering a shape with zero size would cause a crash in the Fusion page.
Addressed an issue when applying temporal noise reduction on clips with multiple Fusion outputs.
More than 50 general performance and stability improvements.
As this is still only a Beta version, Blackmagic Design encourages its users to submit all feedback and bug reports via the Public Beta Feedback Forum on the Blackmagic Design website.
Please keep in mind that Resolve 17.0 requires a database upgrade from DaVinci Resolve 16.2.7 and previous versions. Blackmagic Design strongly recommends that you back up your existing database (both DiskDB and PostgreSQL) and then restore that database for the upgrade before upgrading to the 17.0 release.
DaVinci Resolve 17.1 Beta 1
Recently, Apple announced the long-awaited transition from Intel CPUs to Apple’s own chips. The tech giant first introduced the new MacBooks and a Mac Mini with the new ARM-based M1 processors. The Resolve 17.1 Beta 1 brings optimization for the new Apple Silicon Macs.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Apple’s ARM-based M1 Chip. Source: Apple
The Resolve 17.1 Beta offers universal app support for M1 powered Macs to provide better performance on small laptops. According to Blackmagic Design, the unified memory architecture on M1 enables DaVinci Resolve 17.1 to leverage the power of CPU and GPU processing more effectively, avoiding the need for PCI Express transfers. The combination of M1, Metal processing, and Resolve 17.1 is supposed to offer up to 5 times better performance when compared to previous generation computers. Resolve 17.1 is also compatible with macOS Big Sur and is initially only available for Mac.
Price and Availability
As always, the new updates are available free of charge. All new versions of DaVinci Resolve can be downloaded via Blackmagic Design Support Center.
Are you using Resolve 17 already? What do you think about the new version? Did you notice any weird behavior? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.
Blackmagic Design has just released a firmware update for all its Blackmagic Video Assist 5″ and 7″ 3G and 12G HDRs: Blackmagic Video Assist 3.3. This firmware update includes a couple of new features, like the ability to use the USB output of the Video Assist as a webcam output, so you can use it as a streaming source. Let’s take a closer look at it!
The Blackmagic Video Assist are now five products in one! Indeed, they were already portable monitors, professional recorders, portable video monitoring tools, and a camera viewfinder solution. Now, with the Blackmagic Video Assist 3.3 firmware update, you can use the USB Type-C output of your Video Assist for streaming video, so your computer sees your monitor/recorder as a webcam.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Blackmagic Video Assist 3G. Source: Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Video Assist 3.3 Update
Below are all the changes and what’s new with this new firmware update:
For all Video Assist 12G HDRs and Video Assist 3Gs: added support for USB webcam output
For Video Assist 5” 3G and Video Assist 7” 3G: added audio monitoring channel selection
New features for the Video Assist 7” 3G: added XLR audio mapping to different channels and XLR external timecode
As you can see, this Blackmagic Video Assist 3.3 firmware update adds webcam support to the USB-C connection. It means that you can connect your Video Assist to computers and live stream video, using any major streaming software or platform, such as Open Broadcaster, YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Skype, Zoom, Twitch and more, in full HD resolution 1080p quality.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Blackmagic Video Assist 5″/7″ 12G HDRs. Source: Blackmagic Design
When connecting the Video Assist to your computer, the software is tricked into seeing it as a common webcam, when it’s actually streaming the incoming SDI or HDMI source from a camera or playing back previously recorded content. With the new webcam support, you can even live stream your shoot to clients from a remote location, anywhere in the world.
Price and Availability
The Blackmagic Video Assist 3.3 firmware update is available now, and it is a free update. You can download it directly on Blackmagic Design’s website here.
What do you think about this firmware update? Do you often do live streams for yourself or clients? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!
DaVinci Resolve 17 and 17.1 Public Beta 3 versions have been released. It brings support for scroll in the color page with the Speed Editor and DaVinci Resolve Editing Keyboard and more improvements and bug fixes.
