Hedge Releases EditReady 22.2 – Color Awareness and Support for Sony Uncompressed RAW and X-OCN

Software Update

by Francesco AndreolaMay 19^th, 2022

Hedge has recently introduced an update for their transcoding software with a focus on simplifying color management workflows. EditReady 22.2 now comes with a new color conversion panel, improved precision, and added support for Sony Uncompressed RAW and X-OCN formats.

The world of high-resolution RAW and HDR video is making us experience true-to-life images like never before. However, today’s jungle of different color gamuts and gamma curves can cause quite a few headaches to post-production professionals. This is especially true when working with mixed footage from multiple camera brands.

Here’s where Hedge’s mission of automating and simplifying modern post-production workflows comes in. The company offers a series of tools to make life in post easier. These also include EditReady, a transcoding tool that is now receiving an update fully focused on preserving the look of your original footage, while providing more editable files. Let’s take a closer look.

EditReady 22.2: new Color Conversion Panel

The latest version of EditReady introduces a new Color Conversion Panel that aims at improving efficiency and automating color management workflows, while still providing manual control and full flexibility if needed.

With this new panel, the software takes the original, bulky RAW footage and automatically converts it into a more manageable format (such as ProRes or DNx). Hence, users don’t need to worry about diving into the technicalities of colorspaces, gamuts, and gamma curves.

All you have to do is choose between an SDR (Rec.709) or an HDR workflow (PQ or HLG). Then, the software takes care of the rest by properly handling the colorspace conversion. Moreover, you can also set a specific camera manufacturer’s color model as your target colorspace, so there’s no compromise on dynamic range.

The software then automatically applies the correct output LUT after the colorspace conversion is complete. By following this process, the look of on-set and creative LUTs is preserved throughout the whole pipeline.

EditReady 22.2: improved accuracy

Along with a new color conversion pipeline, this new version of EditReady also brings greater processing accuracy. Indeed, all colorspace conversions and calculations are performed using a high-precision floating-point mode and by complying with the camera manufacturers’ color models. Moreover, this new release has been programmed to exploit the capabilities offered by Apple’s Metal architecture in Mac environments.

Added support for Sony Uncompressed RAW and X-OCN formats

A few months ago, Hedge announced that Sony and Canon RAW formats would soon join ARRIRAW, BRAW, ProRes RAW, and RED .R3D among the list of supported file formats. With EditReady 22.2, the wait for Sony users is over.

Indeed, added support for Sony Uncompressed RAW and their X-OCN codec (Extended tonal range Original Camera Negative) now allows users to convert these large, resource-demanding files into more edit-friendly copies. This precise conversion relies on Sony’s own gamuts and gamma curves (S-Gamut, S.Gamut.Cine, and S-Log3). This new function can greatly simplify post-production workflows for Sony VENICE users.

Price and availability

You can purchase a single EditReady license for $79 by connecting to Hedge’s website here. The license works on up to two machines at the same time. If you’re also looking for a safe way to backup your footage, you can also commit to the Hedge & EditReady bundle for $189.

For more information about EditReady 22.2, please visit Hedge’s blog here.

Do you normally use Hedge’s tools in your post-production workflow? What do you think of this EditReady 22.2 update? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!