The new color mode is a disaster.

Hey, please post critiques! They need them ... and I sure post critiques and outright criticisms too. Clearly, some staffers are not sure what to do with me as I’ve never been a corporate type, always been self-employed. And always been rather more direct than most. They’ve survived ... ha.

It is radically different, by intent ... and it can take some time to really start understanding how to re-think everything you do, in order to actually start working in the way this can do. Which seems a bad thing at first. 

But ... after you get the mental paradigm shift, Alexis has created something that even major colorists are pretty darn impressed with. It needs a ton of added functions, yessiree Bob ... and please point out what you think is missing.

But also, take a few minutes now and then to push it around a bit. For instance ... I think everyone in the private beta initially objected to contrast being the first control and exposure the second. We were wrong, Alexis was right.

Contrast is both contrast and setting the pivot point, the center of the operation to expand or compress image data. And ... when you get used to what this can do, and how quickly, intuitively, and efficiently it can do what it does, for the majority of clips, you probably won’t need to even touch the Exposure control.

Which seemed weird at first ... as Exposure in this, like Contrast, is a two-function tool: you control both Gain and Black point setting in one control.

But the way the contrast works, with a built-in sliding curve at the top and bottom of the ‘scale’,  it is amazing how fast you can shape an image. I don’t use Exposure on more than about 20% of the clips I work now. I don’t need it ... the total range and black point and fall-off got set with Contrast.

The hue shaping tools are simply delicious ... after you get used to them. And the Details/Texture controls are simply the niftiest addition we’ve had in some time. I’ve missed that, as I work in Resolve a lot, which has good ‘texture’ controls. Finally, Premiere has them.

I could list what it still needs but that’s too long a read, and they’re all on the way eventually anyway.

You’re right, it’s totally different and especially initially, totally confusing.

It’s also a partly finished beta testing process, with a ton of things yet to come as has been said over and over. It’s not done yet!

The genius behind this beta process ... which is not nearly in final “imagined” form ... is Alexis Van Hurkman, and if you don’t know that you haven’t read anything about it apparently.

I was one of the first in the private beta ... and my initial reaction, when we had only the first contrast/exposure/balance group of operations ... was what in the world is this hot mess.

What it has become, as it’s being fleshed out over time, is a vastly different and very powerful, if entirely new process for handling color and tonal manipulations in video post processing. Designed for use in the 90-95% of pro produced media, that isn’t headed to major network broadcast or streaming channels. Where time and cost are critical.

I have been working in testing/advising on video post color for some time, including paid to teach pro colorists. I work with a full Tangent Elements panel in my office, and do testing for them also. And at NAB, spend most of my time with rather noted colorists. Who I might note, tended to be pretty impressed with what this does so far in light of what is also coming to it.