Evaluating SpeedGrade
From IRIDAS Online Documentation
Contents |
Overview
There are two SpeedGrade applications for grading and finishing: SpeedGrade XR and SpeedGrade DI. Both provide real-time grading with suitable hardware. Please refer to the SpeedGrade Product Comparison list to see which SpeedGrade product will best fit your needs.
You can also check the supported file formats for SpeedGrade DI.
To learn more about RealTime RAW 3.0, please read our notes on RAW file formats.
Hardware requirements
All SpeedGrade products require an nVidia QuadroFX 4800 graphics card, or higher. For best performance the QuadroFX 5800 SDI is recommended. Most RAW formats require the QuadroFX 5800 for real-time playback. Please use a certified driver to ensure best performance and reliability.
If you don't need real-time playback, a Geforce 7800, 8800 or 285 will work fine for getting to know the feature set and for testing workflows. ATI cards are not supported. Other than that you'll need:
- QuadCore CPU (Intel Core i7 is recommended, Dual Nehalem systems are recommended if RED is part of your workflow)
- 6 GB RAM
- Fast RAID subsystem or SAN (specs will vary according to your workflow needs, please check with our support team)
- Windows XP32 or XP64 or OS X 10.5 / 10.6 with latest Service Packs / Updates
- Dedicated ASIO 2.0 or Directsound sound card (if working with sound is part of your workflow)
IRIDAS-certified solutions are available from HP, DVE, BOXX and Rorke Data, please contact our sales team to learn more about preconfigured systems.
The recommended standard evaluation workstation is the HP Z800 with QuadroFX 5800 SDI, Dual Nehalem 3.0 processors and 6 GB RAM.
Installation
Please get the installers and an evaluation license from your local reseller.
Please read the installation notes before running the installer.
Getting Started
Please refer to the User Guide for an overview of the SpeedGrade interface and features. For SpeedGrade XR we recommend you start out with either BlackMagic or AJA quicktimes or the native RAW format(s) of your camera(s). For SpeedGrade DI it's easiest to get started with DPX frame sequences. Please note:
- SpeedGrade XR will display DPX and other frame sequence formats in black and white. For grading please use Quicktimes or AVI files or a supported RAW format.
- SpeedGrade DI will play all IRIDAS-supported formats - but not every file format is suitable for real-time grading. Uncompressed formats require specific RAID subsystems. Please contact our support team to discuss your workflow if you're not sure whether your system can deliver real-time playback at the desired resolution.
The most important Hotkeys
- D: shows / hides the Desktop
- TAB: shows / hides the main interface
- SHIFT + S: shows / hides the grading panel
- F: toggles the fullscreen mode
- 0 (on Numpad): hold down 0 to show the image without grading
- CTRL + Home: Zoom to fit
- CTRL + SHIFT + Home: Zoom to 100%
- Space: Play / Stop