Hey Caleb, thanks for the video. Lately, I have been running tests with a gray card and noticed something worth a mention. If you are using an external monitor, then you probably have access to apply a viewing LUT to your footage. This will affect the readout on the waveform and where 40 IRE sits! If you were to expose to 40 IRE by looking at the Log waveform, then you'll see that middle gray sits closer to +/- 32 IRE (depending on the Log gamma curve you are using).
Very much detailed. Thank You. I have GH4 with V-LOG. I have Nikon F 17-50 f/2.8 with 0.71x speedbooster. I notice that under low light, I see lot of grains. Is that normal in GH4?
Very good explain for exposure!! But what you do when you don't have grey cars or you have a lot contrast at the back of the subject? (a shooting at a bright sunny day)....
Can you please do the same presentation explaining the use of the histogram to determine exposure since that is available on virtually all DSLRs? Not everyone has a monitor with waveform capibility. Thanks
It's pretty maddening that there isn't a defacto standard for false colour, even between these 2 monitors, but this explanation itself is good. Thanks.
I'm really curious as to how to use a gray card for exposing video. Looking at my footage, the gray card hovers around 770 of 1023 (10 bit footage) on my waveform. That's about where it seems to need to be for the shot to look right. Why is there such a massive difference to what you've shown in-camera?
Thank you for this video it's incredibly helpful! I just bought a BMPC 4K and I'm going to get the Feelworld F7 monitor after watching your review of it, the information here is going to come in very useful!
Thank you for the video! I have a couple of questions... How did you decide that the correct exposure is when the gray card is at 40 IRE, and how do you use a gray card when you are shooting flat footage like log? Thanks!
The camera manufacturer will specify which IRE value they recommend rating middle gray at. Fuji F-LOG, for example is between 46-47 IRE. This is different for every camera - best to check the white paper
Question, I am using zebras and the waveform to help balance my exposure and that’s helping, but now once that’s done, my question is what do I prioritize to lighten my exposure - aperture, shutterspeed or iso? Like should I keep aperture at a minimum (2.8 on my lens) and then use shutter speed and/or iso to adjust the exposure? Which one should I keep low and which should I be adjusting to move the waveform ? I obviously want to stay away from noise as much as possible, Someone please help I am dying trying to figure this out and I can’t!!!!
I find that keeping iso as low as possible is useful. If you have an ND filter you can adjust light that way. Use zebras to prevent clipping. This way you can have your lower aperture without blowing out.
I find my SOny FS7 monitor is exactly real life. I only use the EVF and it's always 100% spot in post. I don't use waveforms etc because of that, albeit, it's a small screen
I don't get the part about "correct exposure for human skin". So, if I'm making a shot with something else, IE not human skin, I should set it differently? Thanks for the video. Been curious about these cards. :)
That's where testing the equipment comes in. You need to learn how your camera handles colors and gradients. The best way is to just test it out. That way you know that if you expose for the greycard the reds will look like this or that shade for instance.
Just wondering, if you're trying to get the 18% grey card to read around 40 IRE on the false colour monitor, then why not just not use the grey card and expose the skin to 40 IRE in your shot instead?
To everyone that doesn't actually know this: If you want the cinematic look, keep your framerate at 24 or 25 and the shutter speed at 1/50. Caleb changed the exposure through the shutter because it was the fastest way. You can change it with the ISO, the aperture, if depth of field is not that important for your specific shot, or an ND filter. If you're shooting a narrative film, always use 24-25 FPS. And always keep the shutter at 1/50 if you're not trying to create some specific effect (dreamy and blurry or robotic and jittery movement).
Shooting on GH5 with v-log, can I fix exposure even before the actor arrives by holding a grey card on where his face would be and expose it at 42 IRE?
Of course, just make sure the lighting is the same. Chances are that it might change because of a window on set, or if you change your mind on light placement and intensity.
Hi Caleb, is your technique of exposing for skin tones the same when I use Vlog-L on my GH5? Or should I use a non-flat or standard profile, expose, and then shift to Vlog? Thanks! God bless!
Some people just go with the auto-mode since at least then the change will be gradual. I've even heard some colorists prefering auto-mode since so many screw up the manual white-balance settings so often in worse ways than if they had let it be auto from the start. Otherwise, if you have the resources (time, money) you could just change bulbs or put gels on them to match the majority of the lightsources. As in, it's probably easier to change one bulb in the corner to daylight than to cover a bunch of windows in orange gels in a way that don't show up on the deep focus wide shot that may be desired. Or you could just let it be part of the style of the shot. Not all light needs to register as white. Or pick one white-balance and in post go in with masks and roto's to correct the parts that aren't correct. Your colorist will LOVE this option :P
I kept the card nice for about a year and gave up. I handle it so much and it just isn't worth keeping nice. Still looks grey to me and the camera so I guess we are good!
