TUTORIALS FOR MISTIKA ULTIMA & MISTIKA BOUTIQUE - THE FULL COLLECTION



Important notes:  


This is a live compilation of Mistika Ultima and Mistika Boutique tutorials found on Internet, organised by categories like in a user manual.  


Please note that many of these tutorials were not created (and neither maintained) by SGO but by independent users.  Please report if you find broken links, and also if you find other interesting tutorials not mentioned in here.


Some tutorials are made with older versions, they are still considered very useful but may miss some changes compared with latest versions.  When those changes are significant those links are prefix with an orange label to warn about this:  **


All the followintg tutorials are in English language, except when said in contrary. 



Introduction (crash courses)


English language: Masterclass: Mistika Boutique Fundamentals 


Spanish language - Cursos en español: Cursos de iniciación a Mistika Boutique (ColorDoctor)  

한국어 (Korean) -  전문적인 색상



Mistika Configuration and project settings



Downloading and installing the educational version 


License activation 


Mistika Configuration Tool - mConfig.  (file paths, project resolution,  video settings, render paths, hardware resources...)


Mistika user login ( creating different users with customized hotkeys for each one)


Project manager


Current settings information in the Mistika interface


Performance optimizations

(Note: some parameters in this video have been recently automated and will not appear in current versions) 


How to setup Mistika to work in a other computer in a different location


How to activate DVO plugins in Mistika 



Note: Diagrams about the folder structures of  Mistika software and  Mistika Projects mentioned in the above tutorials are available here




File Browser, mass import and media management


File browser and source monitor


Single clip import


Mass import (import multiple clips, .lnk files,  clipnames and media folders structure)


Controlling horizontal / vertical placement on the Timeline during import, and also the placement order. (User example tutorial for VR360)


Replicating an original media folder tree inside the Mistika project


Details mode and Icon mode.


Working with enumerated sequences


Path bookmarks


Selection bookmarks


Batch import of single image Vs enumerated sequences

  

How to organise your media under sub-folders of the DATA folder of the project 


How to delete a project folder (with separate control for Mistika metadata files and other user files not created by Mistika)


How to configure or disable Timeline autosave


How to export a group






Online Editing and Timeline panel



Timeline & Edit panels


Creating a new timeline


Timeline navigation (scrolling with right mouse button, play head, temporal axis locking, center monitor, zoom levels)


Zoom to selection


Shuttle and Play Marks


Next Clip / Previous Clip


Media clips (view modes, clip icons and icon strips, scrubbing, audio break, active frame)


Clip movement constraints,


Autoexpand (automatic stack expansion when inserting new FX nodes or ungrouping)


The overview panel


Groups


Frame numbers Vs Timecode visualization 


Flow monitor (Visual clues about effect stack hierarchy)  


Raise monitor function


Align functions


Cutting clips (Split at active frame, Split at play head),


Global razor (Editing a whole stack of effects)


Clip parameters. Internal framing and color space parameters. Explained at [03:35..06:00] in this video  


Clip attributes (clip metadata, clip timecodes, trimming head & tail, join adjacent clips)  


Editing Timecodes in the Attributes panel


Trimming by dragging the clip active frame.  Freeze Head / Freeze tail. Clone function.


How to snap clips together (Pack left / Rigth)


Shift function


Using the calculator in combination with the editing functions, and direct math on the TC field.


Clip reverse


Remove Time. how to extract part of the timeline while contracting the gap


Removing empty space from the Timline (Remove time)


How to colapse ransitions into a single track


Lock, Hide, Mute, and Bypass functions


Split conform macro.  (Propagate all cuts found on any track to the whole stacks)


Controlling the effects on trimming on parameter animations  (Animation Extend / Animation stretch )


Fast comparison of clip durations with edit & play marks


Scene detection


** Playout to VTR



Gestual controls (Scribe). A full explanation is available in this webinar from 9'25" to 31'50" time. In addition, a diagram with all the supported gestures is a here.





Audio controls in the Timeline


Mute audio


Audio Vumeters


How to break or combine audio and video tracks



Cross fades and transitions


Fade Up  effect.  Controlling the effect duration.


