HD, 2k... ?

[jussing]

AFAIK it means "2048 pixels on the X-axis". It's the typical resolution used for feature film effects (surprisingly low, I think).

- Jonas

[beaker]

http://www.cinesite.com/CineonTech/resoultions/ResChart.html

[Ikarus]

Originally posted by beaker
http://www.cinesite.com/CineonTech/resoultions/ResChart.html
Why do they have a 4K, 2K, and 1K version of most formats formats, or is it just a naming thing? Is 4K what usually gets outputed for FILM movies in theaters or is that just the scanning size, which later gets downsampled to 2K for final output?

[Aruna]

It is the film-scanned size of the digital Cineon file. Most visual effects films will have their work done at 2K (2048x1556) or near 2K. I haven't found any visual effects studio that works at 4K for film.

[beaker]

I have heard of people use 4k, but only once in a blue moon. One friend said they had to use it on the first Xmen for the scene with the pin's going up and down forming the map. Mainly because it was a bunch of really small thin shapes moving fast. The specular highlights would alias too much at 2k.

For 1k, Jimmy Neutron movie used it for going to film. I think they were using something like 932x666.

[Ikarus]

Call me crazy, but I though I had read somewhere that the bullet time sequence for "Sword Fish" was done at 6K and delivered at 4K or something? Isn't that Overkill?

So 1080 HDTV(1920x1080) would be considered near film like quality right?

[Aruna]

It could be overkill. I remember reading about the Swordfish sequence in Film and Television magazine, but don't recall any of those details. Mostly just how they set the shot up and what lights and rigs they used.

Yes, 1080p is very near to 2K in resolution, however 1080p is not film, it's video, so there isn't the same range of color. Most of the work that was done on Starship Troopers 2 was done at HD resolution (and I think 1K as well). There will hopefully be more about that in the upcoming issue of Cinefex.

[jussing]

<edit: nevermind :rolleyes:>

[Ikarus]

Thanks for the info. This is what I had read about 6K res and "Sword Fish" if anybody is interested:

"Performance is everything. While most effects companies only ever work at a maximum 2k resolution, Frantic Films composited Swordfish’s acclaimed 550 layered opening sequence effects extravaganza at 6K and delivered it at 4k for film out. Boyd Shermis, VFX Designer and Supervisor for Swordfish, posted a phenomenal endorsement of Fusion on one of the product’s most prominent user groups, Pigsfly.com."

Link (http://www.eyeonline.com/products/digital_fusion/digital_fusion.html#architecture) from Eyeonline's website.

[Wizdoc]

As a rule of thumb, it's the minutiae detail that matters.

4-6k is used when you absolutely need to pick up subtle details for post work, examples being the highlights in X-Men "pin scene" and the bullet-time explosion that was retouched in ReTimer (I think) in Swordfish.

2k as said, is the standard. It's enough for post work as it's the color range that matters more than resolution in film.

1k is a feasible approach if photorealism isn't the main goal. Flat surfaces - like in traditional cel animation - don't suffer from lower resolutions as much as live footage does. And in animated films, human eye doesn't have any reference point to what's real and what's not, so high resolution of the material isn't a top concern. Not that you would want to render your major animated feature in 320x240, though... :rolleyes:

[roto baggins]

i've worked with 4k film before. the shot was over 700 frames what a b@%*h! i plus we also worked on a trailer that everything had to 4k and then output 4k. flame/inferno had a bug dealing with 4k then we got the bugs worked out.

[Zeio]

The IMAX films I have been working on have been scanned in at 4K, and some VistaVision shots at 6K. They are a beast to work with, but proxies will make your life easier. It's definately an experience going from dv footage to 6k cineons.

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