Once you've set up your project in Final Cut Pro and installed Blackmagic Desktop Video on your computer, you're just about ready to grade HDR video using the Ninja Inferno as an external monitor. You'll probably want to edit your project in 1080p and export in 4K. Note: This section is a work in progress! I'm getting... Continue Reading →
HDR: Revised Cost Alert and Other Stuff
Any professional videographer shooting V-Log Lite or HLG with the GH5 should probably already own the Ninja Inferno anyhow, since it unlocks 4K 60p 10 bit. So if you already own an HDR smartphone, the investment required to begin editing HDR turns out to be a mere $145.00 for a converter. Nearly all NLEs now support... Continue Reading →
How to Enable Desktop Video Utility on a Mac
Before harnessing the power (!) of Blackmagic Design's UltraStudio Mini Monitor to edit HDR video using the Ninja Inferno as an external monitor, you must first install Desktop Video. However, after installation, you may discover that the device is not recognized when running MacOS High Sierra 10.13. Here are the steps you should take in... Continue Reading →
When, Oh When, HDR?
What exactly is the point of advertising that the Ninja Inferno is also able to serve as a portable editing solution if the required converter costs triple or quadruple what you paid for the recorder/monitor itself? But that's exactly what Atomos is doing. I was on the phone with Atomos technical support in Melbourne this... Continue Reading →
Which Capture Device for the Ninja Inferno?
Atomos widely promotes their Ninja Inferno not only as a professional external monitor and recorder for cameras, but also for use as a portable editing and grading monitor - but information on exactly what connector is needed is both scarce and conflicting. I wrote Blackmagic Design and AJA last week, telling them I'd like to... Continue Reading →
The Point of No Return
Since uploading my first HLG HDR video to YouTube the other day and seeing those inky blacks and brilliant highlights, I'm hooked. There's no turning back. Granted, I didn't do any color correction, so the colors were off - maybe a touch cyan? - but overall, I was quite pleased with what I saw. Thrilled,... Continue Reading →
How To Upload HLG HDR to YouTube in Two Minutes
There are now one or two excellent online tutorials for grading in HDR for delivery to YouTube, however (1) they restrict the discussion to V-Log L; (2) the workflows are either in DaVinci Resolve or NLEs other than FCPX; (3) they require the use of expensive external monitors and (4) they're overly long and complicated,... Continue Reading →
Lumix GH5: Shooting Models at Night in 4K HDR
My very first HDR upload to YouTube. Should be viewed on an HDR television or smart phone. Expect workflow tomorrow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15VPpnGxG0E If your television does not show the following flags, you're not viewing in HDR. "Hold Me Close" by Ryan Andersen Creative Commons
Get Five More Stops of Dynamic Range from Your GH5 Today!
I know some think I've been going on too long about the GH5s, so this will be my last post about the camera. 😂 Many have already pre-ordered the GH5s for its increased low light sensitivity and supposedly greater dynamic range. Not a few of these filmmakers have owned the GH5 for less than a... Continue Reading →
The Top Ten HDR Reference Monitors for Under $800!
Just kidding! Before I delve further into the current monitor situation for HDR, let me first rattle off some of the specs of the 27" Dell UP2718Q, talk a bit about why it's so freakin' awesome, then why you might not want to pull the trigger just yet, and lastly suggest some options that won't require you... Continue Reading →
Eight Excuses To Not Shoot HDR
OLED isn't the holy Grail: Most reviewers, and more importantly, professional colorists I've read and listened to in podcasts and in interviews believe that OLED delivers near perfect picture quality. CEO and General Manager of Flanders Scientific Bram Desmet has gone on at length about the superior picture quality of OLED. At the risk of repeating myself, DisplayMate considers the recent line... Continue Reading →