Good graded image with Dlog-M mode compared to Normal mode ?

[kraft2000]

Can some of you please post screenshot of "better" graded videos in DLog-M compared to Normal mode ?
I've been grading all my videos for some time now, but somehow I 'm getting better result starting from Normal mode rather than using DLog-M with the LUT to rec709 provided by DJI.

OK I can get better retrieval in the burnt areas and the shadows, but DLog-M seems softer with less details, flater and with unpleasant fisheye deformation .

I was just wondering if any of you managed to get better results, and if you could post some example with normal mode vs your graded DLog-M

 

[parkgt]

Are you filming your D-log in HQ or FOV? So far I haven't been impressed with the DJI Lut may be scene dependent.

 

[kraft2000]

I tried both HQ & FOV, but I prefer the wide angle of the FOV mode, despite the softer details.
I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking the result of the DLog-M with the DJI LUT is not convincing.

A lot of people seem to recommend shooting in DLog-M because of the 10 bit output, but I'm curious to know if they really compared to the Normal mode, and got indeed better result.

 

[SLVSRFR]

There's a youtube video floating around speculating your same concern. Given I'm not too great at color grading yet, I too feel normal is a much better baseline to start with.

UPDATE:

Found the video, he does a comparison of all 3 profiles (with color grading) and at the 7:26 mark he justifies his opinion.

 

[parkgt]

I tried both HQ & FOV, but I prefer the wide angle of the FOV mode, despite the softer details.
I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking the result of the DLog-M with the DJI LUT is not convincing.

A lot of people seem to recommend shooting in DLog-M because of the 10 bit output, but I'm curious to know if they really compared to the Normal mode, and got indeed better result.

Those with the time and ability to grade well probably do benefit from D-log. Some of us like the challenge of seeing what we can do with an image rather than just accepting what the canned settings give. Doesn't mean it is always "better."

The majority of owners are likely to get pleasing results with less effort using Normal. There is no reason someone should feel bad about using Normal, a lot of effort went into making it work well for most situations. If you like what you see use it.

 

[kilomikebravo]

If you like what you see use it.

Well said, Park!

(BTW, are you a ‘Stang person? (Just curious ‘cause I am. )

 

[Roamer105]

It takes a lot of time, learning and studying, trial and error, money and effort to get really good post processing results. Simply shooting Dlog and apply some LUT is not going to do much for you. If you can’t put in the time, money and effort, please shoot normal. It will be a lot more pleasing for you. However if you can do all this, well, Dlog will enable you to create some amazing video.

 

[Goof]

Can some of you please post screenshot of "better" graded videos in DLog-M compared to Normal mode ?
I've been grading all my videos for some time now, but somehow I 'm getting better result starting from Normal mode rather than using DLog-M with the LUT to rec709 provided by DJI.

OK I can get better retrieval in the burnt areas and the shadows, but DLog-M seems softer with less details, flater and with unpleasant fisheye deformation .

I was just wondering if any of you managed to get better results, and if you could post some example with normal mode vs your graded DLog-M

Normal mode applies sharpening and lens correction on the fly inside the aircraft, if you shoot in DLog without applying these features in post-production you will get less than stellar results.

If your software of choice doesn't have automatic lens correction, (or a profile specified in the Mavic 2 manual), you can try shooting some video of a heap of solar panels, a building with a lot of straight lines etc. This makes it easier to manually tune any lens correction settings you may have in your video suite to create a profile you can just copy onto future footage.

Sharpening / unsharp mask is best left up to the individual's taste.

 

[kilomikebravo]

Can some of you please post screenshot of "better" graded videos in DLog-M compared to Normal mode ?

I am an amateur when it comes to color grading so have some compassion with comments. <smile> I too saw the WeTalkUAV post from Alex and Chivo but after you asked the question, I wanted to do a comparison of my own. Here are three ten-second clips using Normal, HLG, and D-Log M (HQ) (although not necessarily in that order.) For now, I won't indicate whether I agree with Alex or not but my guess is, if you can't tell which is which in this short comparison, you will be served quite well with Normal 8-bit video. First time using a OneDrive link too so I hope it works correctly and gives enough bandwidth.

KB

Normal / HLG / D-Log M Quick Comparison

 

[kraft2000]

Thanks a lot for this video I would say DLOG , HLG and Normal.
It's true that Normal mode seem to add too much sharpening, and the exposition is a little bit darker

 

[kilomikebravo]

Thanks for the reply, Kraft, and I'll let you know how accurate your answers were in a day or so. I'll be curious to see if the OP stops by and gives us his opinion. I have NO doubt that many folks could do a better job of color grading but this was my best effort for now.

KB

 

[kraft2000]

I'm the OP actually Your video is exactly what I was looking for, thanks for that.
I might not use the best color grading tool actually. Using Colorfinale Pro in FCPX so far but I'll definitely try DaVinci Resolve.

 

[Flyguy95r]

Normal mode applies sharpening and lens correction on the fly inside the aircraft, if you shoot in DLog without applying these features in post-production you will get less than stellar results.

If your software of choice doesn't have automatic lens correction, (or a profile specified in the Mavic 2 manual), you can try shooting some video of a heap of solar panels, a building with a lot of straight lines etc. This makes it easier to manually tune any lens correction settings you may have in your video suite to create a profile you can just copy onto future footage.

Sharpening / unsharp mask is best left up to the individual's taste.

Where do you stand on exposure for DLog M? Some have said EV-0 but I’m in the ETTR camp so I’ve been discussing it to get different opinions

 

[Goof]

For photos at least, this thing seems to respond well to (very) slight overexposure. Seems to be easier to fix blown highlights than to recover dark and noisy shadows.

 

[kilomikebravo]

I'm the OP actually Your video is exactly what I was looking for, thanks for that.

My apologies for not noticing you were the OP, Kraft...DUH!

Anyway, glad it helped at least a little. I'll give this post a day or so for other people to see if they can guess which clip is which.

 

[Bigdz]

A=HGL
B=Dlog M
C=normal or none

 

[kilomikebravo]

A=HGL
B=Dlog M
C=normal or none

More guesses..great, thanks.

 

[Goof]

Normal, HLG, D-log is my guess

 

[kilomikebravo]

Normal, HLG, D-log is my guess

Thanks, Goof. Let’s see if any pixel peepers chime in. My point in all this was two-fold. First, to show the 0P the comparison and second, that it isn’t always easy to tell the difference.

KB

 

[kilomikebravo]

Where do you stand on exposure for DLog M? Some have said EV-0 but I’m in the ETTR camp so I’ve been discussing it to get different opinions

FG9: Sorry for the late response but I missed your question. As of this writing, I still haven't decided which way to go with D-Log but up to this point, I have been exposing normally with the histogram and not trying to push the light up or down. As I find more time to fly, I will do some testing in both directions but honestly, I'm pretty happy with normal exposure procedures.

KB