Your ISO Settings Are Ruining Your Filmmaking

[@SteakFromJakeFarm777]

i've been a cinematographer for over a decade including working on 35mm film, and i don't think i have ever heard this explained so clearly before. i would just refer to charts and tables but never wrapped my head around the 'why' until your headphones example. super clear after all these years. nice work.

[@MiaogisTeas]

This is terrible. I'm embarrassed for you. I hope you don't admit this in public.. 😅

[@sunny666k]

@@MiaogisTeas you have not worked it for a long time it seems. i cannot tell you how many people i come across everyday who have been doing their jobs by referring charts and sheets without ever knowing how (technicality of it) stuff actually works! and for your info to blow you minds. I am talking about medial field here.

[@GoGoGoRunRunRun]

​​​@@sunny666kIndeed. Many people just know what to do in certain situations, not necessarily the why you'd want to do that and the theoretical aspects behind it. If you know that stuff, you're probably the nerd and diy guy/gal. 😅 ​@MiaogisTeas Think about video, foto and music and how current trends shape the way things look and sound. We usually have a ton of similar looking or sounding stuff coming out, similar aestethics, similar settings, similar vibe, right down to the actual composition, arrangements, riffs etc. so you can deliver by learning how other's do certain things. It's still a ton of work and sometimes it might even be better i.e. more productive to just do it simply like that. Of course some people are very knowledgeable and very creative and their techniques and way of doing things shape overall trends, but for the majority of productions, you just want to get it down, quick and preferrably cheap.

[@tenpointlanding]

I'd love to see a channel by you on what you've learned in your time. Keep it up!

[@chungleandthebims167]

​@@MiaogisTeasI hate to break this to you but, even professionals learn new things 😮

[@golosbezdoka]

Wait a minute. I work with audio and I thought that ISO in video is basically the same thing as microphone gain in audio world. Isn't it? :D

[@gabesafool]

It is

[@andyd3177]

Agreed, it is. With a standard broadcast camera, we call it gain.

[@jgo1961]

I was just about to say a better analogy to ISO would be the gain input. The microphone diaphragm has a range of response to low and high volumes of sound and the input adjustment sets the level is recorded at. Boosting the level too much will raise the noise floor.

[@Ascoundrel]

the analogy in the video works perfectly. the reason we call iso "gain" is because a sensor receives more electrical current (gain) causing more sensitivity. the byproduct of sending more electricity (gain) to the sensor is (electrical) noise. this mirrors the sensitivity of film (asa). in this analogy, the ISO is headphone gain, or headphone level. the headphone level vs mic gain explanation makes a lot of sense, especially in relation to headroom.

[@jgo1961]

@@Ascoundrel The reason the other analogy is better is because the voltage is applied directly to the input signal and affects the image directly in the recording. Affecting the headphone level has no direct affect on the signal at all. If you said that you changed the settings on the monitor and adjusted the iso to compensate for the image, than that analogy would make sense. This one does not.

[@seanhattingh4955]

I think a major misconception is that ISO is mostly described as increasing sensitivity to light when in actual fact it is amplifying whatever light is captured by the sensor and is essentially adding gain, and therefore noise.

[@zip5644]

yeah the increasing sensitivity is only applicable shooting film.

[@AA-ni3km]

​​@@zip5644es and there was still a trade-off with higher sensitivity film - the grain was larger (to have a chemical reaction with less light) and you lost contrast.

[@kaimultivideo4956]

I call it fake light.

[@BloodSoldierRB]

Does this mean, you essentially want a very well lit environment (for any kind of shooting, even dark scenes), and in post production you should downplay that ISO from the data for optimal clarity in each frame?

[@tvsonicserbia5140]

​@@BloodSoldierRBYes

[@nrgao]

As a 20 year audio engineer but brand new to this, your analogy was PERFECT for me! Thanks!

[@mrshadow2514]

INDEED....the more I watch BTS videos, all I see is that DPs simulating lights. There is only 1 desk lamp in the scene, when you watch the video, you think that is the light source but when you see the BTS shots, there is a huge 5' by 5' diffused light behind it. Your formula is spot on and correct. ADD MORE LIGHT while keeping the integrity of the scene

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

And stopping down to keep things from being overly bright.

[@kevinbillington9773]

Or add an ND filter to be able to keep a wider aperture.

[@into.the.wood.chipper.]

@@kevinbillington9773 That's a great idea!

[@MiaogisTeas]

Jesus, you're all a bunch of amateurs acting like you discovered fire 🤣

[@lifeoftheman]

Yes, the lights we see in the movies are what is called “practical lights” that is part of the set design and belongs in the world of the film. They can be used as the single source to light your subject but more often it’s used to motivate the light that comes from your bigger film lights that are off screen. Usually the practicals are too small to light the scene or to give a soft flattering light so people on bigger sets use big diffusion fabrics with a big light to make it look nicer. Practical lights are also great to use for creating depth and some dimension in a scene by adding them in the background to create pools of light :) Hope that makes sense.

[@ChuckSeayII]

Using audio to explain was actually brilliant! They call it gain staging in audio mixing but it makes sense and I love the fact that now I see ISO like the noise floor in audio but in video and I believe it to be an accurate representation! Very well put! Thank you for sharing this! I have been enlightened or should I say exposed correctly with the right information LOL!

[@WhizPill]

A fellow music maker.

[@roaant]

Also, on most ENG cameras ISO options are not available but Gain is for there for exposure.

[@ClaudioDesideriFilms]

Here's another musician/mix producer who liked a lot Jimmy's comparison 🙋🏻‍♂️ Also, I like to compare the frequency dynamic range of a microphone to the dynamic range of a sensor when I speak about camera capabilities to my musician friends ;)

[@elcasanelles5806]

I've seen many videos explaining this concepts and you surely did one of the best jobs at it that I remember.

