I’ve already made my aversion to external recording solutions known in plenty of previous posts: they add bulk, require additional power solutions, cables, SSDs, magic arms and a cage - unless you’re one of the cool guys willing to gamble on mounting one directly to the hot shoe of the camera! Firmware updates to older... Continue Reading →
Selling My Asus ProArt PA32UCX-K!
Whether grading Rec. 709 or HDR footage, the colors of the Asus are too warm; and in order to calibrate the monitor, I'd need to shell out another $1,600.00 for the Teranex Mini SDI to HDMI 8K HDR, with no guarantee that the colors would be any better. For only $1,300.00, you can pick up... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX: First Impressions
Apart from uploading a handful of Sony HLG HDR videos to YouTube last year - mostly out of morbid curiosity - I'd pretty much all but given up on HDR, for the simple reason that there were no remotely affordable monitors. That all changed last month when I learned about the Asus ProArt 32UCX at... Continue Reading →
Is An I/O Interface Really Necessary?
Update 23.01.2020: I have confirmed that the Asus PA32UCX, UltraStudio 4K Mini and Final Cut Pro do indeed work with HDR PQ. The reason to use a dedicated IO card (like the UltraStudio 4K) is that it gives you a properly managed colour pipeline that by-passes the operating system’s GPU and colour profile settings and gets... Continue Reading →
Achieve Perfect Color and Skin Tones in FCP X, Part I
In a previous post, we looked at how to expose for skin tones, and now we deal with how to turn those properly exposed clips into beautiful looking footage through color correction. This is an abbreviated version of Caleb Pike's wonderful tutorial on YouTube in which he explains how to get perfect color every time... Continue Reading →
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
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 →
Closed Captions in FCP X 10.4.1
The closed captions feature in Final Cut Pro v.10.4.1 is a real godsend for those of us recording documentaries and interviews in a foreign language. Adding text to the timeline - a tedious process that used to take hours - now takes just minutes when used in conjunction with real-time voice translation in Google Translate.... Continue Reading →
Ninja Inferno as Run ‘n Gun/Portable Grading Monitor Solution?
Atomos markets the Ninja Inferno as a professional tool for cinematographers, with a gloriously bright, 1,500 nit display, heaps of exposure and focusing aids, touch screen interface, a variety of codecs, XLR inputs, Atom HDR for obtaining perfect exposure with Log footage for HDR delivery, 4K 60p recording, as well as for use as a... 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 →
Workflow for Leeming LUT One – Panasonic HLG v501 (16-235) Beta in FCP X 10.4
With the new Leeming LUT One for Panasonic HLG with 16-235 range adjustment (beta), the order of operations in FCP X has been greatly simplified. First, create your library, event and project and import your media as usual. Next, select the clips in the browser, and in the Inspector, click on Camera LUT - Custom... Continue Reading →
Paul Leeming Releases Fixie LUT
Final Cut Pro users need no longer be left out in the cold when using the Leeming LUT as a result of not being able to select proper data levels. The Fixie LUT is designed to be applied to footage before the Leeming LUT and is available for free download here. Without Fixie LUT (L),... Continue Reading →
How to Import XML Files into Resolve Without Crashes
I'd had Resolve in my applications folder for forever but not for one second did I think I would ever need it, let alone learn to use it. But since I became interested in color grading, I realized FCPX wasn't going to cut it. There remained only one obstacle - importing XML files into Resolve from... Continue Reading →