Nikon N-Raw Video Processing
Nikon Z8 and Z9 offer internal video RAW capture and in this post, we put a short guide on processing Nikon N-RAW files in Davinci Resolve.
WHY CHOOSE N-RAW OVER APPLE PRORES OR H265?
Nikon Z8 and Z9 offer different codecs to choose from besides Nikon N-RAW. It can record in h265, Apple ProRes, and ProRes RAW, each with its pros and cons.
H265 offers the smallest file size and can record up to 7680×4320 resolution in 30p. The downside is that it doesn’t resolve fine details because of compression, and sometimes artifacts can be visible. See an example below:
ProRes HQ is a great choice for a codec because of its wide support, and it allows smooth playback without compression issues. It is limited to 3840x2160 resolution in 60p, and you cannot use any 8k modes. The filesizes are bigger than N-RAW in the Normal setting.
ProRes RAW can shoot up to 4128×2322 in 60p, and it’s a viable alternative to Nikon N-RAW, although with a much larger size. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work natively in Davinci Resolve, so we’re not using it.
The Nikon N-RAW can record in any resolution up to 8256×4644 in 60p offering a good balance between the quality and the filesize.
N-RAW IN CAMERA SETTINGS
You will need a CF Express Type B card to have the ability to record N-RAW. The cards are expensive, but you can save by choosing Lexar or Sabrent brands we use regularly. N-RAW uses a lot of data, so keep that in mind when choosing a card size. For example, a minute video in 8k 24p N-RAW Normal is around 10 gigabytes.
Nikon Z8 and Z9 have two options for RAW recording - Normal and High. Both modes record 12-bit RAW but at different data rates, making the later files twice bigger. In most cases, you won’t see a difference between the two modes, but it’s better to go with the High option if you intend to grade your video in HDR.
POST-PRODUCTION
After filming, you will find NEV files on your card and mp4 files with the same name. The mp4 files are compressed proxies that you can preview in File Explorer but don’t use it for color grading or the final outputs.
There are multiple ways to process the RAW files in Davinci Resolve.
CAMERA RAW SETTINGS
First, let’s set the RAW debayer setting in the Camera RAW tab. You can set it to full-quality decode if you have a powerful computer or to half or quarter resolution if you’re not getting real-time playback. If you choose this option check ‘force debaryer to the highest quality’ before exporting.
Here, you also have the option to keep the settings as Camera Metadata, meaning your white balance, exposure, and other settings will be the same as when you film them or you can change the defaults by using custom settings, which will affect all RAW clips in your project.
Note that while N-RAW offers great flexibility it’s still best to choose the correct white balance and exposure during the filming.
HDR COLOR MANAGED WORKFLOW
For working in HDR you need to choose your input to Nikon N-Log and timeline and output color Space to Rec 2020 ST 2084 1000 nits (or the value your reference display supports). Davinci Resolve will apply the necessary transforms to all your clips in the background and then you can start grading them in the color tab.
REC 709 SDR WORKFLOW
For SDR workflow you can set it for automatic conversion and Davinci Resolve will map the clips to Rec 709 color space. The limitation is that the conversion is very basic, and it doesn’t fix the blue channel clipping issue presented when working in N-RAW as seen here.
Cinema Tools N-Log luts are made to fix the issue and have improved color response, so we can apply it in the input LUT tab here and that will add the LUT to all clips.
The downside of applying a color transform or a LUT to the entire project is that all corrections in the color page come after the transform, and if you have blown out highlights or white balance shifts, you cannot fix them before the transform.
You can change the settings inside the RAW tab for problematic clips but it’s more time-consuming. If you want maximum control over the image, you can change all clips' input color space to N-log in the camera RAW tab and apply LUTs to clips individually on the color page.