Comparison video of D log and regular mode?

[kona]

Is there a video somewhere out there allowing me to gauge the usefulness of going the D log route? I know this involves a lot of post capture editing so only want to do it if it's really worth it. Thanks.

 

[dv8ed]

Here you go.
DJI Mavic Pro - Footage sample all color mod (D-log, Cinelike,etc.)

 

[kona]

Thanks! What I was hoping to see is processed d log to really see its potential. Do you know an example of that?

Also, what is recommended as basic setting, truecolor or none?

 

[t0rpedo]

Thanks! What I was hoping to see is processed d log to really see its potential. Do you know an example of that?

Also, what is recommended as basic setting, truecolor or none?

I shoot in pure d-log [-1,-3,-3]. I love what I can do with it in post. In my opinion it's totally worth the time and effort. Here's a couple of my latest vids shot in d-log with color grading:

 

[Egika]

Thanks! What I was hoping to see is processed d log to really see its potential. Do you know an example of that?

Also, what is recommended as basic setting, truecolor or none?

Then you should compare processed D-Log to processed normal videos. Of course every footage can be altered to one's liking...

The reason for having different settings to select from is that there is no recommended setting for all people and all conditions. Taste is different and it makes sense that you either just experiment yourself or find some edited footage that suits your taste and then check how it was done..

my2c

 

[Powerjeep]

I shoot in pure d-log [-1,-3,-3]. I love what I can do with it in post. In my opinion it's totally worth the time and effort. Here's a couple of my latest vids shot in d-log with color grading:

i agree, but the problem.. when we shoot "videos and stills" in the same flight.. the stills are in d-log also.
the stills are not easy to process..
sorry for my english..

je suis d'accord mais le problème est que quand on filme et fait des photos pendant le même vol, les photos sont aussi en d-log.. moins facile à traiter

 

[Robert Granata]

i agree, but the problem.. when we shoot "videos and stills" in the same flight.. the stills are in d-log also.
the stills are not easy to process..
sorry for my english..

je suis d'accord mais le problème est que quand on filme et fait des photos pendant le même vol, les photos sont aussi en d-log.. moins facile à traiter

Instead of processing the jpg files, save the photos as raw files. They have a lot more detail and much better looking after processing. The raw files aren't affected by the color profile (dlog, normal, etc) so you can use any profile you want for the video. I shoot in dlog -1 -3 -3 for videos and save both jpg and raw for photos. I save the jpgs' to quickly scan through the photos of the day to pick out which raw ones I want to process.

 

[neo_xiii]

hello guys , from my experience , shooting d-log is not always the best idea.
have you ever heard of the watercolor painting problem? depending on your mavic unit (mine included unfortunately) you may encounter this problem as soon as you use a custom sharpness setting with -1, -2 and of course -3 , and it's even more obvious when using d-log color style.
from my experience , i get the best quality result in shooting in D-Cinelike (easier to color grade/correct, realistic colors and pretty good at keeping highlights/shadows in the dynamic range) when leaving sharpness at 0, and then use negative settings for contrast and saturation , the negative value will depend on lighting conditions.
As i am using ND filters too , i was concerned about exposure. And i advise everyone to keep the exposure as high as possible (expose to the right on the histogram) but not too much, to avoid blowing out highlights.
the tricky part with ND filters is that you want to keep the shutter speed at twice the frame per second you're shooting at (30fps = 60 shutter speed) to keep this "cinematic look" and motion blur everyone's looking for... but when you have a "weak" ND filter on your mavic, and shooting some place that has more light than the rest (sun reflection for instance) , sometimes it's getting over exposed , and you don't want to bring back the mavic to change your ND filter. At that time you may have to change some settings, and the only thing you can change is shutter speed and iso. Of course you will want to stick to the lowest iso , 100 is perfect, especially with scenes full of light. the only parameter you can change at that time is shutter speed , as aperture is fixed at 2.2 on the mavic. Of course you would like to keep the shutter speed at 60, but sometimes you have to make compromises to have a good exposure. A good exposure is more important than maintaining this SS at 60, try to increase the shutter speed to have a good histogram, and keep in mind that if you re shooting landscapes or high above the ground , nothing in your frame will move fast enough to see the difference between a 60 SS and a 200 or 400SS, from my opinion.
As mavic units seem to be different from one to another , i can only advise you to test YOUR mavic, it's the best way to know which settings are the best for YOU. Don't rely only on what you see on youtube , and go out there to run some video tests .
it's easy : find a spot with many details (trees, bushes , forest) put your mavic in POI mode and shoot one video in D-log with custom settings at 000 first. Hit record and then go to settings to decrease sharpness while recording (yes you can do that). Go from O to -3, then back to O.
Do this for all video modes you want to test , one recording/color style.
Then put your video on the big screen and just watch carefully. You will quickly see what settings are best for you .
Sorry for being so long, but I hope this will help, cheers from France !