[@jimmyonfilm]

Thanks, I appreciate it!!

[@pierrezapata90]

The explanation with the lightbulbs was the single most useful explanation I think I have ever seen concerning noise and ISO relationships. The figurative lightbulb just turned on in my head when you showed that! Subbed!

[@TooCosmic]

There's so many different ways to put it and i love that it can be shared across mediums.

[@jimmyonfilm]

Yeah, I agree. Film and digital are different but also related in a way and I think that understanding the similarities and differences gives a strong foundation to build upon

[@JasKenMoore]

​@@jimmyonfilmHow can I contact you?

[@NasserTone]

I can't believe it!!! 14 years working in this field, & I never came across this! It's the "Exposure Triangle" you hear about all the time! But now this makes it the "Exposure Line + an amplifying value!) Man!! Thanks a lot for the great explanation with the best example that made it so simple to understand!

[@GeekTherapyRadio]

I had about 15 years experience as an audio engineer before getting into videography. I always knew my audio experience would be a HUGE benefit for better understanding cameras and filmmaking. Exposure settings are very similar to audio gain structure...as you have brilliantly described. Color grading is like EQ'ing, etc...there are tremendous parallels between audio engineering and videography. That said, I don't quite think it's as easy the other way around, for a videographer to so quickly grasp audio engineering. In my experience, filmmakers tend to struggle with audio where audio engineers tend to have less of a learning curve getting into filmmaking. The best film in the world will be unwatchable with bad audio, whereas fantastic audio paired with subpar filmmaking can still be enjoyable. So, my biggest tip for any filmmaker is to pay attention to audio. In fact, to learn audio first, if possible. I made a video a while back about the phenomenon. "The best Camera is Your Microphone" kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWfGaaN-Z72mpLs

[@kidcoma1340]

Just hire a soundguy, no need to do everything yourself, especially if you want to call yourself a „filmmaker“ (aka youtuber lol)

[@Atimo133]

@@kidcoma1340 yeah sure, an up and coming videographer will have the clientel and budget to hire a professional- As a VFX artist, its embarrasing just how little videographers know about Audio and or ANYTHING VFX/CGI related, but the other way around it always works, somehow - I guess its the "jUsT hIrE sOmEbOdY" attitude, instead of understanding the craft at least to some degree, which is involved to create something good. That said, if you're an established Studio with multiple employees that has a good background, sure- hire somebody.

[@kidcoma1340]

@@Atimo133 It’s embarrassing how many people call themselves „filmmaker“ and think they have mastered the craft, while making mediocre youtube content that looks like trash. (I‘m not addressing or attacking OP specifically, it’s just my general experience). I mean yeah, if you’re satisfied with trash images, sure, then video is easier to get into lol

[@noth606]

@@kidcoma1340 Lol, yeah, but the same sort of thing is true in a lot of other fields too, from audio recording to writing computer code/programming. I think what someone once told me about 'artists' has a lot of bearing on all of these kinds of things, painting, sculpting or drawing does not make you an artist, you are an artist only when someone who doesn't know you, refers to you as such, based on what you've produced. Point being it isn't a determination you can make yourself, only someone on the outside can. It is kinda the same as being an auto mechanic or math teacher, where it can be determined purely by "do people pay you to do it?" in a sense. I have no issue calling myself a software developer, I'm paid based on a contract clearly stating that as my role and task for many years now, thousands upon thousands of people use things I have made, and have done so for years, many of them to earn a living. 'Filmmaker'? No, I've made short films, my stuff has been shown to a wider audience, but I don't make money on it. It's a hobby.

[@kidcoma1340]

​@@noth606 Yeah that's a healthy attitude for real growth. I earn a good living as a full time freelance videographer mainly for online content, I have DP'd dozens of music videos and two short films with decent lighting budget... (not the usual run&gun crap) and even I am hesistant to call myself a filmmaker.

[@ScottJeschke]

Very interesting. Greig Fraser explained something similar on the team deakins podcast. Suggesting lower ISO's for darker scenes, and higher in brighter scenes, then compressing in post. It's a similar technique that Ansel Adams would use. I was very confused when he explained it. This makes sense. thanks1

[@kennethwedmorelund]

Can I ask what you mean by "compressing it in post" ? :)

[@ScottJeschke]

@@kennethwedmorelund compression may be the wrong word. But essentially squeezing the full range of the highlights and shadows closer to the mid range. I'm not doing it justice but he talks about it near the end of the team deakins podcast interview for the batman. I believe around an hour 52

[@kennethwedmorelund]

@@ScottJeschke Thanks ! :)

[@jmbaillard7015]

They use film emulations to simulate the analog process with some « analog range limiter » option.

[@MariWakocha]

Wow. Ngl, when you started saying "ISO doesn't change exposure, only our perception of exposure" my eyes started rolling🙄, but then it turned into the best explanation of what ISO is ever! I've never known what it actually is until now🤯

[@MariWakocha]

OMG, this is why you can change the ISO afterwards when you shoot in RAW🤯🤯🤯

[@wotiluv]

@@MariWakochaholy cow 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@JimRobinson-colors]

Good subject and explanations - A lot of people have this concept all mixed up. I usually explain that exposure is controlled by everything in front of the sensor. - i.e. aputure, shutter, lens speed, and lighting etc. The only part left out of your really good video was ND filters or diffusion - When in bright sunshine sometimes to protect highlights - raising the ISO requires to reduce the overall exposure to make it possible - so you can raise the ISO from 400 to 800 and then add a one stop ND filter to return to the visual exposure and return the detail in highlights because the cameras middle grey is putting more stops above middle grey without clipping the highlights.

