Appendix A: Post Production.
RED workflow is quite easy to understand, especially if you have experience with photographic
RAW image processing, or shoot film followed by telecine transfer to a non-linear video editor.
RAW data has a wide dynamic range and color space, so you can freely change the white
point (white balance) of the footage, adjust exposure and alter highlight and shadow tonality
when in post-production. This flexibility allows the camera operator to focus on composition.
The camera records unprocessed sensor data using REDCODE RAW compression to a CF card,
or RED-DRIVE digital magazine. Data is then transferred from the digital media via FireWire or
USB-2, to a Macintosh OSX workstation running RED ALERT! or REDCINE software, or a Win-
dows XP workstation running REDCIINE software. If you are using CF media, copy the clips
onto the workstation’s hard drive. If you are recording to a RED-DRIVE, it can be directly
mounted as an external drive using FireWire if desired which eliminates the media copy step.
In film processing terms, RED ALERT! and REDCINE act as an integrated laboratory, telecine,
and one light color corrector. They convert recorded REDCODE RAW data to RGB video, and
provide basic one light image processing and color correction. Using REDCINE, footage can
also be cropped, resized, or repositioned. These functions lessen the amount of time required
for color correction or re-framing of shots after the final cut has been completed.
RED ALERT! can generate QuickTime reference movies suitable for use in dailies applications,
and export a sequence of 2K or 4K resolution RGB image files as TIFF or DPX files for DI use.
REDCINE can also encode 4K or 2K RAW footage into a variety of uncompressed RGB and
compressed 4:2:2 video formats. Provided the appropriate QuickTime codec’s are available on
the host computer workstation, compressed video choices include ProRes, DNxHD, DV100 and
M-JPEG QuickTime movies at 1080p or 720p resolution. For film out, multi-media or special
effects applications, REDCINE may export a sequence of 2K or 4K image files in TIFF, Open
EXR, DPX, JPEG, or Photoshop PSD file formats.
Creating 4:2:2 at 1080p or 720p resolution QuickTime movies provides compatibility with the
majority of non-linear editing systems. Depending on the QuickTime movie resolution, material
may be taken directly to a broadcast delivery videotape format, or after the editorial decisions
have been made, video can be conformed at full image resolution by replacing the lower reso-
lution edit proxy (e.g. 720p at 8 bit quality) with a high resolution 4K, 2K or 1080p image file.
Color grading may be performed during editing or after the final conform. The graded show is
then output to delivery media: film, a DCDM (digital cinema distribution master), or HD master.
