If proper color management, working scene-referred or HDR are important to you, avoid the Dehancer plugin. For starters, it is limited to the Rec.709 color space. “Since Dehancer asked me to make an honest review, I will talk about them [the bad things]. The first one, which would instantly be a deal breaker for many... Continue Reading →
How the physical sensation of pupil contraction contributes to the pleasure derived from HDR media
“If you’re looking out a portal, and it’s 700 nits, that’s a load for your eye to respond to. We found ourselves opening up the shadows somewhat to compensate for people’s sensory reaction, where the pupil closes down due to bright light.” - Shelly Johnson, ASC, explaining how he subdued the contrast in Greyhound (2020)... Continue Reading →
Notes On Calibrating The Samsung S90C QD-OLED With Calman Home
https://youtu.be/6vCJkT6filc?si=4eweFqSFDlxbfAEk REC 2020 OR P3-D65 - P3 is more accurate but has more posterization. - Rec. 2020 has smoother 10-bit gradation. YEAR/MODEL - The software appears to have changed since David Abrams published his video tutorial a little over a month ago, e.g., selecting Year/Model on the welcome page is no longer possible. PATTERN INSERTION... Continue Reading →
Senior Colorist Endorses Rubbish Tutorial
Frank Glencairn fancies himself a senior colorist, so it's baffling why he would recommend a YouTube tutorial filled with blunders that any experienced colorist ought to be able to spot at a glance. EXPOSURE (1) The YouTuber recommends zebras and waveforms for exposure, but bewilderingly overlooks false color, one of the most useful exposure tools... Continue Reading →
Many Unaware They’re Watching HDR
Much streamed HDR content is virtually indistinguishable from SDR. Nate McFarlin, Staff Content Engineer, Dolby Laboratories, says that film schools are partly to blame for failing to teach HDR acquisition and post-production. Joey D’Anna: Are people adopting HDR more now than they have before? Or is it still kind of that niche, nerdy thing for... Continue Reading →
The Unappreciated Test Behind the Development of PQ
Yet another in our intolerable series “No One Asked But We Answer It Anyway!” 😝 Everyone is aware that 12-bit PQ ST2084 was devised using the Barten ramp to ensure that contouring artefacts in the BT.2020 standard were below the visible threshold. But did you know that PQ as the EOTF is only applicable to... Continue Reading →
For The Best Theatrical Result, Do The Dolby Vision First
The following excerpt is from S6 E5 of The T Stop Inn with guest Michael Cioni and host Ben Allan, ACS on 21 March 2025. We highly recommend listening to the entire show. Michael Cioni: I used to own a post house called Light Iron, and we did everything from The Social Network, we worked... Continue Reading →
Cinema Has The Least Quality
A lot of people are seeing technically higher quality - they're seeing HDR, they're seeing 4K - higher quality on a purely technical level on the device that's in their pocket than what they're seeing at their local cinema. - Ben Allan, ACS The following excerpt is from S6 E5 of The T Stop Inn... Continue Reading →
RED KOMODO FW 1.8.3 Bug
https://youtube.com/shorts/VhSA1i4t-B4?feature=share All four of our Sigma DC DN ‘Contemporary’ APS-C lenses for RF Mount - the 16mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.4 - worked fine on our RED KOMODO until we updated to their latest firmware version 1.8.3. The aperture indicator on the camera changes continuously, the camera’s physical buttons and on... Continue Reading →
Toxic Member Ousted From Colorist Forum
“Ever since liftgammagain got hijacked by that lunatic, psychopath guy who sells calibration software, most smart people that know anything about color science or color have been out of it, nobody really wants to even write anything, because there's always somebody trying to outsmart you and put links to their product, using it as a... Continue Reading →
On The Hazards Of Not Monitoring In HDR & ACES From The Outset
https://youtu.be/Zsqz_s0Br9A?si=y-KjocDsAaqBGBGb Look Development in Documentary Filmmaking, Camerimage. Panelists: James Kersley-Cregeen – Production Technologist, Netflix Ross Baker – Head of Colour, Molinare Jack Jones – Senior Colourist & Co-owner, Roundtable Post Daniele Siragusano – Image Engineer, FilmLight On the hazards of not monitoring in HDR & ACES from the outset James Kersley-Cregeen: “I have one anecdote... Continue Reading →
The Shock of HDR
Annie Chang, VP/Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures, speaking at a SMPTE Hollywood panel discussion in 2023, talked about ‘the shock of HDR’. “I think one of the issues is [that] we still have monitoring issues throughout the live action process, so it's like maybe they have an HDR monitor on set so they can actually see... Continue Reading →
What Exactly Is HDR Intent, Anyhow?
