ColorCorrection
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DaVinci Resolve 15 is a free, Hollywood-grade video editor
With the latest release of DaVinci Resolve 15, Blackmagic Design has radically made over its editing suite to create one of the best video-editing systems at any price -- even against mainstream options like Premiere Pro CC and Apple's Final Cut Pro X. It now comes with Fusion, a powerful visual effects (VFX) app used in Hollywood films, along with an excellent color corrector and audio editor. Despite doing more than most editors will ever need, the full studio release costs just $300, and you can get a stripped-down version with most features for a grand total of zero dollars. I use Adobe's Premiere Pro CC as part of its Creative Cloud suite, which costs more than $50 a month, so Resolve 15 is certainly a cheaper option. After trying it out for a week, would I be willing to switch? That would be tough, because I also do photo editing, and Creative Cloud includes Photoshop and Lightroom. If you're looking strictly for video and audio editing, color correction and effects, however, Resolve is well worth a look. It is surprisingly easy to learn and use and has more speed and power than you'll probably ever need.
Filmic Pro app makes it easy to color correct iPhone 7 video
If "the best camera is the one that's with you," then you always have a pretty damn good camera if you own an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. To give you more options than Apple provides, Filmic has just released a beta version of its Pro app that lets you shoot 4K video in a "log" or flat profile, a feature found on pricey cinema cameras like the Red Weapon. Filmmaker Matteo Bertoli got his hands on it and showed exactly why you'd want video output that, at first, looks fairly drab (above, top). The idea is that you can then adjust the video so that it really pops (above, bottom) without losing details in the shadows and highlights.
GoPro HD Hero 2's free ProTune upgrade will add 24fps and higher bitrates
On the show floor at NAB 2012 GoPro had more to show off than just a finalized version of its $99 WiFi BacPac and Remote Control kit we saw at CES, announcing a ProTune firmware update that should bring an all new level of quality to its existing HD Hero 2 cameras -- for free. Once it's released in the in the summer, the new ProTune mode will enable owners to record their video at a new 35Mbps data rate, and shoot at 24fps to more easily intercut it with other sources later. Also integral to the new software is the "CineStyle" color profile developed by Technicolor that will let pros and prosumers streamline their workflow and produce better looking videos. We got a look at some of the video shot with beta versions of the new firmware aboard and the tweaks did plenty to enhance the color balance and image quality we were already impressed by earlier this month in the desert. Unsurprisingly given the pro atmosphere here at NAB, GoPro is also continuing to push the Cineform codec it acquired last year. There are press releases after the break as well as a few more pictures in the gallery, including a few more of its new underwater dive housing (above) with a flat front to reduce blurring and vignetting.
Blackmagic announcing a free version of DaVinci Resolve
This week at NAB 2011, Blackmagic Design has announced version 8 of the very high-end dedicated color-grading solution DaVinci Resolve. The upgrade brings XML support, multi-layer timelines, curve grading, noise reduction, stabilization, automatic 3D matching and OpenCL acceleration to the solution, making it a substantial upgrade. Unfortunately, if you don't have an equally high-end paycheck then the US$29,995 price for the full system is probably prohibitively expensive, and even the software-only version costing US$995 may stretch many people's budgets. If you're in that boat, Blackmagic has some good news for you: it's releasing a free version in the form of DaVinci Resolve 8 Lite to "help promote the art of color correction."
