I needed a workflow to provide me full control over development for filmmaking with Magic Lantern (beyond mlrawviewer's excellent preview!), while keeping things simple by providing defaults for everything. So, I wrote this: A converter from ML formats (RAW, MLV, DNG sequences) to many usable formats (EXR, DPX, and yes, Prores) with many, many features in between!
Generically, as a DNG developer, it's very capable as well, even if all the ML formats are ignored.
I make shorts with convmlv :D so here's some examples of it (back at v1.7) in action!!
http://youtu.be/yi-G7sXHB1M http://youtu.be/yi-G7sXHB1M
See http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=16799.0 for more info.
The pdf found in the source and in the release, under docs->docs.pdf, is up to date. Refer to it for tutorials, tips, documentation, etc.!!
Quick Fix: On Mac, running brew install --with-default-names grep may fix the MLV --> DNG lag, as reported by @mutex1980.
NOTE on Symbolic Linking: The filesystem that you're targeting with convmlv must support symbolic linking (though it might work without if you're not developing from DNGs).
Full help page is below:
Usage:
./convmlv.sh [FLAGS] [OPTIONS] files
INFO:
A program allowing you to develop ML files into workable formats. Many useful options are exposed.
--> Defaults: Compressed 16-bit Linear EXR. 10-bit Prores4444 MOV.
--> Color Defaults: Linear (1.0) Gamma on sRGB Gamut, using Camera White Balance.
--> Acceptable Inputs: MLV, RAW (requires raw2dng), Folder containing DNGs.
--> Option Input: From command line or config file (specify with -C).
--> Forum Post: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=16799.
--> A note: BE CAREFUL WITH OPTIONS. Wrong values will give very strange errors. Read this page well!!
It's as simple or complex as you need it to be: 'convmlv -m <mlvfile>.mlv' is enough for good-looking output!
VERSION: 2.0.1
MANUAL DEPENDENCIES:
Place these in RES_PATH (see OPTIONS, BASIC). Keep in mind you also need dist. and pip packages.
--> See 'Dist Deps' and 'Python Deps'
-- mlv_dump: Required binary. http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=7122.0
-- color-core: Required folder of LUTs. See convmlv repository.
-- sRange.py: Required script. See convmlv repository.
-- raw2dng: For DNG extraction from RAW. http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=5404.0
-- mlv2badpixels.sh: For bad pixel removal. https://bitbucket.org/daniel_fort/ml-focus-pixels/src
-- cr2hdr: For Dual ISO Development. Two links: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=16799.0
-- balance.py: For Auto White Balance. See convmlv repository.
-- color-ext: Extra LUTs, providing more color resources. See convmlv repository.
OPTIONS, BASIC:
-v, --version version - Print out version string.
-h, --help help - Print out this help page.
-C, --config config - Designates config file to use.
-o, --outdir <path> OUTDIR - The path in which files will be placed.
-P, --res-path <path> RES_PATH - The path in which all manual dependencies are looked for.
--> Default: Current Directory.
--dcraw <path> DCRAW - The path to dcraw.
--mlv-dump <path> MLV_DUMP - The path to mlv_dump.
--raw-dump <path> RAW_DUMP - The path to raw2dng.
--badpixels <path> MLV_BP - The path to mlv2badpixels.sh (by dfort).
--cr-hdr <path> CR_HDR - The path to cr2hdr.
--srange <path> SRANGE - The path to sRange.py.
--balance <path> BAL - The path to balance.py.
--python <path> PYTHON - The path or command used to invoke Python 3. Default is python3 on Linux, python on Mac.
-T, --threads [int] THREADS - Override amount of utilized process threads. Default is MAX - 1.
OPTIONS, OUTPUT:
-i IMAGE - Will output image sequence.
-t [0:3] IMG_FMT - Image output format.
--> 0: EXR (default), 1: TIFF, 2: PNG, 3: Cineon (DPX)."
-m MOVIE - Will output a Prores4444 file.