Transitions between clips located in two tracks 


Transitions between clips  in the same track.   


Tricks & Tips:  Fast range adjustment by dragging Down+Up.  Fast creation of one-second fades. Fast fade reverse.


Fade from color. Easy In / Out ( moothing tangents) 



Editing workflows with the Source Monitor


Editing with the Source monitor (Filtering, 3 point edit, Paste on Top)


Using the source monitor as a clipboard 

 

Global copy and insert with edit marks and the source monitor



Conform workflows


Match & Paste


XML conform (Example using an XML from Adobe Premiere) 


Timewarps & Retiming. How to adapt clips to project's FPS 


[24:3 .. 35:30] RND Round trip conform: How to create proxies with basic adjustments for the offline editing, then conform an Xml, AAF, or EDL against Mistika .RND files including Mistika effects. (Example at 24:30 to 35:30)


Advanced conform and timeline organization example for complex project (Masterclass)   



Notes and Markers


Creating notes and markers


Timeline navigation by using notes, graffity, and markers (and how to hide notes content when not necessary).  


Removing markers and notes




Mistika Effects and the Visual Editor


Preliminar note: The Visual Editor interface has been redesigned in version 10, but some of the tutorials below were made with previous versions. Their content is still usefull as the functionality is very similar, but if you don't find a particular widget in the new layout you can find all the differences in the tutorial: Moving from Mistika 8 to Mistika 10



Introduction


Introduction to effects and parameters panel. (Example with Wipe effect . Introduction to Keyframe graph & animation curves. Adjusting sensitivity when dragging numeric values). 



Mistika effects 


Framing effect.  The Visual Editor "Unscale" function. How to convert between different resolutions and aspect ratios.   


Title effect.  Example: Text fade in/out animation using Autokey. 


Comp3D effect.  Creating effect layers.


** Warp. Creating Warps and Morphs


** Basic keying:  Pick key. Luma key. Green screen / Blue Screen. Screen build. External Key. Difference key. Grow alpha. Shrink alpha. Show key Blur alpha. Alpha clear. Edge build. Stroke. Foreground blur.        



FX basic techniques


Text shadows (Example: Using Comp3D & Title )  


Effect reverse


Letterbox 


RGBA channels visualization mode (Wipe example). 


Tracker. Stabilization example . Plus how to drag several parameters at the same time.


FX presets (Example with LUT3D) 


Display Filters.


Shapes: Introduction 


Shapes: Populating trackers (automatic tracker). Explained at [40:28...42:20] in this video(Colorist Meetup April 23 2020)


** Shapes: Advanced usage


** Shapes: Tracking shapes


** EXR object selection in CGI images.


** EXR positional relighting


** EXR directional relighting


Compositing and colour grading EXR multilayer images (full overview) 


How to automatically import new VFX Versions


How to import and export ST-Maps


How to import and export ST Maps in Mistika Boutique? 


VFX  specialized technique examples



How to import and export ST Maps and work with them


** Give your 2D image a 3D look.  Example using Comp3D displacement mapping


** Label substitution. Example combining stabilization, Comp3D, Shapes, and the Warp effect,     


** Compositing layer shadows on walls and floor (Example using Comp3D, Gradient, Non linear mix, Distort )


** Lightwrap. Example creating masks to isolate edges and work on them. Plus a example of using dummies for creating a Group template, 


** Fixing chromatic aberration


** Importing 3D Tracking from Boujou


** Match moving


** Creating Bolts


Frequency separation (Beauty technique). Example 1  


** Frequency separation (Beauty technique). Example 2



Colour grading 


Preliminar note: The colour grading interface has been redesigned in version 10, but some of the tutorials below were made with previous versions. Their content is still usefull as the functionality is very similar, but if you don't find a particular widget in the new layout you can find all the differences in the tutorial: Moving from Mistika 8 to Mistika 10


Introduction



New colour grading interface (since Mistika version 10) 


The Mistika 10 color toolset 


** Introduction to the ColorGrade node 


** Masterclass: The Color Grade functions 


Masterclass: Color management in Mistika. (Raw formats, Unicolor, color management "per clip" or global.  Color management Examples: ACES, DCP XYZ, HDR / SDR, Dolby Vision. Display filters. Propagating color management to multiple versions.



