CinemaDNG

[Jim_Simon]

Odd duck that I am, I just wasn't entirely happy with the image from the GH4.  So I purchased the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, and so far, I'm very happy with the image quality.

But PP is having some difficulty handling the CinemaDNG RAW files from the camera.  It can import and play them fine, even on my older i7 920, but...there are some gotchas.

PP can only import one clip at a time.  For whatever reason, PP can't recognize each folder as a clip of CinemaDNG, you have to go into each individual folder for PP to recognize the clip.  That's a PITA!

Most importantly, though, PP isn't offering the full gamut of RAW settings.  Where this especially fails is that it's interpreting the color wrong, applying a LUT automatically with no option to change that.

The free DaVinci Resolve handles these RAW clips properly, seeing into each folder as a clip without me having to specifically go into each folder, and offering the full range of RAW settings.

I'm not a huge fan of switching my editing software, but I'm really liking this little camera and shooting RAW.  Having to choose, the camera will win over PP.

I'd love to hear back from others using CinemaDNG.  Are you seeing the same flaws?  What camera are you using to shoot the RAW clips?

[Vidya Sagar]

Hi Jim_Simon,

1. CinemaDNG files from Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera are supported in Premiere Pro CC. Use Media Browser to import CinemaDNG files as Clips. To open Media Browser Panel, Select Window > Media Browser in menu bar. Browse to the DNG files location > Right click on the file > Choose Import.

     Check "Import files with Media Browser" section in the following article for further information.

     Importing media files into Premiere Pro

    2. For CinemaDNG media files, source settings can be accessed in Master tab in Effects Controls Panel. Load a master clip in Source monitor and adjust source settings parameters in Master tab.

     Check "Adjust Source Settings using the Effects Controls panel" section in the following article for further information.

     Apply Master Clip effects in Premiere Pro

Thanks,

Vidya Sagar.

[Jim_Simon]

1. Use Media Browser to import CinemaDNG files as Clips.

I do.  The problem is that you have to enter each CinemaDNG folder individually for Media Browser to recognize the clip.  Having to enter every single folder means we can only import one clip at a time.

2. For CinemaDNG media files, source settings can be accessed in Master tab in Effects Controls Panel.

Yeah but, there's practically nothing there.  Three settings out of a dozen or more that are possible, and changing how the color is interpreted isn't one of them.

[pg.mintblau]

I don't really see many options in Master Tab neither. It seems like Premiere is applying strange colour settings to the raw image and the highlights get totally blown out. The Image looks tons better in Resolve, which is a shame because I like to work in PP.

Check the colour difference and the sun on the green leaves in the background. In Resolve it looks really good, in PP it looks crappy. This is a RAW clip from a Blackmagic Design URSA Mini 4.6K.

RESOLVE:

PREMIERE:

I can't even fix these highlights with a colour correction.

Adobe pushing hard to support everything for RED - hopefully they will do the same for Blackmagic users. I would suggest there are more BM users out there than RED users, so please support us.

Just to note, when I switch the camera to ProRes, the colors in both applications match, but when using RAW Premiere is screwing it up.

Thanks Adobe

[chrisw44157881]

https://davidtorcivia.com/blackmagic-rec709-to-arri-log-c-lut/

[Jim_Simon]

It seems like Premiere is applying strange colour settings to the raw image and the highlights get totally blown out.

That was my experience as well.  And it's a design flaw that takes PP off the table for this media.

[dummergold]

I would love one dng frame of that URSA 4.6K you have there rfstudios. I'm back with working my 1920x1080 dng in Adobe Camera Raw via After Effects. I did let one project go (quick) through Premiere Pro strickly using its lumetri, but I'm back in Camera Raw, pushing out selected frames into Photoshop (and doing stuff and stuff in Photoshop with them).

I would love to get a sample of that and see if ACR can read it and also kick it in PP.

[andrea-nikolk67193803]

Hi,

Same problem. I'm an editor only and my team went to shoot some documentary wit Black Magic URSA Mini Pro and they desided to shoot in CinemaDNG 3:1 and I've tried everything and the files don't want to import in premiere Pro, last version btw. Is there a way to compress or convert these files in proxies maybe (they're too large anyway, almost no real-time play)?

Thank you in advance,

Andrea 

[chrisw44157881]

try slimraw

[Jim_Simon]

You'll have to use Resolev 14 with your media.

