Crooked Path Flat – Picture Styles for Canon DSLRs
by Rich on Feb.27, 2011, under Guides
Here’s a list of what’s offered and descriptions about each.
A NOTE ABOUT USING FLAT PICTURE STYLES:
The purpose of using a flat picture style while shooting video is useful if you plan to color grade the footage in post production. The picture style is not intended to be used as an in-camera method of color. You will notice that the Crooked Path Flat picture style will make the image very de-contrasted. This is done by editing the gamma curve to record detail in the shadows and the highlights that would normally be lost. This gives you ultimate latitude in post for color grading a beautiful finished movie.
When you are on set and getting ready to roll, it is important to NOT use flat picture styles while setting ISO, exposure and lighting. The picture style is SO FLAT that you cannot tell if you are properly exposed. It’s important to use a picture style (either one of the preset styles, one that you can create, or the CPF Graded style) that closely matches what you and your director’s desired final graded image. It’s okay if it’s not perfect in the camera…just close enough so that you can gauge your lighting and exposure settings properly. Then, right before you are ready to roll camera, switch to the Crooked Path Flat style.
BE CAREFUL!
- Shot with Extreme Contrast in Camera:
- Shot with Flat, Added Extreme Contrast in Post:
There are some downsides to using ANY flat picture style. If you planning on adding some serious contrast, you will notice noise and artifacts in areas that have a gradient texture like sky or walls. You will see a phenomena commonly referred to as “banding,” which is essentially the artifacting in the compressed H264 codec being ENHANCED…which is not good. What is happening when you shoot flat… is the compression creates, for example, 15 steps or shades in a gradient instead of 40 that would normally be there if you shot with the NEUTRAL picture profile. So when you grade this flat video and add contrast, the software doesn’t add more “steps” to the gradient bumping it back up to 40…instead it just contrasts the 15 steps that were recorded. This creates a more drastic difference beetween step 1 and 2, and 2 and 3, and so on. The result is enhanced artifacts and “banding.”
Check out this quick article and video which demostrates this phenomena really well: http://yodigroup.com/hdslr/news/hdslr-color-grading-before-or-after.htm
WAIT…SO SHOULD I SHOOT FLAT OR NOT!?!?
Yes and no. I still shoot flat when I’m certain there no smooth gradients and/or I’m not planning on pushing contrast to the extreme in post. I mean you really have to push the contrast to see the banding. Also, flat profiles work really well in high-textured environments like a forest in the daytime. Just be careful and go into it with this awareness and you’ll be fine. I still think my Crooked Path Flat profile is the best around, and think it looks much better after grading than grading the Neutral profile.
I also created the Crooked Path Flat 3.0 series, which is a completely re-worked set of picture styles that are “safe” for post grading, extreme or not. If you’re confused about which to use, I recommend using 1.0 and 2.0 for non-gradient situations and high-texture environments. 3.0 is for all-around use and gradient situations. The best advice I can give is to TEST THEM OUT for yourself. Decide what is best for you and your situation.
Current Picture Styles:
- Based of the FAITHFUL profile. Faithful is just like NEUTRAL only adds a touch more saturation to the highlights and midtones, and also pulls the midtone and highlight exposure down very slightly.
- Curve is not extreme, and is very gradable in post.
- Totally removes any muddy/terracotta/plastic look to faces.
- Totally removes any noice issues (assuming you’re properly exposed).
- Default Sharpness is set at 2. This is a very subjective area. In our testing, we noted that any setting below +2 seems to almost blur the image. Anything above +2 seems to be artificial looking. +2 seems to be perfect. We’ve also noted that the in-camera sharpness is much cleaner and un-artificial looking when compared to using the unsharp mask in after effects. It is recommended that you lower only if seeing moire issues.
- Default Contrast is all the way to the left. We don’t recommend changing this.
- Default Saturation is at zero. In 8bit 4:2:0 colorspace, it’s best to keep it here and adjust in post. Lowering will cause lost information.
- Default Tone is +2. In our testing the 5d seemed to bias toward red in the skintones. This is to compensate for that. Adjust to fit your needs.
Crooked Path Flat 3.0 (HiLight Helper)
- Exactly like 3.0, but pulls the curve down in the highlights for that extra help in maintaining highlight detail and/or keeping them from clipping.
Crooked Path Flat 3.0 (Graded)
- Gives you an in-camera preview of how 3.0 will look after grading is applied.
- Adjust the contrast and saturation levels to fit your desired end-graded video.
- Used this profile while adjusting aperature, ISO, and lighting, then switch over to 3.0 (or 3.0 HiLight Helper) when you’re ready to record.
- A VERY FLAT picture style to give you ultimate latitude.
- Adjust contrast to taste.
- Based off the “standard” picture style to give better skintones.
- Made the default SATURATION level ZERO. It’s important to keep the color setting at zero and adjust in post. In the 5d’s 4:2:0 8-bit colorspace, you are losing color information if you drop this below zero…and you can’t ever get that information back.
- Made the default SHARPNESS setting +2. This is a very subjective area. In our testing, we noted that any setting below +2 seems to almost blur the image. Anything above +2 seems to be artificial looking. +2 seems to be perfect. We’ve also noted that the in-camera sharpness is much cleaner and un-artificial looking when compared to using the unsharp mask in after effects. It is recommended that you lower only if seeing moire issues.