There have already been a couple of updates since the first public beta of DaVinci Resolve 17 came out. Almost two weeks ago, it was the public beta 2 for the Resolve 17 and beta 1 for the 17.1. Blackmagic Design just released public beta 3 with further improvements and bug fixes. Let’s see what the changes are.
DaVinci Resolve 17 and 17.1 Public Beta 3
First, it is important to say that the only difference between Resolve 17 and 17.1 is OS compatibility. DaVinci Resolve 17.1 has been designed to support the new M1 “Apple Silicon” powered Macs. The DaVinci Resolve 17.1 releases are compatible with macOS Big Sur on both platforms but it is initially only available for Mac with Apple M1. For all other platforms, Resolve 17 is the current version.
One of the most notable improvements in the Beta 3 is the support for scroll in the color page with the Speed Editor and DaVinci Resolve editing keyboard. My colleague Florian already mentioned this in his DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor Review – make sure to give it a read if you haven’t already.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor: Image Credit: CineD
Here is the list of all improvements and bug fixes in DaVinci Resolve 17 and 17.1 Public Beta 3:
Support for scroll in the color page with the speed editor and DaVinci Resolve editing keyboard.
Support for querying and setting individual timeline settings from the scripting API.
Addressed an issue with changing camera raw properties in collaboration projects.
Addressed an issue where magic mask strokes would still be displayed after deleting tracking data.
Addressed an issue with incorrect face refinement results.
Addressed an issue with the incorrect output when adjusting color temperature in an ACES project.
Addressed an issue with distorted audio output on playback in the Edit Page.
Addressed an issue where upgraded projects would not show audio channels for some clips.
Addressed an issue where scene cut clips in upgraded projects would show out of sync audio.
Addressed an issue with noisy audio when rendering multiple instances of the same bus in single clip mode.
Addressed an issue with recording audio with mismatched sample rates in FlexBus mode.
Addressed an issue with audio compressor behavior in FlexBus mode.
Addressed an issue with audio mapping for imported ATEM projects in FlexBus mode.
Addressed an issue with the B-Chain setup dialog on the Fairlight page.
Addressed an issue with incorrect Protools exports in some scenarios with audio clips having faded.
Addressed an issue with decoding H.265 Main 12 clips in macOS Big Sur.
Addressed an issue when revealing rendered in place clips in the media storage on Windows.
Addressed an issue where media managing sub-clips of manually synced clips would sometimes cause a crash.
Improved handling of SVG images in Fusion.
Addressed an issue with increasing Fusion title or composition duration using the change duration dialog.
For a limited time, Blackmagic Design bundles the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve 17 with the Speed Editor controller at no extra cost. So decide quickly if you want one.
Do you use DaVinci Resolve 17 already? How do you like it? If you use it on an M1 Mac, how do you like the optimization? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
The new Blackmagic Camera 7.2 update brings new features and fixes for the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K such as the support for URSA Mini Recorder, better highlight roll-off in Gen 5 color science, better anamorphic support, and more.
Back in July 2020, Blackmagic Design released the new URSA Mini Pro 12K camera along with the Blackmagic URSA Mini Recorder. While the camera has already been selling for quite some time (and already got one update 7.0 for higher framerates), the recorder has not been available yet – it is coming soon. Blackmagic Design recently released the new Blackmagic Camera 7.2 firmware update which adds support for the URSA Mini recorder on the URSA Mini Pro 12K plus other improvements for the camera. Let’s take a look at it.
