COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER USER GUIDE Document Revision: A
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER In the interest of continued product development, Euphonix reserves the right to make improvements to this manual and the product it describes at any time, without notice or obligation. MC Color, MC Mix, MC Control, MC Transport, MC Pro, System 5-MC, and EuCon are trademarks of Euphonix, Inc. ©2009 Euphonix, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
Canada This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER European Union Australia ABN 91 051 557 905 Japan iii
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lighting flash with arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electrical shock to persons.
13) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when unused for long periods of time. 14) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.
Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................... 13 Chapter 2: Installation and Setup ..................................................................... 15 Chapter 3: MC Color Surface Controls .............................................................. 19 3.1 POWER Key ..........................
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Chapter 4: Common Tasks ................................................................................. 29 Chapter 5: EuControl ........................................................................................... 31 5.1 Surfaces..................................................................................... 32 5.2 Workstations.............................................................................. 35 5.3 General ........................
6.11 Clear .......................................................................................... 43 6.12 Command................................................................................... 44 6.12.1 Add ............................................................................... 44 6.12.2 Delete ........................................................................... 44 USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 6.12.3 Repeat...............................................................
List of Figures 1-1 Artist Series media controllers ........................................................................ 13 2-1 Foldout leg with locking metal clip (left); riser bracket (right) ......................... 15 2-2 Menu bar with EuControl icon ......................................................................... 16 2-3 Connecting the power adapter ........................................................................ 16 2-4 Ethernet cable and rear panel jack ..................
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER LIST OF FIGURES xii 5-6 Assign tab ...................................................................................................... 39 6-1 Soft Keys tab .................................................................................................. 41 6-2 Section popup menu ...................................................................................... 42 6-3 Command Editor ..................................................................
Chapter 1: Introduction MC Color is a slim, beautifully designed, easily portable color grading media controller that integrates with Apple Color. With high-resolution trackballs, trackwheels, touch-sensitive Soft Knobs, and programmable Soft Keys, MC Color provides unprecedented control over the entire color editing process.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 14 How to Use the PDF The Acrobat PDF version of this manual can be a valuable online help learning tool while using the MC Color. These are some useful features of the PDF: • The Bookmarks on the left serve as a continuously visible table of contents. Click on a subject heading to jump to that page. Click a + symbol to expand that heading to show subheadings. Click the - symbol to collapse a subheading.
Chapter 2: Installation and Setup Euphonix is dedicated to making your MC Color experience enjoyable and troublefree so we will periodically update the following software and documentation: • EuControl: This software runs your MC Color and communicates to your audio/video application. Always download the new version if prompted to do so after launching EuControl. • MC Color User Guide (PDF): This is the complete user guide for your MC Color.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Installation 1. If you downloaded the latest software from the web, double-click the installer. Otherwise, insert the installation CD into your Macintosh. NOTE: Be sure to eject the installation CD in your Mac if you downloaded the latest software from the web. 2. Follow the instructions to install the software. If prompted to download the most current version of EuControl, follow the onscreen instructions.
OR COL Ethernet cable USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Figure 2-4 Ethernet cable and rear panel jack 7. Plug the other end of the Ethernet crossover cable into an open Ethernet jack on your computer, router, or Ethernet switch (Figure 2-5). An Ethernet router or switch is required to connect additional Artist Series media controllers or to a local area network. Note that connecting directly to the computer (Figure 2-5-right) may require removing your Internet cable.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Troubleshooting If you did not see the green icon in step 9 above, try one of the following: 1. Shut down MC Color and the Mac and repeat steps 8 and 9 from the previous section. 2. If you did not see MC Color in the My Surfaces list in EuControl, select it in the All Surfaces list and click Add. See the first two steps in Updating Firmware below to display the Surfaces tab in EuControl. 3. See www.euphonix.
Chapter 3: MC Color Surface Controls MC Color is a custom control surface with many programmable controls to suit your preferences, others that are deftly switched when different rooms are selected, and some dedicated to a single purpose. This chapter explains the dedicated surface controls (Figure 3-1) and identifies the others with cross references to the sections that discuss how to use them in a typical color editing workflow.
