for ULTIMATTE-5
Contents
1. i Ee drum Connection of Multiple Remotes Cats quia Connection of Multiple Remotes and Main Units Important Considerations Tnm Power up Procedure aet Delay Line Adjustments Vs RR CUu d uns CHAPTER 3 BASIC REQUIREMENTS Introduction i Dee ARE Cameras cU xe ox Selection Criteria 6 G 1 Detail or Contour Control 2 2 2 0 Diffusion or Fog Filters i tps aeo e Tube Focus and Beamwidth Registration Adjustment UO NONE White and Black Balance CEU Backing co Sean Mee Color Purity APO vds Lighting the Backing Texture of Backing MU AES Choice of Blue vs Green i os Ultimatte Blue Screen Lighting b e Ge fee Amount of Light i rai Lighting Techniques o oll hr Bounce Light 4 Contrast DET TP 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5 2 7 2 7 2 8 2 8 2 9 2 9 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4 Paragraph2. The foreground matte controls are used to adjust density of the foreground matte which will opti mize the foreground in the final composite output 4 20 MATTE SET When enabled the matte set switch causes the foreground subject to appear as a black silhouette against an internally generated white field for the purpose of adjusting the other controls in this control group FG MATTE P ntes DENSITY MATTE SET DENSITY BAL Hi BACKING PURITY 4 21 MATTE DENSITY The matte density trol is used to adjust density of the foreground sub ject from transparent ccw to extremely opaque cw in use this control is first set fully ccw It is then turned clockwise until the entire subject sil houette just becomes opaque but where semi transparent areas of the subject remain semi transparent If this control is advanced too far dark edges may appear around the foreground subject 4 22 MATTE DENSITY BAL The matte density balance control is used to improve the edge charac teristics of certain colors mainly reds and greens Normally a matte edge is achieved too soon on red subjects Therefore if the foreground scene is mainly of people s faces predominantly red flesh tones adjust this control in the ccw direction to drop some of the red from the turn on signal If the scene is of green foliage adjust this control cw to drop some of the green from the
3. R OUTPUT FOREGROUND RN INPUT NTSC EXTERNAL OR G BLACK BURST ENCODER PAL BACKGROUND 5 INPUT Figure 2 5 Typical Connection of Ultimatte 5 REMOTE CONTROL UNIT OUTPUT gt FOREGROUND EXTERNAL INPUT ENCODER ENCODED PROCESSED FG BLACK BURST BACKGROUND NTSC INPUT PAL NTSC MIX INPUT NTSC PAL MIX OUTPUT Figure 2 6 Connection for NTSC Background 2 6 scene and a background scene to produce an RGB composite output to an external encoder The encoder further processes the signals to a video recorder format such as NTSC or PAL Note that all input and output connections are made to the rear panel of the main unit which is connected to the remote control unit by a single coaxial cable Black burst is always required for timing information The foreground input shown as RGB could be in any of the alternate formats such as Y RGB Y R Y Similarly the background input and Ultimatte 5 output signals could be in any of the selectable formats as desired 2 8 SETUP FOR NTSC BACKGROUND See figure 2 6 When the background scene is from an NTSC or PAL source the foreground scene is REMOTE CONTROL 1 REMOTE CONTROL 2 processed then encoded to an NTSC format and then mixed with the background to obtain an NTSC composite As in figure 2 6 foreground input could be in any selectable f
4. The sample card enclosed with the Ultimatte 5 should be used in initial tests to demonstrate how well the unit works and what the backing color should be To evaluate blue backings painted with other paints place a white card against it and shoot the card and a portion of the backing With the white set at 100 units of video the blue content of the backing should be 70 units minimum the green content of the backing should be 35 units maxi mum and the red content of the backing should be 25 units maximum While some acceptable backings have been made with other than Ultimatte blue paint the green backing is much more difficult to achieve with commercial paint Be extremely careful of paints that burnish when touched especially if it is necessary to walk on the backing as burnish marks will show through as de fects in the final image 3 11 LIGHTING THE BACKING When there is enough separation to do so place blue gels on the lights illuminating the blue screen and use white lights the foreground subject This will improve the quality of the light from the backing It is even possible to use a white backing illuminated only by blue filtered light It is not recommended that backlighted blue transmission screens be used with Ultimatte as edging and loss of foreground image may resu It 3 12 TEXTURE OF BACKING The most impor tant requirement for obtaining a quality composite is a backing of uniform color quality Any
5. 3 20 3 21 3 22 3 23 3 24 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 12 4 19 4 25 4 29 4 34 4 38 4 42 4 47 4 48 4 54 4 55 4 59 4 65 4 69 Color Temperature Floor Lighting Polarizing Filter TABLE OF CONTENTS Cont Encoders lw a CHAPTER 4 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS Introduction Preparation for Use Condensed Control dentif ication Detailed Control FG Select BG Select FG Matte FG BG FG Color Logic FG Adjust BG Matte BG Adjust BG Field Window Component Out B WLogic Glow Title n Program Memory Identification 9 09 03 40444 4 10 414 4 4 8 3 9 a D d oNYosa doa c 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 4 5 4 6 4 6 4 8 4 9 4 11 4 12 4 13 4 14 4 15 4 16 4 17 4 18 4 19 Figure No 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 7 2 8 2 9 3 1 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 4 4 5 4 6 4 7 4 8 4 9 4 10 44 1 4 12 4 13 4 14 4 15 4 16 Table No 1 1 2 1 4 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Ultimatte 5 System Remote Control Unit Power Selector Switch RAT Main Unit Power Selector Switches pein o Are A i Main Unit Rear Panel ca of ec WM ara db cr rere Re
6. 4 34 FG ADJUST See figure 4 7 The foreground adjust group contains eight con trols for the purpose of achieving special adjust ments to the level contrast and color balance of the foreground subject They do not affect matting functions or background picture 4 35 FG LEVEL The foreground level control permits adjustment of the level of the foreground scene relative to the level of the background scene For instance when simulating night scenes a re duction in foreground level may be desired At other times this control may be manipulated to match the overall appearance of the foreground to that of the background 4 36 FG CONTRAST The foreground contrast control increases contrast of the foreground sub 4 10 Figure 4 7 Foreground Adjust Control Group ject by making dark areas even darker It is espe cially useful in simulating night scenes It may also be used to match sunlit backgrounds or to increase foreground contrast to match the contrast of the background tape 4 37 BLACK RGB WHITE RGB The black R G B and white R G B controls permit the color mix of black and or white subjects in the fore ground to be matched to that of similar objects in the background This color matching of foreground background whites foreground background blacks is vital to a realistic looking composite It is more desirable to make these adjustments in the Ultimatte 5 than in the camera as the camera color controls s
7. Used generally when background scene is from an NTSC or PAL source Positive and negative matte signals are provided simultaneously so they may be recorded for future processing When T connected to a monitor permits viewing window positions Connection INPUTS BLACK BURST EXT WINDOW MATTE GLOW BG INPUTS NTSC YRGB RGB Y R Y B Y YIQ YUV FG INPUTS YRGB RGB Y R Y B Y YIQ YUV NTSC MIX Table 2 l Main Unit Rear Panel Connections Cont Function All inputs are looped This signal provides all timing information required by the Ultimatte Sync and blanking are generated internally May be used to insert a second window from the external sources Accepts a recorded matte signal for reverse order of crossing and post production cornpositing Permits connection of titles from external character generator or connection of glow input The four background source inputs may be connected simultaneously and then be selected by the BG SELECT switches These are for example An NTSC or PAL signal from a tape machine or camera A Y RGB signal from a camera or telecine converter or second RGB An RGB signal from a camera A signal from a component analog tape machine Four foreground inputs may be connected simultaneously and then be selected by the FG SELECT switches These are for example A Y RGB signal from a camera or telecine converter or second RGB An RGB signal from a camera
