Run Retina Macbook Pro at its native resolution for optimal BMCC video editing

The new Macbook Pros come with panel resolution 2880x1800. This is very good resolution for a laptop - it is more pixels than the current Apple Thunderbolt display or 27 inch iMac.

The problem with the scaling in the Retina Macbook Pro is that when you would really need more space, you don't have it. If you use Resolve or Final Cut Pro X, it is very annoying that the controls occupy a large portion of the screen when you would like to see the video in 1:1 pixels as large as possible. This of course makes it hard to see the controls, but I think it is worth it playing with this a little. At least my eyes are capable of seeing the very fine print and especially in FCPX where the controls are often bold fonts, it is even easier to see them even at the native resolution.

Read this article for switching the resolution http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/macbook-pro-retina-display-faq/macbook-pro-retina-display-hack-to-run-native-resolution.html

I have tested myself the Retina Displaymenu Link to RDM. It works great. It even allows switching my 2880x1800 panel to emulate 4K which is very nice. Well at least nice for seeing how much space I would have if I had a large 4K monitor. Everything obviously is too small to read. On the other hand, it also shows that the Macbook Pro is quite well capable of rendering the 4K scene without problems, including video on that resolution smoothly.

This way (by switching to native 2880x1800 resolution), you will have maximal space in Resolve too since Resolve insists of using only one monitor.

BMCC vs. BMPC4K quick analysis

Summary:
BMPC4K is superior camera
Based on downloaded footage. Not tested by myself yet.

BMCC has maybe 1 stop more DR than BMPC4K but the latter wins in everything else.

If you shoot in controlled light, BMPC4K may be better choice. Want to shoot Battlestar Galactica style? BMPC4K is your camera.

If you shoot landscapes on tripod more than controlled light production and dont care about 4K, BMCC is your camera.

BMCC may be good b-camera for the BMPC4K.

These are initial thougjts. I want to test one myself for more accurate assesment.

Libraw settings

To final colors (a bit like lut applied):

dcraw_emu -6 -T -H 1 -q 3 -n 0 -fbdd 0 -m 19 -c 0 -g 2.2 12 -b 1.5 filename.dng

I have used this to make clean green screen plates.

This produces clean flat images that can be used to build 2.5K ProRes that can be e.g. graded in FCPX using wvl_Colograde2.

/usr/bin/dcraw_emu -4 -T -H 1 -g 2.7 0 -m 19 -n 0 -o 0 -b 1.5 filename.dng

I have also experimented with dark frame for noise reduction

/usr/bin/dcraw_emu -4 -T -H 2 -g 3 0 -m 19 -n 100 -q 3 -fbdd 1 -o 0 -b 1.0 -K /usr/bin/bmccdarkframe.pgm

Qucik note on sharpening BMCC ProRes footage

I have been experimenting on how to sharpen the BMCC footage shot in the ProRes mode. There is a huge difference on the quality of the outcome for different tools. The sharpening tool in FCPX (from Motion) seems to filter the noise to become more prominent and less pleasing but it helps none to the actual image sharpness sometimes. I tried also SC_SharpenTools. This has very weird effect on one softer scene I shot with the BMCC.

However, in Resolve, dial in the followings on the sharpen tool page:

Radius 0.10 (the lower you drag down the slider, the more effect it will have, works backwards)
Scaling 0.07 (0.07 is needed to bring up fine details and not some macro details)

The results with the Resolve 10 sharpening are outstanding to anything else I have tried.