| Issue CDXXXII: The Shorting SDI Edition |
| The Tao of Color Grading Newsletter |
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Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor
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Last week this Newsletter did not ship. I was recovering from oral surgery that hit me harder than expected.
But all is good. I'm back in the saddle and you're here reading this Sunday morning newsletter with your favorite hot beverage (unless you're on the other side of the globe, in which case you're working on your favorite adult beverage as you prepare to wrap up your weekend).
NAB 2020 Prep
If you're heading to NAB in April and need an exhibits-only pass, register at NAB's website with this code from Newsletter Sponsor Flanders Scientific:
LV7652
This code expires on March 24, after which you'll need to pay to gain entry.
Speaking of Nab...
What's up with the 2020 NAB Colorist Mixer?
Sometime over the past two weeks, the new Colorist Mixer team updated their website and this year the Mixer will be on a Saturday night! Set you calendars accordingly.
I like this development, keeping the Mixer focused as a meet-and-greet - gathering us on the night before the show floor officially opens.
At the time of this writing, tickets are not yet available.
Enjoy this week's Newsletter! I'll see you next Sunday.
Happy Grading!
(and 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
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Featuring the work of creative craftsmen, the theory of color, and industry news. Learn practical workflows, useful theories, and actionable insights from existing (and emerging) leaders and teachers in our industry.
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"Dolby Vision IQ is an update that is designed to adjust the picture based on the ambient room light levels, while trying to maintain the creative intent of the content creator." This is a much more in-depth explanation of the IQ system than a similar article I shared a few weeks ago. If you're into HDR (or want to be), it's a good read.
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This item could go in Gear. It could go in Tools. But it covers some fundamental, and perennially confusing, topics that earns it placement here in the Craft section. Seriously, click through to further your 'DP discussions' education.
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A terrific wrap-up of a solid double-blind study about the perceptual difference of 8K vs 4K viewing using 139 people.
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Wait. What? Is it possible: "People who watch the most movies in cinemas also streamed the most content." What the heck we will all talk about at this year's NAB Colorist Mixer if not how streaming is killing cinema?
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Tao HQ was one of these customers: "Traditional pay-TV providers dropped a staggering 6 million customers, a 7% year-over-year decline." US household penetration of cable/satellite TV has dropped from 87% to 65% in the past 11 years.
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How is the global cinema market doing? This is a detailed look, using stock prices as a proxy for how the various players are faring.
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One word: Streaming (although this article doesn't say so). One interesting tidbit - how many new UHD BluRay machines were announced for 2020? Click through for the answer.
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Our craft keeps changing. And growing. Learn about updates to your favorite software. Discover new tools to help you work faster or more creatively. Build your toolchest with new techniques and approaches.
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Neat's saying they're getting up to 40% speed improvements under Metal in some configurations. I'm looking forward to updating and kicking the tires.
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What if you just spent 85 minutes exporting a 35 minute project and then you had to make one change to a single shot? Would pay $29 for 1-hour access to a tool that could insert that single revised shot into your final rendered export? Bookmark this link, for when that day inevitably occurs.
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Click through for the list of new features and fixes. For you, probably the big ticket item is the list of additional hardware and software that now supports HDR workflows via BMD's Desktop Video app.
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This is article digs deep. Refresh your cup of coffee, put on your noise canceling headphones, and lean forward to learn a thing or two.
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(video) Interesting. This is an app (not a plug-in) that allows you to select an area on your desktop. It then gives you a false color, showing you what color to add to get to neutral - and turns white, when you get there. There's an embedded video showing this app in action.
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The new additions most likely interesting to you? A duo- and tri-tone filter. More interesting, a reformatting tool for quick reframing / exporting to the various social media video sizing requirements - with the varying standards built-in.
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If you haven't already, you'll want to update your internet-connected Windows computers for a range of critical security issues.
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I moved off the PC and came back to the Mac Pro about 2 weeks ago. I was bummed that the startup chime is gone. This article details the Terminal commands to enable and disable it. But I don't plan on using this on my production rig. Instead, I'm using it on the Mac Mini hosting ScopeBox with an external GPU.Sometimes that eGPU fails to enable the display monitor and I'm not sure if the Mini started up or not? This command will be useful.
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(video) Dealing with clipped highlights is a regular annoyance. Learn how to make these artifacts look more natural & intentional with color grading.
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(Podcast) The team answers a member's question about using the CST ResolveFX plugin within a color-managed project.
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Learn how to use Keyboard Maestro and Stream Deck to supercharge your workflow in DaVinci Resolve on Mac with powerful macros.
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Colorist Robbie Carman reflects on 2019 and shares some of his goals for 2020 to help run a stronger color correction business.
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Stay updated on the latest hardware that's shipping - because the craft of color grading isn't just about software. Plus, keep an eye on future equipment trends and hardware odds-and-ends.
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This Newsletter's OS (original sponsor) is back with their pre-NAB sale. If you're in the market for some great displays at reduced prices, click on through (and be sure to read the fine print, so you understand how this program works).
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Gotta love the headlines on Bare Feats. They say precisely what you'll get.
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AnandTech ran some benchmarks suggesting the high-end Threadripper PC processor would benefit from a Windows 10 Pro license, due to multi-threading limitations in the normal W10 license. Other sites haven't found that to be true. Puget offers their own verdict, specifically using the Creative Cloud apps.
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Did you know you can fry you SDI hardware if you don't follow one simple rule when connecting your gear together? This article summarizes a new white paper by ARRI on this topic.
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This might be something to watch for you DITs looking for something super robust. Although pricing isn't announced I'm guessing this is will be a very niche product (and priced accordingly).
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"Like all the latest AMD EPYC processors, the new CPUs also feature 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes, support up to 4 TB of DDR4-3200 DRAM support, and have robust security capabilities."
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Random thoughts, tidbits, and fun stuff that caught my attention this week. Maybe it's color grading related. Maybe not. Ya got'ta read to the end of the Newsletter to find out.
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A faithful reader writes in, "I knew that a colorist is ‘usually’ a person coloring hair in a salon. But a semi racist? That’s a new one (although, it’s true that we do focus a lot on skin tones!)." (via Carl Skaff)
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(video) All it takes is a strategically placed piece of electrical tape (when you see it you'll understand)! Funny. Except, not really.
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| Th- th- th- that's all folks! See you next Sunday. |
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