[TaoColorist] Sunday Morning Reading ('Just The Facts' Edition)

Published: Sun, 10/02/11

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The Tao Colorist

Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor 
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday.
Issue LXIV                                                            Brought to you by: Tao of Color.com

Editor's Note: I'm feeling the pressure of competing commitments this weekend, therefore this week's Newsletter is a little on the light side. But I've included the meat of what I found this week. Enjoy!

The Craft

  • 22 Professional Photoshop Image Enhancing Techniques - I've often said that Photoshop techniques are a great source of new ideas for the work we do on moving images. I guarantee you can find at least a few (more than 2) techniques that absolutely can be adapted to our craft. (SixRevisions.com via @Getcolormanaged)

The Tools

  • Assimilate Scratch: Round Tripping with Media Composer - Video tutorial. (Vimeo.com)
  • [Free Trial] Download 'Phoenix Touch' 30-Day Trial - The makers of Nucoda FilmMaster have just made their touch-up and restoration tool 'Phoenix Touch' available for a free download. They include a QuickStart Video and PDF. The video is more of a quick overview but gives you a sense of the interface and its efficiency. Requires Windows 7 Pro and an NVidia card. I've heard that some people are using it in Boot Camp. (ImageSystems.tv)
  • What Adobe Should Do With IRIDIAS SpeedGrade - Stu Mashwitz shares his thoughts on this Adobe acquisition. I can't say I fully agree with everything he says. But he did get my noggin' contemplating... and that alone gets the blog post a mention in this Newsletter. (Prolost.com)
  • iMediaHUD: Video Inspection Tool - Having trouble figuring out why a clip is giving you problems with your NLE or Color Grading app? Here are a few solutions that give you a 'look under the hood' of your video clips. (imnotbruce.blogspot.com)
  • The post-FCP World - If you think Apple has 'splintered the [NLE] market in a way the competition never could' then you'll want to read this blog post by Oliver Peters. He comments on the latest FCPx update, why it wasn't driven by user requests, and offers a 5-point roadmap for transitioning to your new NLE toolset. (DigitalFilms.wordpress.com)
  • [PDF Download] BaseLight 4.3 FCP Plug-In - A data sheet for the plug-in. The link is a direct download. (FilmLight.ltd.uk)
  • [Software Update] Tiffen Dfx 3.0 - Tiffen's software filter suite has been give an full version update with a host of new features. 15 Day Free Trial is available. Plug-in and standalone versions are available. (TiffenSoftware.com)
  • [Software Update] Magic Bullet Suite 11.1 - Now includes support for Vegas Pro, an update to Colorista II, and adds Red Giant Link that'll auto-update all your Red Giant plug-ins. (RedGiantSoftware.com)

The Process

  • On Motivation - Ira Glass on the creative process, why we often hate our own work, why that means you're on the right track. (NoFilmSchool.net)

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Edumacate Yer'self

  • [Free Webinar] Color Science 101 - The Senior Color Scientist for THX will be hosting a FREE webinar this coming Wed., October 5. They also have upcoming events in Cape Town and NYC. After clicking through, the sign-up for the FREE webinar and the in-person training is at the top of the right column. Also check out their CineSpace workflow PDFs and 'Color management for film' white paper. (THX.com ht Marcin Zwolski) 
  • DaVinci Resolve Workshops - BlackMagic just keeps these things coming. Here's the Master page listing upcoming events in San Francisco, Austin, and another one that I'll be doing in two weeks in NYC the day before the CCW 'HDWorld' convention begins. (Eventbrite.com)


Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers
 JL Cooper Eclipse Avid Artist Color Tangent Wave

Software: v2.1.6

Mac: v2.6.1

Software: v3.8

Color Plug-in: v 1.0.5
PC: v2.6.1
Firmware: v1.9

Updated:
March 7

Updated: August 9 Updated: Jan. 28(ish)
 
 
Sunday Morning Funnies

  • Star Trek: Hidden Frontiers - Do you long for the days of weekly episodes of Captain Picard? Or watching a female Star Fleet Captain get lost in space? (thanks Janeway, for perpetuating that particular female stereotype) Here's a fan series set in the Star Trek universe. It's been around for a decade - yet somehow this is the first I've heard of it. Then again. Maybe there's a reason for that. Decide for yourself. (HiddenFrontier.com via kottke.org)
  • Atlantis - A nicely edited piece with strong sound design of Atlantis' last lift-off. (YouTube.com via @mattfezz)

Weekend Warrior

  • Innoculate Your Computer From Web Security Flaws - An amazingly long-winded article on Digital Security Certificates and how protect yourself from bogus Certificates. If you already understand this stuff, scroll down to the 2nd half where they provide browser by browser settings to tweak. Have fun. (MacWorld.com)

Your Career

  • How FaceBook's New 'Timeline' Will Impact Your Career - This from the Harvard Business Review. You might want to pay attention. (blogs.hbr.org)
  • The Forever Recession (and the coming Revolution) - For the 'developed world' everything has changed. A new era is emerging  "in which individuals who are awaiting instructions begin to give them instead." (SethGodin.typepad.com)
 
 

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DaVinci Resolve 8 | Colorista II | Apple Color | FCP 7

 

The Next Step Is A Doozy . . .

  • The 'Pick Your Kindle' Flowchart - Does it really have to be this complicated? (LifeHacker.com)

A Step Too Far ?

Life Imitates 'Spinal Tap'

  • Sharp May Launch 4K Sets in 2012 - Since there are no actual set-top 4k playback devices they'll just 'up-scale' current 1080p content... Is it me or did they just create an amplifier that goes to '11'? (StudioDaily.com)
 
 
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