I understand, it's your card, you can touch it all you want (I'll still cringe!)! But in the video, for others you may want to mention this. Touching it may eventually effect exposure. Thank you for the tips!
Christopher Cox 30-40 IRE is best for flatter images. Once corrected/graded those same values will be higher. If you shoot with a standard pp 45-60 will be better.
***** I was taught to ETTR then lower the levels in post when shooting RAW. I guess it would be different for more compressed codecs, even when using a Log profile.
You're a legend!! Thank you so much!! I just made the switch to the GH4 from Canon because of you. I can't wait to purchase the series from GH4Guide.com as soon as I can! Thanks for everything!
All of these options, but no mention of... a portable light-meter? I mean, it's only the way cinematographers have been doing their work for about a dozen decades now :)
@Cosmin Rotaru True, yet it was a far faster & much more simple method. I've been watching loads of videos on gauging exposure recently & thought many times "whatever happened to lightmetering...?" Reckon that's the route I'll choose.
true dat, gringo, but you have to calibrate your lightmeter to your camera; with a waveform or false colors, you are using information from a gamma curve , which are universally correct, no need for calibration
Good guide and tutorial. however, I don't like the color of GH4. On my opinion Canon is much better, even your video tutorials was much better before switching to GH4.
So, you're making a video about How to get correct exposure... That is under exposed!... Lol. And please don't tell me my monitor is not correctly calibrated and your levels are where they should be... And since you're talking about skin tones, yours is not correct either... probably because you are under exposed... How can you be taken seriously? I wonder.
Right, and don't blame it on RUclips, either. I've been doing video for more decades than I care to think about. Caucasian flesh tones usually come in at around 70 - 80 IRE, but that is far from a hard-and-fast rule. That's why I gave a 10-IRE range. Your monitor is your friend when exposing flesh tones.
I don't see how the video is underexposed. He's in a dark room, and he's the only thing really being lit, and his lighting and skin tone looks fine. I seriously think you're just trying to find something to complain about, which just makes you look childish.
Hey Caleb, thanks for the video. Lately, I have been running tests with a gray card and noticed something worth a mention.
If you are using an external monitor, then you probably have access to apply a viewing LUT to your footage. This will affect the readout on the waveform and where 40 IRE sits! If you were to expose to 40 IRE by looking at the Log waveform, then you'll see that middle gray sits closer to +/- 32 IRE (depending on the Log gamma curve you are using).
Never knew how to use waveform and false color. Now I know why and how to use them from your video! Awesome! You r the best with explanation!
Very much detailed. Thank You. I have GH4 with V-LOG. I have Nikon F 17-50 f/2.8 with 0.71x speedbooster. I notice that under low light, I see lot of grains. Is that normal in GH4?
Very good explain for exposure!! But what you do when you don't have grey cars or you have a lot contrast at the back of the subject? (a shooting at a bright sunny day)....
hey you are really helping people i have a calibrated monitor and i can see what happen on your videos great work well done
What’s your plan for the channel as DSLRs get phased out for mirrorless?
Does the clamp damage the grey card?
Thanks for making this - it’s such a useful video! 👍 You answered a whole load of my questions!
Can you please do the same presentation explaining the use of the histogram to determine exposure since that is available on virtually all DSLRs? Not everyone has a monitor with waveform capibility. Thanks
It's pretty maddening that there isn't a defacto standard for false colour, even between these 2 monitors, but this explanation itself is good. Thanks.
I'm really curious as to how to use a gray card for exposing video. Looking at my footage, the gray card hovers around 770 of 1023 (10 bit footage) on my waveform. That's about where it seems to need to be for the shot to look right. Why is there such a massive difference to what you've shown in-camera?
Thanks, Caleb. Very interesting stuff. Thanks for your time. Cheers!
Is this process the same for all skin tones? What if you have dark-complexioned people and light-complexioned people in the same shot?
Thank you for this video it's incredibly helpful!
I just bought a BMPC 4K and I'm going to get the Feelworld F7 monitor after watching your review of it, the information here is going to come in very useful!
Thank you for the video!
I have a couple of questions... How did you decide that the correct exposure is when the gray card is at 40 IRE, and how do you use a gray card when you are shooting flat footage like log?
Thanks!