NAV key Reset keys Soft keys Page keys Trackball Soft Knobs Displays 20 Application change key MC COLOR SURFACE CONTROLS Show key Trackwheel Bank keys Power key Shift key Transport keys Copy/Paste Grade keys USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Figure 3-1 MC Color controls
3.1 POWER Key Press and release the POWER key to turn the device on and off (Figure 3-2). 3.2 Show Key Since MC Color key and knob assignments change often during the color editing process, it is very helpful to display the current key assignments. The Show key is included for this purpose: USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 1. Press and hold the Show key. Show key POWER key Figure 3-2 Show and POWER keys 2. Press another key.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 3.3 Shift Key The Shift key accesses a second function for each key, if one has been assigned. Press and hold the Shift key and press another key to access the second function. The Shift key can be used in conjunction with the Show key to display the second function. Since this may require holding down three keys, it is useful to lock the Show key (see Locking the Show Key on page 21) or the Shift key (see below). 3.3.
3.5 Soft Knobs The six Soft Knobs can be pressed like a switch or turned to adjust parameters. Pressing a Soft Knob can navigate to a room, clear color parameters, and select specific secondary operations. USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Soft Knobs Figure 3-4 Soft Knobs 3.6 Reset Keys Each Trackball/Trackwheel has two reset keys to restore their default settings. The left key of each group resets the trackball, the right resets the trackwheel.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 3.8 Trackballs and Trackwheels Three Trackballs control Hue and Saturation for Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight. Three Trackwheels control the Brightness sliders for Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight. The right Trackwheel can be reassigned to jog through the timeline (see Chapter 6: Soft Keys). Trackball 24 Figure 3-7 Trackball and Trackwheel 3.8.
3.9 APPLICATION Key Press the APPLICATION key to toggle between the two most recently used open applications. To cycle through all open applications in a circle, hold down the APPLICATION key and press the PAGE keys. USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER PAGE keys APPLICATION key Figure 3-8 APPLICATION and PAGE keys MC Color can control Apple Color running on a second computer, referred to in this guide as a workstation. Press the Shift + APPLICATION keys to attach MC Color to another workstation.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 3.11 BANK Keys The Bank keys perform different functions depending on the context. When in a Primary room, press BANK 1 to select the Basic settings tab. Press BANK 2 to select Advanced. When in a Secondary room, press BANK 1 to select the Basic settings tab. Press BANK 2 to select Vignette controls, and Shift+BANK 1 to select the Advanced settings tab. BANK keys Copy/ Paste Grade keys Figure 3-9 Copy/Paste Grade and BANK keys 26 MC COLOR SURFACE CONTROLS 3.
NAV Key In all rooms, press the NAV key to show the room names in the display. Press the PAGE > key to display the Still Store and Render Queue rooms. Navigate to the desired room by pressing the corresponding Soft Knob. In a secondary room, press Shift+NAV to show six operational tabs on the displays. Select the desired tab by pressing the corresponding Soft Knob. NAV key Shift key Figure 3-10 NAV and Shift keys 27 MC COLOR SURFACE CONTROLS 3.
Chapter 4: Common Tasks You are now ready to start learning how to perform some useful common tasks on your MC Color. A labeled drawing of MC Color’s surface controls appears on page 20 but most of the controls discussed in this chapter are also depicted. Note that the Soft Knobs can be turned like a conventional knob to alter its assigned parameter, and pressed like a switch to select a new parameter. USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Using the NAV Key 1. Press the NAV key.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Using the Show Key 6. Press the Show key. The Soft Key assignments display on your computer screen. Show key Figure 4-1 Show key 7. Press the NAV key and navigate to Secondary In. Notice the Soft Key assignments change as you navigate between Primary In and Secondary In. 8. Locate the Toggle Trackwheel Jog Soft Key and press the Show key again. Using the Trackwheel to Jog 30 9. Press the Toggle Trackwheel Jog Soft Key. 10.
Chapter 5: EuControl EuControl is launched automatically upon starting your Mac and runs in the background. EuControl is responsible for finding, linking, and communicating with all Artist media controllers on the network. EuControl’s configuration tasks are accessed by clicking the green icon on the Mac taskbar and selecting EuControl Settings. USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Only one instance of EuControl can run on a workstation.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 5.1 Surfaces The Surfaces tab shows all Artist media controllers on your network and those connected to your instance of EuControl. 32 Figure 5-2 Surfaces tab The following feature does not pertain to MC Color: • Control unit banks independently. All Surfaces All Surfaces shows all Artist media controllers on the network. A device shown in light gray is already connected either to your own or another instance of EuControl running on a different workstation.
