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Trouble reading this newsletter? Read it online: http://www.aweber.com/t/BNeeX The Tao Colorist Newsletter Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and
humor for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday. Issue CCXXXIV A TaoOfColor.com Publication Publisher: Pat Inhofer Managing Editor: Jim Wicks
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Some quick thoughts this week:
- For long-time readers, I'm proud to say the Tao of Color podcast is back after a long absence. I have several interviews lined up... although I won't make long-term promises it is fun to be at it again. You'll find the
link in Tools.
- I'm also hard at work on my next Colorist Flight School training. It's completely redesigned to encompass
everything I've learned teaching others to color correct... and the new things my students have taught me.
The next film is based around a documentary and the current 'zombie' short film (with a heavy focus on creating 'Looks') will come off the market. If you've been considering purchasing 'Mother Died', time is running short.
- Are you going to NAB? At the bottom of this Newsletter is our ever-growing list of NAB resources. Check them out. New stories added this week are highlighted in red.
- The Tao of Color website is being redesigned. I'm starting with the blog, which will contain the stories that I run across that don't fit with this publication. My goal is to update it 5 days a week. The @taocolorist Twitter handle
will help keep you updated on it.
That's it for now. Have a terrific week and we'll see you next Sunday. Until then:
Happy Grading
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- [video] Cosmic Latte - what’s the average color of the universe? A very neat video made more useful if they actually gave us the color temperature of the average. So close... yet, recommended watching. (youtube.com)
- [video] Top 10 VFX Innovations in the 21st Century - this post makes it to The Craft because it starts with digital color correction as one of the top innovations "pioneered - at the turn of the century." That would be... this Century. (youtube.com)
- [videos] Tips from Color Grading Breakdowns - we at Tao HQ love watching breakdown videos. This is a big roundup post of color grading breakdowns—which veers into a roundup of Pablo videos and then finishes with Color Grading Tips from Twitter. (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)
- [video] Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Wonderful World of Color - a terrific critical review of how color is used in this Netflix sitcom. Graded by colorist Roger Doran - known for his work on The Wire, The Americans, and The Michael J. Fox Show - Unbreakable is another example of how terrific color starts in pre-production. (youtube.com)
- [video] 'Focus' and Advanced Workflows: Part 1 - Light Iron’s Michael Cioni covers the FCP X workflow for the feature film 'Focus'. Learn how they generated change lists, worked with multiple editors on a SAN / on-set, shot anamorphic ProRes recorded as a Log profile without creating
gamma-correct dailies (thanks to FCPx applying the correct LUT automatically). Nifty stuff. You can skip to 4:20 mark and not miss anything. (vimeo.com)
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- [podcast] The Current State of Reference Monitors: Part 1 - the first of three parts. This is a Tao of Color Podcast (after a 3-year hiatus!) with Flanders Scientific
sponsor, Bram Desmet. In this episode we dig deep into hardware side of his business. (taoofcolor.com)
- [podcast] Coloristos: NAB 2015 Preview - they "discuss their predictions for NAB 2015, and what they think will be big topics at the show, including the continuing transition to UHD/4K, the rise of HDR, the impact of the Alexa MINI, along with the possibility of Davinci Resolve 12, and the viability of a mid-range control surface." (coloristos.podomatic.com)
- Useful Tools for Editors - includes new (and some
updated) useful color tools for coloring in a non-linear editor. (provideocoalition.com)
- Gradient Skin Map - if you color correct stills in Photoshop then this post is for you. (fstoppers.com)
- [video] Hawaiki Image Analyzer - An FX Factory plug-in for the Apple and Adobe ecosystems. They've got some interesting things going on in this interface. I'm not recommending it, since I haven't used it and it seems like it'll kill the 'flow state' of grading—but it's worth taking a look at and demoing if you're a NLE colorist. (youtube.com via @stevehullfish)
- FCPX LUT
