This article originally appeared in DP 04 : 2020.

We first reported on the Lesspain programme in 2016, when it was still very young. Back then, we particularly missed the support for RAW files and the transfer of metadata to DaVinci Resolve. Both have changed, but a lot has also been added. Currently, we are particularly interested in the support of Blackmagic Design products, but of course Kyno also works with other professional editing programmes.

Support for raw data from RED cameras has been available for some time now. Version 1.8 (which we were still testing as a beta) now also includes BRAW from Blackmagic Design cameras. Unfortunately, only DNG sequences from the earlier Blackmagic models are not recognised as films. Professional video production often requires support for older codecs that are based on the 32-bit Quicktime framework. However, these are no longer supported by Apple as of Catalina (Mac OS 10.15). Kyno fills the gap here with a Final Cut Legacy MediaFilter and supports conversion to current formats (not only for Final Cut Pro, of course) and, since version 1.7, hardware acceleration when playing back H.265 on suitable computers.

One function in the output since version 1.7 is likely to be of great interest to Resolve users: ProRes on Windows. This is not based on software from the grey area, but is certified by Apple so that no customer can complain. Although it has been available for others for some time, Resolve on Windows still does not offer an output of this important professional codec.

The codec is already available in the cheaper standard version. For professionals, the premium version now also supports the MXF container for all suitable codecs in addition to MOV, and not only for re-encoding, but also as a very fast re-wrap. The optional filters have been extended for Premium, including the ability to set the temporal noise filter separately for Luma and Chroma.

Not only the long lists of DNxHD and DNxHR codecs are offered (Premium), but also XDCAM and Cineform (already in Standard). The latter is almost an insider tip, as this little-noticed codec is ideal as an intermediate format for editing H.264/265 on somewhat weaker hardware due to its good quality and low computer load. In reduced resolution, it is also well suited as a compact proxy codec. In 720p at 422 and 10 bit, it only requires around one thirtieth of the space compared to a file in BRAW from the Blackmagic Pocket 6K at 3:1 and is therefore of the same order of magnitude as ProRes LT. ProRes runs slightly better under Mac OS, but under Windows Cineform has the edge. Visually, it is often a little nicer because, as a wavelet codec, it does not tend to form blocks with too much detail like the DCT codecs.

Of course, distribution formats are also offered, in addition to H.264 and H.265 (aka HEVC) even WMV HQ or Flash Video. Kyno is very efficient when encoding HEVC, all of our computer’s cores were running at full speed, and despite double the bit rate compared to the standard output in Resolve, Kyno was even around 5% faster. The speed is not even that important: unlike in Resolve, the entire batch processing in Kyno runs in the background while you can continue viewing quite smoothly. Even VP9 for WebM, which is very CPU-intensive in terms of compression, is supported, albeit very slowly depending on the hardware. Resolve can’t get to grips with this without the help of native hardware.

Kyno can also handle pure audio data, but still without waveform display. It converts MP2 and MP3 to PCM (also vice versa, but this is not very useful for further processing) or packs audio files without video into MOV. When playing back or transcoding video, you can also use a LUT so that a viewing copy is created directly from a log recording. The “Export marker as image file” function can quickly do something that is much more complicated in Resolve, namely output still images of marked positions as JPEG or PNG.

Media and data backup

Support for the workflow is just as important as a comprehensive range of codecs. This starts with localising the files. Kyno helps here with its drill-down concept, which searches folders or storage media at any depth with a single click and brings to light everything that contains video, audio or photos. This means that no ingest is necessary as with typical media management, but Kyno does not remember everything it has ever seen. In the workspace, on the other hand, Kyno can memorise media or folders and automatically reactivate their display when they are reconnected. It would also be desirable to be able to permanently mark a folder for drill-down

If media from a camera has been freshly connected, data backup is of course the first step. Kyno is professionally equipped here, as it can create copies with checksums (in Premium on up to four media simultaneously). The incremental backup saves time, while a check for damaged files and their automatic replacement takes a long time, but can save a project in an emergency. Backing up to additional tape storage with Archiware P5 can be done directly from the programme, so that all film backup requirements are met.

