Although the GH4 has been in widespread use for some time, there is still no consensus on which combination of picture profiles/settings achieves the best image quality. Some DPs have had luck with very drastic combinations of settings, but in my experience pushing settings too far can result in some very noisy and low-quality footage.
If you haven’t shot with a GH4, I’ll reiterate here (as I’ve said many times before) that this camera is very capable if used correctly…especially considering the size and overall cost. As long as you understand how certain settings can fundamentally determine the success or failure of your images, you’ll be able to shoot images with a camera that costs many times as much as a movie camera. Below, I’ve reviewed my favorite image profiles and settings to use – you might be surprised at how simple they are.
Some of my recent GH4 shots:
When I first started shooting with the GH4, one of the things that impressed me most was the level of control provided in the menu system. Not only are there new cinema-style image profiles (Cine V and Cine D), but there are also curve adjustments, master base settings and many other options that really allow users to tweak the look to their liking. That said, I think many users make the mistake of going too far with certain settings just because they can, and I’ve fallen into this trap myself a time or two.
On the GH2/GH3 and any other digital SLR camera, the goal has always been to get the flattest image possible out of the camera. Flat images naturally mean a greater dynamic range is captured in the file, which often allows for a better grading process. Even so, when trying to get flat images on any of the GH4’s predecessors, that’s all you could do, as those cameras didn’t have any true log-style image profiles. Essentially, the strategy is usually to use one of the flatter image profiles available and then turn down the contrast all the way down. This technique works very well because the flattest image configuration offered by the GH2/GH3 is not that flat to begin with, so additional contrast adjustment is really needed. In the end, you end up with a final image that is far from a diary/film style, but is still very useful in post.
However, with the GH4, everything changes. There are now very flat picture profiles available (i.e. Cine D) which already provide flatter images than anything you can get with the GH2 or GH3 without even needing to adjust the settings at all. This is good news, but unfortunately for some people it’s not enough. Many photographers want their images to be flatter and therefore mess with their settings, thereby damaging the final image. The most common problem is that people turn the main base setting (which effectively controls your black levels) so high that their black levels are much higher than they should be. They would then turn the contrast of the picture profile down to -5 and maybe even use one of the Curves adjustments to push the shadows up further and reduce the highlights. I can tell you from first-hand experience that this is one of the worst things you can do to an image, and the GH4 was not designed to do that.
What people are trying to do when messing with settings to this extent is simulate a real Log setting, like you see on the Arri Alexa, which is a camera that’s actually designed to shoot this way . Of course, the only real problem is that the GH4 isn’t an Arri Alexa, so it won’t necessarily be considered an Arri Alexa. When you start pushing the level too much, you end up with a very noisy image that’s flattened out in such a weird way that it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the desired look in post when color correcting if possible).
Here is my quick screenshot A guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLR, This shows the grain exposed when turning on the main base and keeping contrast low (click to enlarge):
I’m not saying you shouldn’t mess around with your settings a little, I’m going to cover some specific settings that I recommend tweaking later…but, I’m saying you need to be very careful about where you push things. Don’t make the mistake of raising the black level just because you don’t want to set up extra fill light, as your image will never look the way you want. There are no shortcuts to great cinematography. It all comes down to how you light your shots, how you compose your shots, and the camera movements you implement. These considerations don’t change no matter what camera you’re shooting with, so you should never feel like any of these elements can be overlooked in any way, as you can adjust camera settings quite dramatically. By the way, this doesn’t only apply to colors, but even to frames. Today I often hear people say “I want to shoot in 4K so I can recompose the shot in post” and that’s not always the best way to give you great results – at least as far as the look of the film is concerned. Yes, the ability to reframe your shot within a punch is nice, but once you get into the habit of shooting with this mindset, the lack of attention to detail really starts to show. If you really want to emulate the “movie look,” you need to give a certain level of respect to your craft, and a lot of that means capturing the right image in camera, just like in the movie days.
settings
So what settings should I use? I’ve got some settings done, like the main ped and curves adjustments which I don’t like messing with (although I will make exceptions in rare cases)…but what about the picture profile? The most important thing I learned from GH4 is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. In the early days, I was using the James Miller setup (which essentially means shooting in Cine V and firing up the master), and while this worked well in some types of shooting situations, it didn’t work well in others. Not good. Eventually I discovered that in all shooting situations, fewer settings gave better results, so I started shooting more and more with simpler combinations of settings.