Blackmagic Camera 7.2 Update
Perhaps the biggest new feature included in the 7.2 update is the support for Blackmagic URSA Mini Recorder on the URSA Mini Pro 12K. With this recorder, which has been specifically designed for the URSA Mini Pro 12K, users will be able to record to fast 2.5″ SATA or U.2 NVMe SSDs. The recorder is controlled directly by the camera using the USB-C connection and is seamlessly integrated by attaching between the back of the camera and the battery. Users can also plug the URSA Mini Recorder directly into the computer to transfer footage from the U.2 or SATA drives. The update 7.2 also adds support for U.2 NVMe 7mm and 9.5mm SSDs for the recorder.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Blackmagic URSA Mini Recorder. Source: Blackmagic Design
The update improves generation 5 color science for the URSA 12K so the video dynamic range setting has a better roll-off in highlights. Furthermore, the Blackmagic Camera 7.2 update provides an improved recording of constant quality in all resolutions and constant bitrate in 4K formats, as well as enhanced demosaic for improved rendering of fine detail.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.URSA Mini Pro 12K Camera with the URSA Mini Recorder Attached. Source: Blackmagic Design
It also improves anamorphic support by applying desqueeze by default in camera and DaVinci Resolve, provides better support for CN-E and Cabrio lenses and lens data, and improves battery percentage readout as well as general performance and stability improvements for the camera. Here is the full list of improvements in the 7.2 update for the URSA 12K:
Add support for URSA Mini Recorder.
Improves Gen 5 Video and Extended Video.
Improves constant quality quantization.
Improves constant bitrate 4K formats.
Improves demosaic for fine detail.
Improves autofocus for EF lenses.
Improves anamorphic support.
Improves focus assist readout.
Improves CN-E lens support.
Improves Cabrio lens support.
Improves battery percentage readout.
Improves USB-C and UHS-ii SD recording.
Fixes CN-E primes record bug.
Fixes 100% zebras bug.
General performance improvements.
Gen 5 color science support for Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder and URSA Studio Viewfinder got improved as well.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. URSA Mini Pro 12K Camera. Source: Blackmagic Design
Finally, this 7.2 update also installs Blackmagic RAW 2.0 Beta 4, as well as Blackmagic RAW Speed Test and third-party Blackmagic RAW plugins. The BRAW Beta 4 improves Gen 5 Video and Extended Video gamma and stability.
Price and Availability
The Blackmagic Camera 7.2 update is available from the Blackmagic Design Support Website free of charge. When updating the URSA Mini Pro 12K, please ensure that it is plugged into mains power and use only the USB port on the left side of the camera near the media card slots.
Please note, that the software installer no longer installs the Desktop Video or UltraScope applications and they will need to be downloaded separately from the Blackmagic Design Support Website.
What do you think about the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K? Where do you see the real benefits for such a resolution? Did you work with the camera already? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below the article.
Blackmagic Design has just released an updated version of their suite of desktop video drivers for several of their hardware solutions to output proper video signals. Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.0 is available for download free of charge.
To be able to output a legal video signal from your computer, you will most likely need some kind of external hardware that supports correct 10bit Rec.709 video signals @50Hz. Blackmagic, of course, has a whole range of solutions on offer that can do just that (and more): Their Ultrastudio line of I/O devices, for example.
The latest Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.0 finally supports the latest M1-powered Macs and offers compatibility with many different hardware devices and applications.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Decklink series of I/O cards. Image credit: Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.0
Blackmagic Desktop Video 12.0 supports DeckLink, UltraStudio and Intensity products on Windows, Linux and Mac platforms. However, there are some limitations under MacOS 11.0 Big Sur. The following list gives a detailed overview of which models the M1 Macs work with and which ones only work with Intel-powered Macs for now:
DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K / Mini Recorder / Mini Recorder 4K
DeckLink SDI 4K / Studio 4K
UltraStudio Recorder 3G / Monitor 3G
UltraStudio HD Mini / 4K / 4K Extreme / 4K Mini/ 4K Extreme 3
Intensity Pro 4K
Intel Macs only:
DeckLink Mini Monitor / HD Extreme 3 / HD Extreme 3D / SDI / Duo / Quad / Studio
UltraStudio Express / Mini Monitor / Mini Recorder
Intensity Pro / Shuttle Thunderbolt
Software compatibility
The new M1 Macs are also still a bit behind in terms of pro software that is compatible with these Blackmagic video I/O devices. The list for Intel-based Macs is much longer than the one for M1 Macs. So check that the software of your choice is on the right list before upgrading:
Hopefully the list of supported software for M1 Macs will grow in the (near) future, but it’s nice to see initial support for proper video I/O for these machines.