Sampling

Only when the data has been saved should it be viewed and evaluated, even if Kyno does not write anything to the original files. It saves its metadata in an invisible .LP_Store folder in XML format so that it can also be read in plain text. This folder is always located in the same directory as the video and audio material.

These small files can be exchanged or updated very quickly for a remote workflow in a cloud service, while the corresponding film files only need to be uploaded once.

This is an essential feature in times like these when you don’t have a very fast upload connection. In this way, sharing samples or transferring metadata requires little effort. Lesspain has even entered into a partnership with Dropbox. Markers and subclips can be transferred. They end up in DaVinci Resolve, including the description.

Viewing is supported by a versatile player in which the material can also be assigned a LUT. LUTs that you have saved as a CUBE file with the same name as the film file are automatically used by the player. Of course, playback can be controlled via JKL or a slider, and slow motion or fast motion from one tenth to four times the speed is also possible here. Rotation or mirroring of the image is also available. Subclips can be set and labelled, as can markers (with a defined duration if required). Playback with reduced resolution makes it possible to play back high-resolution ProRes, BRAW or R3D on slow hardware.
The evaluation and labelling in several fields for metadata must be used in a differentiated manner: while everything is transferred when sending to Premiere or Final Cut Pro thanks to XMP or XML, this is not the case with Resolve. Tags become keywords, but Resolve does not understand stars. The description, scene and setting arrive, but the recording (take) does not, nor does any data about the camera or the angle of view. The very important “Tape” field, on the other hand, is transferred as “Reel”. In this way, Kyno enables round-tripping with material from amateur cameras or mobile phones, where this data is often missing, by generating a timecode during transcoding if necessary. Markers and subclips are transferred correctly, including title and description. The integrated function for differentiated renaming of files and moving them to another folder should also be mentioned.

Transcoding

In addition to pure repackaging, transcoding is one of the programme’s strengths, as it does far more than just convert highly compressed material into intermediate codecs suitable for editing or create proxies for teamwork and offline editing. Kyno can add any missing timecode from the time of creation and include this and other information in the image. The frame rate can be changed or even converted, but only with the simple crossfade or nearest, called “omit/duplicate” here. Metadata for entire folder structures can be transferred via copy and paste and can even be reconstructed if the reference is lost. A drop folder whose contents are automatically converted would also be desirable here.

All these operations are also possible for subclips, so that a selection can be made immediately if the filming ratio is high. Unlike Resolve’s media management, the metadata is retained, as is the folder structure when transcoding. In addition, existing clips are skipped – ideal for daily viewing copies (dailies). If incomplete clips are suspected (e.g. due to a power failure or a disconnected cable), Kyno can check the existing clips and replace them automatically if necessary. The “Combine” command combines several clips or subclips into a rough cut. However, as clips cannot be arranged using drag-and-drop, the desired editing sequence must be determined using suitable metadata, filters and the sorting order.

Operation and versions

Kyno is available in German, English, French and Spanish. Context help and several video tutorials make a manual in the conventional sense largely superfluous, as operation is quite intuitive. There is a standard version for 159 euros and a premium version for 349 euros. This includes updates for one year. After that, however, the programme does not stop working: It will just no longer be supplied with new functions. The versions differ primarily in terms of the range of supported formats, fine-tuning of filters and assistance for larger productions.

Comment

Even if a few functions overlap, Kyno is an ideal complement to DaVinci Resolve. This applies not only to the improved handling of metadata during consolidation, but above all to the hardware and software requirements. Resolve can be a real pain on inadequate hardware, whereas Kyno also runs on much weaker computers and older operating systems. It can also do all the transcoding in the background while Resolve is out of action. It is also well suited for final conversion into all common distribution formats for teamwork and the Internet if you have simply output a master file in a high-quality intermediate format in Resolve instead.