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How do I export the highest quality single frame from a 8k RAW Video?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
December 5, 2020
6 replies
24284 views

It's exciting to see what quality there is in 8k RAW video footage. Some of it I want to export as a single frame for use as a single still image. My question is I need to know how to export the highest quality of that still frame. Do I start with the clip in project panel or can I select from timeline panel and will the clip be the same if I do this the right way? I have no clue how to approach this so need help, your expert advice is what I really need right now.

TIA,

Ken

Export

Correct answer Jeff Bellune

First rule of using a video frame for an image source: Pixels is pixels.

If you have an 8k video image, you have 7680 × 4320 pixels. Period. No more, no less.

Export your video frame in a lossless format like tiff or bmp and you get all 33 megapixels in their original glory.

DPI has no meaning in a digital image until you want to print or display it.

Once you decide you want to print it, you need to do some math. How big do you want the print to be? What aspect ratio/orientation do you want?

The original frame is in a 16:9 format. If you want an 8x10 print, you will have to crop the image to make a portion of that 16:9 frame fit in an 8x10 frame. Should the 8x10 be landscape or portrait orientation?

If we assume that you keep all the pixels of your source image in the vertical dimension, your 8x10 cropped image will have pixel dimensions of 3456 wide (the "8" part) x 4320 high (the "10" part).

If we further assume that a dpi of 300 pixels/inch gives the razor-sharp print resolution that you want, then your 8x10 print from an 8k image source can be as big as 11.5 inches x 14.4 inches. An 8x10 image from that video frame printed at 150 dpi (often acceptable and visibly sharp) can be double that: about 23 inches by 29 inches.

This is just one example. But you should always remember the rule when saving a video frame as a digital image: pixels is pixels.

S

salvo34

Inspiring

Someone sent me this led 4 bladed led light from china ( no clue and it came from Amazon and I didn't get charged for it ). How weird.

But anyway, I decided to test it. You screw it into a standard socket. 150w, 65k.

So, I got no fixtures on ceilings and used table lamp instead. Doesn't fit with lampshade so I put that back on upside down for storage.

Now, I'm thinking... if I leave window open, put plate on top of lampshade with birdseed... I can get a bird shot finally ??? !!!

🙂

S

salvo34

Inspiring

P.S.

after about 30 min those panels got REALLY hot... scary.

I turned off and will throw that thing in the garbage.

No bird in their right mind would land anywhere near those lights.

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salvo34

Inspiring

depends on your camera and what settings you can choose.

Based on old time film cameras for movies... in the US... and overseas ( for projection theatres ) you would shoot 24 fps with a 180 degree shutter ( 1/48 /sec shutter speed ). At 60fps your shutter would be 120th/sec... much faster and able to start getting sharper moving bird pics ).

You have to get out the mental thing where you have to shoot raw 8k... you can probably shoot prores or something else and not use so much resource re: media usage, bitrate, etc.

Anyway, if I shot a bird out my window I would use my still camera for a still image.... where I can use any shutter speed, F stop, ISO, etc... like really get a snapshot of bird similar to an NFL wide reciever catching a pass in end zone... really fast shutter speed for playback.

You don't have a TV video camera worth about 1 million bucks to shoot stuff like that.

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salvo34

Inspiring

you're welcome.

can you post a pic of a bird by any chance ?? I've considered shooting a bird (in beech tree out window ) but they move so fast it's like impossible.

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

I do not have one yet, but will post as I am able. I'm still in the exploring stage and now have the answer to my question here. I need to ask one more question now about highest shutter speed available when shooting 8k RAW.

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salvo34

Inspiring

Let's say you really know what your doing when you shoot stuff and you have a really good camera with great lenses and good media storage to capture images ( SD card, Hard drive, SSD, whatever ). Let's say you are a professional director of photography shooting the latest Speilberg produced and directed blockbuster movie... with a giant film crew so you can light it and so on...( using light meters, color meters, color correction gels, and all that stuff )... know what I mean ?

In short, your SOURCE material is perfect.

It goes without saying you can do stuff to levels, color and so on AFTER you get the perfect stuff into the editor... to finesse it.

Typically what you want to do is MATCH your project settings to exactly MATCH your source material.

That's it... simple. Now you got the BEST you can get cause it's what you SHOT.

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salvo34

Inspiring

SHOOTING raw is not always the best thing.. cause basically you have to debayer it somewhere and convert it to linear ( this is also true of log stuff... you have to make it linear ). That is done by ADOBE in your case, cause you have no control over that process using PPro... except as far as what PROXY you choose. You wouldn't believe how many stupid raw and log formats are now being pushed at customers these days.... and what editing progams CLAIM to work well with them.

Especially considering the dumb sRGB monitors most kids have to work with ( rec 709 is not even possible for them, let alone cinema grade stuff )

So, basically just do the best you can cause you already know most of what's going on...And beyond basic fundamental obvious stuff this forum is not a film school or a production company where you can work for 10 years as a camera assistant and finally rise to a camera operator and then finally a director of photography... nor learn how to edit feature films... I mean, really, let's get real.

You got an 8k monitor ??? Is it color calibrated ? What specific RAW stuff you using from which camera? It's ridiculous to get crazy about stuff when you just want a nice picture of a bird.... Just do it.

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

Thanks for all input.

Ken

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salvo34

Inspiring

When you use photoshop see if you can use the color space for web if that's your final display platform, or sRGB. Using Adobe RGB is more for printing real paper prints at 300 dpi.

Also, you'll find that when you work on a large image ( 8k for example) and then save it as a size people look at on web ( much smaller like full HD ) the mid tones and blacks will close up a little ( will look slightly darker ). Is normal for all images that they get denser in tonality as you decrease the size.

That stuff is extremely subtle. For example, this image as a paper silver print ( photo from enlarger ) is way more pretty in tones than what you see here.... ( 11x14 print from 35mm film ).

Ken NielsenAuthor

Legend

Nice photo! Okay, to reiterate, rather than output, withi this question, I'm more interested in 'input' if you get my meaning. I want to extract the base level highest quality image from the original footage for a still... whatever that is, I want to get to it and pull it out and land it on my computer. Output can come later based on what it requires, but for now, my question is all about how to be sure I'm getting a final still image that is the highest quality possible from the 8k RAW footage.

Jeff BelluneCorrect answer