Crooked Path Flat 2.1 (High Gamma)
- This is the exact same style as my Crooked Path Flat style, but with the entire gamma curve shifted higher.
- This is useful for extremely dark settings when the extra gamma can help get detail across the entire range of the sensor. Prone to noise…so be careful.
- Earlier version of the 2 series without the “fixes” that are in 2.1.
Using my picture styles on a recent trip to Arkansas:
21 Comments for this entry
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Welcome to my blog!
I hope to better the filmmaking community by offering advice, tips, tricks, and guides using my own experience as a cinematographer and editor. Please subscribe below:
March 7th, 2011 on 8:20 am
How do you think this would work on the 60D?
March 7th, 2011 on 8:22 am
Hi John; it should work fine as long as you can load it onto the 60d, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how if works.
March 13th, 2011 on 6:39 am
The quality and clarity of this movie is great (and I’m looking forward to trying out this new picture style). However I was also wondering if you’d mind sharing your post shoot workflow from CF card to Vimeo, as I’ve never got anything up online that’s looked nearly this clean!
What are you converting to, editing in, grading in and exporting to. Also do you still subscribe to the preshoot check list, especially the highlight tone priority enabling which I’ve heard can add noise to the shadows (was it enabled in the movie above, which is dark but again looks great).
Thanks for all the sharing
March 24th, 2011 on 1:40 pm
Hey I need clarification. First you say we need to switch to neutral style to judge exposure then we swith to the Crooked Path style. But then later on you said you changed this anamoly so that we can use the Crooked Path to judge exposure without switching so I am confused. I would like to be able to use the CP flat setting to judge exposure without switching, so please clarify. I use the CP flat HG because I shoot low light and dark. So please advise me correctly. Thanks.
March 24th, 2011 on 8:10 pm
@Andrew: sorry for the confusion. Yes, you should switch to an in camera profile that closely matches your desired final graded image to set your exposure and lighting. Then switch to flat before recording. I merely altered my flat style so it wasn’t so far off, that if you expose off the flat style while in a hurry, it will not throw you off too much.
March 25th, 2011 on 1:15 pm
Okay I got you. I have magic lantern installed on my Canon t2i. If I wanted to change color temp on ML, would I also need to do this on the neutral setting before switching to flat? Or can I change color temperature on the flat setting? Thanks
April 2nd, 2011 on 3:09 pm
Hey Rich,
Thank you so much for that awesome picture style. I used it in an entry for a beer commercial contest and it worked fantastic!
http://www.t2iforum.com/share-your-videos/entry-for-a-beer-commercial-competition/
April 4th, 2011 on 7:29 am
@Ryan: Nice commercial. Glad you liked the picture style! It seems you didn’t apply much grading, can you tell me your post worflow for grading it?
May 1st, 2011 on 2:39 pm
@Rich, I didn’t do much grading since I’m new at this film thing and figuring things out. i added some contrast, some vignetting through Magic Bullets, some tweaks in fast color corrector, and added a little sharpness. I’m really looking forward to your color grading video. I’m a big fan, thanks for all you’ve done to help us rookies out!
May 1st, 2011 on 4:56 pm
@Ryan: I’m so glad to help out and it’s rewarding to know I’m doing some good!
May 7th, 2011 on 7:01 pm
Question: How can I control the dynamic range that is acceptable on a picture style? I do not know how to create my own picture style using graphs and such. Can you please help?
May 8th, 2011 on 4:21 pm
@Sidmar: for the most part you truly increase dynamic range…but you can limit the camera’s internal curve that crushes blacks and blows out highlights. You can do that by turning down the contrast all the way in your picture style setting.
May 30th, 2011 on 9:07 pm
I’m so glad I found this post!! Just testing your CPF2.1 on my 5 day old 5DMK2. The difference is truly amazing. Just wanted to say thanks!
September 19th, 2011 on 1:27 pm
Could you please check the link for the article: http://www.hdslrhub.com/news/hdslr-color-grading-before-or-after.htm – it directs me to BHPhoto webside instead. Thanks for your profiles!
September 21st, 2011 on 5:01 am
Looks great, many thanks for all the research.
September 21st, 2011 on 5:09 am
Updated the link….thanks!
November 18th, 2011 on 4:00 pm
Danke für diese Software.
Sehr hilfreich.
December 15th, 2011 on 1:24 pm
didn’t work on 60d…=(
January 25th, 2012 on 4:28 pm
Could you make me a Crooked Path 3.0 style with about 25% less crush on the blacks. I’ve tested it relentlessly against Technicolor Cine, Neumann Flat and found it to be the best on both Canon and Nikon lens.
If there is a way for me to edited your picture style, then please let me know.
Thanks
for your help
Ian Mac
FC Medea
January 25th, 2012 on 5:58 pm
Check out my other flat profiles and see if they are any better. I didn’t want to go the extreme route of Technicolor because the 8 bit codec can’t handle it, and 3.0 is made to be less extremely flat but more so than the neutral profile.
February 10th, 2012 on 1:53 pm
Rich, I love the Terrence Malick feel of your sample vid! You really captured the feel of family life. I am inspired. Now I just need a family.