Papai2013

The problem with using the BB prologue is, as I said, it’s cropped. The 1.44:1 scenes on the Special Edition are direct scans from the IMAX 15/70 source. There is no need for the home video to apply edge enhancement on the most detailed film format at all. The 35mm scenes have EE because of the IMAX DMR process which remasters movies to make them look good (subjectively) on their IMAX screens. The IMAX shots do not have EE.

The TDKL IMAX opening in the BB Bluray is cropped to 1.66:1. In the special Edition TDK trilogy Blu-ray, that scene is uncropped and in 1.44:1.
I personally would love to see a version which re-creates the actual IMAX experience by combining the 1.44:1 and 2.40:1 sequences. You have to have a common width framing. 1920*1400 (approx) would be the resolution.

If only the price was not as high!

Yes but only the longer scenes. The single isolated shots of rooftops and aerial shots done with the IMAX camera, which are a few seconds long but look great in the large format, are left out in the 2-Disc Widescreen dvd.

By the way, has anyone here thought of creating the shifting ratio (2.40:1 - 1.44:1) 15/70 IMAX cut of TDK? The Full IMAX scenes are available both on the TDK Ultimate Collector’s Edition BD set and the TDK Full Screen DVD.

They look good, but still feel much sharper than the anamorphic source (because of the baked EE). By better software I did not mean anything specific. I left it to your better judgement because I don’t have much knowledge regarding editing software except premiere.

I cannot see the images you have posted for comparison. Is there any external link to them?
Also, I think this a good project to undertake. The DVD Screener is the best source for colour as I believe it has the same look as most photochemically colour timed prints have. The DVD screener was, I believe, sourced from an HD Telecine. So it’s accurate to the 35mm print, more or less. In any case, the colours look far more richer as well as pleasing to the eyes than the Blu-ray.

Like you, I also have the passion but lack the technical knowhow of undertaking such a project. I have tried fixing the colours of Jurassic Park, based on the various 35mm cinema print stills floating in the internet (as well as the colour-corrected 3D BD). But I have only been able to produce results which are closer, but still very far off the actual timing.

There is a reason for this. Though I myself know only Adobe Premiere, I believe that digital grading and photo-chemical finish are entirely different techniques and you cannot produce the same results. Often times, while trying, I ended up having grossly wrong tones at different parts of the frame. Photoshop gives much more accurate results, but it’s abilities are limited to stills, I believe. Unless you were to colour-correct each individual frame of a movie, which would be madness.

The variables of digital are entirely different and will never reproduce the beauty of an organic/analog medium. This is why most digitally graded movies look fake, even those that are shot on actual celluloid film. The digital grading never feels “natural” to my eyes. It feels “tacked on.” Digital footages in addition to digital grading has robbed the life from films. Both give an image a very synthetic, sterile and flat look. It does not feel lively or natural. because it is “not” natural.

You can get close, but that’s it.

However, I should cheer you on to try and find things for yourself. And use a better software. Let us know the progress. Thanks.

Thanks!

It’s a problem with my PC. Thanks anyway.

Hi scoodidabop,

Any updates on the scan?

Is anyone else here having problem opening Bl**g page?
“Secure Connection failed” It tells me, every time I try to load the page.

It also mentions that “The connection to bl***.*** was interrupted while the page was loading.
The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified.”
Any help on this matter would be very much appreciated.

Add “Jurassic Park” to the list.

The 3D restoration removed studio lights, potted plants, wires and the plastic tarp visible in the last shot when the Helicopter heads out to the ocean towards mainland. Also added was a lightning flash in the Triceratops scene which wasn’t there in the original version. I personally like all these changes as they make the film better and less distracting. I especially love the bright lightning burst which not only adds more impact to the scene but adds more sense of danger and the subtle hint of nature’s fury. They also polished the CGI models, especially the final T-Rex roar, which looks fantastic now.

I like that they went back to the warmer colour timing of the prints, but they went a bit overboard and things tilted towards pink sometimes, especially skin tones. This is the problem with digital grading, it never looks and feels natural. The colours on the original print look far more natural and pleasing to the eyes, despite being warm. Also they cropped the framing too much for my liking. Dinosaur heads and snouts got chopped out.

I don’t like the audio changes. Mountain Lion vocals were added in the Velociraptor Kitchen scene. And additional bird sounds were added in the scene where Grant is trying to convince Tim to come out of the Explorer that is stuck on the tree.

Good work!

scoodidabop said:

The adjustments I made to my 1080p copy were done in Premiere. Increased saturation (no other color timing adjustments done) and some brightness/contrast/gamma settings, very subtly used. I referenced my large collection of production photos for saturation levels.

Original scan:

http://i.imgur.com/te8y1Tx.jpg

Cropped, and adjusted:

http://i.imgur.com/4UDEkrb.jpg

It is just really good work! By the way, have you heard from your friend about the original 4K scan copy?

Dek Rollins said:

Papai2013 said:

…it’d be best if you can create a 19201660 resolution file instead of 12551080…
…downrez the corrected file to 1920*1660 (approx) and share it with us.

This, please! 😄

Also, how would you go about brightening the dark parts? Gamma correction? Because I would advise against just raising the brightness, because that would simply wash-out the image (blacks become grey, etc.).

I think the scenes would be best served by staying as dark as they are on the scan, but with as much crushed detail retrieved as possible without making the image literally brighter (I have zero knowledge about how possible this scenario is under the digital circumstances).

