13_D03_H03_01_Exposure Settings Aperture Shutter Speed and ISO Triangle ...

nreal Engine Workshop – Session 13 Summary

📌 Topic: Exposure Settings – Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and White Balance

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🔺 Exposure Triangle Fundamentals

• Exposure = Controlled light hitting the camera sensor/film.

• Aim: Maintain consistent light intensity (e.g., 100 watt-equivalent) regardless of lighting conditions.

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🔘 1. Aperture (F-stop)

• Controls light entry by adjusting lens opening diameter.

• Lower f-stop (e.g., f/2) = More light; Higher f-stop (e.g., f/16) = Less light.

• Each full stop halves or doubles the light.

• Example: f/2 (8000W) → f/2.8 (4000W) → f/4 (2000W), etc.

• Aperture also affects Depth of Field.

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⏱️ 2. Shutter Speed

• Determines how long the sensor/film is exposed to light.

• Shorter exposure = less light; longer = more light.

• Still photos: slower shutter speed can compensate for low light (e.g., 1/4 sec).

• Video cameras (e.g., 30fps): limited to fixed frame rate.

• Cannot reduce FPS below standard without impacting playback smoothness.

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📈 3. ISO (Film/Sensor Sensitivity)

• Amplifies signal from the sensor to simulate more light.

• Higher ISO = brighter image in low light (e.g., ISO 800 needs less light than ISO 100).

• Trade-off: higher ISO introduces noise or grain (especially in mid-tones).

• Modern cameras (e.g., iPhone 16 Pro) use AI-based noise reduction for low-light clarity.

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🎨 White Balance & Color Temperature

• Ensures white appears white under different light sources.

• Artificial light (e.g., tungsten) alters perceived color.

• Controlled using Color Temperature:

  • Red @ 1600K, Yellow @ 3200K, White @ 5000K, Blue @ 6000K+

• White Balance compensates by digitally adjusting color channels.

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🌀 Mechanical vs Electronic vs Global Shutter

• Mechanical/Rolling Shutter: Opens/closes physically; used in old DSLRs/cinema.

• Electronic Shutter: Uses current; seen in mobile/digital cameras.

• Global Shutter: Captures entire sensor at once → no distortion with fast motion.

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🐢 Motion Blur & Frame Rate

• Human eye ≈ 32 fps sensitivity; fast motion causes blur.

• High-speed photography (e.g., 480–980 fps) enables smooth slow-motion playback.

• Unreal Engine supports high FPS for fluidity in gameplay and animation.

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⚙️ Practical Use in Unreal Engine

• All these settings (Aperture, ISO, Shutter Speed) can be simulated with Cine Cameras.

• Helps achieve cinematic lighting and depth in virtual shots.

• White balance and exposure settings are key for realistic visual effects.

12_D03_H02_02_Focus Tracking in Unreal Engine

Unreal Engine Workshop – Session 12 (Day 3, Session 1) Summary

📌 Topic: Camera Focus Settings and Object/Character Tracking

• ✅ Loading the Project

  • Opened module_4 map from the content drawer.

  • Loaded the level sequencer to animate characters.

• 🎥 Camera Setup

  • Existing two cameras: one for CU_Tray, another for CU_Zewa.

  • Created a new Cine Camera Actor named cine_focus.

  • Adjusted focal length and aperture (35mm, f/2.8).

• 🎯 Manual Focus Demo

  • Showed how manual focus works using a number object “4”.

  • Demonstrated focus shifting as the camera moves, requiring manual updates.

• 🔁 Pulling Focus (Real-world concept)

  • Explained how focus-pulling is done in cinema using focus marks.

• 🧲 Enabling Tracking Focus

  • Switched focus method to Tracking.

  • Used eyedropper tool to assign focus target.

• 👤 Character Focus Challenge

  • Problem: Unreal tracks character origin (feet), not the face.

  • Solution: Added a new actor (zewa_focus_tracker) as a helper focus point.

• 📍 Positioning Focus Tracker

  • Placed the helper actor manually near the character’s eyes using top/front/side views.

  • Observed improved facial focus during camera movement.

• 🧠 Advanced Setup – Head Bone Parenting

  • Created a Blueprint Actor (zewa_head_bone) and attached it to character's head bone.

  • Parent the focus tracker to this head bone for accurate facial tracking.

• 📌 Final Results

  • Camera maintains focus on Zewa’s face, even if she moves, stands, or animates.

  • Reinforced the use of blueprints, bone sockets, and parenting for precise cinematic focus control.

