Calibration

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On this interview with Joel Barsotti I decided to dig in with SpectraCal and ask some 'how to' questions regarding their AutoCal and AutoCube technology for display calibration. 

A curious question that comes up is can you trust software that calibrates a display for you?  There is an assumption that only a highly trained calibrator can do display calibration and it can only be done manually and it always takes many hours to do for every display. Scary stuff for the smaller shops who want to be sure their laptops, attached displays and reference displays are at or near the REC 709 standard.

So setting the stage here for those small post shops who are looking for a less complicated and less time consuming way to calibrate all of their displays I thought it would be worthwhile to learn more about AutoCal and AutoCube from the director of software development - Joel Barsotti.

Learning about Auto Calibration of Displays for Video Production with Joel Barsotti

I had two goals with this podcast:

1. Have a one-on-one conversation with Charles Poynton about the future of display technology as we evolve from mastering HD to UHD, 4k and even 8k media.

2. Understand where display calibration technology stands with mastering displays (LCD and OLED in particular) and what is state of the art with calibration software.  A point I wanted to bring out was that mastering displays for high-end productions will always need calibration tools for mastering purposes, but how can a growing market of digital creatives leverage these tools to bring their iMacs and personal computers into close compliance with Rec.709 and and newer standards using ICC profiles?  The amount of content this community is mastering is huge, so can they use the same calibration tools?

From our conversation it was clear that Charles has a great deal to say about displays and display technologies because he's been an instigator of many display standards since the 1980s.   Charles really pours on the insights in this interview, so I'm delighted to be passing this along to my community of listeners.  I have included a transcript of the interview at www.tomparish.com

Display Technology and Display Calibration - What Changes in Mastering UHD, 4k and 8K Content

If you fancy yourself a digital creative, video editor, special effects person, colorist, producer, or filmmaker (or maybe all of these together), then sooner or later you come to the question – When should I purchase a reference display monitor? Why should I even bother? Bram Desmet, CEO of Flanders Scientific Inc., answers these questions along with some enlightening conversation around his insights in the rapidly changing area of display technology and display calibration trends for 2014.

If you have a professional emphasis to constantly improve your craft, then improving the quality of your post-production work is critical, and using a calibrated reference monitor is one of your keys to success. Even if most of what you do right now is create, edit, or color content for the web, there are compelling reasons to use a reference monitor.  Sooner or later you will be touching content destined for cable, broadcast, and theatre audiences. Your confidence in the color accuracy of your work is closely tied to the reputation you’re building. I hope you find this conversation helpful. I learned a lot myself.

When to Buy a Reference Monitor and Trends in Reference Display Technology for 2014

In this show I talk with Luhr Jensen the CEO, founder and creator of the Klein10a colorimeter that is herald as the fastest most accurate colorimeter on the market. It's also built like a tank to take tough punishment from those of us hauling around probes for calibration of  displays in studios and theaters.   Many thanks to Luhr for being willing to have a very personal and technical discussion of how this probe has come to be so popular and what he thinks is next in the evolution of display technology and display calibration needs.  Listen in for more!

Learning More About the King of Fast Accurate Colorimeter Probes for Display Calibration

The reality for the independent post-production house is we’re all Dropboxing (I guess it's a verb now) files back and forth to create or finish out a project, and the problem is that everybody's displays show slightly different colors. We’re all working on a different color interpretation of the files. Talk about confusion for the colorist who has the final task of making it all play together!

Up next is a discovery of how SpectraCal is bringing order to the hodge-podge of displays which have such differences in color calibration – in our studios, in our digital creative community, and used by our clients. We need more than just a single reference monitor; we need all of our displays to be more closely aligned. Most of us don't need perfection – just assurance we're close – and if we're way out then we need a way to get those displays adjusted.

The difficulty is figuring out quickly which displays need attention, and how to fix the problem so there is greater consistency or alignment of colors when working with graphics and videos.

To help us understand this better, I arranged a conversation with Derek Smith of SpectraCal, the leading developer of video calibration software.

This interview runs long; however, if you have an interest in this topic you will want to listen to everything Derek Smith says. I sure did.

Questions

– Derek, you are one of those rare people who have the creative and competitive drive to solve some very difficult problems dealing with display technologies and the challenge of color calibration. What was your inspiration for creating SpectraCal? And give us a brief summary of where CalMAN 5 is these days.

– What are your observations of changes in the display technology – consumer and professional – over the last 10 years?

– What kind of trends are you seeing in the video production industry these days – particularly the needs of smaller, independent digital creatives?

– What is SpectraCal doing to make it easier for video post-production groups to calibrate all of their displays?

– What changes do you think will occur in the next 12-24 months in display technology?

– What about the 4k trend? What sort of new challenges are there with the coming 4k displays?

– One of the new developments for DaVinci Resolve coming soon is the ability to add DCP renders for theatrical releases. This will mean a huge increase in indie films available in theaters. Though most colorists work with a color reference display, how does one calibrate a theater projector? This is more of a geek question.


Color Calibration for all Displays in your Studio with Derek Smith, SpectraCal

Up next is a conversation with Cédric Lejeune on the topic of color consistency in post-production workflows. This is a big topic, and it would be easy to drill down into a dozen different niches. Instead, I gave Cédric an opportunity to talk about the issues and opportunities for small post-production companies to focus on color calibration, color correction, and color grading to increase the value of their work and be more competitive.

Background

Cédric’s company is Workflowers, and he specializes in digital cinema and video workflows, infrastructures, and colour science.

In 2006 Cédric started Workflowers to develop consulting and training services, accompany film labs in the transition to digital, and help post-production step into the cinema world. He specializes in digital cinema and video workflows, infrastructures, and colour science. His work on online collaborative environment and content management tools has made him an expert of cloud technologies for media. He also develops CPGP plugins for color grading systems that are used by major studios such as Efilm, Technicolor, Cinepostproduction.

Cédric Lejeune is a member of the CST, and has a lecture at Université de Valenciennes about technologies and network infrastructures for content creation. He’s an Autodesk Certified Instructor on Lustre, member of the DKU (Discreet Knowledge Unit), and a color science instructor at the International Colorist Academy.

Many thanks for his time as he was preparing for a trip to Singapore to lead a session with Cine-tal on color workflows at Broadcast Asia, sponsored by Dolby.  Wish I could attend.

Questions

1. What was your original inspiration for focusing on color science and its relationship to higher production values in storytelling?

2. I know you have a seminar planned at the Broadcast Asia conference in Singapore on June 21.  Why are these topics important to teach, and who should be interested?

3. What are the key issues today that need attention in post-production workflow?

4. Let’s talk about trends in the display, cinema, and post-production industry from your perspective, starting with: color calibration, greater variety of display technologies, and how to bring better color consistency across all displays versus only the reference monitor.

7. Are wider color gamuts coming for commercial displays like, say, with 4k?

8. What do you think the evolution of 4k is going to look like in the next 12 months? Who should be focusing on 4k now?

9. Will ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) get broader use? Why and when?

A Conversation with Cédric Lejeune on Color Consistency in Post Production Workflows

All about Color from a technical and artistic perspective for media creators and storytellers. Tom Parish is a colorist in Austin Texas.
www.TomParish.com
512-784-4814 Austin Texas

Learning about Auto Calibration of Displays for Video Production with Joel Barsotti

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