Color grading specialised workflows



Printer lights / Printer steps 


- Introduction at 33:00 in this video

- Example at 26:00 in this masterclass 


LUT3D & Propagate example. (Applying a 3D LUTs and propagating it to other clips).


How to export LUT 3D with the results of a Color Grade or an effect stack in general


Macros->LoadRaw Parameters . Accessing camera metadata.  (Example using r3dParams )


** Color Grade effect. Basic introduction. Scopes. Primaries. Bands. Fixed vectors. Curves. Vibrancy. Windows. Vignette. Inside/Outside controls.     


** Color grade operation without having control surfaces. Balls & Rings. HSL Keyer manipulators. Highlight selection. Blur selection.     


** Dynamic grade. (Example: day to night ).  


** Mute vector. Mute Inside/Outside. 


** Copy vectors. Vector reset  


** Using LUTS inside the Color Grade effect


How to adapt interface colors to the lighting and display conditions 


Tricks & Tips: How to speed up r3d workflows in the Parameters panel.


** 3D Keyer


** RGB Keyer


HDR / SDR workflows with dual output (without using Dolby Vision). Explained at [56:04...59:40] in this video (Colorist Meetup April 23 2020) 



Dolby Vision


Dolby Vision workflows with Mistika (updated to Dolby Vision Version 4)


Note: This video is complemented with this document



Storyboard




[47:08] Comparisson with a reference snapshot, using Fx presets and Show Split. Find it at 47:08 in this masterclass 





[44:10 .. 46:20 ] How to create multiple grading versions and navigate trough the version history (this video is an VR masterclass, but it includes a version history explanation at 44:10 to 46:20 )  




Examples


Emulating a Pro Mist  filter. Removing camera flare. Reducing detail enhacement and ringing artifacts.


Creating a Cinematic look


** Unicolour: Workflow example working with Arri footage 






VR 180/360 in Mistika Boutique 


For a good five minutes introduction check this video about virtual production (starting at 17:12)

Masterclass: The Essential Guide for Finishing Immersive Content


Masterclass: VR Stitching and Advanced Workflows


How to load a Mistika VR project in Mistika Boutique


Tripod removal. (Example using VectorPaint, and VR View  effects).


Color grading in a VR environment (Example using Color grade, shapes, VR visualization mode, exr Z depth)

VR180 with multi node stitching and grading using Mistika Boutique 


How to enable direct preview on any VR Headset (Integration with DeoVR player)



Additional tutorials for stitching VR in Stereo3D. (these tutorials were made with Mistika VR product, but it works similar in Mistika Boutique):


Balancing the Stereo3D Convergence

 

Stereo Edge Points

 

Stereo Edge point example




Creation of Virtual Sets


 Virtual set production



Output and rendering


Render basics ( How to render to one clip by selecting the render folder interactively and a render format.  The project RENDER folder, The .clp files, and  the.rnd files  )


Selecting a predefined path and a render preset. (Selecting a predefined naming syntax and a predefined combination of render settings, for faster access and to ensure coherence of all rendered media )


How to embed Color Metadata in renders


** DCP creation (Note: This tutorial is old, in modern versions the "Convert" node has been renamed as Unicolor )




Apendix A: What is new in latest upgrades


What is new in Mistika Ultima and Mistika Boutique 10.8


What is new in Mistika Ultima and Mistika Boutique 10.5


What is new in Mistika Ultima and Mistika Boutique 10.2


What is new in Mistika Ultima and Mistika Boutique 10.1


Moving from Mistika 8.11 to Mistika 10.0


What is new in Mistika Ultima & Mistika Boutique 10.0

 

What is new in Mistika Ultima & Mistika Boutique 8.11


What is new in Mistika Ultima & Mistika Boutique 8.10


What is new in Mistika Ultima & Mistika Boutique 8.8




Our special thanks to all the users who have published Mistika tutorials, please let us know if you want them to appear in here.