#morphcuts

Tips for Coloring Talking Head Interviews in DaVinci Resolve |

BTW, CC 2015 has #MorphCuts  for those who do 'talking head' videos a lot, and it will change your workflow in a snap!

FYI - if you're looking to have the kind of work described below, you can leave me a message here, or at: http://scr.im/studios

The video link on this post isn't mine, but shows ~234 age-reduction shots, with minimal makeup (and few or no prosthetics), for a total of 25 minutes of movie time. Actors varied in age in real life, but went from their early 20's into their 70's, and the same actor(s) involved played every stage of their life in the movie. Try to see if you can actually spot the VFX work done, I'll bet you're wrong most of the time!

Now, DaVinci Resolve -- with the $30K keyboard is phenomenal if you have a Digital Intermediate (DI) theater -- a real one, OK?! We're talking 4K at full #RYGB (yes, to control the luminance channel!), OK?! 

Also, this article can't go into much depth about it, but be weary of 'upping the contrast' in post unless you have the bit depth. You can get grainy or crunchy pixels, and depending on lighting and makeup (too much or too little, well done or not), you could end up making the speaker's skin imperfections look worse.

#HD in close-up is harsh, but close-up in #4K (even when down-rezzed) can be downright shocking when pores, wrinkles, and other imperfections practically become highlighted. Not everyone comes in to do an interview rested, if you know what I mean?! If the project and/or pay is up-to-par, or they're willing to pay extra, learn to work (if you have the colour depth) the colors to even out the skin tones. 

If you have a high-profile subject, it would probably be worth your while to put some effort into #BeautyRetouching for #video . Not just a plug-in(!), I'm talking about: breaking out some layers, masks, roto, tracking, and finessing each shot to match. Fortunately, #AfterEffects  2015 CC now comes with a face-tracker, like its competitor #Flint   #Flame   #Inferno  from #Autodesk  .

If you want/need to do some serious lifting, any of those will do (and others), but if you're skilled enough, you can remove blemishes, scars, and the YEARS! 

It's intensive work to do the latter, but it can pay very well if you do it right! Just ask the folks at #LolaVFX  (wait, their NDAs will prohibit it!). Admittedly, they're not the only ones whom can pull those tricks now, but they're still the gold standard as of this posting.

Lastly, before we get to the article, I saw a demo of DaVinci Resolve 12 as of this week's post. Yes, the colour grading tools are outstanding, but the new #NLE  tools give #Adobe  a good run for its money...until you realize, the latter has a whole ecosystem around it that's tough to beat.