Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday. |
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Looking to reach an engaged targeted audience of professional Colorists and Finishing Editors? No other publication on the 'Net can speak so precisely to them. Our Sunday Morning newsletter gets opened - while other newsletters are snoozing.
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The Craft
- Color Decision List: Using EDLs and CCC files - Understand CDLs using Colorista Free and learn how to import CCCs into Resolve with a matched EDL. The outlined workflow is NOT for production. (ColorGrader.net)
- Early Color Motion Picture Processes - A great resource for deconstructing film processes you might want to re-create. Bookmark it. (WideScreenMuseum.com via @olacolorist)
- Building A 2-Strip & 3-Strip Node Tree - I pulled this old thread from the Apple Color Support forum in response to a question on Twitter. I figured I'd share it here as well. (discussions.apple.com)
- RED Epic: 5K and HDRx - Stunning, stunning images. With a great blog post about the challenges of working and displaying 5k and the opportunities provided by shooting HDR. Now all we need are monitors capable of seeing these images natively (that cost less than an S-Class Mercedes and fit on my desktop). (blog.VincentLaForet.com)
The Software
- Resolve: How To Track A Window Off Screen - The headline says it all (well, except how to actually DO it - for that you'll need to click through). By ICA co-founder Warren Eagles. (Vimeo.com)
- Colorista II & FCP: Digital Cosmetics - Procedurally isolating skin tones using CII's keyer and then using their 'Pop' filter for some digital cosmetic surgery. The meat of it starts around 9 minutes. If you need to get up to speed on CII, watch the whole thing. (RedGiantSoftware.com)
- Apple Creative Apps: The "Auto-" Function Cheat Sheet (Part 1 of 4) - Auto save, Auto render, Auto Conform, Mixer Automation, Auto Launch Batch Monitor, Auto Zoom, and MORE! (MasteringFilm.com)
- Smoke: Stereoscoping Finishing, Parts 1-4 - I've probably linked to one or two of these. Here's the full list of this video tutorial series. (area.autodesk.com)
- Smoke: Timeline Match & Replace - The Smoke timeline is completely unique to that platform. If you're trying to get up to speed, then take a look at this. (area.autodesk.com)
Tools We Use
- FSI 17" LCD Overview Video - Pithy video highlighting their field-suitable LCD display. (YouTube.com)
- Built In Scopes vs Exteral Scopes: Which is Better with Resolve? - A RedUser thread with differing perspectives. Particularly insightful is the short answer by Resolve Product Manager Peter Chamberlain. (RedUser.net)
- HD Formats: Color Model & Color Sub-Sampling - If you're not fully up on the difference between YUV, RGB, 4:2:0, and 4:4:4 (and if you're a colorist or finishing editor - you need to be), Andy Shipsides from Abel has you covered in this nicely written post. (blog.ablecine.com)
- Adobe Reveals Its Video Roadmap for the Future - But only after spending 9 minutes telling you where they came from. Start watching at 9 minutes if you only want to see the broad strategies that's driving them. (RichardHarringtonBlog.com)
Tools We Might Use
- Colour Lovers - Explore color palettes. Lots and lots of color palettes. (ColourLovers.com)
- Remove That YouTube Logo - News Flash! YouTube has announced you may now remove their logo when embedding videos on other sites. Here's how you do it. (ReelSEO.com)
- Adobe's Speech Analysis: Still Chugging Along - Here's an update on how Adobe's speech analysis tool has been progressing. (ProVideoCoalition.com)
Edumacate Yer'self
- NYC: Live-Grading on Resolve 8 (plus raffle) - This Wed. I'll be doing a live presentation for the NYC FCP UG at AbleCine's newly remodeled showroom. The demo will include an overview of the new Resolve 8 feature set. I'll grade a short film to show the speed and power of grading in Resolve. AND... they'll be raffling off a seat of Resolve. Also - Andy Shipsides from Abel will be showing some new production gear. Sign up now and join us. (Eventbrite.com)
