New Year’s Reno

Around this time last year, I dabbled in the world of Ultra HD (4K) video, following a firmware update from Fujifilm that enabled 4K recording on the X-Pro2 camera.

Though I have a computer capable of handling 4K editing (relatively fast processor and video card, 36 GB memory), I haven’t used the larger resolution much in the year since, because:

• Once effects like noise reduction and colour grading are applied in post production, things do start slowing down.
• I can’t afford a $10,000 iMac Pro.
• Unless I plan to watch the production on a 4k TV (I only own a 720P Sony Bravia) the 4k resolution is pretty much wasted.
• YouTube or Vimeo rendering is going to (partially) cancel the visual advantage of 4K recording.
• Aforementioned will automatically serve the resolution they think your connection and computer can handle (do you check the setting via the little cogwheel, bottom right of player?). For instance, if I watch my “Testing the Fujifilm X-Pro2 Firmware Update 4.0 for 4K Video” right now, sure enough YouTube’s is auto-serving 720p (damn Shaw Cable!), while the maximum available option shown is 1080p.*
• Files take up way more disk space (more $ required).

So, I’ll likely continue recording most of my videos in 1080p … until I win the lottery (Wednesday’s 649 is estimated at $16 million!).

One of the biggest lessons learned from last November’s 30-Day Photo Challenge is that trying to create a decent video in an hour or two is a fool’s game (please don’t judge!) 🙂

As I’ve said here before, I’m not a professional videographer, but watching those short shorts illustrated that I don’t apply the same standards to moving pictures as I do to stills. I intend to change that.

The last month, I’ve been concentrating all my Red Green DIY resources, duct tape included,  on improvements to my studio workspace and tools. Now that I’ve announced my intentions here, I’d better produce some convincing results. In the coming weeks, I’ll share some of the budget-minded improvements added to my video workflow.