Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
compression and it gives you the most capabilities for image manipulation
in postproduction. The raw file size varies from camera to camera. This is
the best-quality image and is much bigger in size than you would need
for high-definition playback (which is 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels
high). Shooting jpeg files (high or medium quality) provides plenty of
image to work with later on. It is great having nice-looking images and you
can enlarge both the jpeg and the raw images and create more detailed
postproduction work on them because of the added data information.
The great advantage to raw images is that they carry a lot more metadata
on each image, so if you happen to have the wrong color balance setting
during a shoot you can still correct it in postproduction color correction.
This is much more difficult with jpeg compression. There is one drawback to
using these kinds of larger picture files.
That drawback has to do with the time it takes for larger files to be
processed in the camera. It can take from 1 to 15 seconds to allow each
frame to be processed and placed on the flash card or computer control
system, depending on how old your camera and flash card are. Now
15 seconds does not seem long, but when you are animating a person
holding unusual and demanding positions, that 15 seconds times several
hundred shots can make all the difference in the successful completion of
a shot. If you are shooting objects that can remain stable and unmoving
between shots, then the digital still camera processing issue is not a
problem, except it may slightly throw off the rhythm of the animator.
Humans are not immobile objects. The larger the file format, the longer
it takes to process each frame. At this point, you want to consider what
kind of camera to use when animating humans or anything that requires
a faster shooting pace. The newer compact flash cards, like the Lexar
300X series, have greatly improved this lag time and are often a little
more expensive but worth the price. This technology is improving every
day, and most of the brand new dslr cameras can capture one frame per
second continuously. Digital video cameras capture frames much faster
and allow for a faster shooting pace than digital still cameras, because the
frames are small in size. High-definition frames take longer than standard-
definition frames, but that is rapidly changing. Standard definition frames
can look great if you have a good camera. They can be projected well with
a good system, but you cannot enlarge those frames very much and any
postproduction work will not be as accurate as working with a file with
more data and definition. The high-definition files will eventually put all
standard-definition images to rest.
A final note regarding dslr cameras has to do with the basic maintenance of
these sensitive pieces of equipment. Dirt, lint, and all sorts of fine particles
can get into your camera and sit on the low-pass filter in front of your image
sensor. Sometimes static electricity makes this happen. Changing lenses is
the main way that dust can get onto the filter and sensor. Try to keep lens
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