- London: FCPUG SuperMeet - June 23rd at the Kensington Conference and Event Centre. Preso's include Resolve 8 and Smoke on Mac. They're also teasing a possible FCPx demo. Tickets on sale now. (SuperMeet.com)
- The Study of Color - A downloadable $20 video showing how a fine artist uses the Munsell Color System to arrange his painting palette. This is not a recommendation (since I haven't seen it myself) but it looks like it might be interesting... (UnderPaintings.com)
- How A Hard Drive Works - Fascinating. But I'm not comforted by engineers relying on probabilities to pack ever-more data onto a platter. (FilmMakerIQ.com)
RumorVille
- Leaked Screenshots from FCPx and Motion 5? - Real or Fake? Decide for yourself. But look quick before Apple Legal takes them down. (MacOSRumors.com)
- MacPro, MacMini Supplies Constrained - Is Apple getting ready to refresh their MacPro and MacMini lines? (9to5Mac.com)
Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers
| JL Cooper Eclipse |
Euphonix MC Color |
Tangent Wave |
|
Software: v2.1.6 |
Mac: v2.5.7 |
Software: v3.8 |
|
Color Plug-in: v 1.0.5 |
PC: v2.5.7 |
Firmware: v1.9 |
|
Updated:
March 7 |
Updated: Feb. 18 |
Updated: Jan. 28(ish) |
Sunday Morning Fun(nies)
- Skateboarders On Fire - Well conceived. Well executed. Perfect if you need to kick-start your Sunday Morning. (MikeJones.tv)
- Sony BetaMax: It's Only Purpose Is To Serve You - The very first BetaMax promo piece circa 1975. Tons of fun. And they did all that with cuts & dissolves (plus a z-axis spin and some chroma-keys for spice). I also think I caught Mystery Science Theater 3000 playing on the TV - proving it could play back the future as well as the past. (YouTube.com via @videomaker)
- Exclusive Preview of iOS 5 - The first 'real-world' Hogwarts-stlye look at iOS 5 on an iPad. (YouTube.com via @sternfx)
- FCPx: Super Sneak Peek - This post has been making the social media rounds. Lots of people are finding it funny. Not quite up my alley, decide for yourself... (ScottBlaszak.net)
- Hula Hooping: From the Hoop's Perspective (Kottke.org)
- Slate's 'Hollywood Career-O-Matic' - Fun for anyone not being subjected to the Career-O-Matic. It uses Rotten Tomatoes scores to track careers paths and make comparisons. It's interactive - so you can enter in your favorite (or despised) actors / directors.(Slate.com)
- Talk-O-Meter - Are you dominating too much of the conversation? Here's an app that monitors your chats and lets you know. My question: What happens if both sides of the conversation are using this? Long uncomfortable silences? (MobileBehavior.com)
Weekend Warriors
- How Big Is A 152" Screen - After you click through you'll see that it's Really. Freaking. Big. You need to see it for yourself. And before you ask... No Robbie (yes, I'm talking to you, Robbie) - Best Buy does NOT sell the mounting kit. (panasonic.net via @robbiecarman)
- Upgrading A 2011 iMac with An SSD - You want the fastest Mac on the block? Then you need to install an SSD. How hard can THAT be? Yeah. Think Again. (MacWorld.com)
Gear Heads
- SD Cards Go Ultra-High Speed - Are you going to be DIT'ing on cross-Arctic expedition with a side-trip to an active volcano? Panasonic's new SDHC UHS-I memory card might be for you. It triples the read-write speed over consumer level SD cards, extends the useable by life by a factor of 10, and can withstand severe weather, water, magnetic, and x-ray abuse. (DefinitionMagazine.com)
- Core i7 SSD iMac: The Fastest Mac EVER - Yup. Once again, MacPros are being bested by their iMac little brothers and sisters. Hopefully a MacPro refresh isn't far behind. (Macworld.com via @silveradosys)
- (One Brand) of SSDs Recalled Because of Their Low Performance (HardMac.com)
- LightDims Stickers: Block Super-Bright LEDs - EclipseCX owners... you might want to buy a pack of these. (LifeHacker.com)