• 🧠 Coming Up Next

  • Upcoming session: Understanding and controlling exposure settings in Unreal Engine.

11 D03 H02 01 Cinematic Focus and Depth of Field in Unreal Engine 5.6

Session 11 – Summary: Aperture, Focusing & Depth of Field in Unreal Engine

🔍 Key Concepts

• Focusing: Adjusting the lens so that subjects at specific distances are sharp.

• Hyperfocal Distance: The closest distance beyond which everything remains in focus.

  • Human eye hyperfocal ≈ 25 cm.

  • Smaller focal length = shorter hyperfocal distance (e.g., GoPro).

  • Longer focal length = larger hyperfocal distance (e.g., 50mm f/1.2 ≈ 30 meters).

🎯 Focus Mechanics in Cameras

• Focus ring (manual adjustment) shifts lens to match object distance.

• Pull Focus: Changing focus between subjects (e.g., actor to background) in cinema.

• Accommodation: Human eye's focusing behavior when viewing near objects.

📏 Depth of Field (DoF)

• Definition: The range (front to back) in which subjects appear acceptably sharp.

• Factors Affecting DoF:

  • Aperture (f-number):

    • Low f-number (e.g., f/1.2) → shallow DoF, blurry background.

    • High f-number (e.g., f/16) → deep DoF, everything in focus.

  • Focal Length:

    • Wide-angle lenses (e.g., 20mm) → greater DoF.

    • Telephoto lenses (e.g., 75mm) → shallow DoF.

  • Object Distance: Closer subjects reduce DoF.

🛠️ Practical Demo in Unreal Engine

• Cameras simulated:

  • GoPro (6.17mm x 4.63mm) with 4mm focal length & squeeze factor 1.5.

  • iPhone (9.8mm x 7.3mm) with adjustable aperture and focus.

  • ARRI Alexa (54.12mm x 25.58mm) with 60mm lens.

• Enabled Auto Exposure for consistent lighting during aperture changes.

• Demonstrated:

  • Changing Aperture from f/1.2 to f/16 to vary DoF.

  • Changing Focal Length from 16mm to 75mm to demonstrate focus behavior.

  • Impact of focus shifts using eyedropper tool.

  • How blur varies with focal length and aperture combination.

🎬 Cinematic Composition Tips

• For sharp background & foreground: Use wide-angle lens + high aperture (f/11 or f/16).

• For blurry background (bokeh effect): Use telephoto lens + low aperture (f/1.4 or f/2).

• You can animate focus in Unreal to create pull focus shots using sequencer.

10 D02 H01 P02 Focal Length and Field of View Settings in Unreal Engine 5.6

Session 9 – Summary: Understanding Focal Length & Lens Behavior in Unreal Engine

🔍 Camera & Lens Fundamentals

• Focal Length: Distance between the lens center and image plane; affects field of view (FoV).

  • Short focal length → wide-angle view (e.g., 20mm).

  • Long focal length → narrow FoV, zoomed-in (e.g., 200mm, telephoto).

• Lens Power: Measured in diopters; 1 diopter = standard eye power.

• Normal Lens: Focal length equal to the sensor's diagonal size.

• Field of View: Wider FoV at shorter focal lengths; directly influenced by sensor size.

📏 Sensor Size Examples

• iPhone: 9.8mm x 7.3mm → ~13mm is normal lens.

• Blackmagic: 25.34mm x 14.25mm → ~30mm is normal lens.

• ARRI Alexa: 54.12mm x 25.58mm → ~60mm is normal lens.

📸 Practical Setup in Unreal Engine 5.6

• Download and extract camera_settings.zip and metahumans.zip.

• Import Metahuman assets into the Content/INT_VC/ directory.

• Add Cine Camera Actor in the level.

• Use real camera sensor specs (from VFXcamdb.com) to simulate specific camera types.

• Adjust focal length per camera type (ARRI, Blackmagic, iPhone).

• Focus Settings: Use eyedropper tool or manually adjust to ensure sharp focus.

• Use Omni Calculator to compute sensor diagonal = normal focal length.

• Use multiple viewports to compare cameras side by side in Unreal.

🔧 Unreal Engine Camera Workflow

• Game view toggle: G key hides UI clutter.

• Set Film Back Width & Height for accurate simulation.

• Adjust Lens Settings → Focal Length to explore wide/normal/tele views.

• Use Viewport Splits to compare ARRI, Blackmagic, and iPhone setups.

