Canon's CLOG3 files and your favorite Video Editor

[shinksma]

Over the weekend we shot some video using an R7, and by happenstance, the camera was set to capture using Canon's C.LOG3 color profile. I think this was because some YouTube video said it will provide the best color profile using the right video editing software, so that's where I left it when playing around with camera settings.

I have now discovered this makes the SOOC .mp4 file not very universal for media players, so I'm going to disable that next time around.

Fortunately, I did find a freeware media player that can handle it (MPV) - though the video is presented somewhat desaturated, because that's what "raw" CLOG3 files look like.

I usually use the free version of DaVinci Resolve, which works "well enough" for other video projects I've played with, but it doesn't accept the CLOG3 color profiles - apparently I'd need to step up to the paid version for that. That's another reason why I'm going to disable CLOG3 on the cameras. I'm not doing this enough on my own to pony up the cost.

But the software used by a collaborator on this (on-going and almost complete) project should be able to import it no problem - going to find out tonight.

So this gets to a two-fold question, maybe three-fold:

What is your favorite/preferred video editing software?

Do you shoot using Canon's CLOG3 profile, or disable it and go "standard"?

If you shoot using CLOG3, do you have a handy-dandy converter for CLOG3-color space files to standard color space to review/distribute quick and dirty? Or do you just import into your favorite tool and either incorporate into your project, or perhaps let the tool do an export so you can send out more universally compatible .mp4s?

 

[Mike_d]

I recently switched from Premiere Elements to DaVinci Resolve. It's an amazing piece of software and capable of far more than I am. But as you noted, it doesn't do clog files. So, I shoot standard files with the contrast and saturation turned down. I shoot stills in raw so eventually I'd like to upgrade Resolve and shoot clog. As with stills, I'm going to edit everything anyway, so I'd like to have as much latitude as possible. I'm not going to apply "cinematic" color grading, I'd just like more data to better deal with tricky lighting. But I have other aspects of shooting video I need to improve on before tackling clog editing. I know just enough about clog now to know there's a lot to know in order to do it right.

 

[Lester Wareham]

I don't do much video so I left it on the default dummy setting.

I did look into the CLOG3 and the editing issues when I first ordered the R7. The editing SW (I forget the name) PC requirements were quite high and the (soon to be replaced) PC could not cope.

The conclusion I came to was CLOG3 is only worth it if you seriously want to grade the output; ie quite serious cinematic style projects where colour matching different clips, possibly in different lighting, could be quite challenging.

So prepared to be educated, but currently for the odd clip of wildlife footage not a big issue for me. TBH I tend to forget the camera does video even when a good opportunity arrises.

 

[shinksma]

Thanks folks!

As a follow-up, I did find Shutter Encoder (freeware) as a good way to convert from CLOG3 profile files to the more standard H.264 codec, and it seems to keep the quality for the test "reel" I converted. The rest of that morning's shoot are being converted now. Not the fastest conversion tool, but it seems to work, and seems to have very powerful options.