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đ OPEN CHALLENGE: Clarifying Color Spec Terminology (A good-faith effort to align our industry with standards) From âDon't repeat these mistakes about color spaces and HDR: insights from the demo "Debunking HDR" by Steve Yedlin (Part 2),â by Daniel Bañuelos CuĂ©llar. Iâm offering 2 hours of 1:1 consultation (HDR workflows, color science, or post strategy)... Continue Reading →
Spatial Contrast: Spatial contrast refers to the difference in brightness between adjacent areas in an image. Why it matters: HDRâs superpower isnât extreme nitsâitâs faithfully reproducing spatial contrast relationships that SDR compresses. Supplement to: HDR Myths, Terminology-Driven Workflow Errors + Practices, Etc. The Path Forward Expose for highlight retention (ETTR) Grade for local,... Continue Reading →
HDR in Practice: Separating Technical Reality from Cinematic Mythology Persistent misconceptions about High Dynamic Range imagingâfrom exposure dogma to creative workflowsâcontinue to undermine its potential. This critique dismantles a dozen pervasive fallacies using empirical research and industry evidence. Practically each myth violates fundamental vision science, a theme that will be developed further in our upcoming... Continue Reading →
Estamos cansadosâtired of the gaslighting. But silence lets misinformation win. This breakdown helps you recognize manipulation tactics corrupting our industry. Naming them is professional accountability, not personal attack. Tactic: Scapegoating Tools âIdeally, standard naming should make communication simpler. But I get how challenging it is to maintain clarity while evolving the standards themselves. What I... Continue Reading →
Listening to a celebrated DP explain HDR to revered colleagues on a popular podcast the other day was like overhearing a 17th-century explorer describing fantastical beasts to their monarch: âAnd you wonât believe this, but this âso-called HDRâ actually has TWO color spaces! But sometimes they use the smaller one - a âhybridâ, so to... Continue Reading →
âThose of us in post-production live at the crossroads between artistic and technical. I've noticed a troubling trend: using technical knowledge as gatekeeping - ridiculing those who don't use 'right' terms instead of fostering collaboration." - Daniel Bañuelos CuĂ©llar| LinkedIn (July 2025) Spread Inaccuracies â> Play The Victim Bañuelosâ âanti-gatekeepingâ plea is damage control for... Continue Reading →
Steve Yedlin claims ITU-R BT.2100 = SMPTE ST 2084. A DaVinci Resolve certified trainer messaged me, remarking that DaVinci Resolve uses the same terminology as Steve Yedlin does in his anti-HDR presentation: âHi Jon! I think this kind of labels in Davinci Resolve, also referred as "display color space" as Yedlin use in the image... Continue Reading →
âBT.1886 is not designed for any specific brightness of viewing environment. It is based on the black level of the display. We do not recommend it at all.â - Steve Shaw, CEO of Light Illusion (2019) This unequivocal rejection from a calibration-industry leader dismantles Steve Yedlinâs core argument in "Debunking HDR" â that SDR workflows... Continue Reading →
Steve Yedlinâs presentation âDebunking HDR" makes a bold claim: âOnly SDR can faithfully reproduce relative contrast as authored by filmmakers." This argument underpins his entire critique of HDR workflows. During a Technical Webinar, Dolbyâs Samuel Bilodeau directly challenged Yedlinâs core premise. https://youtu.be/gT8Arb7xp3I?si=AYH0Y6IWXLK2B56d&t=1745 Bilodeau argues (29:00): We don't broadcast BT.1886; we broadcast Rec.709. When combined, Rec.709... Continue Reading →
In âDebunking HDRâ, Steve Yedlin commits two serious technical sins - he mislabels BT.1886 (an EOTF) as a âcolor spaceâ and falsely claims BT.2100 = SMPTE ST2084. This isnât semantics - itâs professional negligence. This misrepresentation has fueled an epidemic of color-spec illiteracy. Enter Stephen R. George Jr., a veteran of Sony, Technicolor, ARRI and... Continue Reading →
A prominent display calibration company portrays color scientist Josh Pines as a rebel challenging industry norms. But Pinesâ rhetoric reveals a deeply reactionary mindset. Worse, companies like Portrait Displays platform his anti-HDR views while selling HDR tools - a paradox exposing industry-wide dissonance. "For eons, as a species, we've been obsessed with taking real world... Continue Reading →
Compiled by Jon Pais/Daejeon Chronicles | Supporting the upcoming manifesto: The HDR Creatorâs Companion đ The Problem High Dynamic Range (HDR) video is plagued by persistent myths, technical misunderstandings, and pedagogical malpractice. Worse, when confronted with evidence, prominent figures and organizations consistently double down on their errors rather than correct them. This stifles creativity, misleads... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 