Thankfully, it's free.  And there's an excellent beginner's guide.

The Definitive Guide to DaVinci Resolve 14: Editing, Color and Audio (Blackmagic Design Learning Ser...

[robertmanningjrog]

Andrea,

I'm late to this conversation, and I also use the mini pro. I've been using Resolve to edit for several years now, and had no idea Premier Pro had these issues. Just use Resolve to edit. You can map the controls inside Davinci Resolve to match those in Premier Pro. In the long run Resolve is just as easy to use and cheaper, even for the studio version.

[dummergold]

Hi Jim, I will not agree with you that Premiere Pro on my computer plays cDNG smoothly from the bmpcc. I have been substituting with proxies and switched over to PP's Ingest Proxy creation and love it. Sure, I can play a cDNG clip smoothly, but not a long cDNG clip.

What about adjusting the Effects Controls Master effect - do you see immediate change? or do you wait for change to happen like I do.

As for you mentioning (in another thread) of the bmpcc having 3:1 compression, I don't think so either. The bmpcc became unsupported before the 3:1 compression became implemented into the cinema cameras, and the bmpcc remained with a lossey compression (or however its called) and I think its compression varied per frame and somewheres around 1:1.5. I have not seen BlackMagic firmware update for the bmpcc, so if you know of some please steer me. My bmpcc enjoyed the firmware updates and loved the new scopes and audio display and stuff (small view finder though).

The one at a time - there is a thread with workaround. Windows, go to your main folder holding your clips. Like I have 600G of cDNG from last shoot in one folder, containing 10 folders of each imported SD card, containing 51 clips

- go to your main bmpcc folder in File Explorer, type 6 zeros in the search field

- the image sequences start off with image number 000000.dng

- Windows shows you all your clips starting at 000000

- select all and throw into PP Project panel, not the Media Browser, and PP imports all your clips

- last time I did it and using PP Ingest setting of creating Proxy, I ran into little Media Encoder bug

As for PP applying LUT, there is a long thread on that also.

For me, when I see the wrong color interpretation, I using the Lumetri scopes, set to not clamp signal and float, I was usually seeing my reds in the negatives and to pull them up I found it best to use the Master clip CinemaDNG Source Settings and bring my temperature up.

I was using After Effects (for a long time) to import the cDNG and Adobe Camera Raw to color the clip, which works marvelous, but limited to first frame, or workaround. After creating the cDNG comp in AE, then importing into PP. In PP I would have each cDNG clip in its own source sequence. That source sequence I would substitute with proxy to edit or AE comp to render out.

[Jim_Simon]

there is a thread with workaround.

The thing is, it all works just fine in Resolve.  I can import an entire folder of clips at once using it's Media Browser, and I have full access to the appropriate RAW controls.  I can even set a default interpretation for those RAW files, and then override that on a per clip basis.

I'd prefer not to switch software, but...it's definitely more important to have that proper functionality with my media.

[dummergold]

I see cats on here with BM 4K cinema cams asking how to get there media into PP and my first though is why?

that pocket camera sure gave me the desire to get the 4K after working with the bit depth, but then after that sky is the limit with spending. The Resolve Lite will suffice with the 1920, but stepping up larger then that the Lite shows its limits.

I wonder how much the magic pencil would have to push to reveal the dark secrets and bring all the raw controls into PP. I think the dark secrets will remain with BM as it would be counter productive to their research/development/money coming in ( that word not in my vocabulary) Edit after this - just look at how long it has been since 3:1 compression has been implemented but not supported here

[Jim_Simon]

To the best of my knowledge, the Pocket Cam uses 3:1 lossless compression.  This according to an article I read recently.

The full Production camera uses no compression.

I don't know about the later models.

[sunderlandgreen201503]

I find the correct answer from another page on this forum:

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1826776

when I import bmpcc cinema dng through the Project panel, they come in as single frame sequence.

Proper way to import is through the Media Browser. Then they come in as video icon.

SIngle frame is wrong with respect as to Premiere performing properly, but I used them as video files for months by inserting first frame onto the 'new sequence' icon.

[Miguel28763098o5f9]

Ohh lord ! I am so happy i found this post; i just got a Sony Fs5 + atomos Shougun so i decided to start testing for the first time in Raw; i new something was wrong i have been importing for the last 10

hours and still havent finished! How long can it take? Am i importing it wrong?