Active Metadata Controls for Windows
CineForm RAW editing workflow for Final Cut Pro
CineForm RAW editing workflow for Premiere Pro
Create and Export 3D LUTs Using Premiere Pro (Windows) - Beta Release Build 161
CineForm RAW technology primer

As described in the Tech Note Primer for CineForm RAW, Active Metadata™ is embedded inside each CineForm RAW file, or can be separately attached to CineForm RAW or CineForm 444 files.  This metadata, which includes descriptors for White Balance, Camera Color Matrix, and 3D Looks (more will be added in the future), is considered "active"  because it defines operations the CineForm decoder will apply after decode of Cineform RAW or CineForm 444 files. Think of Active Metadata a bit like an Adjustment Layer in Photoshop.  You can add, change, or delete Active Metadata attached to CineForm clips (like an Adjustment Layer in Photoshop) without disturbing the underlying image data).

The SetActiveMetadata utility allows you to:

• Globally turn ON or OFF Active Metadata during playback  (in the /System/Preferences/CineForm control panel)

• Turn Active Metadata fields ON or OFF during playback for individual clips

• Adjust Active Metadata parameters on a per-clip basis while viewing the clip in QT Player.

• Register Iridas-format 3D LUTs.  LUTs can be created by Iridas tools or by export from Premiere Pro (using Prospect 4K) on Windows.

• Attach registered 3D LUTs to clips. 

SetActiveMedata controls, and the metadata itself, works outside of specific applications such as QuickTime Player, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Adobe After Effects, etc.  In this manner the chosen metadata, and their associated ON / OFF controls, work for all applications.

Note: Active Metadata is not intended to replace traditional color correction (although some customers have finished projects using 3D LUTs for color correction).  Instead, it is generally intended to augment a traditional color workflow.  You can color correct on top of Active Metadata, and you can choose to render with (or without) Active Metadata applied.

Doulble-click the CineForm icon to launch the Global Active Metadata panel as shown below. The 'Process' tab shows the options for 'White Balance', 'Color Matrix', 'Gamma' and 'Look'. Check the ones that you would like to be enabled and available for manipulation. The Default is for all of them to by ON for playback.

Hint: Normally you will set these controls and leave these alone during an editing session.  If the controls are ON you are able to see your clips with the chosen set of Active Metadata applied.  If you are doing a cuts editing session where seeing color is not critical, then you might want to turn the controls OFF to save CPU resources.

Switching to the 'Demosaic' tab, as shown below, lets you define the Global Debayer algorithms for your project. 

• Debayer for 8-bit files normally means for preview playback such as within QT Player and FCP.  The Automatic setting in this mode is to use a less compute-intensive bilinear interpolation
   

• Debayer for high precision normally means for render operations, or other times when an application requests high-precision from the CineForm decoder.  At this time you normally want the highest quality Debayer performed on your RAW files.  The default for high precision renders is CineForm Advanced Detail 1. 

Once you've chosen your Global Active Metadata preferences, launch QuickTime Player and load a CineForm RAW or CineForm 4:4:4 source clip.

Then browse to the /Applications/CineForm folder. Double click on the 'Set Active Metadata' icon to launch CineForm's Set Active Metadata application. For the rest of this Tech Note we will refer to the Set Active Metadata application as 'SAM'.

NOTE1: Remember, the SetActiveMetadata panel is for control of individual clips.

NOTE2: You must open your source file before launching SAM. This will ensure the Active Metadata being modified is in the actual source clip. It doesn't have to be in QuickTime player. Your clip can be loaded in any application that supports playback of CineForm files (Final Cut Pro, Motion, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, etc.). QuickTime player seems to work the best, however, because you can play your file in 'loop' mode and see your modifications update in real time. With the other applications you will need to switch focus back and forth from SAM and the editing/compositing application to see your changes take place.

SAM allows you to adjust/modify the active metadata applied to your CineForm clip after decode. The changes you make here do not affect the image in the original file. They simply define how the files will be decoded during playback (or rendering), like an Adjustment Layer in Photoshop. It is all non-destructive and you can always get back to your original settings by clicking on the 'Revert' button in the bottom right hand corner.

Mode Selection
When you first launch SAM, you'll notice three choices at the bottom of the window - 'Camera', 'Metadata' and 'Disable'. These determine which mode SAM will run in.

Choosing the 'Camera' option, will playback your file with any Color Temp, White Balance and Color Matrix settings that were applied to the clip in camera. The 'Metadata' option will cause the file to decode/playback with the changes you make using SAM's Color Temp, White Balance and Matrix controls. The Metadata option provides the most control over the look of your clips. You can also choose the 'Disable' option, which will turn off all active metadata for the clip and play it as it was originally created without any Color Temp, White Balance or Matrix applied.

Choosing the Look and Debayer
Above the Mode Selection Options are two drop-down menus that also affect how the file is decoded.
The first is called 'Look'. This is where you can apply any 3D LUTs (look up tables) that are installed on your system.

NOTE: To install/register a LUT on your system, just drag it onto the 'Set Active Metadata' icon in your Cineform Application folder. Or if you've added SAM to the Dock, you can drag your LUTs onto it's icon there.

The second drop-down menu lets you choose a 'Debayer' for the clip. Normally this would be chosen in the global controls found in the System Preferences (mentioned above), but if you prefer a different Demosaic algorithm on a specific clip you can choose this here.

Now that we've looked over the basic settings, lets get to the fun part - modifying the Active Metadata.
Switch over to QuickTime player and set to 'loop' playback (in the view menu). Then press play and let your clip play continuously. Then switch focus back to SAM.

Color Temp and White Balance
Select 'Metadata' from the Mode Selection choices and then click on the 'Color Temp' tab or the 'White Balance' tab at the top of the window. In the middle of the window, check the 'Enable White Balance' box. Now, you can make changes to the color settings of the clip. You'll notice that the 'Enable White Balance' box is shown in both the Color Temp tab and the White Balance tab. The reason for this, is that the 'Color Temp' controls and the White Balance'controls both affect the overall white balance of the clip. They just do it in different ways. Some people prefer to work with Kelvin and Tint controls as shown in the Color Temp tab, while others prefer using the RGB values provided in the 'White Balance' tab.

Experimentation will help you determine which method works best for you. The RGB values in the White Balance tab provide a wider dynamic range to choose from than the Color Temp controls. You may find that making both Color Temp and White Balance adjustments will achieve the White Balance you're looking for.

Adjust the sliders left and right or type in an exact amount in the boxes on the right to achieve the color temp and white balance you're looking for. As you do so, you'll notice that the image playing in QuickTime Player updates immediately (if the file is playing).

Again, remember these controls are defining "Layers" applied to the decoder output of your CineForm clips - you're not modifying the underlying image.  As you make changes, the CineForm decoder adjusts and changes the way it plays back the file - in real time!

Color Matrix
The Matrix tab offers more controls to help refine your image. You can enable the 'Color Matrix' and 'Gamma' controls individually and further tweak the way your file looks as its being decoded. Here you'll find controls for 'Saturation', 'Gain', 'Offset' and 'Gamma'. Just as in the Color Temp and White Balance tabs, you can either move the sliders or type in an exact amount in the input boxes to the right.

Once you're happy with the look of your clip, close SAM and then open a new clip in QuickTime Player. Then relaunch SAM to repeat the Active Metadata manipulation process. This has just been a brief overview of the what the controls actually do. To really understand the value of being able to manipulate Active Metadata, its best to put it into action on your own clips.

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