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Trouble reading this newsletter? Read it online: The Tao
Colorist Newsletter Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sunday. Issue CCXLVI
A TaoOfColor.com Publication Publisher: Pat Inhofer Managing Editor: Jim
Wicks
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Yes, today is Wednesday Yes, this is still the Sunday Newsletter but no this newsletter is NOT late. Huh, you ask? Let me explain... This past weekend your humble Publisher was at a 3-Day conference I was evangelizing color correction to FCPX aficionados across three sessions (including, 'How NOT to be really really bad at color correction') - all of which are topics I've presented several times before. But... I obsess over my presentations. I seem to have problems re-using the same old slides with the same old footage and am always trying to improve. So I spent most of my free time working on the presentations. Which left very little time for publishing this Newsletter Add to that - these events are perfect for meeting the people you read here in this Newsletter, many of whom teach at these conferences. They are all industry veterans who are writing, blogging and recording what they've learned so that others may follow in their footsteps. I make an extra effort to spend time with
these people and soak up their collective brilliance. Reducing my time for publishing this Newsletter down to ZERO. Which get us to the point... It may feel like Wednesday to you. But having worked
through the weekend and slipped immediately into a full 8-hour grading session on Monday—yesterday was my Saturday. That means, today is Sunday and we're right on schedule! Seriously, though. Enjoy this delayed edition. And since this upcoming weekend is a holiday, Tao HQ is closed. We won't be publishing this Sunday (or the Wednesday that follows it). We'll see you again on July 12 back on our Abbey Normal Sunday schedule! Happy Grading! |
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- [video] Learn to Use Your Scopes - color grading is a meeting of science and artistry. But if you want to grade like the best, then you need to learn how to use your scopes.
Although, I'm not a fan of the Ansel Adams tonal range metaphors for video color correction used in this post (one day I'll write a post explaining why). (cinema5d.com)
- Maasai Beading: Colors & Symbolism - "The Maasai are one of the most well known Indigenous people of Africa. Their colorful attire and unique customs highlight their vibrant culture . . . have you ever wondered as to the symbolism and social meanings behind their vibrant beadwork?" (colourlovers.com)
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- DaVinci Resolve: 10 Tips to Improve Your Skills - new to color grading? And, Resolve?
Click through for editor Oliver Peters’ tips to help you get a little more comfortable with the nuances of Resolve. (digitalfilms.wordpress.com)
- [video] Grading RAW, LOG, and Rec 709 footage in Lumetri - it assumes you know zero about Premiere Pro CC and demos the full interface before getting to the RAW and LOG stuff. (youtube.com)
- 11 Stupid Backup Strategies - "as Robert Heinlein once said, “It is impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious.” That qualification aside, the system I use . . . offers Mac users a simple way to achieve peace of mind." Want to make it into this Newsletter? Quote Heinlein in the context of post-production. (tidbits.com)
- DaVinci Resolve: How To Prep For A Color Session - good workflow for prepping your NLE timelines.. (premiumbeat.com)
- [video] Autodesk Smoke 2016: Final Cut Pro X Roundtripping Workflow - like the headline says. (youtu.be)
- Meet Adobe Hue CC: Capture Looks With Your Phone, Use Them In Your Edits - formerly known as Adobe Project Candy. (nofilmschool.com)
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- Who Shot the First
Film? - Edison? The Lumiere Brothers? Maybe not. A new documentary argues that the first film was shot in the UK by a man named Louis Le Prince. Who is he? Click through to find out. (bbc.com)
- Looks Live - color grading and applying looks are no longer the domain of colorists. Broadcasters are applying ‘looks’ to live broadcasts. (redsharknews.com)
- The Curious History Of Virtual Reality - "it is interesting to explore the unusual history that has brought us to the current Virtual Reality technologies." Oh, and
the first photo in this blog of the man wearing a VR rig with antennas? Meet Hugo Gernsback (of the Hugo Awards fame), the Tao Treasurer's step-Grandfather. (blog.abelcine.com)
- The Best Email Client For iPhone - you'll be surprised by their winner. (lifehacker.com)
- 2015 Panasonic TVs: Awarded ‘Netflix Recommended TV’ Certification - "shown to comply with the subscription-based over-the-top Internet streaming video service’s specific performance criteria." (hdguru.com)
- Curved TV Displays: Improving The Big
Picture - Apparently, curved screens result in more immersive viewing. Who says so? The people making curved screens. I'm not sure who they're trying to convince, us or themselves? (samsungsemiblog.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 paid sponsor of this Newsletter. Want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 24-hour Test Drive. - [video] Understanding ‘Color Finale’: An FCP X Plug-In - your humble publisher begins his extended survey of the FCP X color correction plug-in market by looking at one of the newest entrants in the field. Free for non-members. (mixinglight.com)
