Digital Intermediate Format Choices
Point 360 IVC DIGITAL FILM CENTER
Digital Intermediate Format Choices
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How Many K’s Do I Need?
By Jim James, Chief Engineer, IVC
Resolution: The Battle of the K’s
Few things are more used and less understood than the terms 4K and 2K. In the world of digital film they describe the resolution of a digital image. Simply put 4K has 4,098 pixels across the image (horizontal resolution), and 2K has 2,048 pixels across the image. However, the vertical resolution of the K’s can vary by quite a bit. A 4K scan of the entire 35mm film frame is 4096×3112. A 4K image for a 1.85:1 output is 4096×2214. A 4K 2.39:1 output could be 4096×3112 or 4096×1714 depending on whether it is anamorphic or flat. To