Samples from In My Image 4k scan - down to HD

[Will2]

Is there any grain reduction applied? Even the original scan seems extremely low in grain, almost like it had been processed already.

On the work flow, you are applying warp stabilizer to the 4k image, correct? It's kind of unfortunate that you have to use warp stabilizer, I've found that while it can be very good, it also tends to degrade the image. Warp stabilizer seems to be more designed for jittery camera work rather than frame by frame instability...although it seems to be doing ok here.

Have you tried using After Effects to stabilize? After Effect's rendering engine is extremely accurate and you can work in any resolution you want then crop down.

If you are starting with a 4k scan I would finish in 2k full aperture 2048x1556 (4:3 is the way to go). But all the stabilization and image adjustments should be done in 4k then edit in 2048x1556. Then of course you'll have to create a 1920x1080 version with pillar bars to display on regular HD TV's.

[mattias]

1.85 is only a 5% zoom from 16:9, it will hold up. 4:3 is pretty good too of course since that's how you shot it.

[Will2]

1.85 is only a 5% zoom from 16:9, it will hold up. 4:3 is pretty good too of course since that's how you shot it.

It shouldn't be a zoom if you're starting with 4k and finishing in HD or 2k...

[mattias]

He's not talking about whether the digital will hold up though but the original super 8 image. The wider the image the less original real estate used, ie zoom but perhaps I should have used other words.

[Patrick]

Man, those samples look great. I'm really liking the new transfer. With regards to retaining the 4:3 aspect ratio or crop to 16:9, I would stay with 4:3. After all, that's how the images were composed in the first place and you wouldn't want to compromise that. And you'd keep the viewers of the original version of your film happy too, knowing that there hasn't been any sections of the frame that have been cut off / removed. Could you imagine the outrage if cropped / pseudo-widescreen versions of The Wizard Of Oz and Gone With The Wind were released? The film critics would have a fit!

[Scotness]

Ha! Comparing my little effort to those films is pretty funny! But I get your point and yes I will be keeping it as 4:3. I haven't done any more on it lately as I'm right in the middle of shooting another feature at the moment, and doing this was always going to be a slow motion job anyway -- but I'll try and do that scene out and post it asap

Scot