"Base (CC Layer)" vs Master
Hi all,
in the initial standard configuration you have:
- Input FX (void)
- Base (CC Layer)
- Master
I don't understand the purpose to have 2 layers with very similar options inside them.
Please can you explain? :)
Thanks.
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The best way to think about these three layers you start with as pre-processing, processing and post-processing layers.
FX layers are meant to transform your input, like when you want to perform a general black level adjustment or color correction, for example, before any restorative work is done to it.
The CC layer is meant to hold your actual restorative work. Sometimes this may also require you to split color channels, etc.
The Master layer will then do a last minute transformation before generating the output. This could, for example be a mixer that puts the color channels back together, or something like a matting function to create the proper aspect ratio, etc.
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Thanks Guido Henkel for your quick feedback!
I'd like to know if is "only" your personal approach, or if is "the" official (and correct) way to work with. In case, where did you learn your way?
Cheers,
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Mario Rossi I don’t think there is an official way. You will have to find your own workflow, which will be largely based on your project but also on your hardware’s capabilities/limitations. Every layer creates a significant amount of processing and storage overhead that can slow down even the best systems. So, for the projects I work on - and those are professional film projects - I figured out different approaches that give me the best results with the least amount of overhead.
What you want to try to avoid is constant trickle- down re-rendering through layers because of a single change you made, so the order of your DVOs is very important, too. Place the most expensive DVOs towards the top and the ones that require the least amount of re-rendering towards the bottom.
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Hi Mario Rossi ,
As Guido Henkel mentioned there's no official way, but it's worth noting some of the differences related to Base and Master layers. In the earlier years of GPU processing , Master layer was created to give you something as the last step of processing that would be played back using the GPU instead of creating a new cache. It was used by colorists to do a last minute adjustment without waiting for a new cache to be rendered.
Nowadays, every layer is processed by the GPU and eventually cached to disk when certain conditions arise, like number of layers and complexity of shapes, keyers, blurs, etc.
There's also the situation of how Phoenix was sold previously, with different versions and certain features turned off depending on the type of workflow.
In terms of workflow, InputFX is all about caching a specific change first, like a specific DVO or color management, Base and CC layers are your grading layers, and FX layers are used to apply changes using specific effects anywhere in the stack.