 

[MavicFrank]

hello guys , from my experience , shooting d-log is not always the best idea.
have you ever heard of the watercolor painting problem? depending on your mavic unit (mine included unfortunately) you may encounter this problem as soon as you use a custom sharpness setting with -1, -2 and of course -3 , and it's even more obvious when using d-log color style.
from my experience , i get the best quality result in shooting in D-Cinelike (easier to color grade/correct, realistic colors and pretty good at keeping highlights/shadows in the dynamic range) when leaving sharpness at 0, and then use negative settings for contrast and saturation , the negative value will depend on lighting conditions.
As i am using ND filters too , i was concerned about exposure. And i advise everyone to keep the exposure as high as possible (expose to the right on the histogram) but not too much, to avoid blowing out highlights.
the tricky part with ND filters is that you want to keep the shutter speed at twice the frame per second you're shooting at (30fps = 60 shutter speed) to keep this "cinematic look" and motion blur everyone's looking for... but when you have a "weak" ND filter on your mavic, and shooting some place that has more light than the rest (sun reflection for instance) , sometimes it's getting over exposed , and you don't want to bring back the mavic to change your ND filter. At that time you may have to change some settings, and the only thing you can change is shutter speed and iso. Of course you will want to stick to the lowest iso , 100 is perfect, especially with scenes full of light. the only parameter you can change at that time is shutter speed , as aperture is fixed at 2.2 on the mavic. Of course you would like to keep the shutter speed at 60, but sometimes you have to make compromises to have a good exposure. A good exposure is more important than maintaining this SS at 60, try to increase the shutter speed to have a good histogram, and keep in mind that if you re shooting landscapes or high above the ground , nothing in your frame will move fast enough to see the difference between a 60 SS and a 200 or 400SS, from my opinion.
As mavic units seem to be different from one to another , i can only advise you to test YOUR mavic, it's the best way to know which settings are the best for YOU. Don't rely only on what you see on youtube , and go out there to run some video tests .
it's easy : find a spot with many details (trees, bushes , forest) put your mavic in POI mode and shoot one video in D-log with custom settings at 000 first. Hit record and then go to settings to decrease sharpness while recording (yes you can do that). Go from O to -3, then back to O.
Do this for all video modes you want to test , one recording/color style.
Then put your video on the big screen and just watch carefully. You will quickly see what settings are best for you .
Sorry for being so long, but I hope this will help, cheers from France !

That is one of the most articulate posts I've read on here. I've been lurking on the water color thread for a while now, and to be honest, the opinions there are all over the place. I am a scientist by trade and your systematic approach appeals to me. For myself, I plan to start out at 2.7k/30fps with varying SS and using None, 0,0,0 as a baseline and go from there. Thanks for your post.

 

[neo_xiii]

That is one of the most articulate posts I've read on here. I've been lurking on the water color thread for a while now, and to be honest, the opinions there are all over the place. I am a scientist by trade and your systematic approach appeals to me. For myself, I plan to start out at 2.7k/30fps with varying SS and using None, 0,0,0 as a baseline and go from there. Thanks for your post.

