In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re continuing our conversation with Cullen Kelly on color eduction.  

If you missed part 1, be sure to go back to and check it out.  

In this episode some of the topics we explore include:

• Finding the right instruction and right instructor for how you learn
• The role of 'robustness’ in color education
• Why concepts trump recipes 
• Why some practitioners aren’t great teachers and some teachers aren’t great practitioners
• How to get people to ‘launch’ post instruction 
• From  tutorials on YouTube to a building a brand
• The Pros/Cons of different instruction types - in person, asynchronous, audio only etc
• The responsibility of a student and how to good student 
• The challenges of teaching the ‘soft’ side of color  - room & client management 
• What constitutes success as an educator?
• Dealing with trolls and criticism as an educator

A huge thanks to Cullen for joining us these past two episodes.  You can learn more about Cullen’s courses, tools and community by visiting his YouTube channel  - www.youtube.com/cullenkelly

If you liked this episode consider supporting the show by buying us a coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

Thanks as always to our amazing sponsor Flanders Scientific and our editor Stella!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re talking about a subject that’s near and dear to us - color education.  

Over the past 25 years both Joey and Robbie have written books on postproduction, authored hundreds of hours of tutorial content and spoken on color and postproduction at conferences and events all around the world.  

For this episode we thought it’d be fun to have one of our favorite color educators join the show as a special guest.  Who’s that special guest? None other than the incomparable Cullen Kelly.  

As a colorist Cullen’s eye is sought after by some of the biggest brands and best film makers in the world, as an educator his knowledge and easy going manner have earned him the respect of thousands around the world and even gave brith to a thriving community he manages. As a developer - first with DCTL and now OFX, Cullen is combining his love of color science and workflow all to help colorists create compelling images.   

Specific topics we cover in this episode include:

• Cullen’s background and how his journey began with a desire to know more about color
• How being a staff colorist drastically impacted his skills and learning the craft of color grading
• How the facility experience also drove his desire to learn more about what was happening behind the scenes with image creation
• Rewarding the passion of others by sharing knowledge and building a community
• Color and post have lots of ‘lanes’ of knowledge, no one ever regrets knowledge gained
• How knowledge is tiered - you can’t learn everything all at once.  
• The challenges of calibrating education to your audience
• The role of principles and how they outweigh any specific tool
• The challenge of teaching when the quality of footage, projects, and skillsets vary

If you liked this show consider support the podcast by buying us a cup of coffee. - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

Also be sure to like and subscribe to the show where ever you find it!

Routers, switches, IPs, MAC addresses - if those and dozens of other IT terms sound like different language to you, you're not alone!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re discussing essential IT vocab, devices and workflows. Of course, in a single episode there is a ton that we can’t cover, but if as a creative, IT stuff is confusing to you, than this overview will certainly help. Being conversant with IT terms is a must in modern post production. 

Some of the specific topics we explore in this show include:

• Why IT knowledge is essential on lots of levels including communicating with other people in the industry
• Understanding the role of a router and WAN vs LAN connections
• The role of a switch
• IP essentials - public IP vs internal IP
• DHCP vs Static/Fixed IPs
• VLANS and their role in more complicated network structures
• The value of an IT ecosystem/product integration and a ‘single pane of glass’ approach
• Firewalls and their importance in VLAN setups & incoming/outgoing connections
• Exploring network speed and performance options - 1GbE, 10GbE etc
• Understanding jumbo frames/MTU size
• The role of WIFI in the professional environment 

Remember, if you like this episode please do us a favor and like and subscribe where ever you find it!

It’s widely known that the Blackmagic Design development team for Resolve is one of the best in the business. - coming up with great new features and squashing bugs quickly.  But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement!

In this episode we take a list of 50+ feature requests and cull that down to 10 (ish), touching on things like groups, potential interface improvements, and what AI could (should) be doing in Resolve.  

Of course, anytime a list of 50+ things is paired down considerably there are good feature requests that get left behind so we might have to do a part 2 on this later in the year. 

In this episode some of the feature requests/improvements we take a look at include:

• Complete revision of groups in Resolve
• More AI driven utility tools - auto conform, dead pixel analysis, auto grouping etc
• UI improvements - UI to dock/save presets, settings, DCTLS, favorite effects, momentary full screen panels
• Tracking & Stabilization workflow improvements including axis weighting, predictive tracking, depth based tracking
• Gestural support for pen and trackpad users
• Color management for saved/exported stills + contact sheet/webpage export
• Closed caption, & Dolby Vision/Atmos support for DCPs. DCP validation
• Info pallet improvements - shot stats, corrections list, more items available for smart filtering
• How to make good feature requests and bug reports

Be sure to checkout offsetpodcast.com to check out our growing library of shows as well as to submit an idea for a future episode.  

If you liked this or other episodes please consider buying us a cup of coffee to support the show: coff.ee/theoffsetpodcast

Thanks as always to our amazing sponsor @flandersscientific for the support!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re asking & discussing the question - Is HDR really taking off?

At first blush, the answer is yes, but the really, the answer is decidedly more nuanced.  