Eating Our Young
- The Free Culture: It's Here. Get Used To It. - How creators need to get around this phenomenon: "There's a growing disconnect between making something worthwhile and getting paid for it." (SethGodin.typepad.com)
For Fanboyz Only
- Steve Jobs' Alter Ego - In this 20 minute video, Steve unveils the new Apple Campus to the Cupertino City Council. It'll fully house 12,000 employees in a single mother ship. Literally. It's a friggin' ship. With continuously curved glass (there's not a single flat piece of exterior glass in the 3.5 million square feet 'ship') and underground parking. (KenSegall.com)
- Dropbox Etiquette - Yup. Count me in as a DropBox Fan Boy. If you're one too, then click through to this. It'll be better if we're all on the same page. (Prolost.com)
- Free Up Space By Deleting Files In Dropbox's Hidden Cache Folder - While we're on the subject... (LifeHacker.com)
develop your skills & advance your career
The Business of Being In Business
- Why (and How) We Need to Re-invent Ourselves Regularly - A very timely discussion. It's also something I've been thinking about... trying to decide if I should take Tao Of Color full-time. I encourage you to set some time aside not only to read this article, but to quietly reflect on it as well. (PhilipHodgetts.com)
- Are You Ambitious Enough? - There was a time when declaring your ambition to the world was admirable... 500 years later... Not so much. But maybe we should at least admit our ambitions to ourselves? (the99percent.com)
- How To Create A Productive Workspace - This video is notable for two thing: One, it's an interesting approach to creating an office where people can actually think, without walling everyone off. Two, the ad integration is terrible and the closing segue into social media integration is just... poor. (37signals.com)
- The Most Basic Personal Finance Truth - I ask: Why just Personal Finance? Shouldn't more of us apply this to business as well? (LifeHacker.com)
- "The Daily Rind": A Better Way to Plan Your Day - I like this. It's a different approach to building your daily Calendar / To-Do list. I'll be sitting down with this on Sunday Morning myself to read the whole thing and see if I can implement it. (b.aking.ca)
Big Business
- TV and Film Execs: Making Us Feel Like Suckers - A rant about the different ways Big Media is futilely trying to create scarcity, and in the process making viewers feel like they've been snookered.
(MacWorld.com via @silveradosys)
(Editor's Note: I had this happen on a recent Red Box rental - when I tried to watch the BluRay's Special Features, here's the dialog box I was greeted with: "You are watching a rental version of this precious film. We know you paid a ridiculously low fee and pawed your grubby fingers over our pristine images (again, for next to nothing). So - to get full access to these additional 'Special Features' you must purchase the retail version of this Blu-Ray. At full price. You bottom-feeding life-sucking idiot." I swear - that's how I read those words.)
- The Microsoft Lament - Some thoughts on how Microsoft continues to make itself irrelevant. (b.acking.ca)
- Netflix Helps Boost Blu-Ray Sales - But not for the reason you think. (gigaom.com)
Tweet of the Week
- "I kid you not - I've gotten requests to make things 10% more happy" (@quinniusmaximus)
Questions Not Yet Answered
- Mac OS 10.7: Download ONLY? - TidBits explores the big question everyone has about Apple relying on Lion (a 2 Gig download) being sold exclusive through the App store. The question not covered in the TidBits pieces: What about corporate clients with dozens of seats? (TidBITS.com)
A Step Too Far?
- IRS to Documentarians: You're A Hobby, Not A Business - Apparently, education and 'for-profit' are mutually exclusive. Click through for more details and numerous links to press coverage on this recent finding by a US Tax Court judge. (NotesOnVideo.blogspot.com)
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