There’s been a lot of nonsense written about 8K video ever since the announcement of the Canon EOS R5. These videos are essential viewing for those wanting to understand the relationship between the number of pixels and sharpness and a whole bunch of other stuff. Not a single minute is wasted in this fascinating hour-long... Continue Reading →
RAW Remarks
If the 8K RAW sample footage I downloaded and imported into Resolve last night was indeed from the R5, it is a dream to work with. Just a few points though about the RAW craze, ProRes RAW, Sony and what exactly we are looking for in a hybrid camera: 1. Most people cannot grade RAW.... Continue Reading →
Canon’s Solution to 8K Overheating
Photo: ProAV TV I'll be honest - Andrew Reid calling the EOS R5 a 'monstrosity' and Vitaliy Kiselev repeating that it will be "the biggest failure in Canon history" only makes me want this camera more. I had a chance to play with the 8K RAW in Resolve and it was a dream to work... Continue Reading →
Tip for Acquiring the Cinematic Look
One effortless step toward the cinematic look is to place an HSL curve at the very beginning of your grading workflow (after applying Leeming LUT Pro) and desaturating shadows. No desaturation With desaturation
My Response to a Vietnamese Who Claims the Government Is Lying About the Number of Coronavirus Cases
Firstly, if you actually were Vietnamese, you'd know that Covid-19 testing is available in Vietnam. Even as far back as March, the ratio of 791 tests to every confirmed case was by far the highest in the world. Vietnam had conducted 275,000 COVID-19 tests as of May 12. Furthermore, any logical person would understand that... Continue Reading →
Great Skin Tones With DaVinci Resolve & Leeming LUT Pro
Shot with the Sony a7 III and S-log2. https://youtu.be/BLngo0vEX3w
Cognitive Dissonance & Sony Fanboys
While it may be difficult to believe, many in the online community bristle at the very idea of adding video features to Sony cameras, preferring instead that Sony remove any and all video capabilities whatsoever from their mirrorless bodies. Any mention of the word 'hybrid' makes these fanboys quake in their penny loafers. Just four... Continue Reading →
Using Curves in DaVinci Resolve
I got this tip from watching Learn Color Grading. https://youtu.be/GobsguO5sfQ
Shock! Video Is Sony’s Biggest Opportunity
Kenji Tanaka, VP and Senior General Manager of Sony's Business Unit 1, Digital Imaging Group, in an interview with DPReview’s Barney Britton, affirms that video is among the company’s greatest opportunities and that demand worldwide for video is strong. Better late than never! Where do you see Sony’s biggest opportunities in today’s market? Video is... Continue Reading →
Sony S-log2 + Athena LUT
I still see lots of YouTubers grossly underexposing their S-log footage, which leads to a bunch of noise to deal with in post. Here's an example of a correctly exposed clip along with a screen grab from the same video on YouTube. Incidentally, prior to Athena, whether shooting Cine2, HLG or S-log, previous LUTs required... Continue Reading →
Alpha Cameras Just Got A Whole Lot Better
With the release of Paul Leeming's 'Athena' LUT, Sony Alpha cameras now have dazzling color. The video was shot with the a7 III, Sony 85mm f/1.8, Cine2 picture profile and edited in DaVinci Resolve using an LG OLED as a grading monitor. https://youtu.be/GC3kx9BJW_o
Leeming LUT Pro ‘Athena’
Alongside the newly released Pro II LUTs, Paul Leeming has also given us Athena LUTs, which he says "are a brighter version of Pro II, designed around placing middle grey (also known as 18% grey) at the 50% IRE level after the LUT has been applied, while retaining the same perfect colorimetry". Both Athena and... Continue Reading →
So Long, Washed-Out YouTube Videos! (DaVinci Resolve)
Update 2022.01: Cullen Kelly just released a free LUT created to counteract the washed-out look when uploading SDR videos to YouTube and Frame.io. We haven't used it yet ourselves, but you might want to give it a try and let others in the community know if it works for you. If you're still trying to... Continue Reading →
The Canon R5 Is On My Radar
As a videographer, the R5 has me intrigued: flippy screen, great ergos, 10-bit log, Canon color, Dual Pixel AF, IBIS, internal RAW, outstanding lenses, UHD 120fps, along with an ND filter adapter for EF lenses, a huge one for filmmakers... Even more so, as Canon’s knocked it out of the ballpark with their recent releases,... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX Discontinued
It looks as though the Asus PA32UCX has been discontinued - just one year after its release! - leaving budget filmmakers without an alternative to the Pro Display XDR ($7,500.00 with stand, non-glare screen and AppleCare), though I can’t say it’ll be missed. Asus has some of the worst after-sales support I’ve ever experienced and... Continue Reading →
Switching to Google Chrome
First, it was QuickTime. Then, bye bye Final Cut Pro. Now, it's time to say good riddance to Safari. YouTube videos just look that much better in Chrome. What's next - getting a PC? hehe [Update 25.6.2020] I just learned that iOS 14 will support YouTube's VP9 codec. All I can say is, it's about... Continue Reading →
DaVinci Resolve Tips For Beginners
Here are three tips for setting up Preferences for those just starting out with DaVinci Resolve. Go into Resolve Preferences to enable UltraStudio 4K Mini. Check Live Save and Project Backups to safeguard your work. Sign in to your YouTube or Vimeo account.
Working With Leeming LUT Pro in DaVinci Resolve
Once you've added your LUT folders in Resolve, applying LUTs to your clips couldn't be any easier. SOOC Node #1 Leeming LUT Pro. Right click on nodes to reveal menus. Leeming LUT Pro Node #2 Leeming LUT Pro Quickie Neutral Film Leeming LUT Pro Quickie Neutral Film Node #2 Reduce Contrast Reduced Contrast
Get Stunning Color From Your a7 III
https://youtu.be/be8DDa-1aq8 If the audio sounds a little better in this tutorial, it's thanks to Serge M's wonderful guide to using the Audio Compressor effect in Final Cut Pro.
Switching to Resolve!
After months of agonizing, I finally broke down and hired a professional calibration technician to adjust my LG OLED C7, calling the very first name that popped up in a Google search for Ho Chi Minh City. The price was steep - $300.00 - but the quest for perfect color has become a crazy obsession.... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 