🧪 Observations

• Same focal length yields different results across different sensor sizes.

• Normal field of view ≈ 45–50°.

• Focal length affects perspective, depth compression, and background scale.

08 D02 H03 Update to Unreal 5.6 New UI and Camera Basics

Session 8 Summary – Unreal Engine Cameras & Upgrade to 5.6

🔧 Unreal Engine Upgrade to 5.6 Preview

• Announced the release of Unreal Engine 5.6.0 (Preview).

• Demonstrated how to upgrade Unreal Engine via Epic Games Launcher.

• Emphasized choosing a drive with 100+ GB free space (preferably SSD).

• Explained component selection (e.g., MetaHuman Core, Editor Symbols).

• Set 5.6 as default version and updated project files accordingly.

• Noted UI/UX changes in 5.6: camera tools repositioned, combined snapping tools, new focus plane display, etc.

👁️ Understanding Human Vision Before Cameras

• Explained how eyes perceive images using light reflected from objects.

• Introduced the concept of electromagnetic radiation and visible light (400–700 nm).

• Described how wavelength determines perceived color.

• Discussed amplitude of light and how it affects brightness perception (e.g., black vs. white).

• Highlighted eye sensitivity compared to animals like owls.

• Described the iris function in controlling light (similar to camera aperture).

📷 Camera Fundamentals in Unreal

• Camera purpose: record what the eye sees using lenses and sensors.

• Compared human eye to camera:

  • Lens focuses image

  • Iris controls light → Aperture in camera

  • Retina captures light → Sensor (CMOS) in camera

• Introduced ASA/ISO sensitivity concept from film and digital imaging.

🎥 Cine Camera Usage in UE 5.6

• Opened the "my studio with characters" level.

• Configured cine cameras (center, left, right).

• Explained focus method settings:

  • Manual focus

  • Focus distance in cm

  • Enabled focus plane for visual aid.

• Saved as new level “my studio_with_cameras” and built level.

⚠️ Build Error Noted

• Encountered Swarm initialization failure after upgrading engine.

• Announced that error resolution will be covered in the next session

07 D02_H02_Add Character and Cameras in Unreal 5.5

Broadcast Studio Unreal 5.5 Cinematic Setup

Unreal Engine Broadcast Studio Setup – Summary

1. Accessing and Importing Assets from Fab (formerly Unreal Marketplace)

• Unreal Marketplace is now integrated as fab.com with a dedicated Fab plugin.

• Install the Fab plugin via Epic Games Launcher (compatible with your UE version).

• Log in to fab.com using your Epic Games account.

• Search for assets (e.g., “broadcast studio”) and add to library — free and paid options are available.

• In Unreal, open the Fab tab, access My Library, and add selected assets to your project.

2. Creating and Setting Up a New Project

• Choose a template under Film, Video & Live Events and create a new blank project.

• Name and save the project in a desired SSD folder.

• Disable starter content if not needed for performance.

3. Importing and Using the Broadcast Studio Asset

• Once the asset is downloaded, open the map (showcase/overview) to view the studio layout.

• Use the Build All Levels function to rebuild lighting, textures, and blueprints.

• Optionally, download prepackaged assets (ZIP) via Patreon link if import fails.

4. Customizing Studio with Your Own Branding

• Replace textures (e.g., Unreal logo) with your custom image (1920x1080) in Photoshop.

• Use the Reimport function in Unreal to update textures.

5. Setting Default Startup Map

• Set your custom level (my studio) as the Editor Startup Map and Game Default Map in project settings.

6. Organizing Content

• Create a new folder (broadcast_studio) and group related assets for better scene management.

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Adding Green Screen Video of a Speaker

1. Prepare Green Screen Video

• Record a video against a green background.

• Use DaVinci Resolve (free) for chroma keying:

  • Import the video, crop, and apply 3D Keyer.

  • Fine-tune transparency using tolerance, softness, and despill settings.

  • Export as PNG sequence with alpha enabled (RGB + alpha).

2. Import into Unreal

• Copy PNG sequence to the project’s content folder.

• Create an Image Media Source, select the PNG sequence, and set frame rate to 30fps.

• Place the media plate in your scene above the chair and scale/position it accurately.

3. Enable Transparency and Playback

• Set media plate material to "Masked" in the details panel.

• Click simulate to preview the transparent video.

• Save and build all levels to finalize the scene.

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✅ Final Output:

A fully built broadcast studio scene with a green screen video speaker seamlessly integrated into the virtual environment.

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