[@AnthonyHadleyJr]

Sheesh. That was a lesson within itself. Thanks!

[@dudeguy7812]

​@@AnthonyHadleyJryoure welcome baby

[@Jimzip]

Thanks for this addition, I am forever learning. :)

[@palpafilms]

😮

[@JakeHGuy]

Something people also forget is that things like NDs will compress highlights because of the nature of the glass, which gets you better highlight detail, in a backwards sense, better dynamic range.

[@sburgos9621]

As a musician I immediately drew the parallel between amplification and distortion with the concept of ISO. It made everything click immediately.

[@paranormalplantations]

The Headphone example was the best. I understand iso now. I was struggling dude. You rock !!!

[@leftclot]

Explaining ISO as an amplifier is such a clear way to break it down! Great stuff!!

[@nicholaslarsen8450]

coming from audio, when I had a photographer explain to me the function of ISO, I immediately related it back to gain, noise floor, headroom and digital clipping, ot makes perfect sense if you know how digital audio works. Great video.

[@tallskeleton]

this was a good video, I remember when filmmaker IQ made a video about BMPCC's duel native iso he blew my mind explaining the science of how if you want to retain highlight detail use a higher ISO, and if you want to preserve shadow detail, do a lower iso bc it shifts the dynamic range window to what is middle and what it can perceive in the highs and lows. total opposite of what we would normally think to do

[@gabesafool]

All of the adjusting can be done in post which really gives a lot of freedom

[@ThePartimeVideomaker]

With all those information you've given, you definitely deserve to be on KZbin's recommended list for all other amateurs out there still confusing or misunderstanding about this, brother.

[@_glych]

Great topic and very well put. I've spent years with ISO locked to 100 as much as possible based on the rule higher ISO = more noise. Actually makes more sense to have it on a more medium setting by default.

[@MiaogisTeas]

No, it doesn't. It makes sense to use the best ISO for the job AFTER all other factors have been controlled for.

[@_glych]

@@MiaogisTeas shush

[@Raecast]

Look up your camera sensors "native iso" as that's the optimal iso it's designed to capture the most dynamic range at. Then keep it stuck there, and expose to it. This is usually where ND filters come in etc.

[@innocuouscircumstances4210]

@@MiaogisTeas shush

[@NasserTone]

OMG!!! I have been a professional photographer since 2009 (14 years as a pro photographer/ cinematographer) & It's the first time ever I learn this. I mean I never came across this information during all those years! & BTW, those 14 years weren't just shooting, NO! They were full of learning from books (at the beginning), then from KZbin videos, and attending courses given by famous well know international photographers (In person/ & online). With all that learning, I never knew this! So Thanks Jimmy for sharing such amazing video & explaining the concept by giving us an example (It really made it way simple to understand)! All the best!🙏

[@basebintv]

Working as an engineer and now a Videoographer… the headphone to gain structure really flicked the light on for me about ISO that I never took into consideration! Thank you for this!

[@jimmyonfilm]

I had the same journey as well, happy it clicked for you too :)

[@totallyfrozen]

This channel is like free film school. Thanks a million, bro! I’m learning SO MUCH!

[@kennethwedmorelund]

What a great explanation ! I've been a full time photographer for 15 years and recently started digging into video and the noise-problem has been "new" to me as I find it MUCH easier to expose super low-noise photos than videos (with the same equipment, which in my case is Sony A1 and Sony A7 IV). As I've also been a sound engineer for equally as long, your sound-recording analogy was quite the "aha"-moment for me, as I got the point right away. It's a brilliant way of explaining it. As I only use the Sony GM lenses, I can bring it a lot of light (like using the 50mm f1.2 lens) so I've been quite puzzled as to why I was still getting so much noise. After watching your video (actually 3 times to fully get it) I realized, that my "problem" is that I've been running 50p, ie. shutter 1/100th and auto ISO and haven't been aware of this maybe getting me better highlights information but also more noise (which is where your low-volume-headphones + high-gain-input audio was just the explanation I needed) because as a photographer, I've always seen higher shutter speeds as the best (mainly doing natural light portraits and events) and often in well lit environments. The main surprise to me, is around 8:50 in your video because using a lower ISO at darker scenes and HIGHER ISO at brighter scenes just .... it's turned things so much on the head to me, that I had to watch your explanation several times before realising the point. I've always done the exact opposite (which, I guess, is the whole point of your video). Thank you SO much - it's an instant like and subscribe in my case 🤘 Unfortunately, you just cost me a lot of money, as I realize I need the FX3 and Cine EI hahah

[@sebastiankamph]

I still don't get it 😅

[@jimmyonfilm]

Hi, I greatly appreciate your comment, I worked with audio as a teenager and I'm glad the analogy helped you understand the concept :) No need to buy an FX3 tho hahaha. You have 2 ways to go about it. You can use your Sony A1 (which is a great camera) and just use a lower ISO setting: for example 400 instead of 800. If you do this you'll lose a small amount of dynamic range. (on sony a7s3 ISO 800=14.6 stops of dynamic range, ISO 400=14.0 stops, ISO 200: 13.2) CineEI allows you to avoid this loss of dynamic range by recording always at ISO 800 (so you have the full dynamic range) but it shows you a preview of the image on the monitor as if you were recording at a lower ISO (or higher if you go above 800). You will have to lower the brightness of image in post because the camera actually recorded at iso 800. You can achieve the same effect of CineEI by creating a LUT to load on the camera or on an external monitor that lowers the exposure of how many stops you want (1 stop for iso 400 and 2 stops for iso 200). So you are always recording at iso 800 but you're seeing the image on the monitor as if it was ISO 400 or 200. Then you'll bring the image down in post and it's the exact same as using CineEI. So no need to buy an FX3 hahah.😜 Hope this helps. Have a great day and thanks for your kind comment :)

[@kennethwedmorelund]

@@jimmyonfilm Thanks ! So two ways........... use my A1 ........ and the second way? :)

[@alexandrpak4051]

@@jimmyonfilmthanks a lot for the video! My brain is a bit shocked :) Do you recommend to shoot in Cine AI mode at daytime and night or it’s better to use custom ISO?