8. 939 i 133135 iu PWS maet NEN s 7 43318 ES i SUUM E MENS g SY 1 NE c 03343 98 9g HIVA n8 193135 98 C pn 223 7 joe TE IND T i Mite j 9NhOvS P y ino DORT AHOWIW WYHDOHd uL ME Dd A GMAT pos gt 5 4 NS ki EE XN mem 44 t i8 E in 0H ad UAN h m 411930 i 3 R 3 AD BESI id Qe ANE A 9 o M 8 SL Ls LShtay 94 o E Yun weg 541N3NOdWO2J tr i 193135 93 4 2 Group Name FG MATTE cont FG COLOR LOGIC FG ADJUST BG MATTE BG ADJUST BG FIELD Control Name MATTE DENSITY BAL control BLACK GLOSS control BACKING PURITY control CLEAN UP control FADE MIX control BALANCE control GATE 1 control GATE 2 control GATE 3 control WHITE BALANCE control FG LEVEL control FG CONTRAST control BLACK RGB WHITE RGB controls VERT TRACK ENABLE switch RATE control VEIL COLOR RGB controls BG LEVEL BAL control B
9. A signal from a component analog tape machine Any processed foreground signal encoded to NTSC or PAL format may be returned to the unit for combining with an NTSC or PAL background 2 3 jeueg HUN 2 2 1 51040 98 24 2 4 TALLY CONNECTOR The mating plug for the rear panel TALLY connec tor is supplied and is a 15 pin subminiature D connector Tally inputs to this connector from the external switcher may be a closure to ground a logic level to ground or a momentary contact to ground The circuitry is prioritized so that if more than one closure is received simultaneously the highest tally number will be displayed Pin number assignments on the connector are Camera Camera 2 Camera 3 Camera 4 Camera 5 Camera 6 Camera 7 Camera 8 Ground o 0 rm 10 Ground 11 Ground 12 Ground 13 Ground 14 Ground 15 Ground 2 5 REMOTE CONTROL REAR PANEL The rear panel of the remote control unit figure 2 4 contains four BNC connectors for connection of control cables to up to four Ultimatte 5 main units 2 6 CONNECTIONS Methods of connecting the Ultimatte 5 are shown in figures 2 5 through 2 8 Each setup is described in the following paragraphs 2 7 TYPICAL SETUP See figure 2 5 In the typ ical setup the Ultimatte 5 processes a foreground Figure 2 4 Remote Control Unit Rear Panel 2 5 REMOTE CONTROL UNIT
10. defects in the backing such as seams wrinkles scuff marks or a change in texture from wall to cove to floor will be seen as differences in background intensity when the composite is made One method of set construction which is useful in eliminating hard shadows or texture changes at the junction of horizontal and vertical surfaces is shown in figure 3 l Since there is no actual corner there will be a minimal difference in reflection from the two surfaces 3 13 CHOICE OF BLUE VS GREEN The choice of blue versus green backing is determined by the presence of a detail edge from the camera s detail generator If a white or yellow foreground subject is being composited with a light colored back ground scene the camera may produce a hard de tail edge when photographing the foreground against a blue backing In this case a green backing would solve the problem resulting in a more natural looking composite Conversely a dark foreground subject being com bined with a dark background would photograph more naturally against a blue backing When there is a substantial contrast between foreground and background subjects dark against light or light against dark either backing color will be accept able A second reason for changing backing color is when the color of a foreground object solid object VERTICAL SURFACE OF SET HORIZONTAL SURFACE OF SET or wardrobe is too close to the color of the back ing Distortions may resul
11. for timing sync Unit produces soft or hard edge windows Produces normal or reverse windows allows shutoff of background scene within window area Matting logic for blue green white and black backings Red by reversing blue and red cables Automatic background matte setting Also provides dynamic back ground matte tracking through color changes in backing from back wall through coving to floor Provides RGB black balance and RGB white balance to permit matching of color tones in foreground and background blacks and whites CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION 2 INTRODUCTION This chapter describes a number of methods for connecting the Ultimatte 5 into a video production setup All signal connections in and out of the main unit and remote control unit are on customer provided 75 ohm RG59 U coaxial cables termi nated in BNC connectors 2 24 POWER SUPPLY CONNECTIONS Units being shipped to North America are set for 115 vac power input Those being shipped to Europe are set for 230 vac If it is necessary to verify or change this 1 On remote control back panel loosen two turn Dzus type fasteners and remove panel 2 Set remote control power selector switch figure 2 to either 115V 230V 3 Replace back panel on remote control 4 On main unit bottom panel loosen ten turn Dzus type fasteners with a Phillips screw driver and remove panel 5 Set main unit AC POWER selector switch figur
12. the subject will have normally opaque blue eyes or eyes of any other color selected for the background field 4 13 WINDOW E N R Voc INT BLU GRN 4 48 WINDOW See figure 4 1 The use of the window controls permits the camera field to overshoot the backing The window may be internally or externally generated and may have hard or soft edges in fact both an internally and an externally generated window may be used simultaneously on different parts of the picture field The window controls normally power up in the off mode Successively pressing the N R INT switch gives first a normal window N indicator on a reverse window R indicator on or no window both indicators off The same sequence applies to EXT N R 4 49 INT This control permits the internally generated window to be a frame surrounding the subject an area which may be placed any where within the field to remove an isolated foreground 4 50 N R INT When the normal reverse switch is in the normal N position the background is turned on and the foreground is turned off within the internally generated window area In the re verse R position the background scene is turned off in the window area and the background field is Figure 4 1 1 Window Control Group turned on in this area if selected by the BG field controls par 4 47 4 51 TOP BOTTOM LEF
13. turn on signal Where both reds and greens appear in the foreground scene adjust the control for optimum edge characteristics on the most important ele ments in the scene Figure 4 4 Foreground Matte Control Group 4 23 BACKING PURITY The backing purity control is normally set to when using the recom mended backing paints par 3 10 However if a backing is in use which does not have good color purity it is set between HI and LO as necessary to obtain a background scene turn on signal For instance when using a high quality blue back ing the unit will recognize and properly composite cyan and magenta tones in the foreground subject If the backing is of lesser color purity such as cyan or magenta good cornpositing can still be accomplished by turning this control toward LO and avoiding the use of cyan and magenta ward robe 4 24 BLACK GLOSS The black gloss control is adjusted to prevent dark shiny objects in the fore ground scene from appearing transparent The use of this control will also increase the density of shadows cast by the foreground subject Use this control only when necessary or shadows may be accented unnaturally and edges may start to appear hard 4 7 CLEAN UP n 4 25 FG BG See figure 4 5 The controls in the foreground background group are used to adjust the relative densities or impor tance of the foreground subject as opposed to the background scene 4 26 CLEAN U
