More luscious HDR goodness, this time shot with the 16-35mm GM, 50mm f/1.4 Planar and 85mm f/1.8 lenses. Mostly architecture around Ho Chi Minh City from the French colonial era. Forget everything you heard about HLG being backward compatible: the clip must be viewed on an HDR display or it will look dreadful. https://youtu.be/3agRiX5kD5g "Ruby"... Continue Reading →
How to Expose for Skin Tones HLG HDR
Experts recommend anywhere between 55-60 IRE for skin tones, but in flat lighting, it might be beneficial to go as high as 65-70 IRE to prevent the image from becoming dull and lifeless. Naturally, one must take care not to overexpose, or the image will appear washed out. https://youtu.be/BRiH_MHmoUU
How to Publish HLG HDR Projects to YouTube Using Compressor
Occasionally, YouTube doesn’t recognize the master files I create in Final Cut Pro as HLG HDR, so I’ve taken to uploading my HDR projects to YouTube through Compressor. 1) Send completed project to Compressor from Final Cut Pro. 2) Click on project. 3) Once project has finished loading, click on ‘add’ under settings in the... Continue Reading →
Just Go Out and Shoot!
In December of 2017, I purchased the Ninja Inferno to get 4K 60p out of my GH5 and to be able to use the recorder as an HDR grading monitor but things didn’t quite go as planned... https://youtu.be/G5TjHzGbVnw
Saigon to a Cuban Beat: HLG HDR Sample Footage
Sample footage, Sony a7 III HLG HDR. To be seen correctly, must be viewed on an HDR display. SDR (standard dynamic range) rec. 709 video contains at most around six or seven stops of dynamic range while HLG HDR video is capable of as many as 17.5 stops - though both the Sony and my... Continue Reading →
How to Upload Sony HLG HDR to YouTube from Final Cut Pro X in 2 Minutes
Note: Apparently, FCPX update 10.4.6 was supposed to finally address the stability issue that has plagued Final Cut for so long, whereby sharing to YouTube from within the app would inevitably fail; nevertheless, as of this writing, I still suggest making a master file. Update: Occasionally, my master files weren't recognized as HLG HDR videos by YouTube... Continue Reading →
The Shogun Inferno as HDR Grading Monitor
At long last, I can confirm that the Shogun Inferno ($1,195) does indeed work with the Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Monitor ($137) and 2016 MacBook Pro. This is currently one of the least expensive options for grading HDR in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve on a Mac. A word of caution: the Ninja Inferno... Continue Reading →
Light at the End of the Tunnel?
In my quest to come up with the easiest workflow for HDR, without the hassle of purchasing a half-dozen LUTs; investing in expensive reference monitors; complex project, rendering and delivery settings; HDR to SDR conversions; complicated scripts; and i/o devices costing as much as a brand new a7R III, I've run up against just one... Continue Reading →
Ninja Inferno Saga Continues
In spite of my messages to them, Mystery Box, without so much as verifying their claims, still insist that the Ninja Inferno, coupled with the BlackMagic Design Ultrastudio Mini Monitor, will work as a grading monitor with any computer: And since you’re working with a 1080 display and are managing the HDR interpretation yourself, you can... Continue Reading →
Ninja Inferno Input Not Found
This video illustrates the problem I'm having getting the Ninja Inferno to work with the Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Monitor and Desktop Video Utility. If and when I find the answer, we can begin using the Inferno as a portable HDR grading monitor. https://youtu.be/zUCzAk5OSlE
Don’t Let Your Clients See the HDR Grade!
In one of Arri’s papers covering the basics of HDR, this stood out the most: Should I grade HDR or SDR first? There is no consensus in the industry yet, which color grading strategy is better. Both approaches are being used today by HDR productions. The advantage of first grading for SDR is that most... Continue Reading →
How to Use the Ninja Inferno for Grading HDR Video in Final Cut Pro
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 Daejeon Chronicles 