[TaoColorist] Sunday Morning Reading (Save the TIG Edition)
Published: Sun, 08/12/12
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The Tao Colorist
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday.
Issue CI Brought to you by: Tao of Color.com
From the Editor: Things will get a bit crazy here at Tao HQ as we wrap up the summer. I may need to skip the next issue or two. Just a heads-up! Enjoy today's issue, #101.
The Craft
- [Video] Anatomy of a Grade: The Bleachy Western Look - Building a contrasty Black and White look for a classic Western feel. Graded in Resolve 9. Experienced Resolve colorists take note... once you start grading, Resolve 9 feels just like Resolve 8 (a good thing). (Vimeo.com)
- Grading 'Short Beach' Part 2 - A series of Before / After stills with a short explanation of how each shot was approached. (iColorist.com)
- Using White Balance to Control Color Casts (in Red Cine-X) - Where do color casts come from? What do they look like? And how do you fix them using the White Balance tool? (RED.com)
- [Podcast] The Coloristos 'Colorcast' - It's a new color grading and post-production podcast. Join three post-pro's as they shoot the breeze about timely topics and color grading software. From the creators of the LiftGammaGain.com color grading forum. (Coloristos.com)
- The Humana Project: A Closer Look at Flesh Tones - Mike from Divergement Media (creator of Scope Box) has taken the images from the Humana Project and plotted the skin tones on Scope Box. The results were unexpected. (DivergentMedia.com)
- Why We Prefer Certain Colors - How biology helps influence our color preferences. Brown tomato juice anyone? (PsychologyToday.com via @achlebak)
The Tools
- Color Grading Systems Evaluated - This is a pithy post, considering the ground it covers. From Resolve to Rain and everything in between, all the major color grading systems are evaluated listing their strengths and weaknesses. A really good read. (iColorist.com)
- Media Management for Autodesk Smoke 2013 - From import to transcoding and rendering, what's going on 'behind the scenes' with Smoke. (PremiumBeat.com via @FCPDaily)
- Act Now: Adobe August Special Offer - I ran across Adobe's August $240 annual discount deal quite by accident earlier this week. The pricing was too good to pass up, I'm now on board. If you're a licensed owner of any of Adobes major products - then you can get every app from Adobe for $30 per month... or under $400 per year. I'm generally not a fan of subscription plans for software... but when the alternative is 8 times more expensive, you've got my attention. Check it out. The offer ends this month. (NoFilmSchool.com)
- Software Update: Avid 6.0.3 - Media Composer, Symphony are now qualified for Mac 10.7.4 and 10.8. Includes bug fixes to EDL, working in color correction mode, speed of renders, consolidating, 10bit 4:4:4 media issues and more. (Avid.force.com via @michaelkammes)
- Magic Bullet Denoiser II: Now for FCP 7 and Premiere Pro - Free update to all owners of Denoiser I. (RedGiantSoftware.com)
- Red Giant Releases Knoll Light Factory 3 - Who do I have to pray to for DaVinci Resolve to support plug-ins like this? I've been using Knoll Light Factory for a decade. It's one of the few reasons I'll jump back to a NLE to put finishing touches on projects. Not available on FCPx or Avid. (RedGiantSoftware.com)
- Broadcast Monitor FAQ: Does FSI sell any OLED Monitors? - Tao Newsletter sponsor FSI has posted this nice FAQ on why they don't currently offer any OLED monitors. Definitely a must-read for colorists. In summary: "None of the points above are what we consider a 'show stopper' for OLED displays, but we do strongly believe that vastly superior second generation OLED technology is just around the corner and will help address some of these more serious concerns." Check it out. (FlandersScientific.com via NegativeSpaces.com)
- [Video] Getting Started with Adobe SpeedGrade (Part 1) - It's a bit slow getting started but there's a lot of good little tips and tricks that might otherwise trip you up getting started with SpeedGrade. (YouTube.com via @JimWicks)
