Jeff Sousa

Which lesson goes over fixing 'flyaway hairs'?

Cross-posting my thanks for this video from Liftgammagain.com: Brooklyn-based colorist at Dungeon Beach www.dungeonbeach.com

Hi Kevin, loved the series. I have a request for a few more episodes... (1) In depth with "Frame Ref." vs. "Shot Ref" vs. "Snapshot" vs. "Add Copy" vs. "Memory" vs. "Trim Buffer" vs. "Alt-clicking a shot". In other words, how do you save, recall, and quickly apply your grades? How do you send them to clients? What are strategies for storing looks and comparing grades in the tray? And basically, what is the benefit to having so many different kinds of "stills." (2) Best practices for using Neat Video on multiple shots. How to cache Neat Video as a node before your primary grade so you can have real-time playback with client in the room and make adjustments and keep real-time playback. How to add Neat Video when you've already started grading and realize you will need it, but don't want to lose your grade, and don't want to mess up your node tree. How to copy paste Neat Video settings between shots, when things seem to get messy with the matte/fill tool. Any other viable NR to Neat Video. (3) Best way to make yourself roto mattes for grading. After Effects bridge and Mocha / Rotobrush? Some other plugin that's more native? Thanks! Jeff

I still like that I own the Micro. It looks very classy on my reclaimed wood desk in the studio, which matters for making a good impression in clients. And my wife, when it's in our living room! It also impressed clients when I bring it on site. And I do prefer its nice metallic rings. So I don't wish I got the Wave2 instead, I just wish I had it also :). Well what I really wish is that BMD would open up the Micro and Mini API to Assimilate and Adobe and SGO. After all, if BMD makes money on hardware, why do they care if we use that hardware with other software? Maybe it would even open up other markets for them, Scratch and Mistika users in the market for a portable surface.

I own the BMD Micro. It's extremely well-built, compact, and nice-feeling. And it drives Resolve great. Sometimes I leave it at the studio at an assistant station, sometimes I take it home with me for "homework." And it's great to bring to clients for on-site work (like when they say they have a color station, but it's just an iMac hooked up to a crappy Samsung TV). I'd say the Micro is best suited for lift-gamma-gain style grading in Rec.709. I'd say it's just OK at ACES or grading in a node prior to color space transform, because the Micro doesn't have dedicated printer lights, or any way to adjust the low and high ranges in the Log controls. But the huge disadvantage of the Micro is that it doesn't work with Scratch, Mistika Boutique, or Premiere. I avoid grading in Premiere like the plague, but I'd say there's at least one project I encounter per year that's such a messy Premiere sequence that it's better to just stay in Premiere than make the roundtrip (the XML round trip and relink would take MORE time than just grading in Lumetri). After many years of Resolve only use, I've started to incorporate Scratch and Mistika, and I actually had to pull my Avid Artist out of a box in my basement to drive these programs! TBH, I was considering adding the Tangent Wave 2 to my kit, since my Artist just found a permanent home at the studio.