14. units are frequently desirable When making a two level mix one remote may control two main units In this case the output of REMOTE CONTROL one main unit would be the input to the other so that the composite created at the first level be comes the background for the second level If the same person is used as the foreground subject in two successive levels he will appear as twins in the final composite 2 1 IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS Many factors contribute to picture quality as will be discussed in the next chapter In terms of connections 1 It is important that the R G and B input and output cables be of the same type and be of equal length 2 It is important that the timing relationship between background and foreground scenes be within 0 5 microsecond of one another and within 1 0 microsecond of black burst par 2 13 1 REMOTE CONTROL 2 REMOTE CONTROL A MAIN UNIT 1 PN MAIN UNIT 2 MAIN UNIT 3 REMOTE CONTROL 4 3 MEE MAIN UNIT 4 Figure 2 8 Connection of Multiple Remote and Multiple Main Units 3 During initial setup route RGB from camera directly to the Ultimatte 5 not through the external switcher Once a good output is ob tained from Ultimatte the switcher can be cabled in and the results compared 4 It is recommended that all unused inputs to the main unit be terminated with a 75 ohm load 2 12 POWER UP PROCEDURE Do no
15. G BLK G FG BLK B R VEIL G VEIL B VEIL
16. G LEVEL control SHADOW control BG DE FOCUS control SELECT switch LEVEL control COLOR RGB controls Table 4 Summary of Operating Controls and Indicators Cont Function Optimizes matte density for certain foreground colors Prevents print through on dark glossy objects Permits use of backings with less than perfect color balance Allows progressive removal of unwanted foreground detail and backing imperfections Permits foreground to be faded out or FG BG mix Proportions foreground removal and background replacement when using CLEAN UP control Permits reproduction of blue in foreground subject blue backing Permits reproduction of magenta in foreground subject blue backing Eliminates blue flare on green foreground subjects blue backing Permits adjustment of whites in foreground to match whites in background Provides control of foreground level Adjusts contrast of foreground subject Permit adjustment of black and white balance to neutral or to match background Enables a dynamic background matte that tracks backing changes Adjusts how tightly backing changes are tracked Permit elimination or introduction of veiling Sets level for background turn on signal Sets clip for background turn on signal Retains forward falling floor shadows and enhances shadow detail Simulates follow focus when subject approaches camera and for normal appearing closeups Replaces background video with flat f
17. OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS for ULTIMATTE 5 mice 4412 ae wae 7 7 h a ah 1424 gmi gt E e OMPONENT ANALOG ULTIMATTE CORPORATION 18607 Topham Street Reseda California 91335 USA Telephone 818 345 5525 Telex 662453 Ultimatte RSDA OCTOBER 1985 Paragraph 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 2 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 8 2 9 2 10 2 11 2 12 2 13 3 I 3 2 3 3 3 4 3 5 3 6 3 7 3 8 3 9 3 10 3 11 3 12 3 13 3 14 3 15 3 16 3 17 3 18 9 19 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION Introduction RC RE 4 Purpose of Equipment Physical Description Fee d uar RO 4 Ake a Unpacking IDE T s gud E TP CHAPTER 2 INSTALLATION Introd ction be ER ER Re EE aged OR TC CL nm Power Supply Connections due ere Main Unit Rear Panel 2 291 eR ek HAT case mone Tally Connector eA RE RR eR ewm ER axe una URS Remote Control Rear Panel CONNECTIONS ge hace El ee c t dieit IU Typical Setup ela ies aa aa Ee i oso Mahe id Setup for NTSC Background
18. Operating Instructions A sep arate service manual is also available for the Ulti matte 5 1 2 PURPOSE OF EQUIPMENT The Ultimatte 5 is a linear electronic system the production of composite video images in which a foreground subject is superimposed on one or more layers of background scenes 1 3 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The Ultimatte 5 figure 1 consists of two units the main unit and the remote control unit The two units are interconnected by a single coaxial cable One remote control unit may be used to provide control signals for up to four main units Conversely up to four remote control units may be connected to a single main unit Both the main unit and the remote control are configured for mounting in a 19 inch electronic equipment rack Specifications applicable to the Ultimatte 5 are given in table l l DESCRIPTION 1 4 WARNINGS Before connecting power to the Ultimatte 5 unit 1 Verify that power supply is strapped for the power source being used par 2 2 2 Do not make any internal adjustments to potentiometers inside chassis of main unit or remote control 1 5 UNPACKING The Ultimatte 5 is normally shipped in two pack ages one containing the main unit and one con taining the remote control unit Carefully remove the units from these two packages and inspect for any damage which may have occurred during ship ping Check the contents of each package against the enclosed packing list to ve
19. P The clean up control can be adjusted to cause the background scene to turn on sooner than it would ordinarily while simultane ously partially turning off the foreground subject in its most transparent areas This is useful for re moval of unwanted foreground detail such as sup port wires or footprints and for removal of backing imperfections such as seams or joints Also if the backing contains a seam or wrinkle which is visible in the composite output the clean up control can be adjusted to remove this seam or wrinkle The clean up control should be moved from its index marks only when necessary for the types of conditions described above as use of this adjust ment removes fine edge detail from the image 4 a Figure 4 5 Foreground Background Control Group 4 27 FADE MIX The fade mix control has two functions depending on the position of the FG SELECT FG ONLY switch par 4 5 4 1 1 When FG ONLY is off this control is in the fade mode and when FG ONLY is on it is in the mix mode In the fade mode the fade mix control may be adjusted to gradually fade out the foreground sub ject ultimately leaving only the background scene in the output In the mix mode both the foreground and ground subjects fully appear in the output super imposed on one another The relative strength of the two scenes is determined by rotation of the control This mode is useful for arranging set pieces in the foreground so tha
20. T RIGHT top bot tom left right controls are used to position each edge of the internally generated window as desired At power up the windows come up as hard edged windows If it is desired to have a soft edge on any side of the window turn the corresponding top bottom left right control to its full clockwise posi tion The window will then switch to a soft edge on the side selected and the control can be reset as desired Changing back to a hard edge is done in the same way 4 52 N R EXT When an external window from the switcher is connected to the rear panel con nector marked INPUTS EXT WINDOW this con trol can be used in the same manner as the N R INT control to produce a normal N or reverse R window 4 53 HOLD BLU GRN The hold blue green switch is used in conjunction with an internally or externally generated reverse window When acti vated it holds the original blue or green color of a blue object within the window area which would have otherwise become transparent This control prevents the background from printing through the window area even though an object close to the backing color is included in the subject COMPONENT OUT SELECT 4 54 COMPONENT OUT See figure 4 1 2 On the rear panel of the unit output connectors are provided One set of output connectors RGB is always available to the encoder Another set of three outputs is available for use with a
21. To deselect unit 1 the memory of the main unit 4 71 TALLY The tally indicator shows by means of a seven segment display a number from 1 to 8 corresponding to the program source selected by Figure 4 16 Program Memory Control Group the switcher The tally indicator is operated from inputs the switcher applies to the TALLY connec tor on the rear panel of the remote If the remote unit is not connected to any main unit all ULTI MATTE SELECT switches off the tally will indi cate 6 4 72 FILE The file 1 2 3 4 switches control access to the four memorv files that are available for each program source At power on file 1 is activated and setting any control on the remote panel sets the control position on the Ultimatte 5 unit to which it is connected and also sets the con trol position into memory file 1 Subsequently selecting files 2 3 and 4 permits storing into memory up to four sets of control settings for each program source These preset control files may then be recalled as desired when producing a new composite image The files follow the tally and for each tally selected will return to the last file used for setting up that input 4 73 MEMORY SET HOLD At power up the memory switch is in the SET position This means that all front panel controls are live and access the In the HOLD position the unit operates from the memory file selected memory 4 19 In HOLD the physical positions of the front pa
