User manual ADOBE DV RACK

[. . . ] The DV Rack Field Guide These words may be quite tiny but our lawyers still find deep meaning in them: DV Rack and its respective logos are trademarks of Serious Magic, Inc. Specifications, features, and prices are subject to change without notice. Some images were simulated for print but reflect actual output of the product. No part of this manual may be distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any human or computer language, in any form or by any means without express written permission of Serious Magic. [. . . ] Click the appropriate Zebra button again to turn it off. Framing your Shot DV Rack provides field monitoring tools that help you frame your picture as you shoot. Use Overscan to see the area of the picture that viewers will see if they Serious Magic DV Rack Field Guide 23 watch your video on television. Use Underscan to see the entire recorded picture which may be visible on video projectors, plasma screens, streaming video and computer screens. You can also use the Grid feature to divide your screen into thirds which can be helpful when determining framing and composition. The Grid Tick Marks can help you frame your shot according to the Rule of Thirds. See The Rule of Thirds. Click the Safe button to set Safe Mode and use the crosshairs to center your picture within the Video Safe area. Using the Field Monitor Grid to frame your shot 1. Drag the cursor left or right to change the Grid Mode from Off to Tick or Line. Click the Menu button again to close the menu. Using Underscan, Overscan and Letterbox to frame your shot 1. Choose whether you'd like to view your video in Underscan or Overscan mode. The entire active picture area displays your video as it will be shown when it is played in a show like the ones that you create in Visual Communicator, stream over the Internet or show on a projector. This is the smaller visible area that most viewers will see when your video is displayed on a television set. NOTE: Some televisions are unable to display as much as 10% of your broadcasted video. See "Overscan, Underscan and the Video Safe Area" on page 43 for more information. 24 The DV Rack Components 2. If you like, click the Ltrbox button to view your picture in "Letterbox" mode. Letterbox size can be set by clicking the Menu button and does not affect the recorded video. Set up your camera and use the Underscan, Overscan or Letterbox modes to frame your shot as you work. Once you begin to record, frame each scene within these boundaries taking care to keep the important parts of your scene within the active picture area. For more information on how to position your subject within the picture, see Aesthetic Framing. The Waveform Monitor Signals at the top of the scale are the bright parts of your image. Your video signal is represented in green under an orange colored grid called a graticule. The graticule provides a means of measuring different aspects of your video signal. Signals at the bottom part of the scale are the dark parts of your image. Line Select - Choose to show the brightness value of the Full image, or a single Line of video. Line 0 = top of the image, 480 = bottom. The DV Rack Waveform Monitor, as its name implies, converts video signals to a viewable waveform representing light, dark, luminance and saturation levels. It allows you to see what you are shooting more accurately than the human eye. [. . . ] Practice it a few times if needed before you actually record. Dynamic Range Dynamic Range refers to the number of steps there are between the lowest level that a signal can reach, and the highest level it can reach. In a system with a broad dynamic range, for instance your stereo, extreme lows and highs are reproduced well. A telephone's range is limited mostly to the treble range with very little bass range. Serious Magic DV Rack Field Guide 45 In video, dynamic range is often discussed in reference to the luminance or brightness of the video signal. That's the total allowable or viewable range of values that can represent how bright or dark a pixel is. [. . . ]