-p [0:3] PROXY - Create proxies alongside main output.
--> 0: No proxies (Default). 1: H.264 proxy. 2: JPG proxy sequence. 3: Both.
--> JPG proxy will always be in sRGB Gamma/sRGB Gamut. H.264 proxy is color managed.
--> JPG proxy *won't* be developed w/o IMAGE. H.264 proxy *will* be developed no matter what, if specified here.
--> Why? JPG is for potential use in editing. H.264 is for a quick visual preview of convmlv's output.
-s [0%:100%] PROXY_SCALE - the size, in %, of the proxy output.
--> Default: 50%.
-k KEEP_DNGS - Specify if you want to keep the DNG files.
--> Run convmlv on the top level folder of former output to reuse saved DNGs from that run!
-r <start>-<end> FRAME_RANGE - Specify to process an integer frame range.
--> You may use the characters 's' and 'e', such that s = start frame, e = end frame.
--> Indexed from 0 to (# of frames - 1). Develops from 1 to ($ of frames)
--> A single number may be writted to develop that single frame.
--> DO NOT try to reuse DNGs while developing a larger frame range.
--uncompress UNCOMP - Turns off lossless image compression. Otherwise:
--> TIFF: ZIP, EXR: PIZ, PNG: lvl 0, DPX: RLE.
OPTIONS, RAW DEVELOPMENT:
-d [0:3] DEMO_MODE - Demosaicing algorithm. Higher modes are slower + better.
--> 0: Bilinear. 1: VNG (default). 2: PPG. 3: AHD.
-f FOUR_COLOR - Interpolate as RGBG. Fixes weirdness with VNG/AHD, at the cost of sharpness.
-H [0:9] HIGHLIGHT_MODE - Highlight management options.
--> 0: White, clipped highlights. 1: Unclipped but colored highlights. 2: The defail of 1, but adjusted to grey.
--> 3-9: Highlight reconstruction. Can cause flickering. Start at 5, then adjust to color (down) or to white (up).
-c [0:3] CHROMA_SMOOTH - Apply shadow/highlight chroma smoothing to the footage.
--> 0: None (default). 1: 2x2. 2: 3x3. 3: 5x5.
--> MLV input Only.
-n [int] WAVE_NOISE - Apply wavelet denoising.
--> Default: None. Subtle: 25. Medium: 50. Strong: 125.
-N <A>-<B> TEMP_NOISE - Apply temporal denoising.
--> A: 0 to 0.3. B: 0 to 5. A reacts to abrupt noise (splotches), B reacts to noise over time (fast motion causes artifacts).
--> Subtle: 0.03-0.04. High: 0.15-0.04. High, Predictable Motion: 0.15-0.07
-Q [i-i:i-i] HQ_NOISE - Apply 3D denoising filter.
--> In depth explanation: https://mattgadient.com/2013/06/29/in-depth-look-at-de-noising-in-handbrake-with-imagevideo-examples/ .
--> Spacial/Temporal (S/T). S will soften/blur/smooth, T will remove noise without doing that but may create artifacts.
--> Luma/Chroma (L/C). L is the detail, C is the color. Each one's denoising may be manipulated Spacially or Temporally.
--> Option Value: <LS>-<CS>:<LT>-<CT>
--> Weak: 2-1:2-3. Medium: 3-2:2-3. Strong: 7-7:5-5
--> DONT combine with TEMP_NOISE.
-O [i-i-i-i] REM_NOISE - Yet another spatial denoiser, with 4 choices of 24 modes.
--> See https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#removegrain for list of modes.
--> Option Value: <mode1>-<mode2>-<mode3>-<mode4>
--> I truly cannot tell you what values will be helpful to you; there are too many... Look at the link!
--shallow SHALLOW - Output smaller, 8-bit files.
--> Read why this is a bad idea: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/bit-depth.htm
OPTIONS, COLOR:
-g [0:4] GAMMA - Output gamma. A curve applied to the output, for easier viewing/grading.
--> 0: Standard (Around 2.2). 1: Linear (Default).