The top-to-bottom order corresponds to the left-to-right order of the surfaces, respectively. The leftmost surface has fader strip 1. Use the and buttons to reorder the list. Each Artist media controller can be renamed by double-clicking the existing name and typing a new name. Add B USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Click Add B to add the selected All Surfaces entry to My Surfaces. This connects this Artist media controller to your instance of EuControl.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Update Firmware Each time a new version of EuControl is installed, each MC Color, MC Transport, MC Control, and MC Mix in your system may need its firmware updated. The firmware is embedded in EuControl so an Internet connection is not required. Select each Artist media controller in the My Surfaces list (shift-click to select multiple devices). Press Update Firmware to update their firmware.
Workstations An Artist media controller can control applications running on a second computer, referred to in this guide as a workstation. The Workstations tab establishes the list of workstations that the Shift+APPLICATION key cycles through. Any workstation running EuCon software can be in this list, including those controlled by the System 5-MC, MC Pro, MC Mix, MC Transport, and MC Control.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Add B Click Add B to add the selected workstation from the All Workstations list to the My Workstations list. If the workstation is already in the My Workstations list, it is gray and cannot be selected. Remove Click Remove to remove the selected workstation from the My Workstations list. Attach/Detach Select a workstation in the My Workstations list and click Attach. A check mark appears in the Attach column next to that workstation.
General This tab controls how the Artist media controller and application software work together. Figure 5-4 General tab This tab does not pertain to MC Color. 37 EuControl 5.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 5.4 Preferences Figure 5-5 Preferences tab 38 The following features do not pertain to MC Color: • Footswitch • MC Control Display MC Mix, MC Transport, and MC Color display screen dim time EuControl Drag the slider to set the amount of inactive time before the display screens of any of these devices in your system dims to half intensity.
5.5 Assign This tab manages how tracks are assigned to strips on the MC Control or MC Mix. By default, tracks are automatically assigned in banks of four.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER EuControl 40 5.6 Layouts This tab does not pertain to MC Color. 5.7 Soft Keys This tab controls assignments and programming for MC Color’s nine Soft Keys. Since this is a very detailed subject and showcases MC Color’s most innovative functions, the Soft Keys tab has its own chapter (Chapter 6: Soft Keys).
Chapter 6: Soft Keys This tab controls function assignments to MC Color’s nine Soft Keys. USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Figure 6-1 Soft Keys tab NOTE: To edit an application’s assignments in EuControl, that application must be topmost immediately before switching to EuControl. 41 The application listed in the upper left of the window (Apple Color in Figure 6-1) is called in focus because it • is controlled by your MC Color; • receives computer keystrokes and mouse events.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 6.1 Save Clicking Save permanently stores the Application Set. However, changes to the Soft Key assignments are retained even without clicking Save until you quit EuControl, at which point you will be prompted to save. 6.2 Revert Click Revert to revert to the Application Set last saved. This discards any changes made since the last Save command or EuControl was last started. 6.
6.7 Layout Select Text Only, Icon Only, or Text and Icon from the Layout popup menu. 6.8 Icon Click the Icon button and select an icon from the standard Mac dialog. 6.9 USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER Font Click the Font button and select a font from the standard Mac dialog. 6.10 Color Click the Color button and select a color from the standard Mac dialog for the selected key. That color is used to color the key in EuControl, not on the surface.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 6.12 Command Select a Soft Key (its outline highlights yellow) and click Command to view or edit the command(s) assigned to that Soft Key. Double-clicking the key is a shortcut to open the command editor. Figure 6-3 Command Editor 44 Each Command type and how to create a new command are discussed in Command Types on page 46. 6.12.1 Add Click Add to select a command type. Multiple commands can be added to the same key, creating a macro.
Repeat Click Repeat to allow the command to be repeated if the Soft Key is held down. Numeric fields in the Repeat dialog accept integer values only. Figure 6-5 Repeat dialog The Repeat controls are: 45 No Repeat: The key does not repeat (default setting). As fast as possible: Repeats as fast as the Mac allows. [x] times per second: Repeats the key x times per second. Once every [x] seconds: Repeats the key every x seconds.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 6.13 Command Types MC Color uses two of the five command types: Key and EuCon. 6.13.1 Key Key commands can execute menu commands and other application-specific commands that have key equivalents. Figure 6-6 shows the Key Command dialog. 46 Figure 6-6 Key Command dialog Type keystrokes into the text field in the Details pane. Use the Control, Shift, Alt/ Opt, and Win/Cmd modifiers along with the Insert Special menu to finish creating the key command.