For all the details of this update (for Windows / Linux users for example) make sure to head over to Blackmagic.com in order to read the full release notes.
We highly anticipated having the new URSA Mini Pro 12K in our test lab – as this camera with its unique sensor design is doing a lot of things differently to what we have seen from other camera manufacturers. Interested in our results? Then keep on reading …
Time and again Blackmagic impresses with innovations in the camera and postproduction sector. I have to confess, my love with Blackmagic products started when I purchased the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera ( BMPCC) in 2013. Until today, I still use it for family videos – there is a special organic quality to the Full HD footage, which is hard to describe – I just love it, and it has never let me down. For the past 8 years it has travelled with me to the US, Southern Europe, Japan, Korea and other parts of Asia. The list of trips is endless….
I was very sceptical about higher resolutions than Full HD (1920×1080) – the internal 8 bit 4K of the Sony a7S II, that I had in the meantime, was really nice but I sold it in 2018 as I wasn’t too happy with the colors. Then in late 2019 I added a BMPCC6K to my inventory – simply because I wanted to shoot on a native Super 35 sensor without the need for using a speedbooster, and on top, internal downsampled Full HD (from the 6K sensor) ProRes HQ mode was a key feature for me.
And here comes another confession: yes, the downsampled Full HD from the BMPCCC6K looks superb, but nevertheless I now only shoot 6K BRAW on this camera. The option to crop in post in conjunction with a fast and efficient internal RAW codec, plus the great integration in post with the free DaVinci Resolve Studio version, that comes along with it, just ticks all the boxes for me.
And now, I have a 12K camera from Blackmagic in my hands. 12K? This is about 38 times the resolution of my trusty original BMPCC. Wow. Worth to take a closer look.
And because there is a lot to write about the lab results, I decided to divide my review into two parts. In part 1 I will walk you through the rolling shutter and dynamic range results, in part 2 I will present the latitude results (over- and underexposing).
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. URSA Mini Pro 12K. Image: Blackmagic Design
Initial considerations – the unique sensor design of the URSA Mini Pro 12K
A lot has been written about the specs of the URSA Mini Pro 12K here, we interviewed Craig from Blackmagic Design here and wrote about various firmware updates more recently here and here.
Resolution and frame rates – So in short, the URSA Mini Pro 12K features a bigger than Super 35 sensor with a 1.3x crop factor (27.03 x 14.25 mm) and a whopping resolution of 12288×6480 (80 Megapixel) – you can shoot in 12K up to 60fps, in 12K 1:2.4 aspect ratio even 75fps. In 8K and 4K full sensor modes the frame rates go up to 120fps (160fps in 1:2.4). Super impressive to say the least.
All the shots in this test were using 5:1 compression ratio, the camera firmware at the time of testing was 7.0.
Lens – now which lens will resolve this super high resolution? Difficult question, but I settled on our trusted ZEISS Compact Prime CP.2 50mm T2.1 Macro – one of the sharpest lenses I know.
Post-production – the camera shoots in Blackmagic RAW only (BRAW), hence DaVinci Resolve is our tool of choice for the analysis (Version 17.1 public Beta 8). Here are the settings in the RAW tab (for dynamic range export of TIFF’s the saturation and contrast settings were left at “1”):
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image credit. CineD
Depending on your computer setup and your timeline resolution, working with the massive 12K files (again, 80 megapixel per frame!) in Resolve can be challenging. I initially tried it on my older laptop which features an NVIDIA GTX980 card with 8GB of VRAM, but very quickly on a 4K timeline the error message “Your GPU memory is full” appeared – in Full HD it was possible to work with the files.