Thanks for your comment , i've been looking for infos on that watercolor thing all over the place and you're right , opinions are quite different . That's why I decided to test this by myself , and i think everyone should do it, as it doesn't take that much time when you have the good technique.
Actually "None" is a good profile regarding the watercolor thing, but i think it's too dark for me and not that good regarding dynamic range, that's why i prefer the cinelike profile.
The "sharpness test" is easy to do and it's very easy to see watercolor effect when you decrease to -3 while shooting(considering your mavic unit has the same problem than mine). Hopefully, shooting at sharpness 0 is fine for me, as I like the overall look of that setting (i like it crisp, and i can add a little blur in post if needed).
Next time I will have a look at that truecolor profile , never tried it yet and looks like interesting..

 

[raybanner]

Thanks for your comment , i've been looking for infos on that watercolor thing all over the place and you're right , opinions are quite different . That's why I decided to test this by myself , and i think everyone should do it, as it doesn't take that much time when you have the good technique.
Actually "None" is a good profile regarding the watercolor thing, but i think it's too dark for me and not that good regarding dynamic range, that's why i prefer the cinelike profile.
The "sharpness test" is easy to do and it's very easy to see watercolor effect when you decrease to -3 while shooting(considering your mavic unit has the same problem than mine). Hopefully, shooting at sharpness 0 is fine for me, as I like the overall look of that setting (i like it crisp, and i can add a little blur in post if needed).
Next time I will have a look at that truecolor profile , never tried it yet and looks like interesting..

Finally someone who put the whole watercolor thread into one post. Perfect explanation!
One question for you: Did you test 2,7k vs 4k too? I ask because 2,7k compresses less than 4k.

 

[neo_xiii]

Finally someone who put the whole watercolor thread into one post. Perfect explanation!
One question for you: Did you test 2,7k vs 4k too? I ask because 2,7k compresses less than 4k.

Thank you for your message ! There are many interesting infos in the dedicated watercolor thread, which I used to set up my own tests session, but you're right , they are scattered all over the many pages and it's not easy to sum it up. I just tried to help the mavic community with my own humble personal experience , as i'm a happy mavic owner for one month (at best). I'm not a professional but i do have some experience in video editing and color grading/correcting and looking for the best possible image quality. Like I said I think everybody should run some tests with their own mavic as they can be different from one to another.
Up to now I did my tests only in 4K, and I thank you for reminding me 2,7k is said to have less compression.
Now I know what will be my next tests! ;-)
Unfortunately weather forecasts are not good at all for the next days so I guess I will have to wait before telling more .
Cheers!

 

[raybanner]

Look at these just perfect footage in 2,7k. You can not only see but also feel the less compression in 2,7k.
Personally, I'm for an overall clearer image instead of crisp details with more compression. Just figured this the hard way because you need 4k right?

DJi Mavic Pro - Professional FIlm Look - CinemaScope 4K
Drone footage of the city center with the dji Mavic Pro

 

[kona]

hello guys , from my experience , shooting d-log is not always the best idea.
have you ever heard of the watercolor painting problem? depending on your mavic unit (mine included unfortunately) you may encounter this problem as soon as you use a custom sharpness setting with -1, -2 and of course -3 , and it's even more obvious when using d-log color style.
from my experience , i get the best quality result in shooting in D-Cinelike (easier to color grade/correct, realistic colors and pretty good at keeping highlights/shadows in the dynamic range) when leaving sharpness at 0, and then use negative settings for contrast and saturation , the negative value will depend on lighting conditions.
As i am using ND filters too , i was concerned about exposure. And i advise everyone to keep the exposure as high as possible (expose to the right on the histogram) but not too much, to avoid blowing out highlights.
the tricky part with ND filters is that you want to keep the shutter speed at twice the frame per second you're shooting at (30fps = 60 shutter speed) to keep this "cinematic look" and motion blur everyone's looking for... but when you have a "weak" ND filter on your mavic, and shooting some place that has more light than the rest (sun reflection for instance) , sometimes it's getting over exposed , and you don't want to bring back the mavic to change your ND filter. At that time you may have to change some settings, and the only thing you can change is shutter speed and iso. Of course you will want to stick to the lowest iso , 100 is perfect, especially with scenes full of light. the only parameter you can change at that time is shutter speed , as aperture is fixed at 2.2 on the mavic. Of course you would like to keep the shutter speed at 60, but sometimes you have to make compromises to have a good exposure. A good exposure is more important than maintaining this SS at 60, try to increase the shutter speed to have a good histogram, and keep in mind that if you re shooting landscapes or high above the ground , nothing in your frame will move fast enough to see the difference between a 60 SS and a 200 or 400SS, from my opinion.
As mavic units seem to be different from one to another , i can only advise you to test YOUR mavic, it's the best way to know which settings are the best for YOU. Don't rely only on what you see on youtube , and go out there to run some video tests .
it's easy : find a spot with many details (trees, bushes , forest) put your mavic in POI mode and shoot one video in D-log with custom settings at 000 first. Hit record and then go to settings to decrease sharpness while recording (yes you can do that). Go from O to -3, then back to O.
Do this for all video modes you want to test , one recording/color style.
Then put your video on the big screen and just watch carefully. You will quickly see what settings are best for you .
Sorry for being so long, but I hope this will help, cheers from France !