"It’s really all about the aesthetics, so when I grade my movies for HDR, I make sure that I keep the same feel[ing] that the cinematographer and the director had intended for the movie... it could look the same [as the SDR grade] or maybe just one scene could look different... again you can take... Continue Reading →
Colorist: “I’ve Never Been Asked For An HDR10 Deliverable”
A Dolby Vision certified colorist whose work has been honored at major festivals, who’s graded movies and TV series for most of the major streaming networks, in order to prove the worthlessness of HDR10, insists he’s never been asked by a studio to deliver in the format. Let’s consider together whether this claim is factual or... Continue Reading →
Film Grain & Film Scanner Noise In HDR Video
A patent was granted to Warner Bros. for eliminating scanner noise from the image while maintaining the film grain. Listed as inventors on the patent are Michael D. Smith, Michael Zink and Christopher Nolan. Michael Zink writes over at LinkedIn, “When Chris Nolan was re-mastering seven of his films for the 2017 release of “The... Continue Reading →
Netflix Ditches HDR After Influencers Convince Public That It Makes Film Look Like Poop
**Netflix Ditches HDR After Influencers Convince Public That It Makes Film Look Like Poop** By Freddy Flickster - Feb. 22, 2025 In a bold move to appease disgruntled auteurs, Netflix announced today it will cease all HDR streaming, citing filmmakers’ complaints that high dynamic range made their work “look like unadulterated doggy poop.” Working diligently... Continue Reading →
Shameless YouTuber Plagiarizes Patrick Tomasso’s Dumb Anti-HDR Video
In an idiotic rant entitled Why Do Movies Look Worse Now?, YouTuber Luke Riether copies Patrick Tomasso's Why Don’t Movies Look Like Movies Anymore? almost word-for-word, blaming HDR for what he perceives as the flat, lifeless look of today's movies. Riether even all but admits to plagiarism, but refuses to take his video down: "Hey... Continue Reading →
Power Budget: When The Reference Monitor & Client Display Don’t Match
A calibrator sharing his experience matching a DIT’s LG client monitor with his Flanders XMP310 writes, “One of the trickiest parts? The ABL (automatic brightness limiting) on these two monitors kicks in at very different points, forcing us to rethink how to treat the LG TV.” He observed that the FSI XMP310 began to limit... Continue Reading →
HDR In Name Only: The Invisible Downgrade In Dolby Vision Streaming
“Dolby Vision is a visual technology designed to enhance the viewing experience to unprecedented levels. It empowers visual creatives to infuse their work with unparalleled depth and vibrancy, revolutionizing how we perceive visual content. By leveraging High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, Dolby Vision dynamically optimizes image quality based on the specific service, device, and platform,”... Continue Reading →
Ed Lachman: HDR Is All Marketing
According to acclaimed cinematographer Ed Lachman, whose biopic Maria is streaming on Netflix in the USA (but thankfully not in Vietnam), HDR has no aesthetic value worth pursuing. We can’t help but think that Ansel Adams, whose zone system was the inspiration for Lachman’s EL Zone, would have welcomed HDR with open arms. Unfortunately for... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 