Issue CCCXCIX: The All The Nits Issue
The Tao of Color Grading Newsletter
Curated links of news, reviews, thoughts, career advice, and humor 
for professional Video / Film Colorists & Finishers. Delivered Sundays.
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Typically on NAB Sunday I don't deliver this Newsletter. I'm usually teaching all week and too busy prepping to get this shipped out.

This week, Flanders Scientific (the Original Tao Newsletter Sponsor) mentioned they had a big announcement! I couldn't resist offering a helping hand to such a loyal Sponsor...

Today's Newsletter is in your hands courtesy FSI.

Check out FSI's family of professional HDR / Dolby Vision capable series of mastering monitors (one of them has dropped in price significantly since last year). And in the Gear section you have a link to all the news that fit to print from FSI at NAB 2019.

Let's not forget to thank Lumaforge for picking up where the SuperMeet left off.

I'm looking forward to attending their new Faster Together Stage on Tuesday night. It's not surprising that a company supporting this Newsletter is choosing to help maintain and build our community.

If you're at NAB this week then stop by the FSI booth and say hi to me at the Mixing Light Presentation Theater!

Finally, there's a whole section at the end this week's Newsletter dedicated to various NAB events. Be sure to scroll down.

See you next Sunday!

Happy Grading!

- Patrick Inhofer
Colorist | Publisher | Mentor
The Craft
Featuring the work of creative craftsmen, the theory of color, and industry news. Learn practical workflows, useful theories, and actionable insights from existing (and emerging) leaders and teachers in our industry.
Part of NAB's Birds of a Feather series, this looks like a terrific panel with an A-List of colorists. Confirmed speakers include: Ayumi Ashley (Ntropic), Robbie Carman (DC Color), Andrea Chlebak (Deluxe), Alexis Van Hurkman (Director, Colorist and Author), Fernando Medellin C.A.M. / C.S.I. (Óxido). Click for location details and time.

If you create content that has long-term value then you'll find this NAB panel very interesting.

Dual laser projectors and Dolby ATMOS audio support this HDR theatrical experience.

HDR10+ (the 'open source' version of HDR10 with active metadata) is getting some much needed support.

If you haven't been checking your local box office movie times then you may not have noticed how 3D versions of movies are getting dramatically fewer showtimes. Click through for the details.
Sponsor
Flanders Scientific Professional 4K HDR Reference Monitors
The 1,000nit XM311K and 3,000nit XM310K both qualify as Dolby Vision mastering monitors. The XM311K features innovative Light Modulating Cell Layer technology and now has a lower list price of $35,000.

Do you require a brighter display? Then the XM310K is one of the brightest commercially available professional HDR monitors on the market.
LEARN MORE about FSI's Professional HDR Reference Monitor
The Tools
Our craft keeps changing. And growing. Learn about updates to your favorite software. Discover new tools to help you work faster or more creatively. Build your toolchest with new techniques and approaches. 

Sweet: "new computer vision, photogrammetry and machine-learning techniques . . . [allow] the forthcoming version of the software to extract motion vectors, Z depth and 3D normals from image sequences."
The headline for this article is what Avid has named the web page announcing new features being introduced at NAB. Based on the email I got linking to this page: Avid is now 'movie editing software' for 'Creators' and 'Makers'. Those two terms have become the new marketing 'catch-all' for the entire visual storytelling chain (or anyone with an iPhone and YouTube account). Click through to see what Avid has up its sleeve.

Adds compatibility to the most recent version of BMD Raw. If you haven't seen, jump to Blackmagic's homepage heralding DaVinci Resolve 16 (and a new era in editing).
Scott does a nice job rounding up the new features in the NAB update of Premiere Pro. His animated GIFs give a nice preview of how different tools works.
An interview with Adobe's Patrick Palmer (who arrived at Adobe with SpeedGrade). It's a good interview worth your time, especially if you work in the Premiere Pro ecosystem.

At NAB you will see demos of a new encoding workflow and new self-hosted solutions. Click through for other new features - coming soon.