- [Video] TV Colorimetry 101 - The basics of television color and color perception. A second podcast covers setting up a monitor. (LiftGammaGain.com)
- [Video] Baselight for Avid: Keyframes and Trackers (Part 1) - A three-part series. (YouTube.com)
- Catalog the Entire Contents of Your Grading Suite - Be sure to read the comments, as Eric plans on implementing a slightly different version of the workflow outlined in the blog post. It's a long post. But if you've got to keep a running inventory for insurance purposes and haven't done so... this is a good solution. (SpliceVine.com)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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The Business
- The TIG (Telecine Internet Group) Needs Your Help! - After being swamped by a spam attack and attempted hijacking of the site and personal health problems, the TIG's hosting funds have been depleted. If you've been susbscribed to the TIG - a privately run mailing list for colorists that started in 1991 (yes... 1991) - help out Rob Lingelbach by donating whatever you can. Click through for the donation link. Let him know the Tao Newsletter sent you! (tig.colorist.org)
- BlackMagic Acquire Cintel - I'm not sure what to make of this acquisition. (BlackMagicDesign.com)
- Dolby: 3Q2012 Results Were Down 5% - They're advising more of the same for the rest of the year. (blog.devoncroft.com)
- DTS: Weak Demand for Blu Ray - Earning were up year-over-year but DTS sees softness in 2012 due to weak demand for BluRay, hurting their licensing business. (blog.devoncroft.com)
- YouTube Opens Production and Post-Production Office in London - Dubbed the 'Creator Space', YouTube has opened a production and post-production facility... kind'a reminds me of when Sony opened up their studios... except this one has a training / educational component for the next generation of Creators. 'Meet, chat, create, collaborate.' Click through to view the promo video. (FCP.co)
- Mac & PC Sales: Closest in Over A Decade - The ratio of PC to Mac sales has fallen by 70% since 2004. And that's not counting the iOS. (blog.macsales.com)
- Why Online Video Streaming Numbers Need Transparency - Neilsen delivers its latest online viewing numbers. Can they be trusted? (ReelSEO.com)
- First 4K Movie Available for Sale - It's a 50 minute timelapse documentary shot on the RED and 5D Mark II. (Reviews.CNet.com)
Outside the Box
- How to Wrap Cables Like A Professional - If you work in this business you need to know how to wrap cables. (NoFilmSchool.com)
- Encoding for YouTube: How to Get the Best Results - Expert advice which includes some tips from Google itself. (StreamingMedia.com)
Edumacate Yer'self
- THX Color Science Class - Early September in Amsterdam. (THX.com)
- [Webinar] SpeedGrade for Aspiring Colorists - "Aimed at editors who want to add color grading to their workflow". Free. (Adobe.com)
- Resolve 2012 Fundamentals - Ten classes covering the latest version of Resolve 9. (fxPhd.com)
JL Cooper Eclipse | Avid Artist Color | Tangent |
Software: v2.8 |
Mac: v2.6.2 |
Software: v3.8 HUB v1.0 |
Color Plug-in: v 1.0.5 |
PC: v2.6.2 |
Firmware: v1.9 |
Updated: |
Updated: October 20 | Updated: Feb. 7(ish) |
Sunday Morning Funnies
- Heartwarming Photo of Dog Sleeping in Owner's Arm Goes Viral - As the owner of a geriatric pooch (Tao Canine Chester turned 16 earlier this year)... this one speaks much too precisely to me. (petapixel.com)
- [Video] PAC-MAN: The Movie - A fan film on Vimeo. It's fun. (Vimeo.com)
- [Video] What It Feels Like to Be A Freelancer - Funny. (YouTube.com)
- [Video] Jaws Film Restoration - Great behind-the-scenes of the digitally remastered BluRay release of this classic film. (YouTube.com via @Jigsaw24Video)
- [Video] The New 'Dr. Who' Trailer Has Dropped - Daleks, Dinosaurs and Times Square, OH MY! Plus an appearance of the scariest of villains from this Dr. Who series reboot... The Weeping Angels. (Mashable.com)
- [Video] Re-defining EDL: Entry, Descent, Landing + 7 Minutes of Hell - A video showing what it took to get the Curiosity Rover to land on Mars... and the wacky way they dropped this SUV-sized rover from orbit. Brilliant stuff. Fun video to watch. (kottke.org)
