We just revised the section on working color spaces in the Monster Guide, so we're sharing it here. When it comes to post-processing, using the fewest number of transforms and working at the highest available bit depth in a native color space greater than the display color space are key to preserving the greatest image... Continue Reading →
“We don’t actually know what the ones and zeros that we’re putting on the drives are actually telling us”
Patrick Inhofer, CEO, Mixing Light, on the perils of grading with today's reference displays: "We're in a situation now where the color volumes we're working at, the nit ranges we're working at, the brightness values we're working at, exceed the ability of any modern display to reproduce. When HDR came out, the specifications were designed... Continue Reading →
Phil Holland’s philmColor
https://youtu.be/WwqGGwdO09U Just trying out some different looks. Hà and her fiancée invited me over to shoot video and have lunch this afternoon. This clip was shot in available light, no fill, with the Meike 50mm s35 cinema lens. It was recorded at ISO 400, pulled down to ISO 320 in post and I used my patented... Continue Reading →
Flanders Scientific XMP550 55″ QD-OLED HDR Mastering Monitor
Flanders Scientific has announced the XMP550 reference mastering monitor featuring a UHD QD OLED panel with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits. The display is equipped with a waveform and vectorscope as well as an adjustable false color mode. The XMP550 also features Auto Calibration: simply plug in any supported probe and the monitor will... Continue Reading →
If You’re Using DWG, You Must Read This
An astrologer who shoots his content with a Sony mirrorless camera and who follows Cullen Kelly's YouTube channel asked whether it made any difference if he used Resolve Color Management and DaVinci Wide Gamut or a CST (as Cullen demonstrated in his short DaVinci Resolve tutorial) to which we replied: "They should look identical. However,... Continue Reading →
The Alexa 35: ARRI’s Most Digital-Looking Camera
The Alexa 35 is arguably ARRI's most coveted camera to date, but it also the produces the most digital-looking footage of any camera the venerable German manufacturer has yet released. Noise The noise of Alexa cameras is said to have been modeled on scans of actual film grain, resulting in a more pleasing, organic looking... Continue Reading →
Has anyone else seen this on a YT video before?
Last month, The Verge wrote about the feature: "YouTube's introducing an “enhanced” 1080p HD video quality for Premium subscribers — but it’s only available on iOS for now, with the option coming to web soon. According to YouTube, the new 1080p Premium option is “an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p” that’s supposed to make things... Continue Reading →
Atomos support for Apple ProRes RAW plugins
This is great news for ProRes RAW shooters. From NewsShooter: “Atomos has announced immediate support for Apple ProRes RAW plug-ins. Apple ProRes RAW plug-ins are a new innovation that lets camera manufacturers provide their own ProRes RAW processing pipeline to take advantage of the unique properties of their cameras, sensors, lenses, and more. With the... Continue Reading →
Tyler Purcell Is A Moron
An old post over at Cinematography.com that never grows old. Tyler can be forgiven for thinking there's no HDR content on Netflix, but 2K deliverables? :))
Working Color Space: What Colorists Aren’t Telling You
Almost without exception, colorists on YouTube who recommend using a working color space other than the native color space of the camera do so without explaining to their followers that this requires making a viewing LUT during pre-production. It’s difficult to conceive how anyone preoccupied with color management could overlook this critical detail. The following... Continue Reading →
Spotlight on Armando Salas, ASC
Can you share with the group how HDR came into your life? What was your experience, your first impressions and especially how, and if they have changed at all, with the other projects you've done? A.S.: I was hired on Ozark, on season 2. I was finishing another show and I was alternating with Ben Kutchins... Continue Reading →
RED Komodo-X TBA
Phil Holland writes: Summary of likely things or known things:- Locking RF Mount- Front Side Record button- Very likely still a top screen- Very likely compatible with DSMC3 monitors now, but not confirmed- Very likely CFexpress Type-B media- Unknown Battery Mount- Very likely 6K resolution, S35 or S35+ sensor with higher unknown framerates. Likely 60fps... Continue Reading →
Budget For Highlights: SDR vs HDR
We’ve written a lot about specular highlights, how there should be enough headroom above diffuse white and how studies have shown participants prefer specular highlights appreciably brighter than diffuse white, by as much as 3X or even more. Just how does that figure compare to SDR video? “In traditional imaging, the range allocated to these... Continue Reading →
DaVinci Resolve 18.5 Beta Adds Support For Sony XAVC RAW Controls
Not sure how this is even possible, but Alister Chapman writes: “In addition Black Magic design have just release the public beta of DaVinci Resolve 18.5. With this update you can now use the Raw controls in the Grading room to control the ISO/White Balance/Tint etc of S-Log3 footage from the FX series cameras. This... Continue Reading →
Apple To Phase Out LCDs and miniLEDs By 2026
According to Omdia, Apple will be completely phasing out LCDs and miniLEDs from its mobile devices by 2026. source
How To Use Cullen Kelly’s Exposure Chart DCTL For 18% Middle Gray
Pick up your free 18% Middle Gray Chart here.
Gamut Rings Greatly Overemphasize Light Areas of Color Volume
“Arbitrarily placing the HDR peak intensity white at L=100 grossly distorts the Lightness curve, and would not be a good Lightness predictor.” Chris Lilley, W3C, 2020 Charles Poynton and David A. LeHoty argue that the color volume metrics used to calculate gamut rings are flawed, greatly overestimating actual coverage, allowing manufacturers to make exaggerated claims... Continue Reading →
Why a 10% test pattern is so signifcant
The luminance just falls off a cliff beyond the 10% window on this display, so it must be useless for grading HDR, right? Actually, it's still used to this day by LA-based post-production houses and around the world for mastering shows for Amazon, Netflix, Disney et al. Read on. Photo: Brian Florian
Sony Announces New Virtual Production Tool Set
From Sony’s press release: Sony Electronics Inc. is announcing a new Virtual Production Tool Set to help improve pre-production and on-set workflows. The new tool set works with the Sony VENICE, Crystal LED and other HDR-enabled LED walls to improve performance and help solve common virtual production challenges such as color matching and moiré to... Continue Reading →
Ambient Light: Impact On Dynamic Range
It’s been a while since the bad old days when we used to binge-watch Netflix shows till the early morning hours, first on an LG C7, then on an LG CX, but we began re-watching the gritty French crime series Ganglands last night in order to see whether we couldn’t formulate a more coherent argument as to... Continue Reading →