Reading Time: 4 minutesGetting started can seem daunting if you’re new to DaVinci Resolve and color grading. So, I’ve dug deep into the YouTube hive mind and found some of the best free online tutorials for learning color grading in DaVinci Resolve. Once you’ve seen these, you’ll have a solid foundation to begin exploring the more advanced topics.… Continue reading Free Color Grading Tutorials for DaVinci Resolve (Beginners)
Post-Production
Excellent Online Tools for Creating Film Credit Rolls (Free & Paid)
Reading Time: 3 minutesSo you’ve finally finished your short film or first feature, and now you need to name everyone involved at the end of the video. Okay, you can create them in your video editing software. You can put some names on a black background and be done with it, right? Well, there’s a little more to… Continue reading Excellent Online Tools for Creating Film Credit Rolls (Free & Paid)
Cinematic Black Bars Done The Right Way (+ Free Template Download)
Reading Time: 3 minutesBlack bars frame your footage within a specific cinematic aspect ratio. Maybe you want to give it a widescreen look like 2.35:1, 2.39:1, or 2.4:1 (the current widescreen standard for movies in cinema theaters). Or you could want to create a retro look with a 4:3 aspect reminiscent of the old CRT television screens. Read… Continue reading Cinematic Black Bars Done The Right Way (+ Free Template Download)
What are Crushed Shadows & Blown Highlights?
Reading Time: 8 minutesWhat is What are Crushed Shadows & Blown Highlights in film and photography? Definition & Meaning Crushed shadows (crushed blacks, blocked blacks, etc.) and blown highlights are two terms that describe exposure issues. Crushing the shadows/blacks describes underexposing the shot, resulting in large areas of pure black in the picture. Blowing the highlights is overexposed… Continue reading What are Crushed Shadows & Blown Highlights?
ActionVFX. Stunning Visual Effects Library Online (Free & Paid)
Reading Time: 4 minutesSome time ago, I needed some visual effects assets for my short film VECT0R. In particular, I was looking for some muzzle flashes, gun smoke from a pistol, and blood splatter. So, I went to my usual stock photo libraries, which I usually use for licensing royalty-free photos and vector graphics. But I couldn’t find… Continue reading ActionVFX. Stunning Visual Effects Library Online (Free & Paid)
Must-Have After Effects Tools & Plug-Ins Available for Free
Reading Time: 4 minutesOne of the things, that makes Adobe After Effects so powerful is the number of third-party plug-ins, which are available, which makes it even more versatile. And the cool thing is that many of these incredible plug-ins are free. So, I decided to make a list of free plug-ins for AE. 3D Lighting and Shading… Continue reading Must-Have After Effects Tools & Plug-Ins Available for Free
What is a Camera Color Profile? Look, LOG, LUT & RAW Explained
Reading Time: 7 minutesWhat is a color profile? Definition & Meaning A camera color profile controls how your camera records color and contrast. It affects whether your footage is flat and flexible (like Log or RAW) or ready-to-use (like a Look or baked-in LUT). Each profile changes how the sensor data is processed, and how much control you… Continue reading What is a Camera Color Profile? Look, LOG, LUT & RAW Explained
Difference between Color Correction & Grading Explained
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat is the difference between color correction and color grading? Definition & Meaning Color correction fixes the color to match how things look in real life. Color grading changes color to match a mood, style, or creative choice. Let’s take a closer look at both. Color Correction Purpose: Adjust footage to achieve natural and accurate… Continue reading Difference between Color Correction & Grading Explained
Introduction To Green Screen, Blue Screen, And Chroma Keying
Reading Time: 7 minutesOver the last two decades, green screens have gone from an uncommon novelty used solely on VFX-heavy films to a staple of cinema on even the most minute budgets. And while ‘green screen’, like ‘CGI’, ‘mo-cap’, and other well-known filmmaking terms, has successfully permeated the mainstream culture, very few people can, in actuality, describe what… Continue reading Introduction To Green Screen, Blue Screen, And Chroma Keying
How to make a lightsaber and X-wing scene in After Effects
Reading Time: 2 minutesSome of the names on this page are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm (Disney), of which I’m in no way affiliated. They are used here under Fair Use for educational purposes. You can’t claim to be a filmmaker if you haven’t tried to make a scene with a lightsaber at some point! The lightsaber has become… Continue reading How to make a lightsaber and X-wing scene in After Effects