Offline reference cut compare

[Aurora Films]

What is the best way of comparing a reference offline cut against the current timeline. Here is what I’m doing for now.

- Bringing the clip into the timeline, re-size it to the current proyect, make a group, lock the timeline in X and move the play head up and down to A/B the tracks.

There most be another way. Bear in mind I’m doing this without a video board.

Thanks

Abel

[Cristobal Bolaños]

Hi Abel!

In Mistika there are multiple ways to perform the same activity. Here are a few which you can use in order to compare your reference with your conformed timeline. 

First of all, set your timeline properly so you can easily manipulate the scale and position of your clips, placing a framing in top of your conformed media. Afterwards, set your reference clip on the top of it, you can insert a color grade in your reference clip so you can manipulate the chrominance or luminance in order to see more clearly the difference between them. Now we can start to compare, choose the technique you like the most:

1. Use a Comp3D and compare the background and foreground with cropping: place a Comp3D in the top of your reference clip and move the evaluation range down until everything is selected.  Inside the Comp3D, create a second layer. Now your layer 1 is the reference and the conformed clips are the layer 2. Inside the layer 2, set the cropping left or right on an value around 50. You can compare between them in the record monitor or inside the visual editor and move between the nodes in order to change the position or scale of your conformed shots with the framing effects we previously put.

2. Use a wipestripe and reset the values to use it as a crop: this is the most used way of conforming in Mistika. Place a WipeStripe effect and reset the values of it (see this tutorial), now manipulate them so you can use it as a crop effect. Pull down the evaluation range of your Wipe until everything is selected. Now you can compare them.

3. Use a Comp3D or Channels Effect and set the attribute blending in difference mode. This way es pretty similar to the first one, first set everything the same in the Comp3D, with two layers. Then, in the Attribute Blending of the second layer set it in Difference. You can do the same with a Channel effects, setting all the Channels in Difference. With this mode, the differences between the layers will be highlighted, and the common pixels will be completely dark.  Personally, this is my favourite way. However, if your reference clip has a lot of comprension in comparison with your conformed clips, more differences will be highlighted.  

4. Use a Color Grade and set in Options Tab the recover mode and source: this is quite an interactive way to compare. Place a Color Grande with a Evaluation Range that selects both layers. Now create a window, a rectangle will work, place it wherever you want. Now go to the Option Tab, in Recover Mode, set Inside and Recover Source set "In2", which refers to the layer 2.  This is a tool that is used for recovering information when grading, but now you can use it to compare your layers.

5. Use a Crop Effect and compare the layers with a Comp3D: use a Crop effect in each layer, one cropping 50 of the left and 50 of the right respectively. Now with a Comp3D with two layers you can compare both of them.

I have attached a timeline environment with all of this techniques explained with notes, so you can check the position of the layers and effects. You don't really need to see the media, but in case you want to see it online, you can download the  free footage I've used in this link  and the reference clip in this link. 

That's all! If you find any new ways of conforming, it would be awesome if you share them with the community ?

 

 

MULTIPLE_WAYS_OF_CONFORMING.env

[Aurora Films]

Fantastic! Will try those out.

Thanks so much for the extensive explanation.

Abel

 

[Aurora Films]

All those work great. Probably turning your favorite into a template group makes sense for reuse.

I was hoping to have a more straight forward option to sync and play/compare two play heads, like is common in other  systems. This could work by either be able to gang source and record monitors and have them side by side. 

Another option could be to be hable to set a “split” mode in the record monitor where you can compare play heads A and B. This mode could also have a “Side by Side” option, which I think is an option that could be added to the Visual Editor Snapshot modes. I’m aware that on can repo the snapshot sides, but a “one click” action will be faster.  

Cheers

A

Edited March 20, 2019 by Aurora Films

[Cristobal Bolaños]

For sure, one thing you can do instead of a template, is to save it as a FX Preset. What's more, if you save it in the Global Preset window, that effect or group of effects will be shared across all projects within Mistika. The Tab of FX is in the left side of the Visual Editor.

Another way to use presets are the dummies, a great feature inside Mistika that speeds up the workflow of any project. The Dummies are in the bottom of the Compose effects. They work like this: if you make a group of effects, take out the footage you've used, and replace them with dummies, then when you make a group of it, this new group will have a range of influence in which you can place new footage that will have the exactly same values, keyframes and animations you had earlier. 

