Monkey Extract - how to
The following explains the steps taken to prepare footage for grading using Monkey Extract.
Click here for an overview of the conforming process
Before you start: Preparation
Export a CMX 3600 EDL
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In your editing software, export an EDL of the finished cut in the CMX 3600 EDL format.
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Prepare the R3D footage
All of the R3D files used in the cut need to be in one folder on your hard drive.
You don't need to move individual files around, just make sure the folders from the Red drives are all in once place.
Monkey Extract will drill down and find R3D files in any sub folder, and ignore any that were not used.
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Make sure RED ALERT is installed
Monkey Extract uses the rendering engine of Red Alert / Redline.
The latest version can be downloaded here. Note that Red Alert is Mac OSX only.
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Using Monkey Extract
Select the source, EDL, and destination
Click browse and select:
the folder that contains the original R3D files.
the EDL file
the destination where you want the DPX files exported to.
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Select the timecode format
Your footage would have been edited in one of two timecode formats:
Edgecode - which starts on the hour and increases until the reel is finished
Time of Day - which is the actual time of the day that the camera rolled
If you don't know, ask your editor, or open the EDL in a text editor and take a look at the first timecode column.
Edgecode will usually start on hour 1 and never be greater than hour 2. Time of day can be anything.
You can run Monkey Extract and it will warn you if it can't find matching footage.
Set the timecode format on the EDL tab of the settings page.
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Choose your output file size
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Your post production supervisor or colorist will be able to tell you what resolution they are going to grade in.
A common resolution is 1920 x 1080, also known as 1080p, which is the HDTV and Blu Ray resolution.
This can be adjusted in the 'Crop and scale' section of the settings page.
Note that the trial version of Monkey Extract has the scale option disabled, and can only output files that are 200 x 100!
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Choose color adjustments
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There are a large number of colour adjustments that can be made when exporting to DPX - gamma color space, etc etc.
Discuss these with your colorist or read the boards on RedUser.net for more information.
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Export your files
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Press 'Export Now'. It should be that simple! Please contact us if you have any problems.
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Advanced tricks
Monkey Extract is good for automating the bulk of your rendering.
However there are some things that may be better to do by hand.
Resizing shots
The following assumes that you are finishing in 2k or smaller and have shot in a larger format.
There are 2 ways to Resize shots:
1. Do it in the grading software
Advantage: quick and easy. Disadvantage - you will lose some resolution.
If you're resizing a shot only a small amount, it proabbly won't be noticable and will be much faster to do it in the grading software.
2. Manually resize the shots in REDCINE
Advantage: No resolution will be lost. Disadvantage: Needs to be done by hand for each shot.
The method here is to export your entire cut, and then go through the timeline identifying which shots are to be resized. Make a list of the shots, and load them into REDCINE.
Make the adjustments required to resize the shot, and then export using the same naming convention that you used in Monkey Extract.
You can now copy the resized shots into the correct reel folders, overwriting the non-resized footage. These shots can now be imported into the grading software.
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Retiming shots
We have been asked if Monkey Extract supports retiming of shots. Yes it does, using the same workflow that footage shot on film is scanned and retimed.
Monkey Extract will export all the required frames of the clip being retimed, but the retiming itself needs to be done in another application.
This could be the grading software, (typically for simple retimings like doubling or halving the speed) or in some post software such as After Effects, Shake, or Combustion.
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