The two picture profiles I use almost exclusively are still Cine D and Cine V, which is no surprise since nearly every GH4 shooter swears by them. For those who haven’t shot with either tool, Cine V offers a higher contrast film look, while Cine D is designed to provide a low contrast film look.
The difference between how I approach these picture profiles now versus in the past is that I now typically only adjust the settings within the picture profile itself and keep all the extra settings (e.g. main ped, shadow/highlight curves, etc.) set as their base value. This works great for me because not only does it provide consistent results, but it allows me to move quickly by limiting my options. Depending on the scene I’m shooting, 90% of the time I end up using one of the two settings combinations listed below. On rare occasions, I make additional adjustments in the picture profile to compensate for lighting or color temperature issues:
Who D
contrast: 0
Sharpness: -5
Noise reduction: -5
saturation: -5
Coloring: 0
Generally speaking, with Cine D, my biggest concern is reducing saturation. Even though the picture profile is flat, it’s still relatively saturated (unlike a true log profile), which means that in post, when I add any kind of gradation to the footage, it quickly becomes overdone. saturation. By desaturating the camera, it seems to put color grading at a better baseline. I also turned down the Clarity and Noise Reduction because the GH4 is naturally very sharp (almost too sharp) and using Neat Video to get better noise reduction in post-production. In terms of contrast, I always leave it at 0 for Cine-D, as turning it too low can introduce some weird artifacts, and this image profile is already very flat.
WhoV
contrast: -5
Sharpness: -5
Noise reduction: -5
saturation: 0
Coloring: 0
In a way, my approach to Cine V is the opposite of how I approach Cine D. While I also keep the Sharpness/NR at -5 for the same reasons as above, I do like to dial back the Contrast depending on the nature of this profile. Cine V naturally applies a fairly heavy contrast curve (which looks very good), but it’s probably a bit too much in most situations. By pulling down the contrast, I can get smoother shadow roll-in and make the image look flatter. Sometimes the image still ends up looking too high in contrast, but I find that lowering the contrast in post ultimately gives me better results than trying to raise the black level too high in the camera.
D to whom V
There’s no exact formula for when to use these settings, but I generally find that using Cine D is ideal for nighttime exteriors or other low-light situations, while Cine V is great for daytime situations or when the light is low. shooting. This isn’t always the case, before every scene I test both settings to see which one works best, but for the most part, this is my approach. Cine D helps preserve more shadow detail, which is great, but in some cases it can actually make things too flat. Yes, you can add contrast in post – but again, this is still a digital SLR and can only be color corrected to a certain extent. I color correct lenses for a living, and have used almost every camera format, and I’d say, without a doubt, that while the GH4 is excellent in terms of quality, you still don’t want to push it too far. Image quality. This is one of the reasons I love the Cine V so much… you may lose a little bit of DR when shooting with it, but you can always make up for it with the lighting, and you know what you see is what you get. Post-production doesn’t require a lot of color correction, so anything captured by the camera naturally looks great. You just have to rely more on your skills as a DP than your skills as a colorist.
Although these settings are very basic, that’s exactly why they work. You really get a lot out of the camera by not doing too much and letting the GH4 actually shoot like a GH4.
As for other camera settings (such as frame size, resolution, frame rate, etc.), they really all depend on the needs of your project. I do shoot 4K with the GH4 a lot, but there are also many situations where I shoot 1080p. The same goes for shooting at a true 24 fps (rather than 23.98 fps). The point of this article is really to highlight the picture profile settings, as these settings are very important no matter what frame rate or resolution you’re at. Other variables (as mentioned above) are highly dependent on the technical needs of the project and should always be considered on a case-by-case basis.
To help further enhance your visuals, don’t forget to check out my color grading LUTs and film grain available here.
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