Hence, we invested in new computer and components (AMD Ryzen 3900X, 32GB RAM) and were lucky enough to have NVIDIA give us their GeForce RTX 3090 which features 24GB of VRAM on a loan – thank you NVIDIA!
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU load – a 25fps 4K DCI timeline in Resolve is very responsive and snappy (using full resolution 12288×6480 decode quality for the 5:1 compression ratio files), running at about 20% GPU load with 12.5 GB of memory. If temporal (3 frames, motion estimation: faster) and spatial noise reduction (mode: faster) is added, GPU load increases to 80% but playback still hovers around 24 – 25 fps.
Increasing the timeline resolution to 8K DCI, the playback drops to 15 fps, but GPU load is only at 38%, memory used is at 13GB – obviously something else in my setup is choking playback (“limited by total power limit” is listed as the performance cap reason of the GPU). If noise reduction is added (like above), playback drops to 7 fps, GPU load increases to around 80% as well as memory usage to 16GB.
Finally, on a 12K timeline, I get about 7 fps, at 38% GPU load with a memory usage around 18GB. As a performance cap reason, “limited by reliability voltage, operating voltage” is shown for the GPU. Adding noise reduction like above pushes GPU load to around 90%, fps drops to around 3 – 4 (memory usage increases to 20GB). Not that I would ever need a 12K timeline, but for exports of TIFF’s into IMATEST for the dynamic range analysis I wanted to have the native sensor resolution.
In summary: The RTX 3090 GPU allows to work with the native 12K files for all possible resolutions, the memory of 24GB is very much sufficient but playback drops depending on your timeline resolution. On a 4K DCI timeline playback is superb, even if noise reduction is added – and that is super impressive!
Rolling shutter
This sensor which uses a proprietary array of 6×6 pixels with an equal amount of red, green and blue including white (clear) pixels (see Blackmagic’s patent here) is designed to be read out in different resolutions and sensor areas.
Hence, the camera can record 12K, 8K or 4K using the full sensor area. As the maximum frame rates increase from 12K (60 fps) to 8K (120fps) and stay the same at 4K (120fps) for full sensor read out, also the rolling shutter will be different for 12K and 8K.
And that is precisely the case, for 12K the rolling shutter is 15.7 ms:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Rolling shutter at 12K DCI (17:9): 15.7ms. Image Credit: CineD
That is a quite good rolling shutter value for this sensor size, the BMPCC6K for example has 19.8 ms rolling shutter and the C300 MKIII has 15.6 ms of rolling shutter.
In 8K, the rolling shutter drops significantly to 7.8 ms:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Rolling shutter at 8K DCI (17:9): 7.8ms. Image Credit: CineD
This is a superb value, allowing for 8K120 fps recording. In 4K full sensor read out, the rolling shutter stays the same 7.8 ms.
Dynamic range at ISO800, BMD Film
As mentioned above, the sensor was designed to record various resolutions for full sensor readout. Hence, I was curious to see if the 12K, 8K or 4K full sensor recording modes would show the same dynamic range, or if some in camera downsampling would occur – this typically reduces the noise and therefore leads to higher values at a signal to noise ratio of 2 and 1.
If that were the case, one could omit the higher resolution modes and record at lower resolutions for a clean, nicely downsampled image.
The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K for example is doing the downsampling in camera (e.g. if Full HD is downsampled from the full sensor area & resolution).
In short, this is not the case with the URSA Mini Pro 12K as can be seen below. Therefore, it is very beneficial to record at maximum resolution and later downsample to your desired resolution in post-production.
If you are not familiar how we test dynamic range, please head over here.
Shooting in 12K on the URSA Mini Pro 12K
In general, the generation 5 color science in combination with the BMD film log curve clips already around 75% IRE – for this reason, highlights in general look more pleasing as the brightness of clipped parts in the image is lower.