22. ck through grey and blacks should remain black If a through the lens teleprompter is being used it should be switched on during the white and black balancing proce dures If a white card is being used for white bal ance and placed near the blue screen it should be placed so that blue bounce light from the backing will not fall on it and cause color distortions 3 9 BACKING The backing is the painted screen in front of which foreground subjects are photographed It is most often blue but may also be green white or black Black and white are primarily used in the produc tion of animated objects The term backing is separate and distinct from the term background Background refers to the background scene which is cornposited with the foreground subjects to pro duce the final product 3 10 COLOR PURITY Ultimatte is a linear sys tem for cornpositing images Unlike chroma key which is a switching system Ultimatte will provide a composite in all areas of the backing from those which are fully illuminated down into deep shad ows Therefore the backing color must be uniquely reflective For this reason special blue and green paints have been developed and are available from Rosco Laboratories Inc Port Chester New York and other cities The blue paint has a very high blue reflectance and a very low green reflectance vice versa for the green The use of this paint is highly recommended Also see paragraph 3 14
23. component recorder The component output Figure 4 12 Component Out Control Group format may be Y IO YUV or Y R Y B Yas selected by the COMPONENT OUT SELECT switch Recording the output of the Ultimatte 5 in compo nent form makes it possible to reprocess the re corded signal adding another level of foreground to it 4 15 W LOGIC i i d DENSITY DENSITY 4 55 B W LOGIC See figure 4 13 In addition to the use of blue and green backing black and white may also be used as a backing color Black and white are used primarily for ani mation production in conjunction with black on white drawings 4 56 B W The black white switch is a three position alternate action device When it is off the system is working blue or green logic In the black B position the foreground subject becomes linearly transparent as it approaches black In the 4 16 Figure 4 13 Black White Logic Control Group white W position the foreground subject becomes linearly transparent as it approaches white 4 57 MASTER DENSITY The master density control sets a threshold at which objects begin to become transparent This applies to black objects on a black backing or white objects on a white backing 4 58 R G B DENSITY The R G B density con trols permit a threshold adjustment to be set for each color independently without affecting the subject color or brightness It causes the selected s
24. cry as Black White Logic Control Group Sa ae i Mo ders Glow Title Control Group 234a a Matte In Control Group es Program Memory Control Group LIST OF TABLES Ultimatie 5 Specifications Main Unit Rear Panel Connections Summary of Operating Controls and Indicators Qut oce eos GROW TITLE o MATTER ox w229227 ii _ 5 a 4 5 e PROGRAM MEMORY it i jj mh id Ej Is i 5 id Lg E LIN AES SRR p i BREST i dar fe ORC E Pes H ote a m e s d MEMORY TM warm TE 5 BORED 2 SELECT CONTROL UNIT DVPONENT ANALOG MAIN UNIT Figure l l Ultimatte 5 System CHAPTER 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION This is the operation manual for the Ultimatte 5 manufactured by Ultimatte Corporation Reseda California This manual is divided into four sec tions General Description Installation Basic Requirements and
25. e Set color of glow or title Sets degree of transparency of glow or title Glow covers or emanates only from edges Places titles in front of or behind foreground subject Used for reverse order of crossing Eliminates setup when used Compensates for low level recording Select one of four Ultimatte 5 main units which will be controlled by remote control unit Indicates program source selected by switcher Select one of four previously established setups from memory In SET all controls and switches are live and access memory On HOLD unit operates from memory with exceptions 4 5 FG SELECT See figure 4 Z The six foreground select switches are used to con figure the unit as desired to process the foreground scene One of the first four mutually exclusive input selectors is pressed to select the type of fore ground input signal to be used from among those connected to the FG INPUTS connectors on the rear panel of the main unit The BACKING COLOR switch is set to configure the logic of the unit to the backing color in use and the FG ONLY switch is enabled as desired All pushbutton selections change during the verti cal interval The remote control may be used as a vertical interval switcher to switch for instance from a camera source to a tape player source by selecting the input source desired The transition will occur during the vertical interval 4 6 RGB The red green blue input is normally from a telev
26. e 2 2 to 115 or 230 6 If power input is lower than normal set main unit LINE VOLTAGE selector switch figure 2 2 to LOW which accommodates input power levels of 105 or 210 vac 7 Replace bottom panel on main unit 2 3 MAIN UNIT REAR PANEL Most signal connections to and from an Ultimatte 5 unit are made through the connectors on the rear panel of the main unit The layout of this panel is shown in figure 2 3 and each connection is described in table 2 1 115V 230V SWITCH yh Figure 2 Remote Control Unit Power Selector Switch 2 Connection REMOTE 1 4 OUTPUTS YRGB R Y B Y or 10 NTSC MIX MATTE or WINDOW MON 2 2 POWER n 210 230 105 115 4 lt Figure 2 2 Main Unit Power Selector Switches 54 54 Ed M L Ei e Table 2 Main Unit Rear Panel Connections Function Eight lines are connected here from the external switcher so that as each program source camera or recorder is selected by the switcher the Ultimatte 5 can select the corresponding control settings from memory See par 2 4 Permits connection of four remotes to one main unit Unit under con trol is as selected by front panel PROGRAM MEMORY ULTIMATTE SELECT 1 4 switches Normal output signal to external encoder For connection to component analog tape recorder Format is front panel selectable by COMPONENT OUT SELECT switch
27. e background thus achieving a more uniformly bright background scene The background level balance control is also used in conjunction with the windows par 4 48 When windows are being used it is necessary to make 4 12 Figure 4 9 Background Adjust Control Group adjustment of the BG level balance control in order to make the window edges invisible 4 45 SHADOW The shadow control is used when the subject is backlighted or is casting a visible shadow Because the shadow area is below clipping ievel any noise in the camera tends to occur in the shadow The shadow control substitutes a second control signal in the shadow area which causes the shadow noise to be reduced by 9 to 12 dB Further backlighted situations where glare is present the glare would ordinarily obliterate the shadow or invert it The shadow control will in this situation remove the glare causing the shadow to be fully visible and darker than its surroundings 4 46 BG DEFOCUS The background defocus control does not function with NTSC or PAL grounds It does function with RGB YRGB and component signals It progressively limits the band width of the background channels so that during a close up of a foreground subject the background scene will not be in sharp focus This results in a simulation of the normal relationship between fore ground and background focus A follow focus effect can be achieved by progressive use of de focus a