[@jimmyonfilm]

@@alexandrpak4051thanks man!!! Yeah! I always use cineEI, I normally use 500 EI for moody scenes and 800 or bit more outdoor/bright sunny day. But since CineEI is just a preview the file will actually be recorded at iso800 so in post you have to adjust accordingly

[@RDRvideoprod]

Really good overall explanation of not just how ISO works but determining what ISO to choose depending on the scene. I also tend to use higher ISOs on bright exteriors if most of my image lives in the highlights and midtones. The details in those areas have more "bandwidth" and not squashed. Subbed!

[@AR-vf7vg]

That comment really (!) deserves an in-depth (!) video ! Not that I'm skeptical, on the contrary. However comes up to my mind that 'enough' intensity of light should allow for a 'correct' exposure, meaning : exploiting at its best the dynamic range of the sensor...So under-expose would render the black dog in the shade indintishable from the shadow and the hole-entry of the dog's hutt. Now you say that then the newspaper's texture (not its text ;-) will be more nuanced, the file yeald more potential to "print" such as to make that highly reflective newspaper in the strong sunlight look "good", -better than (because exposed further left, protecting it from over-exposure) - better than trusting nowadays cameras able to encompass 10 or 15 stops ? Or perhaps because of indeed 10 to 15 available stops gives us latitude to not sacrifise nigther (nor shadow nor highlight details) wile still having to choose between to-the-left.- vs to-the-right -.exposure? I guess(!) that every camera will not even mesure anymore the way we mathematically would go about it, but extrapolate from 'experience" the camera got from fed in image-scenarios. Add to that "artificial intelligence" exposure.. Otherwise we should perhaps ask for a jet still further customisable auto-iso... ( ..=brainstorm! )

[@RDRvideoprod]

@@AR-vf7vg Hello! I forgot to mention that my comment is coming from a blackmagic design background. The 1000 ISO setting has around 7 stops of highlight information compared to the lowest ISO (ISO 100) with only 3.9 stops of highlight information.

[@AR-vf7vg]

Oh. I am in the stillpictures domain, in Raw. Didn't know that it was (already) commonplace to attribute f-stop latitudes to specific different segments of a full scale. (How many parts ? 3? 5?) Well now Your practis makes obvious sens, especially for preparing camera to unexpected oportunities. But I guess this does not apply for when filming in S-log (I'm never filming) - or perhaps applied intuitively. You just dial-in say -1.5 (at auto-iso) or set fixed asa always somewhat higher ? Anyway, thanks.

[@aarondavidlewis]

While this is a generally helpful video, it really applies mostly to RAW recording and linear gamma. If you are using an in camera codec, or using any in camera sharpening or noise reduction, or you are using a hyper gamma like SLOG or VLOG, then this no longer applies quite so clearly. The top 5 or so stops of most hyper gammas are more compressed than the bottom stops, so exposing too far to the right can thin out your images when you pull them back down. When I am not shooting RAW, I tend to use a more traditional film workflow (I’m also a film cinematographer as well as a videographer) 1/3rd to 1 stop overexposure, corrected in the camera monitoring LUT for client who are watching, etc. I try to not expose TOO far to the right and risk having details lost in the hyper gamma top range.

[@djentlover]

I have an 8-bit dslr that records mov video files. (I know, very limited) Do you advise to always expose "correctly" in camera, instead of "left or right"?

[@Makta972]

That's true. When I expose to the right I get that “thin" image problem. I have a really hard time on post prod trying to get something decent. I use a C70

[@nep5876]

@@Makta972I am using C70 recently what has been your go to iso setting for low light and bright day light ? As I have been using iso 800 for day light no matter how bright the sun is And maybe 400 iso in low , Or do you think we should stay at 800.

[@Makta972]

@@nep5876 Honestly I only use Raw ST now. I find that the 10bit is much harder for me to get a great image. In Raw St the base iso is 8000 this is what I use in good light. The “secret" is fon't overexpose your footage. Use your waveform and make sure your Mid tones are not too high. Raw ST noise pattern is much better and less blotchy than the xfavc 10bit imo. It's easier to deal with in post. The image is beautiful in Raw ST especially in 24fps

[@Raecast]

​@@djentloverthe best way to find out is to do your own tests. For instance the Sony f55 shoots slog, but there's more dynamic range in the highlights than the shadows with the gamut curve, therefore shooting 1 or 2 stops over exposed gets a greater image. As well as 110 Luma highlight retention so highlights are usually recoverable It's different fir every camera so you have to test yourself with yours to get what you want out of your sensor

[@scottpollock6549]

9:19 Lol the MC light dying in the background 😂 Great informational video, helped me so much!

[@WeirdManWhoLivesInAppala-fk1li]

You have given the absolute BEST ISO explantion as it pertains to digital cameras I have ever seen or read. The signal amp analogy is spot on. ISO with film speed and grain made sense years ago. I understood it completely. How digital cameras use ISO was always confusing to me and baffling in terms of setting for film and photos. ISO Grain is NOT the same as film grain either. ISO 400 Digital on full frame mirrorless is not ISO 400 film. Very good explanation! Hope your YT subs blow up

[@MichaelSchagen]

If camera manufacturers would incorporate gain instead of ISO in their digital cameras as they do in camcorders, a lot of this would be easier to understand for many people.

