I woke up this past Thursday morning announcing to the Tao Treasurer, "Over the August break I'm going to re-design the Newsletter." By Friday night, the redesign was done! Mostly.

ABOUT THE REDESIGN

It comes almost precisely 8 years (!) and 363 editions after the very first Tao Colorist Newsletter (which looked atrocious - but was similarly completed in two days).

My goals were simple: Simplify the Newsletter by cutting down the categories and re-focusing; find online tools to speed up curation and newsletter generation; step away from pull-quote summaries and put my voice back in; modernize the look that retains the feel but is fully responsive and easier to read.

I think I've achieved those goals.

THIS WEEK ALSO WELCOMES A NEW SPONSOR: FilmConvert

Shout out to FilmConvert for jumping on board. I've been using their products for years - so I was very pleased when they reached out! (turns out, they are long-time readers too)

And as a Tao Colorist Newsletter reader, FilmConvert's giving you an automatic 10% discount on their products using the code in their ad.

Now... let's get to the new-look Newsletter!

Happy Grading!!!

- Pat Inhofer
  Colorist | Publisher

This article by well known DP Steve Yedlin, ASC has recently resurfaced. If you missed his thoughts about film LUTs... then this is a MUST read. (yedlin.net)

One of the few awards with several color grading categories. You do not have to be working in Hollywood or from the United States. (hollywoodprofessionalassociation.com)

Many of the same things that effect the perception of color on brand packaging also effect color perception of our displays. Read, learn, and commiserate with our printing peers. (insights4print.ceo)

[video] Normally this item would go in the Tools section of this Newsletter. But as often happens with Juan Melara's blog posts, this one moves into the realm of Craftsmanship. If you own Film Convert (who happens to be this Newsletter's latest Sponsor) then you may find this very interesting. (juanmelara.com.au)

[video] If you're in FCPx then you'll find Sam Mestman's tip on 'auditioning' color looks an interesting hack. It introduces Resolve-like cycling of Versions. (provideocoalition.com)

Pomfort offers up a fundamentals tutorial on log recording workflows - for anyone working on set. (pomfort.com)

Frame.io has added the ability for clients to review more than just moving images. It supports frames up to 8K, including annotations, comments, and zooming. It's not just for post anymore. (provideocoalition.com)

Don't let this title fool you. I look forward to this yearly, summer roundup from Scott Simmons. This summer, he has several nifty conform tools. Lots of utilities for Mac users. And some strange random items for lazy days sipping whiskey, poolside. (provideocoalition.com)

[video] This Lightroom technique is just as effective (and quick) on moving images. Definitely a process you need in your toolbox. (fstoppers.com)

This is a Windows 10 101 article, mainly for my Windows-newbie readers coming from Mac. It shows several methods of installing Windows updates - assuming you've dialed down or skipped Microsoft's auto-updates. (pugetsystems.com)

[video] What makes an award-winning grade so special? Dan attempts to break down what made the Lacoste 'Timeless' commercial so special and how we can pick up some tips to use on our own grades. (mixinglight.com)

[audio] Team Mixing Light continues the advice theme of recent episodes and discusses the best advice we've received that's helped our color correction careers. It's an interesting discussion - since we have to open up about failings we've (hopefully) overcome. (mixinglight.com)

[video] What are the features of the Resolve Mini control surface that excites me - a long-time Tangent Elements user? In this Resolve Mini video review, see several exciting features in action - plus a bug that confuses things. Free, in front of the paywall. (mixinglight.com)

I've seen a few forum discussion on RAM speeds for PC color grading rigs. This pithy article offers Ryzen RAM speed suggestions - which differ depending on your Ryzen setup. (pugetsystems.com)
 

[forum] In this thread, forum members share the initial Cinebench performance numbers. How fast is it? Are you kidding me? My grading rig is very depressed. (liftgammagain.com)

For the hard-core PC-heads this article gives you all the naked numbers and details. It's more than enough to make any Mac-head blush. (anandtech.com)

This review does a nice job visually comparing the major control surfaces. It covers using the Wave2 in Resolve and Premiere Pro. The Wave2 seems like a well executed update to the original. (jonnyelwyn.co.uk)

[forum] If you use your Elements on a regular basis then you know the song being sung in this thread (with helpful pictures of the crime). Do you have a suggestion to help a fellow traveler? Be sure to chime in. Personally, I recommend contacting Tangent directly for replacements. (liftgammagain.com)

LG is shipping a 4K cinema laser projector... and it doesn't cost more than your car! The only question remaining: How well does it calibrate? (hdguru.com)

[video] Watch Vincent Laforet put the sensors through his tests. Then click through to the Vimeo site to download the 4K test footage and view on your (color managed) 4K display. (newsshooter.com via Marc Wielage)

In the back of your mind you've always known that Netflix must have test footage they've shot and used to quality control their streaming (in fact, on Netflix search for Test Patterns if you want to be mesmerized - or driven insane. Although they have a good one for testing your 5.1 and Atmos setup). This article details the history of their test footage, specs and everything. It's interesting - and fun, for the right kind of colorist. (medium.com)
 

I've long been critical about the ending of my country's manned space program. But at least we've gotten good at these small scale projects. New Horizon is a great case-in-point. If it's 1/3 as successful as the Mars rovers, it'll be a great science project to be proud about. And it just woke from hibernation. (theverge.com)