How do you edit your d log videos to move the colors into natural looking ranges?

 

[MavicFrank]

How do you edit your d log videos to move the colors into natural looking ranges?

Lots of answers to that question. Pick your favorite video editor. I use davinci resolve. It's free and I'm still learning so it's a good fit for me. Google davinci resolve color grading and you will find lots of help.

 

[2nd2non]

My experience with D-Log with the 60mbs codec doesn't add any dynamic range and 'can' definitely add artifacts, noise, watercolor vs using D-cinelike. It's really a matter of how DJI is implementing D-Log.
D-cinelike maintains shadows well enough and grades very well (I use Davinci Resolve).
As a couple people commented, lighting will change throughout the flight forcing you to adjust exposure/shutter/etc, this is where you get into trouble easier with D-log on the Mavic. I've got enough bad footage to make me avoid it.
I think people have better performance on the P4P or I2 with the new D-Log algorithm, but many of the 'experts' are sticking with D-Cinelike due to issues I mentioned above and the success with D-Cinelike.
Of course it's up to YOU!

 

[ElGuapo]

How do you edit your d log videos to move the colors into natural looking ranges?

At one time I was using iMovie but now I use Final Cut Pro X which does a very good job of color correcting.

 

[Strafe1]

My experience with D-Log with the 60mbs codec doesn't add any dynamic range and 'can' definitely add artifacts, noise, watercolor vs using D-cinelike. It's really a matter of how DJI is implementing D-Log.
D-cinelike maintains shadows well enough and grades very well (I use Davinci Resolve).
As a couple people commented, lighting will change throughout the flight forcing you to adjust exposure/shutter/etc, this is where you get into trouble easier with D-log on the Mavic. I've got enough bad footage to make me avoid it.
I think people have better performance on the P4P or I2 with the new D-Log algorithm, but many of the 'experts' are sticking with D-Cinelike due to issues I mentioned above and the success with D-Cinelike.
Of course it's up to YOU!

I also use DaVinci Resolve, and I also prefer D-Cinelike. I can usually edit D-Log footage successfully, but it takes a lot more work to get the same result I get in D-cinelike. I like to shoot with style settings of sharpness -1, and both contrast and saturation at -2 or -1.

 

[Strafe1]

How do you edit your d log videos to move the colors into natural looking ranges?

If you have never edited before, might I suggest not starting with D-Log. Try another mode first, and then progress to D-Log if you want. It's just easier to get good results at first. But it's really about the editor you use. iMovie is super easy, and most of the others require some training.

 

[kona]

I also use DaVinci Resolve, and I also prefer D-Cinelike. I can usually edit D-Log footage successfully, but it takes a lot more work to get the same result I get in D-cinelike. I like to shoot with style settings of sharpness -1, and both contrast and saturation at -2 or -1.

OK cool, and do you think the D-Cinelike results are noticeably better than "None" mode?