Hdrx - Red Epic EPIC-M Operation Manual

RED EPIC OPERATION GUIDE
adjustments as desired by the operator, and is then scaled and gamma corrected to provide VIEWFINDER,
HD-SDI and HDMI monitor outputs at 10-bit depth in 4:2:2 YCC or 8-bit depth in 4:4:4 RGB.
Frame guides and other camera data may be added as desired by the user to one or more of the outputs.
NOTE: The supplied REDCINE-X® PRO application software can create and export .RMD "color look" files
which may then be imported as camera monitor path color processing PRESETs. This information is stored
as reference metadata, so that this color processing choice can be the default value used in Post-
production. Refer to PRESETS MENU for details on how to import and apply .RMD file metadata.

HDRX™

HDRx is an option for extending dynamic range up to 6 stops over the base Dynamic Range offered by the
camera. When enabled HDRx simultaneously shoots two images of identical resolution and frame rate - a
normally exposed primary track (A-track), and an underexposed secondary track (X-track) whose exposure
value reflects the additional stops of highlight protection desired.
For example, if you select an HDR value of +2 and your primary track exposure is 1/48th sec, the secondary
track exposure will be 2 stops under, or 1/192 sec. The ISO and Aperture remain the same for both
exposures.
During acquisition and recording, the two tracks are "motion-conjoined", meaning there is no gap in time
between the two exposures. This is very important to note because if they were traditional alternating
exposures, there would be a time gap between the two tracks that would show up as an undesirable motion
artifact. Both tracks (A & X) are stored in a single .R3D
Since there are two exposures in HDRx mode, the camera is recording double the amount of frames each
second. For example, when shooting at 24fps, the camera is recording two 24fps tracks, which is the data
rate equivalent of 48fps; however after combining the A and X tracks in post-production you will see only
one 24fps blended image sequence.
HDRx provides multiple options for exploitation in post-production.
Blend the two tracks in post tools like REDCINE-X, Storm or any other application that supports the SDK
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to create Magic Motion™. This blending of the two tracks comes with a slider so you can decide just
how much of each track you want to use. A preview window shows you the combined result of your
selection, or you can view each track individually.
Combine the two tracks using MNMB (More Normal Motion Blur). MNMB is designed to emulate the
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motion of a traditional camera with full motion blur. This is a tool created by The Foundry that uses a
new motion estimation algorithm designed specifically for HDRx. The shorter exposure (sharper image) is
blended to match the motion blur of the normal exposure. Again, a preview window shows the combined
result of your selection, or you can view each track individually.
Use the X-track data for motion tracking, then combine the X-track with the A-track, or just motion
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stabilize the A-track using the motion analysis data extracted from the X-track.
Exporting to EXR file format will give you a multi-view EXR with both exposures (like a stereo EXR).
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NOTE: If you ignore the X-track data, you will have a standard exposure with up to 13.5 stops of dynamic
range just as if you had not enabled HDRx. For this reason, we encourage the A-track exposure to be
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