Thanks a lot for the feedback Abel. The techniques of conforming I wrote you are the one I use the most, but for sure you can do the same as other systems and make a play of both the reference and conform at the same time:

If you use a Comp3D effect and position the reference and the conformed timeline in the two first layers, then you can position really easily both of them to be side by side by manipulating the size and position. Besides, you could place them side and side and even use the difference mode setting the reference clip on top of the conformed clip and activating the difference mode, now you have the best of both worlds. Afterwards, if you render your cache in foreground you will have a really smooth playback to work with.  

I have attached a screenshot and the env. for you to see it. If you open the env. you'll see it I've prepared for you the dummies for conforming with that technique ?

Last but not least, thank's a for the feedback again, we hope you're enjoying the software. Keep in touch with us in our social networks. Soon we will post a survey about Boutique in which you will be able to show your opinions and ask for future features in Mistika.

Keep posting with your doubts, we will happily answer them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFORMING_SIDE_BY_SIDE.env

[Aurora Films]

Funny enough I, last night I put together a compare setup using Comp3D. Didn’t do a template yet put I think it may be my favorite way of doing this. Then saw your post ?

Will probably turn it into a template. I wonder if there is a way to expose only certain parameters or even have acces to them vía custom variables. I’m thinking more like a Nuke Gizmo where custom values are exposed and they can control internal nodes parameter... even with expression. That way for example I can have a button that rearrange the compare vertically instead in horizontally... with one click. Maybe I went too far... will keep playing ?

Thank so much much for making Mistika Boutique available for testing. I am a VFX Compositor very so often do color grading gigs, Mistika is really exiting and I will exploring more its features in the next few weeks. I already have some more question, feekback and suggestions I willl be posting in the next few weeks.

Cheers!

Abel

[rob.gordon]

You can also just use the 'sub' node which you can find in the Boolean section of the FX tab (bottom left corner). If you use a framing node to make sure your offline reference is framed correctly to the project (which I usually then just group with the offline reference) then just add a 'Sub' on top of the offline and adjust the focus to 'hug' (sorry this is the term I use for the Mistika focus - I like to think of nodes 'hugging' their inputs!) your conformed footage and you have an instant subtract effect without the need for a Comp3D or setting up any FX preset.

I use this as my method of choice and fall back to a diagonal wipestripe fx as an alternative.

Mistika really is the best system out there for being able to compare offline to online. The flexibility of the workspace is outstanding.

Edited March 21, 2019 by rob.gordon

[Cristobal Bolaños]

Thanks a lot for the feedback Rob!

We are currently writing a document gathering the most handy techniques to conform in Mistika. We will share it with the community really soon.

Abel, in order to use quick set ups for vertical or horizontal crop, you could compose it on a 3DComp, and with the Bypass function (the eye which is in the Eval Tree) make it disappear o appear. I mean, you can set a Crop Effect with vertical wipe and the same with another Crop with a horizontal wipe. Then just bypass them as you like. As you can see, the possibilities are endless ?

By the way, if you are a VFX Compositor, you may be interested in the tutoriales we will upload really soon. All of them will be teaching digital compositing in Mistika with real industry examples. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Aurora Films]

Fantastic. Yes there are lots of ways of achieving the comparison. For me, the most important thing is how fast you get there. Been able to turn any of these into a template I can quickly drop-and-go is gold. Good stuff.

Really looking forward to see what you got in store for Compositing tutorials. I’m a senior compositor at ILM Vancouver, so I’m ready to be impressed ?.

A

[Cristobal Bolaños]

Hi Abel!

As I told you, we currently own tutorials for Mamba VFX, which is the compositing Mistika technology software. The majority of the capabilities are shared in Boutique. We are not going to post them soon, but If you are interested in them, I can send by email a private link for you to see them. Please, let me know if you are interested ?

[Aurora Films]

That would be awesome. Thanks so much. Im going to watch the Mamba tutorials you got online. Im aware there is a trial version of Mamba I can install, but Im still studying the colour grading features of Boutique and want to spend more time on it before I post some comments.

Definitely interested in watching those tutorials.

Abel

?

[Yoav Raz]

Hi There all

we are also using the nonlinear mix fx

like super impose. in order to match reference 

cheers Yoav

[Aurora Films]

Awesome. My favorite so far is the Comp3D template with online and offline side by side. I still think that a source/record gang mode that can be splitted in the monitor (Snapshot style) would be may preferred method...  but any of the suggested ways are fine.

A