The camera manufacturer will specify which IRE value they recommend rating middle gray at. Fuji F-LOG, for example is between 46-47 IRE.
This is different for every camera - best to check the white paper
@@macktaylordp Thank you!
Question, I am using zebras and the waveform to help balance my exposure and that’s helping, but now once that’s done, my question is what do I prioritize to lighten my exposure - aperture, shutterspeed or iso? Like should I keep aperture at a minimum (2.8 on my lens) and then use shutter speed and/or iso to adjust the exposure? Which one should I keep low and which should I be adjusting to move the waveform ? I obviously want to stay away from noise as much as possible, Someone please help I am dying trying to figure this out and I can’t!!!!
I find that keeping iso as low as possible is useful. If you have an ND filter you can adjust light that way. Use zebras to prevent clipping. This way you can have your lower aperture without blowing out.
I'm confused on why to use a grey card. Why wouldn't you just look at your monitor and adjust exposure until it looks right?
cause your eyes see differently than your camera.
yep, gotta expose for the camera not your eyes, just like how you (human eyes) see in the dark in comparison to a camera
I find my SOny FS7 monitor is exactly real life. I only use the EVF and it's always 100% spot in post. I don't use waveforms etc because of that, albeit, it's a small screen
Thanks for this tutorial. Loved the explanation on the grey card and false color
How do you shoot if your subject is in low light and you want him to be in low light. By eye?
They may sound dumb but how gray should my gray card be? I think mine is too dark.
Very intelegent and nice aproach!!! One of the best videos for the subject!
Thanks Nikolay!
I don't get the part about "correct exposure for human skin". So, if I'm making a shot with something else, IE not human skin, I should set it differently?
Thanks for the video. Been curious about these cards. :)
That's where testing the equipment comes in. You need to learn how your camera handles colors and gradients. The best way is to just test it out. That way you know that if you expose for the greycard the reds will look like this or that shade for instance.
Just wondering, if you're trying to get the 18% grey card to read around 40 IRE on the false colour monitor, then why not just not use the grey card and expose the skin to 40 IRE in your shot instead?
So what is the point of getting tools to help you some 90% there and then you still have to tweak it manually?
To everyone that doesn't actually know this: If you want the cinematic look, keep your framerate at 24 or 25 and the shutter speed at 1/50. Caleb changed the exposure through the shutter because it was the fastest way. You can change it with the ISO, the aperture, if depth of field is not that important for your specific shot, or an ND filter.
If you're shooting a narrative film, always use 24-25 FPS. And always keep the shutter at 1/50 if you're not trying to create some specific effect (dreamy and blurry or robotic and jittery movement).
Best correct exposure video ever.
Shooting on GH5 with v-log, can I fix exposure even before the actor arrives by holding a grey card on where his face would be and expose it at 42 IRE?
Of course, just make sure the lighting is the same. Chances are that it might change because of a window on set, or if you change your mind on light placement and intensity.
Is this the same for photography ?
If you shoot video is not static, in motion, how to adjust the exposure?
Thank you! Is it correct ire for v-log?
Can you do a video on getting correct exposure on the C300 mark II? Using Canon Log 3
Hi Caleb, is your technique of exposing for skin tones the same when I use Vlog-L on my GH5? Or should I use a non-flat or standard profile, expose, and then shift to Vlog? Thanks! God bless!
please let me know when you video guide goes on a 50% off sale
Hi, I learnt with waveform we havé to be around 70% for perfection Color skin. Why you say 40%? Is it because of the Slog profil?
70 IRE for skin, but grey cart is darker, basicly around 50 IRE
you mean skin from the same colour as yours, right?
Great video, I subscribed because I learned a lot.
How do i set white balance to match different lighting scenarios if i am following a moving subject?
Some people just go with the auto-mode since at least then the change will be gradual. I've even heard some colorists prefering auto-mode since so many screw up the manual white-balance settings so often in worse ways than if they had let it be auto from the start.
Otherwise, if you have the resources (time, money) you could just change bulbs or put gels on them to match the majority of the lightsources. As in, it's probably easier to change one bulb in the corner to daylight than to cover a bunch of windows in orange gels in a way that don't show up on the deep focus wide shot that may be desired.
Or you could just let it be part of the style of the shot. Not all light needs to register as white.
Or pick one white-balance and in post go in with masks and roto's to correct the parts that aren't correct. Your colorist will LOVE this option :P
Thought you're not suppose to touch the surface of those grey cards from datacolor? Oil in your fingers can damage it making it less accurate?