28. e normally produced 3 5 DIFFUSION OR FOG FILTERS When shooting composite images it is recommended that diffusion filters or fog filters not be used These filters introduce excessive noise into the composite image with the result that foreground figures bleed into blue backings or vice versa Black objects may acquire a blue tint If these filters are used the re sults must be examined with great care and adjust ments made where necessary 3 6 TUBE FOCUS AND BEAMWIDTH If one of the camera s color tubes is slightly out of focus fringing may occur particularly in longer shots the beamwidths of the three tubes differ edging may be observed on the leading and trailing edges of moving objects Make sure the camera is in good adjustment at all times 3 7 REGISTRATION ADJUSTMENT camera with minor registration differences between the three tubes may produce an acceptable image on a direct monitor but the registration differences will be greatly magnified by the cornpositing process The Ultimatte recognizes a color edge as the loca tion of an object thus a registration error is the same as a physical displacement of that object 3 1 This will be recognized from the presence of oppos ing color fringes on the opposite edges of fore ground objects 3 8 WHITE AND BLACK BALANCE t is im portant that the camera be properly white balanced and black balanced When the camera is irised up and down the white should tra
29. efore starting operations for a new setup adjust all controls to their index posi tion and set all switches so that the red indicators are off to the extent possible 4 3 CONDENSED CONTROL IDENTIFICATION The operating panel of the Ultimatte 5 is shown figure 4 l Table 4 is a condensed explanation of the function of each control 4 4 DETAILED CONTROL IDENTIFICATION The balance of this chapter contains detailed de Summary of Operating Controls and scriptions of each control group keyed to an larged illustration of the controls in each group Indicators Function Selects RGB foreground input Selects a Y RGB foreground input a Y R Y B Y foreground input a Y IQ or YUV foreground input logic for blue or green backing only foreground image to be viewed Selects Selects Selects Permits Selects RGB background input a YRGB background input a Y R Y B Y background input a Y IQ or YUV background input an NTSC or PAL background input Permits only background image to be viewed Selects Selects Selects Selects Provides silhouette against neutral field for setting density of foreground matte Sets matte density appropriate to transparency of subject en 4 1 1u044 031002 7 4 VSN 503538 4803 AP TW 98 i ORO 4 m gt LEN s igit LELE
30. en using a blue backing Gate 2 Figure 4 6 Foreground Color Logic Control Group allows the blue of R G B to rise above green to the extent that red was above green When gate 2 is open facial tones may have a slight purplish cast to them Gate 2 is used only when purple magenta is important in the wardrobe or foreground subject In the case of a green backing gate 2 permits yel lows in the foreground subject to be reproduced 4 32 GATE 3 The gate 3 control is adjusted to eliminate blue flare on green foreground subjects such as plants when using blue backing Gate 3 prevents the blue of R G B from rising above the lower of red or green When gate 3 is in use cyan and blue colors in the foreground scene will be dis torted to a greenish cast and thus should be used only when reproducing green plants against a blue backing In the case of a green backing gate 3 pre vents a cyan flare on blue foreground objects 4 33 NHITE BALANCE The white balance con trol permits adjustments of maximum blue of fore ground subject whites to match background white In the index position blue of R G B is made equal to R G B for white however if a foreground sub ject has light blonde hair which is reproducing nearly white this control may be adjusted for more natural reproduction of hair color This will also result in somewhat warmer than normal white tones on other white objects in the foreground 4 9 FG ADJUST FG CONTRAST
31. era is somewhat out of focus and the cam era output is fed back into the rear panel GLOW INPUTS connector Operation of the glow title controls when composi ting glow is much as described above for composit ing titles The front rear control causes glow to emanate only from the edges of the subject in the REAR position or to envelop the subject in the FRONT position 4 17 MATTE IN INVERT 4 65 MATTE IN See figure 4 15 The matte in controls in conjunction with the rear panel MATTE INPUTS connectors permit production of multiple layer mattes This feature permits the introduction of a recorded matte signal for postproduction composites or for reversed order of crossing A second subject may be made to pass behind in front of or circle a previously matted subject whose matte signal was recorded The use of recorded inputs requires that the fore ground NTSC output be recorded on one tape ma chine and the MATTE signal on another These two recordings must be time coded and then played back simultaneously together with back ground scene to create a composite The matte or key signal is a linear signal which represents the original backing in terms of its lumi 4 18 Figure 4 15 Matte In Control Group nence and visibility It is a white signal in which the subject or any solid object looks like 51 houette black shadows look grey transparent objects look grey and the fully turned on backi
32. hades of red R green and blue B to be come transparent at a desired brightness level GLOW TITLE 4 1 amp aR K MASTER LEVEL 4 P DENSITY 4 59 GLOW TITLE See figure 4 14 The glow title controls permit adding titles from a character generator or a halo like glow while a composite is being made This avoids an additional generation of processing to add these effects Titles will be discussed first To add titles to the composite the output of a character generator is connected to the rear panel GLOW input 4 60 RGB The red R green G and blue B controls permit the titles or glow to be colored as desired 4 61 MASTER LEVEL The master level control sets the level of brightness of the title or glow 4 62 DENSITY The density control permits adjustment of the opacity or transparency of the or glow Figure 4 14 Glow Title Control Group 4 63 FRONT REAR The front rear control places the titles in front of FRONT or behind REAR the foreground subject Manipulation of this trol during cornpositing will cause the titles to walk through the subject 4 64 GLOW Glow is produced by looping through a small black and white monitor and camera Both a negative and a positive matte signal are provided at the rear panel OUTPUTS connectors The selected output drives a monitor which is photo graphed by an auxiliary black and white camera This cam
33. he camera have relatively quiet signals on all three channels high signal to noise ratios It is possible to have a camera which produces a relatively acceptable encoded picture but which has a large amount of noise on one channel After processing in the Ultimatte that noise may deteriorate the final composite to a greater extent Most cameras will produce acceptable results under good condi tions It is when conditions are less than ideal that the differences among cameras become more inadequate lighting forward falling shadows and excessive black gloss noticeable These conditions include 3 3 SELECTION CRITERIA In selecting among several cameras first select the one that has the best color registration of all three channels Next select the one that is the most quiet on all three channels A camera equipped with a fixed lens of high quality will produce a better picture than a camera equipped with a zoom lens Anyone doing composite work will save substantial setup time using a set of fixed prime lenses as there will be much less difficulty in judging perspective through a fixed lens 3 4 DETAIL OR CONTOUR CONTROL Care fully adjust the detail or contour control on the camera in use to prevent excessive edginess on foreground images A moderate edge on the image is quite acceptable when observed from the proper viewing distance but excessive edginess will defeat the natural looking by the Ultimatte 5 composit