Loader - "users can simply drop the loader on top of their footage and then, use the drop down menu to select or import a CUBE file." Free for a limited time but requires registration details. (store.pixelfilmstudios.com via @stevehullfish)
- Quick Tips for Exporting Great Looking Video - assuming you call a 30-minute video, quick. (premiumbeat.com)
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- Study: 4K Ultra HDTV Adoption To Soar - "this new global demand for 4K UHDTVs is being driven by entry level price points starting below $1,000, a greater availability of models and consumers looking for the latest technology as they go to upgrade their original flat panel TVs." Restated (and editorializing): They're just upgrading and buying the Ultra version of HD without knowing why . . . (hdguru.com)
- Sony Underscores Long-Term Commitment To TV
Category - "Since Sony Corporation revealed last month that the company’s Video and Audio business would follow the “split out” model used on the TV business last year, questions have emerged about the long-term commitment to consumer electronics." This article clarifies Sony's original statement. (hdguru.com)
- Vancouver Tax
Credits Expand To Cover Post-Production - no longer limited to VFX. (studiodaily.com)
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The stories featured in this section are from MixingLight.com, a companion color correction membership website to TaoOfColor.com and this Newsletter. Want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 24-hour Test Drive. - Damage Control: DSLR Music Video Case Study - the introduction to a music video 'breakdown' series, asking for submission of questions. (mixinglight.com)
- [podcast] Using Grain + Broadcast Safe Workflow - Team Mixing Light answers member questions on applying Grain to a still image. Plus a discussion on the Broadcast Safe Workflow. (mixinglight.com)
- [video] Revisiting: Using Scopes For Shot Matching
- at what point do you stop using scopes and start using your eye? An Insight breaking down shot matching into left brain / right brain activity while using FCP X. (mixinglight.com)
- [podcast] File Naming Conventions + Sharpening Blurry Shots - another Q&A session that includes a question from the Managing Editor of this publication. Plus, how far can we go with blurry shots (other than inventing a light-field motion picture camera)? (mixinglight.com)
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- The TLCI Color Rendering Index - What is CRI, CQS and TLCI? They are all designed to let us know how well colors will be accurately reproduced under a particular light source. Learn the problem with the old standard and potential problems with the proposed new ones. (provideocoalition.com)
- Light Painting - What is Light Painting and how do
you do it? It’s something that will get you out of the color suite for a few hours and could make you a better colorist. Or not. (digital-photography-school.com)
- The Perfect Cup of Coffee - it’s fair to say that coffee fuels a lot of Colorists. Now, a 76-year-old man has invented what coffee snobs say is the perfect way to brew coffee - at a fraction of the cost of high-end machines. This is his story. (medium.com)
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Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers |
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- Up.Grade: Post-Graduate 9-Month Full-Time Color Grading Program - "The course will offer both the requisite background knowledge and targeted creative and technical skills-training in the technologies and aptitudes needed in the world of digital colour grading." Colorist Kevin Shaw is one of the first
confirmed instructors. Berlin, Germany. (upgrade.dffb.de via Dirk Meier)
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- [video] How To Be a Filmmaker - this would be a lot funnier if it wasn’t (sadly) so true... and two minutes shorter. (youtube.com via @MarcWielage)
- Pencil Artist Works In Miniature - literally (click through and you'll see, you won't be disap-point-ed). (cultofmac.com)
- Review: Sky Force 2014 For iPad - I used to be a serious gamer. Today, there's no time for it. But once every 6 months I decide to hunt for an iPad game to sate that hunger. I figured I'd share the one that next's on my list. Hopefully
it's good. (ipadinsight.com)
- [video] Inside A Camera At 10,000FPS -
It's funny, fun and informative. A Sunday Morning Fun(nies) trifecta. (filmmakeriq.com)
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- Android-Powered 4K Shield Set-Top Box - part gaming console, part media center. "The Shield is capable of outputting 4K video at 60Hz—a first for Android-based set-top boxes—and features a remote control that doubles as a Bluetooth listening device . . .