[@ethanmoralesmusic]

As an audio engineer, you're the first person to ever make this make sense

[@SeanFlora]

As an audio person, I think your analogy to mic and headphone levels was... brilliant!

[@VisualReasonProductions]

I watch this video over and over. Love this. This is is GOLD

[@bjorn8854]

wooow that clicked so hard. Now I understand why so many shots didn't work. I will smile from now on setting the iso thank you!

[@urbanpluvio]

Its amazing how you managed to explain the Iso through a mic and heaphone example, that was incredible!!

[@runningwolf877]

It’s really quite simple. Choose your wanted look. IE: your depth of field with your Fstop, you focal length, set to base ISO and then build your lighting plots around those settings. It’s all in the light intensity. You don’t want to stray from base ISO as you’ll loose dynamic range and color interpretation. Just raise your brightness to get proper exposure.

[@Brainbaskit]

This

[@maxgitaarman]

You could actually push this further. Let’s say you’re exposing a really dark shot. You could set your iso lower than base if this gives you more stops in low levels. Giving you the cleanest levels. But you’ll need to light way more.

[@zaptutos288]

@@maxgitaarmanwhat if you’re shooting in a low light environment like a night club for example( i use a 7r4)

[@maxgitaarman]

@@zaptutos288 when shooting in a low light environment without the possibility to light you will need to up your ISO. I think the A7r4 has a dual native iso right? I would go with the 2nd iso base setting!

[@lecolintube]

Absolutely

[@toddwiseman1421]

Great explanation. In my experience, adding more light is not always an option though, especially in doc/news shooting. Even filming indoors during the daytime in decent but low-ish light, I've resigned myself to filming on my FX3's high base ISO of 12,800 and using a variable ND to dial it back down (if needed) to being slightly over-exposed. Using the 800 ISO base is not enough with my f4 lens and a shutter speed locked at 1/48, and unless I can open windows, turn on lights, etc. I'll be left with underexposed footage that gets noisy when I brighten it in post. The 12,800 is noisy too, but less so, and usually since it's hopefully over-exposed, it gets less noisy when I reduce the exposure in post. Anyway, nice explainer, thanks for posting it!

[@dameanvil]

06:00 📷 ISO doesn't directly affect exposure; it influences how we expose the image by amplifying the sensor's signal. 01:45 🎤 Analogous to audio recording, adjusting ISO is akin to altering headphone volume, not microphone input. 02:55 🌌 Changing ISO alters image brightness by amplifying the sensor's signal, not by adjusting the actual light reaching the sensor. 03:55 🖼 Different ISO settings (400, 800, 1600) can look identical when adjusted to match ISO 800 brightness post-capture. 04:40 🌟 Exposing to the right involves giving the sensor ample light, not just boosting ISO, to enhance image quality. 05:55 📚 Historical film practices also involved "exposing to the right" to achieve cleaner images during processing. 06:50 🎭 Balancing ISO settings involves trade-offs: lower ISO for cleaner shadows but faster highlight clipping; higher ISO for more highlight detail but potential noise in shadows. 08:00 🌞 Choosing ISO depends on scene dynamics: lower for low-light moody scenes, higher for bright scenes with critical highlight details. 09:20 🎥 Personal preference: Using ISO 400 for low light and ISO 800 for daylight scenes to balance noise and detail. 09:55 📉 Higher ISO settings introduce photon shot noise, noticeable in lower mid-range tones, impacting image quality.

[@donhendricks3190]

Your tutorials are spot on. Technically masterful and so well presented. I thoroughly enjoy watching your channel! With love from Atlanta.

[@eware3000]

The audio analogy is pure gold!

[@AhmEd-we8jz]

Really really thanks it was the video i needed for the rest of my life on ISO,i hate that i spent that much time searching and trying to master ISO while i couldn’t this video was only thing i needed

[@ShockryzeFilm]

What a beautiful explanation! I figured this out very recently and I wished I had seen your video sooner. You give a very informative explanation of how and why ISO functions the way it does as well as how to adjust your set and camera for both low and high light exposures. Good stuff

[@MrConna6]

Wow, mind blown, this is going to change my photography so much!

[@lanolinlight]

On the flipside: I notice that shooting wide open at a high ISO in bright daylight, with ND's keeping the exposure under control... makes the highlights roll off so gently and produces noise that reads (to my 20th century eye) as film grain. It's a painterly, analog look that I don't dare touch in post.

[@Dan_Yerlll]

Yes. There’s a reason ARRI produces a sliding scale dynamic range chart for the Alexa as reference. Shooting 1280 is the sweet spot for highlight dynamic range.

[@banjo5835]

This was probably one of the if not the most informative camera technique video I've ever seen

[@DarkSwordsman]

I appreciate your technical view of ISO here with examples. Really illustrates the problems and solutions.

[@jimmyonfilm]

Thanks man! Happy it was useful :)

[@wilkesreid]

As an audio engineer, that comparison made it really easy to understand. Thanks!

[@SeanofAllTrades]

This is eyeopening, and after it's explained it seems so obvious. Thanks for using the audio analogy, as I have an audio background and it made it click easily.

[@leonardodelpuertoburk2439]

I think this is easier to understand if you've worked with film. Having more light information is always better since you can always change how much you expose the photographic paper.