34. he B side of the monitor Switch between the two to assure that the external encoder is at least as good as the camera s internal encoder If the external encoder cannot be adjusted to per form satisfactorily the user must accept the fact that the encoder not the Ultimatte 5 is limiting the final picture quality This same test should be made with the switcher in and out of the circuit to evaluate its quality also 3 5 3 6 blank CHAPTER 4 OPERATING 4 INTRODUCTION This chapter contains the information required to operate the Ultimatte 5 Each of the 15 control groups on the remote control panel is discussed in detail and the function of each switch or control potentiometer is described There is no standard operating procedure The Ultimatte 5 is extremely versatile and facilitates operation in a broad variety of situations It is up to each operator to determine the ideal operating sequence for each application 4 2 PREPARATION FOR USE When the Ultimatte 5 is connected to a power source it will come on with most switches in their neutral positions However controls may be set Table 4 Group Name Control Name FG SELECT RGB switch Y RGB switch Y R Y B Y switch YIO YUV switch BACKING COLOR switch FG ONLY switch BG SELECT RGB switch Y RGB switch Y R Y B Y switch YIO YUV switch NTSC PAL switch BG ONLY switch FG MATTE MATTE SET switch MATTE DENSITY control INSTRUCTIONS to any position B
35. he camera rather than from overhead lights Overhead lights may produce a glare which the camera will see as white light and this will appear as flare in the composite 3 22 POLARIZING FILTER The use of the polarizing filter can solve certain problems that will arise with backlighting and with reflective subjects Floor glare as mentioned ear lier can result in an unwanted white haze in the final composite Mount the polarizing filter the camera lens and rotate it until the glare disappears The use of pol arizing filters shiny product shots such as auto mobiles may eliminate the need for deglossing spray Polarizing filters are supposedly of neutral density but frequently are not It is best to white balance the camera again with these filters in place When using a polarizing filter it is necessary to open the camera lens one to one and one half stops This is the reason for using high illumination on the set 3 23 ENCODERS The final picture quality is dependent on the qual ity of the encoder used Always use a broadcast quality video type encoder to prevent deteriora tion of the final product 3 24 TESTING ENCODER When an encoder has been selected for use it is recommended that it be tested to evaluate the output quality Connect the RGB from the camera to the input of the encoder then connect the output of the encoder to the A side of a monitor Connect the camera s internal encoder output to t
36. hould always be left at standardized levels These controls are somewhat interactive and black should be matched before white BG ENABLE 4 38 BG MATTE See figure 4 8 The background matte comprises those circuit functions which cause the colors in the blue back ing to be reduced to zero Thus the backing area which was blue will now appear to be black and the background scene can then be superimposed in this black area This background matte is set auto matically by the Ultimatte 5 as a function of the backing color and brightness The background matte controls are used to make manual override adjustments to the automatic adjustments 4 39 VEIL COLOR RGB When excessive noise appears on one color channel a red green or blue veiling may appear on the background scene This can be eliminated by adjustment of the correspond ing veil color control In order to simulate underwater scenes or to en hance reflections on glass green veiling may be added to the scene Other similar effects are possible Figure 4 8 Background Matte Control Group 4 40 VERT TRACK ENABLE When using ing which is a vertical wall at right angles to the camera plus a floor which is at an oblique angle to the camera the difference in camera angle to the two surfaces may produce a white haze or veiling in the floor area This condition can be compen sated for with the vertical track enable switch in conjunctio
37. ield Adjusts level of flat field Set color of flat field 4 3 Group Name WINDOW COMPONENT OUT B W LOGIC GLOW TITLE MATTE PROGRAM MEMORY Table 4 l Control Name NT switch INT N R switch EXT N R switch HOLD BLU GRN switch LEFT RIGHT TOP BOTTOM controls SELECT switch B W logic select switch MASTER DENSITY DENSITY R G B controls MASTER LEVEL control R G B controls DENSITY control FRONT REAR control INVERT switch PE D control LEVEL control ULTIMATTE SELECT 1 4 switches TALLY indicator FILE 1 4 switches MEMORY switch Summary of Operating Controls and Indicators Cont Function Permits window to be a frame surrounding the subject or an area which may be placed anywhere Reverse R shuts off background scene in window area Selects normal N or reverse R for external window input Permits holding original blue or green color of blue object or reflection within reverse window area Set each window edge as desired Complete cw rotation changes from hard edge to soft and vice versa Selects output format of OUTPUTS connectors for use with component analog recorder Sets up logic to composite for either a black or white backing Sets threshold at which objects begin to become transparent Permit threshold to be set for each color independ ently without affecting subject color or brightness Sets level of brightness of glow or titl
38. ision camera connected to the R G B input connectors on the rear panel FG SELECT 1 BACKING YUV COLOR ONLY 4 7 Y RGB The luminance red green blue input is from a Rank Cintel scanner telecine camera or other device connected to the Y R G B input con nectors on the rear panel This channel may also be used as a second RGB channel with nothing con nected to the Y input connector 4 8 Y R Y B Y The luminance y red minus y blue minus y input is normally from a composite analog tape recorder camera or other device con nected to the Y R Y B Y input connectors on the rear panel 4 9 YIQ YUV The Y IQ or YUV input is se lected when a signal source of this format is con nected to the YIQ input connectors on rear panel 4 10 BACKING COLOR The backing color switch can be set to B to configure the unit for a blue backing color or to G to configure the unit for a green backing color 4 1 FG ONLY The foreground only switch is used to remove the background scene from the output signal so that foreground only may be viewed Figure 4 2 Foreground Select Control Group 4 5 NT BG SELECT 4 12 BG SELECT See figure 4 3 The six background select switches are used to configure the unit as desired to process the back ground scene One of the first mutually exclusive input selectors is pressed to select the type of background input signal to be used from among those co
39. light than normal photography Lens vignetting cannot be tolerated as it interferes with window generation and other compositing functions and aggravates noise problems This is less likely to occur at smaller apertures made pos sible by higher light levels As discussed later in this chapter there are times when it is desirable to use polarizing filters These filters cut down some of the light to the camera tubes so more light helps to compensate 3 17 LIGHTING TECHNIQUES When lighting the set it must be kept in mind that the amount of light on the backing will determine the extent to which the background scene is lighted in the com posite When a key light shadow is important start by lighting the set with the key light Orient the key light to cast a shadow in the same direction as the shadows in the background scene Then light as needed to illuminate the backing being careful not to completely wash out the key light shadow The intensity of the shadow is thus controlled by the amount of fill added to that shadow Again consider the intensity of the background shadows when making this decision 3 4 3 18 BOUNCE LIGHT When setting up a shot some bounce light from the backing will light up the edges of the subject yet when the image is processed the backing and most of the bounce light from it will be suppressed to black Think of the backing as a piece of black velvet which reflects no light Also think about
40. mote Control Unit Rear Panel Sh at PD Pa C Re es es Typical Connection of Ultimatte 5 MATE Hh eal V CC qi v Connection for NTSC Background Connection of Four Remotes to One Main Unit Connection of Multiple Remote and Multiple Main Units Circuit Board 28021 Set Construction to Eliminate Hard Edge at Back Corner Remote Control Front Panel PARC Rh EA a a aet P RR REUS t Foreground Select Control Group wong GU dues acne ae d c Pur e Cor Background Select Control Group B uv a Foreground Matte Control Group Foreground Background Control Group e Foreground Color Logic Control Group Foreground Adjust Control Group dC a ie Background Matte Control Group GE OY c FW C Ke EO US Background Adjust Control Group MG AX We aci AA Background Field Control Group e P da Window Control Group Rennrad Component Out Control Group be
