Should Proper Zebra Level Look Overexposed in the Monitor?

rdbot wrote:

thanks for the advice. no doubt I have a lot to learn. mostly shooting documentary run and gun, so no lights, and have to have a lot of flexibility and speed. thought setting lower limit to 95% and skin to 70% +1 would get me in the ballpark, and i think it did, but as I mentioned, at 95% it looked washed out in camera (but not as bad on mac) and 70% on skin was way to washed out to be right, so took the exposure down.

Note, my aim was to overexpose 2/3 to 1 stop for HLG3, and where I got the 70% from, but now I'm more confused than before.

What should 18% grey be for HLG 3 and what should it be for 2/3-1 stop over exposed?

Will def. look into Davinci.

R

We are throwing a lot of information at you so it is going to take a long time to digest it all. Sorry.

First, rec 2020 / HLG will capture more dynamic range than most picture profiles on your Sony a7R III.

The problem is displaying the picture ACCURATELY on different monitors.

In reality, Sony designed HLG to be played on an HDR television ( as far as I have read). It wasn't designed to be shown on a standard definition (SDR) monitor or tv. It would look "washed out" on an SDR monitor or tv.

On an HDR tv, you would expose the image NORMALLY instead of overexposing the image.

You CAN overexpose but then reduce exposure in post and still have a video that looks "right" on an HDR tv (monitor). I am simplifying here because then there is the whole other discussion about 10-bit color for TRUE HDR vs the 8-bit color that your a7R III records. Probably not something to concern yourself with now. As my dad used to say; "We'll fall off that bridge when we come to it."

Most content created for YouTube or computer monitors is delivered as SDR / REC. 709, which has an expected maximum brightness of 100 NITS.

Sony HLG records brightness values ABOVE 100 Nits.

So people use LUTS such as HLG to 709 to "conform" the values that are too bright down to the 100 NITS maximum brightness of SDR monitors and TVs. (Another over simplification, sorry.)

So here is the workflow if you want to capture the most dynamic range AND avoid noise in the shadows AND deliver in standard dynamic range:

Shoot overexposed as much as possible WITHOUT clipping your highlights/ Whites, then bring the exposure DOWN in postprocessing first, THEN apply a LUT designed for SONY 8-Bit HLG to Rec 709.

That will give you a video that DOESN'T look washed out nor overexposed on an SDR monitor / television.

I mentioned earlier that Mac's are different. Apple has a gamma adjustment feature that changes exposure/ brightness levels automatically to match what your monitor can display WHEN Using NATIVE APPLE SOFTWARE (like final cut pro or QuickTime). But it Won't do that when using a non-Apple app like DaVinci Resolve.

Anyway, I hope that this helps instead of hinders you. Apologies in advance if it doesn't.

Also, if you just want to SHOOT NOW and worry about all this stuff later, I would simply shoot in the portrait creative style (not the picture profile) and turn down the saturation and contrast to -1 in camera, expose normally, and then add a bit of saturation and contrast back in post. If it is a very contrasty scene you could even UNDER-expose up to a stop and then bring the brightness up one stop in post.

Many different ways to mutilate a cat.