[@Darkhorsefilm]

Your videos is itself film school... Thank you. Keep it up bro 😎.... Love from INDIA ✨❤

[@AdNessTv]

Man you just drop a bomb on my head!! Well done I just shared this with my French community (I hope you don’t mind) how come no one ever explain this before with so simple a basic approach!? Well done and thank you 🙏🏻 😊

[@eloisauvaire]

Hello, tu as compris pourquoi il faut augmenter les iso en plein jour ? Je comprend pas pourquoi ça revient pas au même pour les lumières hautes de shooter à 400 ou 800 en extérieur si après on corrige l'exposition, si les iso corrigent juste l'image et pas son exposition.

[@juan.g.escudero]

I’ve been pleased with the comparison with audio recording. As a musician myself I’ve thought a lot of that but I wasn’t really sure whether it’s actually accurate. In any case, thanks for such a cristal-clear explanation.

[@justinw.7641]

The recap and practical examples toward the end were perfect. It simplifies the technicals down to. What do we want the result to be? Emphasize highlights or what's in the shadows

[@773Currency]

You should of seen the lightbulb in my mind when it all clicked 🤯 Appreciate you bro !

[@eriztonoqarzwoss]

Should have seen.

[@willowproduction]

Man! This is the clearest explanation I've ever seen about this topic. It is crazy how simple it is, but how confusional and distorted it is presented 99% of the time.

[@jimmyonfilm]

Thanks I truly appreciate it! Random question: are you from Milan? If so…bella! Pure io! Sono amico di Riccardo D’Amico, penso lo conosciate :)

[@willowproduction]

@@jimmyonfilm no vabbè Ahahahahahahaha

[@lusavi32]

Literally the best explanation I've ever head of the subject. And I have to say I watched a lot of videos regarding this, while trying to understand how to expose with a RED Komodo for the first time. Congrats! Wil be sharing your video a lot!

[@FelixSanchez-un6tc]

Your analogy using music was very helpful. Made a lot of sense to me when you explained it that way. So instead of an exposure triangle, it's more like 2 parts exposure/ 1 part amplifier.

[@SoJesusChristMusic]

Finally someone that knows how to explain facts about ISO Shutter and Aperture

[@shashwath9032]

Beautiful explanation especially that audio example. Learned the functioning of ISO in non-typical way.

[@v-room6381]

davinci resolve has a "highlight recovery" option, after watching this video i think it is also tied to the low iso highlight clipping, but it probably only works with braw or other raw type files, the first time i tried it it was like magic, but now i understand it more thanks to this video.

[@toddpeterson5904]

Excellent explanation of ISO and why ETTR is so popular. I might do a response video to build on what you have here, including highlight clipping/protection, lenses, and other considerations.

[@jeramybailey2381]

I've never heard ISO explained this way or explained better. Thank you.

[@mathiaslien1066]

I've been saying this for so long. I try to shoot at 200/400 ISO as much as I can, but I always temporarily bump the ISO up to the native 800 to check that I'm not clipping or loosing any highlights, and then turn it back down until the image has the desired look. Keeps the image as clean as possible.

[@black_moon_studioz]

So according to this if you want clean shadows you need to put more light on the set ( without increasing iso using only native iso), but what if we are on a natural scene where we don't have enough light, we can't change shutter speed & APERTURE and we are doing a moving shot in that case what is our best option ????

[@nicholasjames5471]

@@black_moon_studioz like trying to film someone in the woods at night without any lighting? Good luck! Most film scenes, even moving scenes, are professionally lit with huge motivated lights to add to either street lights, campfire, or moonlight. They use reflectors, flags, and scrims too. It’s not easy at all to get good run and gun in low light without any help at all. It’s almost always going to be either really dark or a little noisy.

[@eriztonoqarzwoss]

Losing

[@compaticher7932]

thanks, as a musician, that comparison with the recording was on point and easy to transfer to ISO idea

[@QuicksilverSG]

While ISO doesn't affect sensor exposure, it does affect the effective codec resolution, especially in the shadows. The 10-bit pixel depth of modern sensors is fully effective only in the highlight region. In the shadows, there will typically be only about 4-bit pixel depth, which severely limits dark color discrimination. Boosting the ISO will lift the shadows into a midrange region where the encoder has more bit-depth to work with, improving color resolution (assuming the highlights don't get clipped in the process). This applies to H.264 and H.265 encoders, not to RAW encoders, for which ISO does not apply since they record digital sensor output data directly.

[@definingslawek4731]

What a great point, I never considered that!

[@VeganLinked]

I was wondering about I think the same thing in respect to what picture profile he might be using because I'm using an 8-bit a6600 and I'm afraid if I bump up the iso so I can bring it down and post it's going to ruin the image because it's my understanding the cameras codec is burning the image in camera, am I kind of understanding this right at least?

[@romanpokora868]

@@VeganLinked use PP7 and bump your ISO up until clipping, then bring your exposure down in post. Internal noise reduction in 6600 and better color resolution will help you. Also you should try to blur your color chanels a bit to clean compression artifacts

[@Ackermanmedia]

GREAT example of what ISO is by comparison. Good thinking man!!

[@enricomarconi8358]

All very very clear, bravo! One thing though, there's a third element (in some cases) that's light that can be increased or decreased. So the parameters are 3 actually. ISO is just a 'speedometer' and increases the sensitivity to light by the sensor.

[@BLiu1]

8:49 While setting S-Log under its native ISO might be your preference for low light to adjust your other settings and expose correctly, I prefer to keep it at 800 or above to preserve the dynamic range, overexposing it by at least one stop and bring it back down in post. Often night scenes have very high contrast when you have sources of light in the frame and I prefer to preserve those specular highlights as much as I can.