EuCon The EuCon command types under the Details column are specific to Apple Color. The Mouse Injection command engages the center Trackball to control the mouse cursor and the R3/R4 buttons control left click/right click. When entering the Color Effects room, MC Color automatically activates Mouse Injection, however it can be useful to implement this function elsewhere (i.e., to control curves in a primary room). 1. Select the Soft Keys tab in EuControl. 2.
Chapter 7: Using MC Color Controlling Apple Color with MC Color This section describes the color correction process by examining important functions in some of the Apple color rooms: Primary In, Secondary: Vignette Control, and Color FX. 7.1.1 Primary In Contrast Most colorists begin by correcting the contrast of an image before adjusting its color.
COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER USER GUIDE Color Balance After correcting the image’s contrast, adjusting the color balance is the next step. Fast, coarse adjustments to the color balance (Shadow, Midtone, and Highlight) can be made using the Trackballs to set the primary color balance controls: • The left Trackball controls the Shadow Color Balance wheel; R1 resets Hue and Saturation. • The middle Trackball controls the Midtone Color Balance wheel; R3 resets Hue and Saturation.
The following parameters are available only when the Square or Circle options are selected from the Shape popup menu.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 7.2 Using MC Color and MC Transport MC Transport can be integrated with an MC Color to create a larger control surface with additional programmable Soft Keys, Numeric Keypad, weighted Jog Wheel, and high-resolution Shuttle Ring. MC Transport's Numeric Keypad allows navigating to specific clips and timecode locations in the timeline. For Clip Navigation: 1. Press the Numpad go to clip Soft Key. 2. Use the Numeric Keypad to enter the desired clip number. 3.
Appendix A: Setting the IP Address Most MC Color users will never have to set a static Internet Protocol (IP) address but in the rare cases that require it, the MC Mix does allow for it. Normally MC Color uses Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to obtain its IP address, typically from a router. MC Color will revert to link-local addressing to generate an IP address if a DHCP server is not found on the network, such as when an MC Color is connected directly to a computer with an Ethernet cable.
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER 7. Use these techniques to set the two remaining IP Address fields. 8. After setting the fourth IP Address field, press the Shift key to move the cursor to the first field of the Subnet Mask screen (Figure A-3). Figure A-3 Subnet Mask display 9. Use the same techniques to set the four Subnet Mask fields. 10. Press the two PAGE keys simultaneously to save the DHCP setting, static IP address, and Subnet Mask. Power MC Color off and on to use the settings.
Table 7-1 EuCon Commands and descriptions EuCon Command Name Description Add all to Queue Adds all clips in the project to the Render Queue Add Key Frame Adds a keyframe to the current clip at the position of the playhead Add Selected to Queue Adds selected clips in the timeline to the Render Queue Blue Channel Waveform Displays the Blue Channel Change Key Frame Switches keyframe interpolation type between linear, smooth, and constant Copy Current Grade Bank 1 Copies grade from current clip to
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER EUCON COMMANDS 56 Keyer Enable S Enable or disable secondary keyer for Saturation Keyer Enable L Enable or disable secondary keyer for Luma Keyer Left Side Only Control only the left side of selected keyer spread or falloff Keyer Right Side Only Control only the right side of selected keyer spread or falloff Luma Y Waveform Displays the Luma Channel Merge Edit Joins two shots at an edit point at the position of the Playhead Next Edit Moves the Playh
Saves Project Set Player Marker In Sets the player in Marker Set Player Marker Out Sets the player out Marker Scope Resolution 100% Sets the vector scope resolution to 100% Scope Resolution 25% Sets the vector scope resolution to 25% Scope Resolution 50% Sets the vector scope resolution to 50% Scope Resolution 75% Sets the vector scope resolution to 75% Set as Beauty Grade Sets the current grade to Beauty Grade Start Playback Forward Play forward Start Playback Reverse Play backward Stop
USER GUIDE COLOR GRADING MEDIA CONTROLLER EUCON COMMANDS 58 Toggle Mouse Injection Center trackball controls mouse cursor; R3 and R4 become mouse buttons Toggle Trackwheel Jog Right trackwheel becomes jog wheel Trackball & Wheel Accel multiplies acceleration of ball and wheel 10 times
