Color modifications in Sony CineAlta cameras (I)

By Alfonso Parra AEC

One of the most interesting digital tools for the cinematographer is the one that let’s you modify how the
camera sees color through the matrix menus. Once the image’s visual aspect is designed, the tool allows you to
precisely adjust the camera to meet your planning together with post-production. It must be pointed out here
that there are many post-production tools for correcting the image, and this is done on the image through the
camera. Thus, the image has to be the best possible as far as detail, resolution, noise and color are concerned.
That is why any in-camera color modification gives a first approximation to the final result without adding
“artifacts” due to compression as said modifications are done before filming. In this case, I’ve used the F900/3
camera to manually show how you can modify color using two menus: the user matrix and the Multimatrix. The
first one modifies RGB color in relation to others, while the second one modifies a specific color. In the next
issue I will study the use of the Multimatrix and in this issue, I’ll examine the User Matrix.

As a rule, positive values saturate and negative values

desaturate color and not just on the color you’re using but also
the complementary one. For example, in GR, positive values
saturate the green and the magenta and, on the contrary, the
negatives desaturate them. The second letter indicates the
color being modified and its complementary, but in this case, it
not only affects the saturation but also the tone. I’ve used
extreme values for the modifications to see the changes better.

MenúUserMatrixenlaF900/3

The standard bars:

On the right hand side you

can see the bar’s color values
in the vectorscope. I’ve used
these values as a reference to
compare the User Matrix’s
different modifications.

In order to modify the colors, you have to use a vectorscope and I also recommend using a Macbeth chart and
an HD monitor with enough quality to see the differences. I usually prepare the modifications according to the
type of image I want to build. I first establish the color bases in the User matrix, which I later fine-tune with the
Multimatrix.
The picture below shows a Macbeth chart with its values in the vectorscope.

The chart has to be well lit

and have the same color tempe-
rature as the one in the camera.
After adjusting the user matrix to
the chart, film some tests with a
model to check the skin tone
and some exteriors, with lights,
shadows and clouds (very high
color temperatures).

Be careful when changing the color in the camera; with patience and practice, you can get very good results.
Modifications in R:

RG –99 RG +99 Standard Standard

Modified RG –99 Modified RG +99

RG 99: especially affects green, cyan and red somewhat. The RG +99. The red is slightly more saturated, like the green
green is less saturated and moves towards the yellow. The and magenta, which is slightly redder. The rest of the tones
cyan moves towards a less saturated green. The red is remain standard.
slightly less saturated and somewhat warmer. The blue and
the magenta are slightly less saturated.

RB –99 RB +99
Standard Standard

Modified Modified

RB 99. Blue is the most affected color, turning purple, while RB +99: The red is very slightly saturated and the yellow is
the yellow turns slightly greener. The red is somewhat less somewhat more orange. The rest of the colors are not
saturated. affected.

RG RB –99 RG RB +99
Standard Standard

Modified
Modified
RG RB 99. The blue and the magenta turn purple. The very RG RB +99. The red is slightly more saturated; the magenta
desaturated red looks like dark blood. The yellow is very somewhat redder and more saturated. The yellow is more
green. The cyan has disappeared. orange and the green somewhat more saturated. The blue
and the cyan remain as standard values.
 GR –99 GR +99
Standard Standard

Modified Modified

GR 99. The green and the magenta become desaturated, GR +99. The green and the magenta become saturated,
while the latter becomes a pale pink. The red turns into especially the magenta. The rest of the colors are practically
orange and the cyan becomes bluer. unaltered.
GB +99
GB –99
Standard
Standard

Modified
Modified

GB 99. The green and the magenta desaturate. The blue GB +99. The green and the magenta desaturate slightly. The
desaturates and approaches cyan. The yellow turns orange. yellow is slightly greener and the blue remains standard. The
The red and the cyan are not altered. red, blue and the cyan are not modified.