As usual, BRAW allows highlight recovery in post, which typically extends your reach into the highlights by around 1.5 stops as clipped color channels are reconstructed by the recovery algorithm. For our standard measurement of dynamic range we do not consider this highlight recovery option, as it can result in some weird color shifts – we will come back to this in our latitude tests. As a consequence, we do not count those stops, but be aware it can be a great option to recover a blown out sky – although color accuracy will suffer.
A waveform plot of the Xyla 21 chart shooting in 12K, ISO800 reveals about 12 stops above the noise floor (note – this is the waveform in a 12K timeline):
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Waveform plot: Filmed in 12K. Image Credit: CineD
As can be seen, a rather solid 13th and faint 14th stop plus a hair of a 15th stop are visible inside the noise floor. This is confirmed by IMATEST, which gives 11.8 stops of dynamic range at a signal to noise ratio of 2 (SNR), and 12.8 stops at SNR = 1. In the middle graph below, above the blue (Low) curve to the left additional stops are identified. Patch range is given at 16.6 stops.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.IMATEST results: Shooting in 12K at ISO800. Image Credit: CineD
Shooting in 8K on the URSA Mini Pro 12K
IMATEST calculates about 11.5 stops at SNR = 2, 12.6 stops at SNR = 1. Hence, dynamic range drops slightly, see below:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.IMATEST results: Shooting in 8K at ISO800. Image Credit: CineD
For this scenario, IMATEST calculates about 11.3 stops for SNR = 2 and 12.5 stops for SNR = 1:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.IMATEST results: Shooting in 4K at ISO800. Image Credit: CineD
The image becomes noisier, as can be seen looking at the waveform plot of the Xyla 21 chart, shot in 4K resolution (waveform from a 4K timeline) – here the 13th stop inside the noise floor has almost vanished:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Waveform plot: Filmed in 4K. Image Credit: CineD
Downscaling the footage in post
Shooting in 8K and downscaling to 4K in post (using the “sharper” algorithm of DaVinci Resolve) reveals 12 stops at SNR = 2, 13.1 at SNR = 1.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.IMATEST results: Shooting in 8K scaled to 4K. Image Credit: CineD
And finally, the gold standard of shooting with the URSA Mini Pro 12K – Shooting in 12K and downscaling to 4K in post reveals 12.4 stops at SNR = 2 and 13.4 stops at SNR = 1.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.IMATEST results: Shooting in 12K scaled to 4K. Image Credit: CineD
The waveform plot of the 12K footage, downscaled to a 4K timeline reveals actually around 13 stops above the noise floor. Also, have a look how much cleaner the plot looks:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Waveform plot: Shooting in 12K scaled to 4K. Image Credit: CineD
Comparing the dynamic range results to other S35 cameras
First and foremost, the question comes how does the 12K URSA Mini compare to other Blackmagic cameras?
The URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 showed 12.6 stops of dynamic range at SNR = 2 and 13.5 stops at SNR = 1 (in ProRes). Hence, slightly higher values than the 12K scaled to 4K, but the 12K shows 1 – 2 additional stops (beyond SNR = 1) within the noise floor that the 4.6K doesn’t – so with some additional post-production you will be able to carve out additional detail from the noise floor with the 12K camera.
The BMPCC6K shows 11.8 stops at SNR = 2 and 12.9 stops at SNR = 1 – and about 1 additional stop is visible inside the noise floor beyond SNR = 1.
Hence, all in all, the 12K is now leading the pack of Blackmagic cameras for dynamic range.
The Canon C300 MKIII shows the best recent dynamic range results for a Super 35 camera so far coming in at 12.8 stops at SNR = 2 and 13.9 stops at SNR = 1 – plus about 1 – 2 additional stops inside the noise floor (not counting the ARRI Alexa, which of course stays the leader of the pack for more than 10 years now – more on that in a future post).
Summary of part 1
Looking at the various resolutions options, my conclusion is clear – if you can afford the media costs to store the 12K files, my advice is to shoot in 12K – it gives you maximum flexibility in post.