41. n with the rate control The rate control is advanced just until the milky veil disappears from the floor area thus resetting the matte on a line by line basis from wall to floor to eliminate veiling This technique retains all of the resolution the camera had before this correc tion and is superior to using the veil color controls alone 4 41 RATE The rate control adjusts dynamic tracking as to how tightly backing changes are tracked see previous paragraph Before engaging the vertical track and rate controls the BG adjust shadow control par 4 45 should first be adjusted to eliminate as much veiling as possible BG ADJUST BG DEFOCUS 4 42 BG ADJUST See figure 4 9 The background adjust group contains four con trols which are used to achieve adjustments of the background level balance shadow and focus 4 43 BG LEVEL The background level control permits adjustment of the level of the background scene relative to the level of the foreground scene This may be useful in simulating night scenes or in matching overall appearance of background and foreground 4 44 BG LEVEL BAL The backing may not always be uniformly illuminated yet the brightness of the backing produces a linear signal which turns on the background picture in proportion to the brightness of the backing The background level balance control may be used to change the level at which variations in backing brightness affect the turn on of th
42. nel controls will not correspond with their positions stored in memory However to make a control active during HOLD rotate it at a speed greater than 15 degrees per second and then make the adjustment desired The new control position will be stored into memory for that file To return the MEMORY switch to SET press it in and hold for two seconds observing that the HOLD indicator goes out and the SET indicator comes on There are two different SET modes One does not affect biases the other does At power up the SET indicator blinks on and off at a 1 Hz rate indicating that all lighting and camera changes and all con trol settings will produce a corresponding change in bias voltages After returning from the HOLD mode adjustment of a window control for in stance will not affect bias and the SET indicator will stay on steadily to so indicate However ad justment of other controls will affect bias see table 4 2 and the SET indicator will again blink The safest method of shooting a new composite is to do so in the HOLD mode This will ensure that all preset control settings will be preserved 4 74 CONTROLS THAT ACTIVATE BIAS When the Ultimatte 5 is in the memory mode any one of the controls listed in table 4 2 will activate bias Table 4 2 Controls That Activate Bias in Memory Mode MATTE DENSITY MATTE DENSITY BAL BACKING PURITY BLACK GLOSS SHADOW GATE 1 GATE 2 GATE 3 4 20 WHITE BAL FG BLK R F
43. ng area looks white This signal is used to turn on the background scene Although it looks like a mono chrome signal it has sync and burst on it which makes it easy to record 4 66 INVERT The invert control is used to create reversed orders of crossing for two fore ground subjects 4 67 PED The pedestal control is adjusted to eliminate print through caused by the pedestal on a tape machine output 4 68 LEVEL The level control adjusts the over all level of the matte or key signal applied to the Ultimatte 5 p PROGRAM MEMORY 2 3 4 v SELECT er SET MEMORY 4 69 PROGRAM MEMORY See figure 4 16 The Ultimatte 5 employs a 32K random access memory to store control settings for up to eight program sources cameras other Ultimattes or tape machines Four files are available for each program source so that time consuming setup con ditions may be recreated by setting two or three switches 4 70 ULTIMATTE SELECT A remote control unit may control up to four Ultimatte 5 main frames When the unit is powered up Ultimatte 1 is selected and the remote will be effecting control settings in the unit connected to the REMOTE 1 connector on the rear panel press ULTIMATTE SELECT 1 switch The indicator on switch 1 will go out and no further control operation on the remote panel will affect that unit However the previously selected remote control settings will be retained in
44. nnected to the BG INPUTS connectors on the rear panel of the main unit The BG ONLY switch is enabled as desired All pushbutton selec tions change during the vertical interval 4 13 RGB The red green blue input is normally from a television camera connected to the R G B input connectors on the rear panel 4 14 Y RGB The luminance red green blue input is from a Rank Cintel scanner telecine camera or other device connected to the Y R G B input con nectors on the rear panel This channel may also be used as a second RGB channel with nothing connected to the input connector 4 15 Y R Y B Y The luminance y blue minus y input is normally from acomponent red minusy analog tape recorder camera or other device connected to the Y R Y B Y input connectors on the rear panel Figure 4 3 Background Select Control Group 4 16 YIQ YUV The YIQ or YUV input may be selected when a signal source of this format is connected to the Y IQ input connectors on the rear panel 4 17 NTSC PAL The National Television Stand ards Committee NTSC or European system Phase Alternating Line PAL input may be selected when a tape recorder or any other encoded video source in this format is connected to the NTSC input con nectors on the rear panel 4 18 BG ONLY The background only switch is used to remove the foreground scene from the out put signal so that background only may be viewed 4 19 FG MATTE See figure 4 4
45. ormat with an RGB output to the exter nal encoder The encoder produces a composite in the same format as the background which is mixed in the Ultimatte 5 to produce the composite NTSC PAL MIX output signal 2 9 CONNECTION OF MULTIPLE REMOTES See figure 2 7 One main unit may be conirolled by one two three or four remote control units on a priority basis This makes it possible to con trol a single main unit from one to four locations stages with a corresponding reduction in equip ment duplication The priority is established by connection to the main unit The remote connected to main unit REMOTE REMOTE CONTROL 3 REMOTE CONTROL 4 Figure 2 7 Connection of Four Remotes to One Main Unit 2 7 REMOTE 1 connector will have priority whenever it is selected Selection is made by enabling the correspondingPROGRAM MEMORY ULTIMATTE SELECT 1 4 switch on the front panel of the re mote control If the ULTIMATTE SELECT switch on remote control 1 is deselected control reverts to remote control 2 then in turn to remote con trol 3 and remote control 4 Z 10 CONNECTION OF MULTIPLE REMOTES AND MAIN UNITS See figure 2 8 The Ulti matte 5 system has the capability for one remote control unit to control up to four main units and for one main unit to be controlled by up to four remotes While it is unlikely that the setup shown in figure 2 8 would be used some combinations of multiple
46. rify that power cords instruction manuals and other accessories are included Notify your dealer of any discrep ancies The blue ana green colored cards packed with your unit permit testing and initial setup of your unit These cards are painted with the pure blue and pure green colors which should be used to paint the backings in your studio A piece of polarizing filter is also included with your unit to permit evaluation of test results when a polarizing filter is placed over the camera lens 1 Size Main Unit Remote Control Power Source Random Access Memory Glow or Titles External Matte Key Signal Inputs outputs Black Burs Windows Backing Required Background Matte Black White Balance 2 Table 1 1 Ultimatte 5 Specifications 19 in wide x 7 in high x 19 in deep 19 in wide x 7 in high x 4 in deep Both rnain unit and remote control are individually connected to a source of ac power Depending on internal power supply connec tions this may be 115 vac 60 Hz or 230 vac 50 Hz 32K in each main unit permits up to four control setups to be stored for each of eight program sources Inserts solid or transparent glow or titles from an external character generator Accepts external matte key signal Accepts all inputs RGB Y RGB Y IO YUV NTSC YIQ YUV NTSC PAL Y RGB Y R Y amp Y YIQ NTSC and Requires connection of external black burst input
