Colorist Newsletter #415

Published: Sun, 09/22/19

Issue CDXV: The Broadband Deployment Edition
The Tao of Color Grading Newsletter
Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor 
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sundays.
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This Newsletter catches us up on IBC color-related news and hold-overs from my August recess.

I've got more articles than normal, so let's get right to it.

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 '[email protected]'! Include a quick reason for the suggested link.)

- Patrick Inhofer
Colorist | Publisher | Coach
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The Craft
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.
Abel Cine LA is holding a Dolby Vision session about the new 4.0 specification. Plus, get the inside scoop on how MTI's Cortex approaches Dolby Vision mastering, presented by CEO Larry Chernoff. September 26, 6:30pm. Registration required.
There's a session on Avid finishing in a DaVinci Resolve workflow. Plus the colorist of Netflix's 'Russian Doll' is on a panel discussing the merger of tech and creative. I'm linking to the list of 'Session Highlights'. October 16-17.
An interesting article on perception and people's willingness to believe anything... written from the perspective of a professional creator of 'deep fakes'.
"Sam Mestman takes look at the current state of the industry and describes what he would do to capitalize on future trends and opportunities." I think Sam gets this mostly right.
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The Tools
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. 
(webinar) Presented by SGO, "Learn how to comply and deploy efficient but yet flexible Color Management strategies in Mistika Boutique using ACES and Dolby Vision." Registration required.

 

This new download installs the RAW editing plug-in for Media Composer and Premiere Pro. Plus the RAW Speed Test app which now runs on Window, too.

 

This plug-in is now cross-platform and available to Adobe and FCPX users. Is it for you? Check out the review.
For those of you finishing in FCPx, a new set of Looks from the FxFactory family.
A PR email went out announcing the official retirement of the SpectraCal brand. CalMAN now flies under the Portrait Displays banner. They've updated their website and this link takes you to the CalMAN page. One thing to note: Since the acquisition, the free CalMAN profile-only option is no longer offered.
For my DIT friends who were also on vacation last month... the new version includes lots of functionality that also feeds into Pomforts new LiveGrade Studio (for managing multicam productions directly from your DIT cart).
I've selected this item for readers thinking of getting into the IMF mastering business. This article details the pricing of one such tool... revealing why small shops tend not to offer this service.
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Pushing Photons
These stories are from MixingLight.com's membership Library. It's a color grading website (Tao Of Color is co-Owner). Do you want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 7-Day Test Drive.​​​ There's also a free Resolve 14 Course and color correction Practice Projects.
The film and television production and distribution pipeline is quickly evolving to support wide color gamuts. What's pushing this change?

 

Learn several strategies for not resenting projects and clients & getting totally burned out.

 

As media professionals we need to protect our digital identities from being used to spear-phish our clients. Learn how DMARC does this.

 

The Gear
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.
Their new family of i1 colorimeters includes the i1Display Plus, that can measure up to 2000 nits. XRite's native software generates ICC profiles for computer displays. You'll need to confirm with your calibration software about support to generate calibration LUTs.

 

"The 2009-2012 Mac Pro tower was designed so well that it is very easy to upgrade. Let's count the ways." CPU, GPU, Memory, Storage, and more. Click through to see if you missed anything. Or, if you're like me and moved to Windows, click through to see the hoops you don't have to jump through anymore.
I ran across this, helping a client out to see if they have high-speed internet feeding their home or work addresses. I punched in my address, and it was 100% correct. Bookmark this - you'll thank me when it's time to figure out if you can buy faster upload speeds.
Drool: "Aimed at replacing dual-display setups used by business customers." The nice feature is a built-in KVM switch to control a second PC. I'm thinking: Scopebox on MacMini while grading. Switch to dual-screen Windows Resolve while editing and conforming.

 

Did you see Sony's gigantor MicroLED display at a recent trade show? Maybe you remember me mentioning a portable version of that display at Infocomm Orlando? The estimated pricing is in this article. As it states, this modular display (ranging from 110- to 790- inches) is targeted to "well-funded consumers". A-yup.
Other manufacturers are also supporting this initiative from the UHD Alliance. It's supposed to work consistently across all manufacturers - a one-button switch for turning off all the 'video enhancement' junk that pros turn off when they unbox a new set.

 

You don't need to click through, here's the deal: This display is AMD certified as an HDR display. Here are the top-line manufacturer specs: 90% DCI-P3 at 400 nits with a 3000:1 static contrast ratio. Too bad this newsletter doesn't have a 'Not Fun(nies)' section. On the plus side, it does have active noise cancellation built-in - presumably for CPU, GPU, and hard drive noise reduction.

 

Sunday Fun(nies)
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.
(video) An embedded video of a film projectionist threading up a 70mm film print. Definitely fun.

 

It's fun to imagine this technology going wide-scale.
Th- th- th- that's all folks! See you next Sunday!