Voice control functionality is enabled through a microphone built into the remote." (9to5google.com)
- How To Build A Home Server Using FreeNAS - "For about what I paid for my old Windows Home Server I was able to put together a beast of a machine with about 10TB of storage, a hexacore CPU, and a ton of memory." (tested.com)
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- [video] Understanding Hard Drive Technology - sounds boring right? Wrong. This is stuff you need to know, especially with larger ‘(fill-in the number) K’ formats. Part 2 of a video series called an Insider’s Guide to
Digital Workflows. (missiondigital.co.uk)
- FSI: New
Interactive Monitor Menu Simulator Now Online - a nifty online tool that lets you figure out how to use dozens of features built into an FSI display. (flandersscientific.com)
- LG Reveals 2015 4K OLED TV Strategy - "LG fully intends to make OLED TV mainstream by lowering the entry price point. Western Europe, including the UK, has been earmarked as a lead market to present greater volumes of OLED sets." (hdtvtest.co.uk)
- 4K Shootout: Four Macs and Six GPUs With A Dell 5K Display - Say this 10 times fast: "With the best NVIDIA and AMD GPUs, the 2008-2012 Mac Pro towers are more than a match for the 2013 Mac Pro (with Dual D700s) and the 2014 iMac 5K (with M295X) when running at 4K." (barefeats.com)
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- How Experts Practice Better Than The Rest - One word: Intention. (entrepreneur.com)
- Giving Effective Feedback - the key elements of candor. (hbr.org)
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- My Favorite Part Of The Qatar Airways A380 Flight - You'll need to click through to see what this frequent flyer thought was the best feature of the worlds largest wide-body commercial aircraft operated by one of the most luxurious airlines in the world. If you click through at the end of this post to surf the Qatar Official Site Tour of this aircraft then tell me... a step too far? (chrisguillebeau.com)
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- [social] 18th Media Motion Ball - the attendee list tends to read like a Who's Who of post-production professionals. If this is your first NAB, a great place to meet the people who guide others through this industry. Price includes a buffet-style sit down dinner. Monte Carlo Hotel. Monday. (mediamotionball.com)
- [social] 14th SuperMeet - the Ultimate (and granddaddy) of the classic User Group. Big stage. Big presentations. A unbelievably massive raffle. The last few years had a Grand Prize raffle of a $30,000 DaVinci Resolve Colorist Control Surface... Early Bird pricing is in effect. Riveria Hotel. Tuesday. (supermeet.com)
- [PPW] How to Think Like a Colorist - the highlight of my NAB teaching schedule, it's 5 sessions of nuthin' but color grading. We're not ready to announce our A-List colorist presentation... but it's looking like a doozy! (nab15.mapyourshow.com)
- [PPW] The Full Grid - if you buy a full pass to Post | Production World then what kind of classes can you
choose between? A PDF download of Field Trips, classes and certifications. (nabshow.com)
- [PPW] SpeedGrade, LOG & RAW, Roundtripping and On-Set Sessions - with MixingLight's Robbie Carman. (nab15.mapyourshow.com)
- Aerial Robotics and Drone Theater - long-time readers know my fascination with video drones. It looks like NAB is catering to the fascination. The link takes you to a list of drone-related sessions. (nab15.mapyourshow.com)
- [PPW] Registration - Yeah, it's annoying figuring out where to sign up if you want to attend a Post | Production World event. Here's the link (you start by giving your name and email). You can buy One-Day or
Multi-Day Passes to the educational sessions. (registration.experientevent.com)
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Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading! 7,750+ Stories Now Shared
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The Book Shelf
- Color Correction Handbook, Updated - Alexis Van Hurkman has updated his Color Correction Handbook, which has set the standard for learning all things color correction. (amazon.com)
- Color Correction Look Book - This is the second part of the Color Correction Handbook, exploring the creative techniques for over 200 different visual looks. A sort-of recipe book for colorists.
(amazon.com)
- The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction - Read how a dozen different colorists grade the same footage with the same gear, differently. A fantastic approach to learning the craft of color grading by Steve Hullfish. (amazon.com)
- Autodesk Smoke Essentials - Walk through grading a short sci-fi film (with downloadable ProRes4444 source material) while learning the ultimate online finishing app... Autodesk Smoke. (amazon.com)
- Color Grading with Avid and Symphony - Written for version 6. Fully applicable to version 7. I was a contributor. (amazon.com)
- Adobe Speedgrade CC: Classroom in a Book - A solid book for a solid grading app. (amazon.com)
- Digital Cinematography: Fundamentals, Tools, Techniques and Workflows - Don't let the title fool you. I'm only a third way through this book and its explanations of how digital images are recorded, sampled and viewed is essential knowledge for anyone who's craft intersects with digital images. Not light reading. But not filled with math either. I highly recommend this book. (amazon.com)
Have a book you think should be in this list? Reply to this email and let me know!
FCC Disclaimer: Links in this email to Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or ToolFarm are Affiliate links that help support the TaoOfColor.com. FSI is a paid sponsor. Tao of Color, Inc. is part owner of MixingLight.com. BlackMagic Design is a current client.
We thank you for your support.
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Managing Editor:
jim@jimwicks.com
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Published by:
Patrick Inhofer: Photon-Wrangler, Fini.tv | TaoOfColor.com | MixingLight.com
patrick@taoofcolor.com
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