- Brandseen: A Game to Test Your Knowledge of Brand Colors - From the most popular brands in the world. (BrandseenApp.com)
Weekend Warriors
- Apple and Amazon Hacks: How to Minimize Your Risks - Don't suffer the same fate of a Gizmodo editor. A hacker bypassed Amazon.com's and Apple's security protocols. It resulted in all of the editor's Apple computers, iPhones, iPads getting remotely wiped; his Gmail account deleted; his Twitter account hijacked. (PCWorld.com)
- Munzee: A Scavenger Hunt for Your iPhone - A less intrusive form of GeoCaching. It's the best use of QR codes I've seen. (GPSTracklog.com)
- Top TV Values: The Best Screens for Your Buck (Reviews.CNet.com)
- How to Cook Pizza on the Grill (with a Smoker Box) - From Walter Biscardi. (BiscardiCreative.com)
Gear Heads
- Twelve South BackPack 2 Mini-Review - Store hard drives or other large peripherals behind your monitor, off the desktop and out of sight. (9to5mac.com)
- This Isn't a Blog Post about Mac Pros - Via Twitter I managed to goad Alexis Van Hurkman into prognosticating on the future of the MacPro. (VanHurkman.com)
- PowerTrip: Triple Powered Portable Charger - Fully charged, can power up 5 iPhones. It can be charged up via power socket, USB port and topped up via it's Solar Panel. (PowerStick.com)
- USB 3.0 Brings a New(ish) Plug - All about USB 3.0 plugs and how they work with USB 2 and USB 1 systems. (blog.macsales.com)
Cross Dressing
- How To Build a Computer from Scratch, Part 4: Installing the OS - If you're thinking of building a Hackintosh then first you have to know how to build a PC. (LifeHacker.com)
- As MacPro Stagnates, PC Workstations Muscle Ahead - If you don't want to go the unsupported Hackintosh route, here's a nice review of two PC powerhouses: HP Z280 and Dell Precision T5600. (ArsTechnica.com)
- Building A CustoMac: 2012 Buyers Guide - TonyMacX86 thinks this is a great time to build your own Mac. And he's released a detailed Buyers Guide for three different levels of performance. (TonyMacX86.com)
- Get Ready for Mac OS X Mountain Lion - An article from last month, before Mountain Lion was released. But still worth the read. (TonyMacX86.com)
Beyond the Interface. Learn Technique. Includes: Resolve 9*
Color Grading MasterClass: DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve, DaVinci Resolve Lite : Mac & Windows!
Also available: Colorista II | Apple Color | FCP 7
*Resolve 9 Training available after the software's been officially released
Your Career
- An Uplifting Story About Droids Taking All Of Our Jobs - The author of 'Race Against the Machine' details how he came up with his TEDx Talk. After reading the article be sure to watch the video. However tough things look like now, he's convinced the future is bright. (blogs.hbr.org)
- Design a Logo for Your Filmmaking Business - An Art Director offers some advice. (FilmmakerIQ.com)
- The Race to the Bottom - Is technology ruining our business? Or will the cream rise to the top? (DigitalFilms.wordpress.com)
- 5 Tips to Increase Productivity In Your Day - A great list of tips. Quick read. And an additional insight in why you don't really want to increase your productivity. (Marketcircle.com)
- How to Combat the Most Common Symptoms of Being Overworked - Some interesting links in here. (LifeHacker.com)
Tweet of the Week
"For the third week in a row, I'll say "If you are out of work, you really need to #FF @realityjobs." Even if they are very picky at times." (via @comebackshane)
The Next Step Is A Doozy
- Source Filmmaker - A new movie making tool from video game company Valve. Use their game world assets to create a film using their video game engine. (SpliceVine.com)
A Step Too Far?
- The $24,000 Zombie Preparedness Kit - No. It does not contain bath salts to create your own Zombies. But it has just about everything else you'll need for the end of times. (Atlanta.CBSLocal.com)
Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading!
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