[@andresvillarreal]

I was thinking exactly this, that leaving your native iso reduces dynamic range! But one could still apply the technique by switching from your high and low native then or not? Or maybe this is also different in raw vs internal codec

[@L-A-M-E-nergy]

Let’s make this 10 min video a lot more simple! If you increase your light in a frame (even if it’s a dark scene) and then lower your ISO you’ll get less noise. Rule of thumb set your ISO to around 125 and then make that your locked in baseline to set all other settings. (Especially for film capture but will be similar for digital) Also you can always just in-camera test the amount of noise making it into the image and then use sliding scale and error to lock in exact settings. The pursuit shouldn’t be to focus too much on the image and instead focus on the style and story inside your frame. Audiences will always forgive low-quality of image if the story is better!

[@MichaelPlochmann]

I was taught to first pick f/stop based on the aesthetic, dof. Then pick ISO (film stock) on how much dynamic range and what you want your shadows to look like with consideration of budget towards light. Then light to that f/stop and ISO.

[@TheUlitamateStunt]

Especially considering in-camera encoding and compression, as well as optical and sensor effects from varying light levels, the more I learn about ISO the more complex it appears to be.

[@nicholasboule5134]

You have just explained why Cine EI from Sony is so great. It works like film where you can under or over expose but always stays at 800 or 12800

[@OEDS6]

Thanks a lot for clearing that up ! Just realized I've been misusing ISO for years !

[@douglasmilburn3875]

This was absolutely WAY above my level, but I’m still walking away with helpful information. Great video and discussion!

[@ARickyRodriguez]

OMG! This is so clearly explained! WOW, I never understood it until this video. Well explained, my friend!!!

[@travellingironhat]

WOW - that change my view on my grainy shots in Low Light. thx for this perfect explanation.

[@jordanjcreates]

This was a really good watch. The music analogy helped me understand ISO in such an easy way! Great video man, keep them coming!

[@Costa_The_Creator]

incredible video. I really appreciate your explanation of ISO. It clearly goes far beyond just generally brightening your image.

[@felipereis3123]

This vídeo is PERFECT, many people do not understand these concepts

[@jmbaillard7015]

Also important contrast ratio is a key ingredient to use when you want to shoot a low light scene.

[@loliver9660]

I entered a film contest several months ago and our story took place at night. I had a HUGE arguement with my gaffer because I could not see any separation between our actress and the background. My camera person could nothing else or risk getting too much noise. My gaffer argued that he couldn't add any more light to the scene because it "didn't have a motivation." In my head, the motivation was being able to see our actors. We didn't have to put lights in random places, but I knew there was nothing my camera person could accomplish without more light. In the end, that is what tanked our score. Never underestimate the power of light in film. A dark scene with a few practicals showing is not as dark as it appears. There is another source coming from somewhere else so that you can see, but it's placed carefully so that you cannot tell the difference.

[@misterfilmguy]

It seems like a lack of experience, knowledge and willingness to compromise tanked the scene.

[@loliver9660]

@misterfilmguy For me or the gaffer? Because my camera person and I definitely have experience. Our gaffer is good, but he's kind of self-taught. I think he heard the phrase "lighting has to have a motivation" from someone, and that stuck in his head. Part of our problem was that we were also filming in a place that had a curfew and we were running overtime. I think he was nervous, and that was why he wasn't willing to compromise. I should have spoken up more also.

[@declanfraney6372]

Your points aren’t mutually exclusive. He’s right, the light should be motivated, but you’re right in the case that the intensity across the board should be brought up. Make sure the background can be seen with a general fill, then up the motivated lights on the subjects to create depth if need be, then you can close everything down

[@loliver9660]

@declanfraney6372 Yes, we needed to add more fill to the background. We were using a car, so we could have placed some small lights behind the wheels on the backside. We were filming across the street from a very well lit parking lot, which is actually where one of our earlier scenes took place. Our second location was supposed to be a more dimly lit side street, but it was only separated from the parking lot by a few trees. We could have added more lights without causing too much confusion. The Gaffer's idea was to use a China ball as our key light to mimic moonlight, then use a quasar tube light as our fill from the side, but he didn't light the background which was a solid black treeline in the dark. Our lead actress was also African American and had on a black jacket, so we needed more backlight to separate her from the background. I'm not sure if the gaffer didn't bring enough lights or didn't think he had the time to set them up. As far as I know, our lights were set to full intensity.

[@raul_jocson_]

Let me try to sum this up: It's generally better to expose so that the dark end of the "negative" gets more light than what you'll eventually end up printing. This is because you want details in the shadows so that they don't end up looking like a bunch of random, noisy blobs. Put even more simply, get more information into the negative to avoid noise.

[@harpenfluit]

I believe he's stating that the ISO setting doesn't impact the final outcome. When shooting in RAW, the data remains the same. Setting a lower ISO simply aids in overexposing the image, thereby enhancing shadow detail and reducing noise, albeit at the cost of losing some highlight detail. However, this is merely a trick, and it's beneficial only if you have a target. For instance, if you're using an 18% grey card and always targeting the same value in the scopes or histogram. Alternatively, you can stick with your regular ISO setting and intentionally overexpose your shots.

[@daryush55]

Which is interesting, as for photography it’s the opposite - the general idea is to expose for the highlights, and lift the shadows in editing if needed, to avoid the highlights whiting out and losing all detail.

[@raul_jocson_]

@@daryush55 I'm not a pro-DP, but I think you're still paying attention to highlights (nothing blown out) but you're also making sure the "neutral gray" range in the exposure is lighter than the final print. Then you basically bring everything down to where you want it in the print. I've been told that chemical film also handles highlights a lot better than digital, i.e. you get a good amount of information packed into the high range, better than the darks. I've never actually tested this out with still photography though.