In my opinion the scan should be done “AS IS.” As I said in an earlier post, in Photoshop CS3 there is an option called “Exposure,” a term which amateur or professional photographers should be aware of. Now, In the exposure option I decreased “Gamma”, and all the details that were lost in the black crush were retrieved. Next I adjusted the brightness and contrast a bit, only for the black levels, that’s it. A little bit more detail can be gained by lowering the contrast.

But I don’t know how it can be done on photoshop. Some Pshop versions allow video editing, image adjustment. I think Adobe after effects does the job easier, though I have no knowledge of that software.

Image adjustment could be done in Adobe Premiere as well. So it can be done. But we need the Raw Scan.

scoodidabop said:

The reels belong to a friend. Our buddy that did the transfer actually no longer has access to the equipment since he’s changed careers but he managed to get a 4K transfer done of JP before he left. I’ll be getting a copy from him soon. Hopefully the blacks are a little better. I’ll keep you guys posted.

Great! If you can find the 4K scan, then it’d be best if you can create a 19201660 resolution file instead of 12551080. Then it’ll have the full horizontal resolution of HD plus more height. That’ll make any further edits better without having to compromise on quality. Because blowing up 1225 to 1920 will cause artifacts and pixelations. But thanks anyway.
Also, you get far more detail from 4K scan than from a HD, so you can brighten the dark parts on a copy of that scan and then downrez the corrected file to 1920*1660 (approx) and share it with us.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” was and is still shown open matte 1.78:1 on cable channels like HBO, at least here in India. The shots look wonderful and have that IMAX like scale in Full HD ratio. Someone with recording capabilities should be able to grab it. It’s worth saving.

Same with Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin.” Also open matte. Shots look more breathable than the tightly composed 2.39:1 version. And like HP, it also has that IMAX like scale in 1.78:1.

I’d love to see these two recorded.

scoodidabop said:

Resolution is 1280x1080 with 32,000 bitrate. 28gb. I adjusted the saturation and brightness/contrast/exposure a little. Dark scenes were too crushed to reveal full image at times. Very heavy handed brightening done by me on my copy on the Trex paddock scene since it was impossibly dark initially. My scan is a “quick and dirty” 1080 scan.

Scoodidabop, that’s great for now. But make sure to keep the original reels. In the future, with funding available, people (including me) can contribute and get a 4K scan done from it. Also, please tell us when can you share it, thanks.

P.S: Is there any chance you can get your hands on “The Lost World: JP” and “Jurassic Park 3” 35mm prints as well? Both are open matte. Let me know and we can work something out regarding financing, etc. Others can contribute as well.

scoodidabop said:

Some of my screenshots were later cropped in photoshop so I think that’s what you’re seeing. The video file has the full image shown. The night scenes are indeed pretty crushed unfortunately - added some pics of the dark shots to the same album I posted earlier:

Relieved to hear it. Please release it for us, please! Also, I tried fixing the black crush in the night scenes of the stills you provided, in photoshop. It can be easily done by decreasing the gamma and adjusting the brightness and contrast a bit. I don’t know if after effects or premiere offers gamma correction. I think they do. So the black crush can be fixed. Please let us know when you can release it. We are all eagerly waiting. Thanks a lot!

Also, what is the native resolution of your HD copy? Please tell us.

nesboy43 said:

I would love to see the open matte version it sounds very interesting. Personally I just got the 3D Bluray of Jurassic Park and have to say I was blown away by the 3D conversion they did in the film. It looks amazing. I also prefer the colors of this to the 2D Bluray I had beforehand. My only issue is that some of the scenes seemed too dark, although it might be my calibration settings.

You are right! I enjoyed it too, immensely! I went to watch the 3D version five times in the cinemas.
My only issue is that they cropped too much from the original framing, resulting in dinosaur heads and snouts getting cut off the frame. the framing of the 3D version felt too tight in many scenes. They also added some extra sounds which were’nt in the original audio track.

This is why many of us are waiting for a full open matte release of the Poita scan which was used to make the 16:9 version.
Scoodidabop has a copy too, but in his version, the left side of the frame is cropped.
It’d be ideal to have a full width and full height, uncropped version, then anyone can make their own respective fan-edits from that uncropped version.

The two clips released of The Shining print were uncropped, both horizontally, as well as vertically. That’s how Jurassic should be released as well. Especially when the scan exists in the first place.

scoodidabop said:

I of course can’t speak to the Matrix thing since I’m new here and am totally clueless about that situation 😉

For the colors here I simply added a little saturation and adjusted some brightness/contrast/gamma settings since the entire scan was rather dark and lifeless. No other color timing/tint/adjustments were made though so the actual hue is accurate to what was originally filmed - thank goodness. The pinks and magentas in the 3D bluray were overbearing and the strong “cool” wash on the DVD didn’t sit well with me either.

The open matte scan you have, it seems that the left side of the frame is a bit cropped (compared to the other 35mm scan). Is there a possibility you can restore the full width of the original print and share the open matte version with us? Please let us know. I’ve been dying to watch the open matte version, with all the boom mics and false ceilings. Thanks!

P.S: Spleen may not allow film prints any more, though it did allow Star Trek 3 recently. You gotta ask the admins.

Yes, we’ve seen that. But for this 35mm print, we want to see the whole thing - fill width and full height. The 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 versions are already available in abundance on home video media. The print is unique and many of us are interested in seeing the entire image.

xxtelecine 7xx said:

Hows this… Still needs some work.

https://youtu.be/F5bMc838NWw

HOW DID YOU DO THIS? hOW, HOW??

Great. Hope you get your hands on the 16mm print then. And post screenshots when possible.

I think it should. I don’t know but, aren’t they struck from the 35mm prints, or straight from the Inter Negative?