--> Requires color-ext: 2: Cineon. 3: C-Log2 4: S-Log3
--> "Standard" grades to the gamut specification, and to 2.2 if that's not given.
-G [0:6] GAMUT - Output gamut. The range of colors that can exist in the output.
--> 0: sRGB (Default). 1: Adobe RGB. 2: Rec.709. 3: XYZ (Always Linear Gamma).
--> Requires color-ext: 4: Rec2020 5: DCI-P3 6: Sony S-Gamut3.cine
-w [0:2] WHITE - This is a modal white balance setting.
--> 0: Auto WB (requires balance.py). 1: Camera WB (default). 2: No Change.
--> AWB uses the Grey's World algorithm.
-A [i:i:i:i] SHARP - Lets you sharpen, or blur, your footage.
--> BE CAREFUL. Wrong values will give you strange errors.
--> Size/Strength (S/T). S is the size of the sharpen/blur effect, T is the strength of the sharpen/blur effect.
--> Luma/Chroma (L/C). L is the detail, C is the color. Luma sharpening more effective.
--> Option Value: <LS>:<LT>:<CS>:<CT>
--> LS and CS must be ODD, between 3 and 63. Negative LT/CT values blur, while positive ones sharpen.
--> Strong Sharp: 7:3:7:3 Strong Blur: 7,-3:7,-3. Medium Sharp: 5:1:3:0
-l <path> LUT - Specify a LUT to apply after Color Management.
--> Supports cube, 3dl, dat, m3d.
--> Specify -l multiple times, to apply multiple LUTs in sequence.
-S [int] SATPOINT - Specify the 14-bit uint saturation point of your camera. You don't usually need to.
--> Worth setting globally, as it's a per-camera setting. Must be correct for highlight reconstruction/unclipped highlights.
--> Lower from 15000 if -H1 yields purple highlights, until they turn white.
--> You can determine the optimal value using the max pixel value of 'dcraw -D -j -4 -T'.
--white-speed [int] WHITE_SPD - Manually specify samples used to calculate AWB.
--allow-white-clip WHITE_CLIP - Let the White Balance multipliers clip.
OPTIONS, FEATURES:
-D DESHAKE - Auto-stabilize the video using ffmpeg's "deshake" module.
--> You may wish to crop/scale the output later, to avoid edge artifacts.
-u DUAL_ISO - Process as dual ISO.
--> Requires cr2hdr.
-b BADPIXELS - Fix focus pixels issue using dfort's script.
--> Requires mlv2badpixels.sh.
-a <path> BADPIXEL_PATH - Use your own .badpixels file. Does NOT require mlv2badpixels.sh
--> How to: http://www.dl-c.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=686
-F <path> DARKFRAME - This is the path to a "dark frame MLV"; effective for noise reduction.
--> How to: Record 5 sec w/lens cap on & same settings as footage. Pass MLV in here.
--> If the file extension is '.darkframe', the file will be used as a preaveraged dark frame.
-R <path> darkframe_output - Specify to create a .darkframe file from passed in MLV.
--> Usage: 'convmlv -R <path> <input>.MLV'
--> Averages <input>.MLV to create <path>.darkframe.
--> THE .darkframe EXTENSION IS ADDED FOR YOU.
OPTIONS, INFO:
-q settings - Output MLV settings.
-K [0:3] Dist Deps - Output package dependecies, for use with common package managers.
--> 0: Debian, 1: Ubuntu, 2: Fedora, 3: Homebrew (Mac)
--> Deps Install (Debian): sudo apt-get install $(./convmlv.sh -K 0)
--> Deps Install (Ubuntu): sudo apt-get install $(./convmlv.sh -K 1)
--> Deps Install (Fedora): sudo yum install $(./convmlv.sh -K 2)
--> Deps Install (Homebrew Mac): brew install $(./convmlv.sh -K 3)
-Y Python Deps - Lists Python dependencies. Works directly with pip.