47. s the foreground subject approaches the camera BG FIELD SELECT 4 47 BG FIELD See figure 4 10 The background field controls are used during pro duction when the background scene is not conveni ently available but it is desired to have something behind the subject The BG field controls can then be used to produce an artificial background of the desired color The BG field controls work in conjunction with the window controls par 4 48 To use the BG field controls 1 Press BG FIELD SELECT switch and note that red indicator comes on 2 Select a positive or negative or window with the WINDOW INT switch 3 Select a reverse window by setting the WIN DOW N R INT switch to R Figure 4 10 Background Field Control Group 4 Adjust the WINDOW TOP BOTTOM LEFT RIGHT controls so that window will fill the entire background area 5 Adjust BG FIELD RGB COLOR controls and LEVEL control to obtain desired hue and density of the background color A second function of the BG field controls is to avoid seeing the background scene through an ob ject in the foreground which is essentially the same color as the backing Thus on a closeup of a sub ject with extremely blue eyes the eyes may be come transparent and the background scene will show through the eyes In this case a window is set around the eyes but not extending beyond the head and a background field of any color is placed in the window Then
48. six delay lines figure 2 9 by simultaneously moving both input and out put jumpers on each delay line from OUT to IN or vice versa NOTE The delay line on left of figure 2 9 will have the greatest effect the one on the right with only one jumper will have the least effect on the output d Attempt to obtain equal white or black lines on each side of white stripe Reassemble unit and remove any test connec tions 2 9 Mh E sus 6 DELA m Figure 2 9 Circuit F8021 2 10 CHAPTER 3 BASIC REQUIREMENTS 3 1 INTRODUCTION The Ultimatte 5 is essentially a transparent device It performs additions subtractions and multiplications of the signals applied to it but the final output is always a product of the inputs Thus the other factors which affect picture qual ity are equally as important as the Ultimatte in determining the quality of the final composite image This chapter discusses the requirements for such related components as cameras backings lighting filters and encoders 3 2 CAMERAS The higher the quality of the signal going into the Ultimatte the higher will be the quality of the out put The limitation of the Ultimatte to composite an image is the limitation of the camera to resolve that image Since the Ultimatte operates on the R G B compo nents of the video signal it is important that t
49. t from the substantial signal processing required to discriminate these colors Switching to a backing of contrasting color solves the problem Comparison of results with both color backings may be desirable in making the optimum decision Red backings may be used for product shots if there is no red in the foreground image However where people are involved the use of red backings is inadvisable If a red backing is used for a product shot reverse the red and blue cable connections for both the input and the output 3 14 ULTIMATTE BLUE SCREEN A flexible plastic sheeting has been developed which can be rolled up and down or stretched in a frame This material has such a high blue reflectance that a wide range of subjects may be composited in front of it It is recommended for difficult scenes and is 6 IN PE Figure 3 l Set Construction to Eliminate Hard Edge at Back Corner available in sizes up to 40x100 feet from Stewart Filmscreen Corp Torrance California To date no blue or green paper has been found suitable as backing material 3 15 LIGHTING In general the proper lighting occurs when the amount of incident light in foot candles on the backing is the same as the arnount of incident light on the subject However the amount of light used is much greater than with normal photography 3 16 AMOUNT OF LIGHT Composite photog raphy in front of a blue screen requires two to three times more
50. t power up the Ultimatte 5 without first having connected black burst or the power up cir cuitry will not function properly 1 Connect black burst to main unit rear panel BLACK BURST INPUT 2 Connect coax cable from main unit to remote control unit 3 Plug in remote control to ac line 4 Plug main unit into ac line 2 13 DELAY LINE ADJUSTMENTS When using an NTSC format background it may be necessary to make an internal adjustment to the delay lines in order to obtain proper timing of fore ground and matte signal Do this adjustment with power on after the system is in operation and has been satisfactorily checked out otherwise 1 Aim camera at a blue screen with a white vertical stripe on it such as a piece of adding machine tape so that part of blue backing is visible on both side of the white stripe 2 Provide a 75 grey NTSC background from external switcher Observe output of Ultimatte 5 on a picture monitor and on a waveform monitor if avail able Adjust delay lines as described below to eliminate any vertical black line which may be observed adjacent to either side of vertical white stripe foreground a Loosen ten 4 turn Dzus type fasteners from top cover of main unit with Phillips screwdriver and remove top cover b Release the three turn fasteners that lock top circuit board in place and hinge it back out of the way to gain access to second cir cuit board F8021 Adjust the
51. t they match objects in the background scene 4 28 BALANCE The balance control proportions the clean up between the FG and BG and should be adjusted with each increment of clean up to obtain the most pleasing picture The balance con trol also affects the fade mix function FG COLOR LOGIC WHITE BALANCE 4 29 FG COLOR LOGIC See figure 4 6 The controls in the foreground color logic group permit adjustments to be made so that specific colors in the foreground subject can be repro duced naturally in spite of technical difficulties which might otherwise interfere with natural reproduction 4 30 GATE 1 The gate 1 control is adjusted to permit blues in the foreground subject to be repro duced when using a blue backing otherwise blue foreground objects will appear cyan Gate 1 allows the blue of R G B to rise above green to the extent that green was above red Thus a blue shirt on the foreground subject will remain blue because in a blue shirt there is more green than red However blue light from the backing failing on a white shirt will not be seen as blue flare because green did not rise above red in the lighting of the white shirt There is a slight in crease in noise level when using gate 1 2 or 3 In the case of green backing gate 1 permits greens in the foreground subject to be reproduced 4 31 GATE 2 The gate 2 control is adjusted to permit magentas in the foreground subject to be reproduced wh
52. the background scene If it is light and would be expected to light up a sub ject in front of it probably more sidelighting of the subject is necessary This is best produced by two light sources at approximately head level With a dark background this sidelighting would not be desirable Had the subject actually existed as an element in the background scene rather than being composited into it whatever brightness existed in the back ground scene would have illuminated the sides and back of the subject The blue backing does not pro vide the backlight the scene would have provided and backlighting must therefore be added on the set 3 19 CONTRAST Approximate contrast between lighting of foreground and background subjects should be accomplished by adjustment of lighting on the foreground scene The Ultimatte 5 contains a FG CONTRAST control which can be used to add contrast to the foreground subject 3 20 COLOR TEMPERATURE Never use straw colored filters when lighting a foreground subject Only white light is needed Do not mix the color temperatures of lamps used to light the backing as this will result in color tinting of the background scene Lights with a color temperature of 5600 or 3200 K are acceptable with blue backings A blue colored light should not be used on a fore ground subject as it will cause the subject to be come transparent 3 21 FLOOR LIGHTING The floor should be iighted frorn sources near t
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