GR GB 99 GR GB +99

Standard Standard

Modified Modified

GR GB 99. The green and the magenta desaturate to the GR GB +99. Slightly saturates the green and the magenta.
point where the magenta almost disappears. The red The rest of the colors are barely modified.
becomes orange and the yellow turns somewhat redder. The
cyan turns bluer and this in turn becomes more cyan.
 BR –99 BR +99
Standard Standard

Modified Modified

BR 99. The red turns into magenta, while the magenta BR +99. The blue is slightly saturated. The magenta goes to
becomes slightly colder. The yellow greatly desaturates; the red and the green is somewhat more saturated and bluer.
blue desaturates less. The cyan turns more turquoise,
towards green.
BG –99
BG +99 Standard
Standard

Modified Modified

BG 99. The magenta becomes redder. The yellow loses a lot BG +99. The blue, green and the magenta saturate, leaving
of saturation and the green becomes turquoise, close to cyan. the magenta somewhat less red compared to the standard.
The blue slightly desaturates. The red and the cyan remain The green is somewhat more yellow. The red, yellow and
standard. cyan are not altered.

BR BG –99 BR BG +99

Modified

BR BG 99. The red and green are heavily modified. The red BR BG +99. The blue and the green saturate. The latter is
becomes magenta and the green cyan. The cyan becomes slightly more yellow. The rest of the colors remain practically
turquoise and the magenta somewhat colder. The blue the same as the standard.
desaturates almost completely and the yellow disappears.
 USER MATRIX Average
Film The table on the left shows the User matrix’s proposed modifications to
Matrix table: A imitate photographic emulsions. Although there are many more elements
Matrix RG: 66 that intervene in the simulation process, I want to use the table as an
Matrix RB: 25 example and starting point in color changes. Notice how the majority of
the values are negative; therefore, in general, the colors will be less
Matrix GR: 6
saturated than normal ones in video.
Matrix GB: 46
Matrix BR: 14
Matrix BG: 3

Review of the modifications:

In the R channel the RG value is at –66, which, as pointed
out, strongly desaturates the cyan and the green becomes
more yellow. This means that if we film a landscape, the
sky will not have intense colors, leaving it paler and the
greens warmer. In RB, the red slightly desaturates and the
blue becomes purpler. In short, in R we would have less
saturated reds, blues and magentas somewhat more
purple; greens and yellows tend to look alike and the cyan
very desaturated. In G, the GR value saturates the green
and the magenta slightly. GB desaturates the green and
the magenta and modifies the green, making it more cyan
and countering the RG effect. The yellow becomes more
orange and the blue more cyan. The yellow returns to its
initial situation since the effect also counters the RG RB.
Lastly, the blue (B). In BR, the blue and the yellow
desaturate and the red becomes more magenta, and the
cyan is more turquoise. In BG, the magenta becomes
redder (although slightly in the –3 value).
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nosaSantiagoconlasmodificacioneseneluserm
atrix,partiendodelatablaarribaindicada.

In sum, the aim is to achieve a balance between the different values to obtain the desired color. As a result of
applying this table, the original camera image is desaturated with slightly purple blues and cyans somewhat
turquoise and a general magenta/pink deviation to be corrected in post-production. Once graded, the images
give a very natural appearance. It is true, however, that I later make specific modifications in the multimatrix
for some colors; for example, I saturate the cyan somewhat and desaturate the red. In general, you can work
with the matrix until you achieve the adequate colorimetry.

The image on the left shows the color palette used in the movie Plauto,
created to simulate some of the Technicolor colors and tones used by the
painter George Grosz. Below are some modified images.

Chart photographed with color standard ITU709 in the Sony F900/3 camera
 First camera modifications with the User Matrix. From this color base we modified the saturation
and some color tones in the Multimatrix and then finished it in Post-production.

Technical aspects: Sony F900/3 camera; Les: Zoom

Cooke S4 HD; Cinetal Monitor (capturing frames and
visualization) Macbook Pro with Final Cut; Esser Test
Chart TE 106 with back-lit sphere LV5

References:
www.alfonsoparra.com
Digital Cinematography, by Paul Wheeler. Ed. Focal Press
High Definition and 24P cinematography, by Paul Wheeler. Ed. Focal Press
www.cinematography.net/

Translation: Edwin Castaño