- [video] Setting Up X-Keys: A Control Surface Companion - colorist, finisher and Mixing Light
contributor Josh Petok takes a look at his favorite hardware add-on... that even lets you map mouse actions to a single button push and sits nicely next to your Tangent control surface. (mixinglight.com)
- [video] Overview: Colorista III in FCP X - a look at that latest update to this popular color correction plug-in... including how it processes its images. (mixinglight.com)
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- ‘Mad Max' Centered Framed - "because almost every shot was center framed, comprehending the action requires no hunting of each new shot for the point of interest. The viewer doesn’t need 3 or 4 frames to figure out where to look." Colorists, this sound familiar? (vashivisuals.com)
- [video] In Praise Of Chairs - "In film, a chair is not just a chair. It's a piece of production design. And the kind of chair you choose can say everything about the person and the world they inhabit." A video essay. (studiodaily.com)
- [video] How Lighting Changes Our Perception - of the human face. Be sure to scroll down and watch the embedded Vimeo... very very fascinating. (nofilmschool.com)
- 7 Customer Service Rules for Better Post Production - topping our favorites is the number
one rule that's like the old adage, ‘you have two ears and one mouth - listen twice as much as you speak.’ (library.creativecow.net)
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- 'Avid Everywhere' Live In New York - "Discover how Avid Resolution Independence and the latest Avid Everywhere video solutions can help you accelerate 4K workflows and maximize collaboration." July 29. Interestingly,
Blackmagic is one of the event sponsors. (avid.com)
- Spend a day with Blackmagic Design - it’s
their annual one-day New York City summer event. July 22. Registration required. (blackmagicdesign.com)
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Current Colorist Control Surface Drivers |
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- [video] New Flyover: Apple Campus 2 Construction - after seeing the current ProApps facility and the construction surrounding it at the FCPX Creative Summit, the construction at the mothership is way more interesting. This
video was shot from a helicopter with a 1800mm lens. (9to5mac.com)
- Eye Color Game - kind'a fun if you're a fan of color matching games. (igame.com via @tparish)
- Here’s Why They Don’t Sing The ‘Happy
Birthday’ Song - in Movies and on TV. Most interesting - and news to me - is that you may soon hear it everywhere. (businessinsider.com)
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- Decklink 4K Extreme 12G with Quad SDI - Blackmagic announces an update to their DeckLink card which gives both high speed 12G-SDI connections and four 3G-SDI connections, all on the same card. (moviemachine.tv)
- Overview: Infocom and Display Summit 2015 - Orlando recently hosted Infocom; a trade show that also hosts the Display Summit. I was hoping to attend but paying clients kept me locked in my grading suite. Instead, we've got several stories from the website Display Daily filling us in on some of the developments. This one is a quick overview of the week. Thanks to Bram Desmet for putting this website on my radar. (displaydaily.com)
- [video] Christie's Fast Calibration Tool - for Projection Mapping. Very cool demo. (displaydaily.com)
- [video] Phillips Shows Backward Compatible HDR Signal - by making a normal Rec. 709 display
work in HDR. Color me skeptical. (displaydaily.com)
- [video] Nanosys Calls For Rec 2020 Change - Just in case you thought the spec was 'locked down'. They also explain the precious metal issues that effect their ability to hit the Rec 2020 primaries. Interesting. (displaydaily.com)
- AJA Announces Five New Mini
Converters At InfoComm - because you can never be too connected. (studiodaily.com)
- DaVinci Resolve Control Surface Manual - if you own one of the 'bad boy'
$30K DaVinci Resolve Control Surfaces and don't have someone on staff who know it and can teach it to others... then you know it's almost impossible to fully master—especially given a multitude of undocumented features that experienced colorists like to share with a game of, "Did you know..." Here's a user guide to get you over the hump. Log in required. (iftgammagain.com)
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- File This Under, ‘Oops!’ - here’s a warning for all of us about the perils of letting a domain name lapse. An out-of-date Heinz ketchup QR code led an unsuspecting consumer to a hardcore porn site. The jokes have been making the rounds and for a taste of them (yuck) you'll need to click through. (adweek.com)
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- Coke vs Pepsi: The E. Coli Test - the magazine The Annals of Improbable Research published a neat little petri dish test answering the question: Given a choice, which cola does E. Coli prefer to drink? Seriously. (neatorama.com)
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Th- Th- That's ALL Folks! See you next week. Happy Grading! 8,200+ 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—which is a
sponsor. BlackMagic Design is sometimes a 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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