You are correct. I was cringing each time he touched it. You also need to store the card away from light.
I kept the card nice for about a year and gave up. I handle it so much and it just isn't worth keeping nice. Still looks grey to me and the camera so I guess we are good!
I understand, it's your card, you can touch it all you want (I'll still cringe!)! But in the video, for others you may want to mention this. Touching it may eventually effect exposure. Thank you for the tips!
Why 40? Wouldn't that value result in an underexposed image? I guess it depends on the camera and codec to some extent. I'm using a BMPCC and RAW.
Christopher Cox 30-40 IRE is best for flatter images. Once corrected/graded those same values will be higher. If you shoot with a standard pp 45-60 will be better.
***** I was taught to ETTR then lower the levels in post when shooting RAW. I guess it would be different for more compressed codecs, even when using a Log profile.
At last! great explanation!. Thanks a lot!
You're a legend!! Thank you so much!! I just made the switch to the GH4 from Canon because of you. I can't wait to purchase the series from GH4Guide.com as soon as I can! Thanks for everything!
Slimtronic5k Awesome man! Enjoy the new cam!
Great video. Thanks for the help.
Have you done a video on the C100 Vs. A7s?
+Jarek Zukowski lowlight specifically
+Jarek Bukowski I have not.
What if you actually use human skin instead of a gray card?
Grey zombie skin card
It would mean carrying human skin with you wherever you go. I like that idea.
Like foreskin?
Gris medio 18% en 40 IRE?
great info! Looks like I need to get your guide now lol
what about for slog?
Great video. Sweet. Thank you.
Great video!
Is anyone else unable to set exposure compensation when you're in manual exposure mode??
Set the playback speed at 1.25x
Thanks - much appreciated!
Thanks so much
did you just say 50 bugs for a piece of cardboard?
No, that would be ridiculous. This is 50 bucks for a *grey* piece of cardboard
No, you also get an auto calibrating software
All of these options, but no mention of... a portable light-meter? I mean, it's only the way cinematographers have been doing their work for about a dozen decades now :)
jmalmsten Yeah, no shit. I use an incident meter all the time. Gets the light source to zone V everytime. Quick-Style.
@Cosmin Rotaru True, yet it was a far faster & much more simple method. I've been watching loads of videos on gauging exposure recently & thought many times "whatever happened to lightmetering...?" Reckon that's the route I'll choose.
true dat, gringo, but you have to calibrate your lightmeter to your camera; with a waveform or false colors, you are using information from a gamma curve , which are universally correct, no need for calibration
Good guide and tutorial. however, I don't like the color of GH4. On my opinion Canon is much better, even your video tutorials was much better before switching to GH4.
Kamal Saad More than half of the videos I post are using a C100 :-S
***** That's why I said "Canon is much better"
+DSLR Video Shooter Ive owed a CANON 70d since launch love it, but still would prefer the GH4 if it wasent for the A7s
Your punching in and out for close ups gets a little annoying after a bit.
Thank you!!!
Who knows monitor model?
I wince every time his oily fingers touch the grey card. Ouch!
The irony. This video is underexposed and the skin tones are very red and unnatural.
RUclips has a bit to do with the Reds
yeah, somehow every video has more red in it, not to mention their logo
Well Frank it’s possible your monitor isn’t calibrated correctly making it look under exposed to you
The exposure is fine. He's in a dark room, and not everyone has the same skin tone. His skin tone looks fine
Everything in this video is bunk.
i hate this hue/tonality in video... it looks flat we dont see that way i dont know why you would like to record that way for educational content.
An underexposed video showing how to get correct exposure. Lol
Looks like it was a grading creative decision. Not an underexposed shot.
Looks good to me. Idiots always heckle!
So, you're making a video about How to get correct exposure... That is under exposed!... Lol. And please don't tell me my monitor is not correctly calibrated and your levels are where they should be... And since you're talking about skin tones, yours is not correct either... probably because you are under exposed... How can you be taken seriously? I wonder.
Right, and don't blame it on RUclips, either.
I've been doing video for more decades than I care to think about. Caucasian flesh tones usually come in at around 70 - 80 IRE, but that is far from a hard-and-fast rule. That's why I gave a 10-IRE range. Your monitor is your friend when exposing flesh tones.
I don't see how the video is underexposed. He's in a dark room, and he's the only thing really being lit, and his lighting and skin tone looks fine. I seriously think you're just trying to find something to complain about, which just makes you look childish.
Meh...do this for the a7s...a REAL CAMERA. I might thumbs up this later.
Very boring explanation !!!!!!!