This week I've got some odds and ends left over from the August break. Plus, an interesting Fusion technique for seamlessly hiding jump cuts, and an article with one of the world's best colorists that goes beyond the typical PR fluff.

Well, I have to get back outside as we finish prepping the lawn for autumn. Have a great week. I'll see you next Sunday.

Happy Grading!

(Remember - if you have a story that's a fit for this Newsletter, hit reply or email it to 'newsletter@taoofcolor.com'! Include a quick reason for the suggested link.)

- Patrick Inhofer
Colorist | Publisher | Coach

A fine interview with colorist Stephen Nakamura on pushing his techniques in this horror sequel. You'll get some Insights on a few challenging scenes and his use of DaVinci Resolve. (via Dario Bigi)

What are the latest vertical video specs for a social media platform your client is targeting? This blog post contains, "video and ad specs for all your top networks such as: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Youtube and Pinterest." Bookmark it.

Another guide to social media vertical videos, "Master vertical video on Facebook, Instragram, YouTube, and Snapchat with this complete vertical video guide. Aspect ratios, tips, and more" In case you need to double check those specs from the previous item.

(video) After running through a few simple tricks for covering jump cuts, Damian Allen takes you into Fusion's stereo tools to create a morph effect. It starts at 7:29.

This player promises to fix the nonsense of playback color shifts on the Mac OS that plague colorists - from the creators of Lattice. What Lattice needs to do is create a scheme for us to send our clients temporary licenses.

(videos) You want to be great at creating Looks – because every one of your clients will ask for a Look, eventually. Follow this Flight Path add a few new techniques to your color grading toolkit.

(video) Learn how to use DaVinci Resolve to finish and output coutless versions of broadcast promos, easy fast and without any mistakes.

(video) Dan answers some comments from members about why he adds his grain to the image at the very beginning of his node graph?

If you're about to build a rig around Intel then October has been good for you. The i9 series 10th-gen chipsets are getting drastic pricing cuts, 4 more PCI lanes, but still at PCIe 3.0. Click through for more details.

Redefining HDR: 400 nits. 1000:1 contrast ratio. I like the people at BenQ but marketing for monitors is enough to burst the head of any color-loving pro. Then, sites like Toms Hardware take these HDR claims at face value, spreading disappointment about HDR.

This item is only here because after my previous item, I figured I'd link to a story that treats HDR a little more accurately. In this wide screen shootout, the thing to note is the HDR Checklist that Techspot is using. While I think they need to tighten up their criteria, at least they HAVE criteria that are in the ballpark for the technology they're evaluating. Oh, and these displays are priced at $2500.

Super-interesting article including this tidbit on Samsung's 8K displays: They have a Volkswagen-type mechanism that, "detect(s) test patterns such as 1:1 checkerboard used for benchmarking. It then deactivates dynamic pixel rendering, which is... shady." The upshot of that deactivation? It makes the resolution on this panel seem much higher (8K) than it actually is since dynamic pixel rendering is always on, normally.

(video) This is a great blend of traditional arts with modern arts. Fun.