[@harpenfluit]

@@daryush55 Yes, it's the same. You're discussing the 'expose for the right' (EFTR) principle. The concept entails adjusting your highlights so they're close to clipping, then reducing everything else in post-production. One of its advantages is that it suppresses noise and provides ample data for manipulation. However, most directors of photography (DPs) I know don't adopt this method; instead, they expose for the specific look they aim to achieve. A major drawback of EFTR is that it requires grading each clip and can lead to the introduction of color artifacts that demand significant time to eliminate. Utilizing EFTR becomes particularly challenging when working with LOG, given its non-linear behavior.

[@harpenfluit]

@@raul_jocson_ Yes, you are right. It's important to preserve highlights since they can be displeasing if improperly managed. Usually, one is familiar with the dynamic range of their camera. You would set the exposure to achieve a specific look, providing that it falls within this dynamic range, thus avoiding the need for individual clip corrections. If your content exceeds the camera's dynamic range, you may be tempted to underexpose or overexpose a scene. However, this comes with the drawbacks previously mentioned. A more effective approach is to manipulate the scene's lighting-either by decreasing or increasing light-to adjust the exposure range to align with the dynamic range of the camera.

[@pabloaguila__]

as a mix engineer that makes content i deeply apreciate the analogy made things clear

[@jonathanmoellman]

Wow, thanks for this! Really insightful. Rock on mate!

[@hokyung888]

With my blackmagic 6K, it has dual default ISOs for maximising the dynamic range, therefore my go to ISOs are either 400 or 3200. If I need to go one stop up or down I don't mind changing the ISO but if need to change any more than a stop, NDs are used to change the exposure as a way of retaining the maximum dynamic range as possible. And as he mentioned, 12800 ISO on Sony FX and 3200 ISO on Blackmagic doesnt really introduce that much noise to the footage when the scene is metred and exposed correctly.

[@nicholasboule5134]

As I would normally agree but it is wrong to think of 1000 iso having less dynamic range than 400 iso in the BMD cameras. It is just moving the stops above or below middle gray. 400 is just the point that has the most equal distribution of dynamic range but if you need more stops above middle gray 800 or 1000 will help. You just have to light accordingly (not just turn it up cuz the image is too dark) and same with anything under 400, you are getting my shadow stops of dynamic range. But all in all just light your scenes with real lights and everything will be fine.

[@obangamuzik]

After 2 yrs of experience 1000 to 1200 gives the best dynamic range. 1000 even in the day time, using an ND of course. And 1200 at night. Makes a major difference. I never go 400 because i cannot recover the highlights

[@FlashUltra_]

This was THE best video I’ve ever watched in the subject. Finally makes freaking sense! Thanks you! Subscribed!!

[@ExistencePod]

Your SERE shirt has not gone unnoticed 👌🏻

[@MichaelKefeder]

At 5:07 you start to basically explain Cine-EI mode on Sony cameras, in a nice way, I'll use your video when somebody gets it wrong again ;) May I suggest to shoot EI 6400 when on high base ISO with your FX3, that will get rid of your shadow noise. Shot noise always happens btw, no matter which ISO setting, if you film a perfectly black surface there's it not a lot of light, hence only random photons hitting the sensor.

[@edouhoekie]

Quite literally the first time I understand Cine-EI lmao

[@liammacaogain3791]

Wow really great video. I’m just past my first year studying film in college and was a bit unsure about ISO and how to use it effectively but this video was great for understanding it! Thank you🤝

[@sivovdop8208]

I genuinely thought that this is going to be another stupid video about obvious things... and it actually WAS but my dumb ass never had a clue about how to bring that to work. great job man

[@SanneBerkhuizen]

För this video you gained a sub. You opend my eye. The sound comparison is brilliant.

[@ianleitepimentel]

Great explanation, explained the CINE EI theory better than everyone else in YT IMO!

[@JakeHGuy]

Bit depth, especially with color, is a huge factor with noise as well as what profile you shoot in, if it's set the right way, you just get black, not noise. This is why camera science and camera selection are so important. You don't want a camera that tries to read every shadow, you want a camera that reads shadows it can't get information from as black.

[@definingslawek4731]

In theory you could just desaturate the lowest 3% of the image completely? then the darkest darks are completely without colour

[@JakeHGuy]

@@definingslawek4731 Oh that's interesting, I haven't thought of trying that.

[@djsfilm]

bro this is so good man. you break it down very well, I appreciate your videos!

[@cinex5114]

Daylight, cloudy sky, bump up the iso and use a strong iso...thank me later...received a lot of shitstorm 10 years ago in one of the biggest cinematography forums. Good content man

[@sembalo1776]

this so interesting i did know iso works by boosting the already captured image. the comparison to audio and film helps make it easier to understand this is great thank you!

[@jonjoygaba]

this is a great explanation--thanks so much! i don't fully have my brain wrapped around it, but maybe a little practice on incorporating this into my exposing technique will help it make sense.

[@carpathianfilms-lr7sm]

This was an extremely clear and very well informed video! Thanks a lot, it helped me and I am sure it will help many filmmakers expose more properly!

[@surfgreentele]

I Love how you explain the entire video in a location that looks like it came out from a scene from the movie "The Breakfast Club"

[@Killomainia]

I never thought about going higher in iso during daylight to reign in the highlights. Learned something new

[@shadeburst]

I have been following the rules without understanding them. There is so much information in this video in a short space that I will have to watch it a few times, and spend a lot of time experimenting. BTW in an audio studio the musos mainly make noises and the producer has to turn them into music!