Are your FCPx libraries getting bloated? This inexpensive solution has an equally straightforward method for deleted extraneous Library files.
Sponsor
LumaForge + Resolve = Collaboration
We've spent the last 3 years designing a shared storage device for color, editorial and VFX workflows. We call it the Jellyfish. With an integrated database server, it's perfect for Resolve's groundbreaking Collaborative Workflow.

It can now be purchased on apple.com.

Jellyfish Shared Storage Systems start at under $10,000.
CLICK to LEARN MORE about the Jellyfish at Lumaforge.com
Pushing Photons
These stories are from MixingLight.com's membership Library. It's a color grading website (Tao Of Color is co-Owner). Do you want to read a story listed here but not a member? Sign up for a free 7-Day Test Drive.​​​ There's also a free Resolve Course and color correction Practice Projects.
(podcast) The Team discusses a new training title we produced for Dolby about creating Dolby Vision content. Plus, Our thoughts about NAB 2019.

(video) It's not always clear how Resolve's 'Color Boost' tool works differently than its 'Saturation' tool. This video breaks down the differences.
(video) Take your color grading work to the next level in DaVinci Resolve. Learn how to use mattes generated in the Fusion page on the Color page.
The Gear
Stay updated on the latest hardware that's shipping - because the craft of color grading isn't just about software. Plus, keep an eye on future equipment trends and camera odds-and-ends.

If you're looking for Thunderbolt-only SAN solution then this may be worth a look.

To my on-set Tao'ists, the new Shogun has some compelling features. But I'm not sure I fully understand the 'Dolby Vision Live' thing? If I have time, I'll hunt them down at NAB to see what they're talking about.

During NAB season, this headline is probably the most honest statement you'll hear all month! Good article, too.

For my on-set readers out there...
Friend of the Tao, Oliver Peters, explains why custom PC builders are finding success in our industry. He talks about which pros find value in them? Which pros might not?

(video) A visual guide to building your first rig... in case you're (finally) moving from the Mac to the Dark Side.
For you road warriors, I'm thinking we should have seen this coming when Cloudflare released its 1.1.1.1 DNS service. I am looking forward to it.
NAB 2019
Events and notifications that may be interesting for readers of this Newsletter. NAB 2019 expo floor is open April 8 - 11.
On Tuesday evening, April 9, Tao Newsletter Sponsor LumaForge is taking over the SuperMeet - with the Faster Together Stage. It's a new format, being emceed by Michael Horton. I'll be attending. Click through to get your ticket and join us!
Click through for details and show times to join Team Mixing Light at Flanders Scientific's booth #SL6328 during NAB 2019! It's over 3 days of free sessions for finishers & colorists - you have to be there to see it.
Tuesday morning, April 9 in the North Hall, ACES is presenting their 'Road to ACES 2.0'. It's free, does not require RSVP, and will include a group discussion. If ACES is important to you then put this on your NAB itinerary.
If your new to NAB then this is a great place to meet a wide mix of industry pros. You're likely to talk to a huge array of names you'll find on message boards, in conferences and Facebook groups.
This looks like a NAB social event for Monday night and is sponsored by FilmConvert, Wipster, and FiLMiC. Monday, 8 April 7p-9p.
At the Renaissance Hotel next to the South Hall, FilmLight has a day of colorists talking about their careers, their craft, their projects, and (presumably) Baselight. Plus a presentation from their Image Engineer on the differences between the real world and HDR. I hope to make at least one of these sessions. Monday, April 8.
The Mixer is back! Sunday, April 7 at 7pm. Tickets are sold out! Get on the Waitlist. When refunds start rolling you might get a chance to sign up.
Use this link to create an account or log into an existing account and get your Expo pass. Don't forget to get your TRAM ticket.
Sunday Fun(nies)
Random thoughts, tidbits, and fun stuff that caught my attention this week. Maybe it's color grading related. Maybe not. Ya got'ta read to the end of the Newsletter to find out.

Waaaaa...???