Playing with Alog and Normal video mode - Evo 2V3

surenmunoo · Jan 13, 2023

herein2021 · Jan 14, 2023

surenmunoo said:
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

LOG footage ensures that you retain the maximum DR of the camera, improves highlight rolloff in some situations and makes it easier to match the drone fotoage to other cameras in a single project. It is also great to use when shooting stock footage that you will use in multiple projects. If you don't intend to use the footage for those purposes, or don't want to take the time to properly grade it, then the Normal profile is probably best and is a quicker turnaround.

I don't recommend using a LUT to perform the primaries grading for Autel's LOG. In this post I provide my recommended approach to grading EVO II 6K LOG footage.

surenmunoo · Jan 14, 2023

herein2021 said:
LOG footage ensures that you retain the maximum DR of the camera, improves highlight rolloff in some situations and makes it easier to match the drone fotoage to other cameras in a single project. It is also great to use when shooting stock footage that you will use in multiple projects. If you don't intend to use the footage for those purposes, or don't want to take the time to properly grade it, then the Normal profile is probably best and is a quicker turnaround.

I don't recommend using a LUT to perform the primaries grading for Autel's LOG. In this post I provide my recommended approach to grading EVO II 6K LOG footage.

Thanks, Yeah I always shoot in Normal colour profile with my Dji and Autel drones but decided to see what Log was all about. I am not much of a colour grader and tried to learn but it was just too much work for me

herein2021 · Jan 14, 2023

surenmunoo said:
Thanks, Yeah I always shoot in Normal colour profile with my Dji and Autel drones but decided to see what Log was all about. I am not much of a colour grader and tried to learn but it was just too much work for me

It definitely is more work, it can be streamlined once you get used to it, but it will always be more work than straight out of camera with very marginal increases in image quality in most scenarios that few people will even notice. Normal is definitely the way to go if you aren't working for commercial clients.

Matching other cameras is where LOG really shines, and in high DR scenarios such as flying into a setting sun. In Normal mode either the ground would be under exposed or the sk would be blown out; when shooting in LOG mode you can better control both the shadows and highlights and the highlight rolloff is better. Of course if you don't then grade it properly it will still end up looking worse than just sticking with Normal mode.

surenmunoo · Jan 15, 2023

herein2021 said:
It definitely is more work, it can be streamlined once you get used to it, but it will always be more work than straight out of camera with very marginal increases in image quality in most scenarios that few people will even notice. Normal is definitely the way to go if you aren't working for commercial clients.

Matching other cameras is where LOG really shines, and in high DR scenarios such as flying into a setting sun. In Normal mode either the ground would be under exposed or the sk would be blown out; when shooting in LOG mode you can better control both the shadows and highlights and the highlight rolloff is better. Of course if you don't then grade it properly it will still end up looking worse than just sticking with Normal mode.

I think I will stick with Normal colour mode, I might decide to try learning colour grading when on leave in a few months

Brock Inspector · Jan 15, 2023

LOG is too diffiicult to bother with-- or else it isn't.

I'm in the latter camp, finding it super-simple to bring footage into LumaFusion (iOS or now Android) to apply the Autel-issue LUT.

The single biggest challenge with Autel LOG to me that the Explorer and Sky apps do not yet provide a real-time LUT applied to the smart device feed for FPV view, and when shooting LOG it's harder to see the subject matter you're filming. If Autel Robotics would get that one feature (teased as coming to the Evo III a year or more ago?) I'd shoot LOG much more often. DJI has this feature, and has had it since the Air 2S.

Shooting in LOG is the only way to obtain 10-bit dynamic range with the Evo II (and only in 4K 30p/24p, unfortunately). That all said, Autel's color science for NONE/Normal is pretty fine. What clipping happens is largely a function of the 8-bit MP4 jpg compression standard. If you're able to pick and choose your lighting conditions, eg shoot when the light is optimal, LOG isn't needed all that often.