-->Install (Cross-Platform): sudo python3 -m pip install $ (./convmlv -Y)
-M Manual Deps - Lists manual dependencies, which must be downloaded by hand.
--> Manually place all in RES_PATH. See http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=16799.0 .
COLOR MANAGEMENT:
INTRO Images aren't simple. They are often stored, processed, and viewed as a result of complex transformations usually called,
in applications, color management. Understanding it is required as a colourist, and encouraged as a DPs and Cinematographers.
--> Intro: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-management1.htm
--> Understanding Gamma: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/gamma-correction.htm
--> Color Spaces: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-spaces.htm
--> Conversions: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-space-conversion.htm
--> Monitor Calibration: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm
PIPELINE convmlv is a color managed application, designed to retain quality from RAW footage:
-- mlv_dump writes camera-specific color transformation matrices as metadata in developed DNGs.
--> This defines the camera's gamut.
-- dcraw applies these matrices, then transforms the newly developed image to the super-wide XYZ colorspace.
--> All color detail is preserved, and if now in a well-defined colorspace.
--> No gamma has been applied - the image is now Linear XYZ.
-- ffmpeg applies the specified (up to) x64 resolution 3D LUTs, in .cube format.
--> Use -g and -G to specify Gamma/Gamut combinations.
--> The output employs DATA, not LEGAL, values. The resulting image is flatter, but retains all shadow/highlight detail.
--> -l specified LUTs are applied afterwards.
3D LUTS The included LUTs, found in the convmlv repository, are key to convmlv's color management solution:
-- color-core: The required LUTs, including sRGB (default), Adobe RGB, and Rec709 in Standard and Linear gamma.
-- color-ext: Optional LUTs, including Rec2020, DCI-P3, etc. in Standard/Linear gammas, but also in Log formats.
Create Your Own LUTs using LUTCalc, for any grading format output: https://cameramanben.github.io/LUTCalc/ (watch his tutorials).
--> Note that convmlv only accepts up to 64x64x64 LUTs. You can resize LUTs using pylut (https://pypi.python.org/pypi/pylut).
--> The pylut command to resize is 'pylut <yourx65lut>.cube --resize 64'. Alternatively, you can use pylut from Python (2X only).
--> I reccommend Legal --> Data LUTs, as this conserves shadow/highlight detail for grading. Legal --> Legal looks better, but with detail loss.
CONFIG FILE:
Config files, another way to specify options, can save you time & lend you convenience in production situations.
GLOBAL: /home/sofus/convmlv.conf
LOCAL: Specify -C/--config.
SYNTAX:
Most options listed above have an uppercased VARNAME, ex. OUTDIR. You can specify such options in config files, as such:
<VARNAME> <VALUE>
One option per line only. Indentation by tabs or spaces is allowed, but not enforced.
Comments Lines starting with # are comments.
You may name a config using:
CONFIG_NAME <name>
Flags If the value is a true/false flag (ex. IMAGE), simply specifying VARNAME is enough. There is no VALUE.
OPTION ORDER OF PRECEDENCE Options override each other as such:
-LOCAL options overwrite GLOBAL options.
-COMMAND LINE options overwrite LOCAL & GLOBAL options.
-FILE SPECIFIC options overwrite ALL ABOVE options.
File-Specific Block: A LOCAL config file lets you specify options for specific input names:
/ <TRUNCATED INPUTNAME>
...options here will only be
*
You must use the truncated (no .mlv or .raw) input name after the /. Nested blocks will fail.
With a single config file, you can control the development options of multiple inputs as specifically and/or generically
as you want. Batch developing everything can then be done with a single, powerful commmand.
Contact me with any feedback or questions at convmlv@sofusrose.com, PM me (so-rose) on the ML forums, or post on the thread!
Run 'sed -r "s/\x1B[([0-9]{1,2}(;[0-9]{1,2})?)?[m|K]//g" docs/MANPAGE' to strip colors from MANPAGE after generating through less. This is done automatically in 'docs/buildDocs.sh.