A good compromise is shooting at 8K – not only does the camera switch to a faster sensor readout of 7.8 ms allowing higher frame rates up to 120fps, also the 8K files downsampled to a 4K timeline show solid dynamic range values.
All this, considering the sensor size is slightly bigger than Super 35 with a resolution of 80 mega pixel.
Impressive.
Have you shot with the URSA Mini Pro 12K yet? What are your impressions? Let us know in the comments below.
Apart from the new BMPCC 6K Pro camera which we reported about here, Blackmagic Design also announced the new ATEM Mini Extreme switcher and Blackmagic Web Presenter HD. The ATEM Mini Extreme features 8 HDMI inputs, 2 media players, 2 downstream keyers, 16 way multiview, 2 USB connections, and multiple HDMI aux outputs. It also comes in the ISO version that can record all 8 inputs separately on top of that. The Web Presenter HD now supports 1080p and has SDI input only.
We already published one article with the newly announced Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro along with the OLED EVF and the new battery grip. During today’s live stream, Blackmagic Design’s CEO Grant Petty also announced a couple of new products for multi-camera productions and live streaming. Let’s take a look at what is new.
ATEM Mini Extreme
The newly announced ATEM Mini Extreme is a significantly larger switcher than all the other products from the ATEM Mini line so far. It features 8 HDMI inputs with up to 1080p60 signal and multiple HDMI aux outputs. The panel has now two USB connectors for recording as well as connecting to the computer and live streaming at the same time.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.ATEM Mini Extreme. Source: Blackmagic Design
There are camera controls on the panel itself. Users can control iris, ISO, black level, and focus. By holding the focus button on the ATEM, it triggers the autofocus of the selected camera.
The ATEM Mini Extreme supports streaming via Ethernet or tethered 5G or 4G phones via USB for mobile remote streaming. It can record to USB flash disks in H.264. There are two stereo audio inputs for connecting desktop or lapel microphones. The switcher automatically converts and re-syncs all HDMI inputs and it includes free ATEM Software Control for Mac and Windows. There are now two media players in the ATEM Mini Control Panel.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.ATEM Mini Extreme. Source: Blackmagic Design
It supports internal media for 20 RGBA graphics for titles, opening plates, and logos. There are also 4 upstream ATEM Advanced Chroma keyers for green/blue screen work as well as 2 independent DVEs plus SuperSource with 4 extra DVEs. Finally, the ATEM Mini Extreme also supports 16 way multiview for monitoring all cameras, recording, and streaming status.
ATEM Mini Extreme ISO
Blackmagic also announced the ISO version of the ATEM Mini Extreme. It has all the functionality of the ATEM Mini Extreme plus a more powerful recording engine that can record all 8 inputs plus the program for a total of 9 streams of recording.
Both new models include a broadcast-quality streaming engine for live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Blackmagic Web Presenter HD
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Web Presenter HD. Source: Blackmagic Design
Another announced product for live productions is the new Blackmagic Web Presenter HD. Just like the original Web Presenter, it is a self-contained streaming solution that includes a broadcast-quality H.264 processor for direct streaming to platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and more. As opposed to both HDMI and SDI inputs of the original Web Presenter, the new one only has an SDI input.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Web Presenter HD. Source: Blackmagic Design
The new Web Presenter HD is a compact design that includes a 12G-SDI input with down converter, so it outputs 1080p video. There is a built-in front panel with LCD and menus, USB webcam features, plus a monitoring output with audio meters, streaming status and full SDI and embedded audio technical details.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Web Presenter HD. Source: Blackmagic Design
It supports streaming via Ethernet or tethered phones via USB and it includes Web Presenter Utility software for Mac and Windows. Both AC and DC connections allow redundant power. The body features a 1/3rd rack width design that allows 3 streams in a single rack unit.
ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Pro ISO 8.6 Update
Last, but not least, Grant Petty announced a new firmware update for ATEM Mini Pro and ATEM Mini Pro ISO. Version 8.6 adds the ability to stream via a tethered connection with a 5G or 4G mobile phone. The update can be downloaded free of charge from the Blackmagic Design Support Center.
Price and Availability
The Blackmagic ATEM Mini Extreme switcher is available for $995 while the ATEM Mini Extreme ISO retails for $1,295. The new Blackmagic Web Presenter HD will cost $495 and it comes with the front panel already. According to Blackmagic Design, all the products should be in stock shortly.
What do you think about the new ATEM Mini Extreme switchers and the Web Presenter HD? Do you do live streaming often? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.
Blackmagic Design just released the final “full shipping version” of the DaVinci Resolve 17 NLE. That means the app is now out of beta and it should be stable and with minimum bugs. The Resolve 17 brought over 300 new features and improvements including HDR grading tools, AI-based magic mask, improved Fairlight usability with 2,000 audio tracks, improved editing, metadata-based bin sorting, and more.
DaVinci Resolve 17 has officially been announced in November 2020 with the first Public Beta version getting available for download. Today, after 9 Public Beta versions and many bug fixes and optimalizations, Blackmagic Design finally released the full shipping version of DaVinci Resolve 17.
DaVinci Resolve 17 Full Shipping Version
We wrote quite a comprehensive article about all the new features of DaVinci Resolve 17 when it was announced, so to get a full picture, please go ahead and read it here.
DaVinci Resolve 17 now shipping! Get over 300 new features and improvements including HDR grading tools, AI based magic mask, improved Fairlight usability with 2,000 audio tracks, improved editing, metadata based bin sorting and more! Download from https://t.co/T7wyTHXZiNpic.twitter.com/zBdysRgstt
Resolve 17 introduced new features and better controls on all its pages. On the color page, for example, the HDR grading is more precise with the zone-based controls. Other new features include the AI-based Magic Mask or Color-Warper tool.
To further speed up the editing process on the Cut Page, Blackmagic Design also introduced the Speed Editor. Take a look at our review here. Again, for more information about the new features of Resolve 17, check our article here or Blackmagic Design’s recorded live stream on Youtube which I embedded here.
For those using DaVinci Resolve or DaVinci Resolve Studio on Windows, Blackmagic Design strongly recommends uninstalling previous versions prior to installing Resolve 17 Public Beta 5 and higher versions. Going forward, all Fairlight, grading, and editor keyboard firmware updates will be managed from the DaVinci Control Panels Setup utility.
It is also important to mention that DaVinci Resolve 17.0 requires a database upgrade from DaVinci Resolve 16.2.7 and previous versions. Blackmagic Design strongly recommends backing up the existing database (both DiskDB and PostgreSQL) and then restoring that database for the upgrade before upgrading to this release.
In addition to Resolve 17, Fusion Studio 17 is now also shipping. It includes new Fusion effects templates, shape nodes, animation curves, and improved optical flow as well as third-party workflow integration and more. Fusion Studio 17 is available from Blackmagic Design Support Center.
Price and Availability
As always, the latest version of DaVinci Resolve is available free of charge from Blackmagic Design Support Center. DaVinci Resolve Studio 17 “full shipping version” is available free of charge for those who previously purchased the license (in form of a serial number or dongle). The cost of the Studio license is $295 and it lasts forever.
The updated DaVinci Resolve Project Server 17.0 is also available in the Support Center. It adds support for multiple users on different workstations to open and work on the same project at the same time.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor. Image Credit: CineD
Additionally, Blackmagic Design currently offers a free DaVinci Resolve 17 Studio license with every Blackmagic Speed Editor (check our review here) purchase for a total of $295. Or is it the other way around? Anyway, it is a very good deal I would say.
Do you use DaVinci Resolve for your post-production work? How do you like the new Resolve 17? Let us know in the comments section underneath the article.