Specifics discussed in this episode include:

• HDR seems to be everywhere - streaming platforms, consumer electronics, professional gear with billions made in investment
• While wildly available, access to HDR content is still often based on  ‘level’ of plan. 
• Disconnect for consumers between HDR capable hardware and plans
• The role the iPhone has played in helping spread HDR
• Although available & accessible, HDR is still widely weighted to the ‘higher end’.  Mid and entry level productions aren’t utilizing HDR. Why? And how can that change?
• The language of HDR has become conservative and very similar to SDR versions making differentiation harder
• A safe approach to HDR may be tied to derived downstream HDR and SDR performance.   
• Investment in expensive gear (reference monitoring) for what many see as niche is also a contributing factor
• How to sell and consistency in selling HDR content is important
• Many feel that HDR is something that is being dictated to them…but for technical not creative reasons
• Important to remember HDR technology and workflows are still relatively new
• Stunning HDR content does exist and shows what can be done (Ian Vertovec examples)
• Given artists space and time to work on HDR can produce amazing results

If you like the show be sure to like and subscribe where ever you find The Offset Podcast

It’s no secret that the post production (and production) industry is in a bit of tumultuous period resulting in a lot of people wondering if they should stay in the industry and for young people who are drawn to postproduction, if they’re making the right move trying to pursue editing, color, mixing etc.

In this episode, we’ll explore these issues and more.  While we don’t have the fixes for the macro issues at play in our industry, we discus many ways to battle the current downturn in post including:

• The current challenges in post production are multi-faceted and no single way to solve them
• Post production requires a massive amount of effort other industries can be more appealing (and more lucrative)
• Jobs at post facilities are few and far between but its hard to recommend to young folks starting out to just start their own business or go freelance - there are significant challenges in doing so
• Medium and small size post production companies can be doing a better job with training, mentorship and recruitment.
• Better understanding were postproduction work has gone - social content, corporate communications etc
• Developing adjacent stills are absolute necessity for the modern post worker - programing, AI , IT workflows
• Understanding not all work is art, but all work is commerce
• The product of ‘production companies’ has changed drastically and leverages more than just traditional post skills
• Content creation really only works with a purpose and a goal
• Moving from an operator role to other roles in the industry - even ones you might think of like software creation/management
• Skills learned in post are highly desirable and portable in a wide swath of industries

If you liked this show, checkout our library of past episodes and please like and subscribe to the show where ever you find it!

In this episode we’re exploring a audience member submitted question about how to know when a grade is done and ready to present to a client.  It’s a more nuanced and complex question than you’d think! 

Specific topics discussed in this episode include:

• Color is very subjective thing - how to balance your ‘done’ vs a client’s done
• The importance of pre-grade goals
• How initial project evaluation is a vital part of the grading process
• Getting to know a client’s preferences, aesthetic, and things they focus on
• The immense value of working in passes
• Focusing first on ‘tone’, white/black point, and overall shot to shot contrast
• Moving to large feature matching
• Detailed work  - beauty, clothing, small features shot to shot
• Showing the client for the first time - balancing confidence and accepting constructive criticism  
• Putting the project back in front of client again after addressing notes and gauging success
• Evaluating ‘translatability’ on consumer devices
• Preparing for big changes, disasters etc with project backups, duplicated timelines, and versions
• Balancing perfectionism with staying on schedule and delivering
• The long term value of being committed to your work

If you liked this episode be sure to check out our growing library of shows. Also be sure to like and subscribe to The Offset Podcast where ever you find it!

In this episode, we’re continuing our discussion with monitoring experts Bram Desmet from Flanders Scientific, Nate McFarlin from Dolby, and David Abrams from Avical/Portrait Displays

Some of the specific topics we cover in this episode include:

• How are panels actually made? And why does it cost billions?
• The role of material science in panel manufacturing 
• Understanding the split between panel manufacturers and consumer brands of the same name
• The importance of viewing environment in regards to display performance
• Understanding preference vs accuracy
• The shift to consumer-sized panels as reference monitors and the ongoing challenges of using multiple monitors
• Building meter matrices with the four color method, and are there better approaches, like the Bodner method or the volumetric approaches used by some calibration software
• Revisiting using consumer displays in a professional setting & why consumer TV companies have little incentive to integrate reference capabilities
• Continuing challenges of Rec.2020
• Calibrating computer monitors, iPads, and mobile devices

If you like this episode, please be sure to subscribe to the podcast give the show a like wherever you're watching/listening! 

For our 30th episode we're discussing that topic we always seem to revisit - monitoring!  While we have some opinions on the state of reference and consumer monitors in 2025 we thought it'd be fun to celebrate our 30th episode with some good friends who also happen to be experts in their part of the monitoring ecosystem.  

In Part 1 of a two-part series, we're joined by Flander Scientific CEO Bram Desmet, Nate McFarlin from Dolby, and David Abrams from Portrait Displays/Avical.

We'll discuss their areas of expertise with each of them a little bit - monitor manufacturing, display testing and validation, and calibration.  

Specific topics explored in this episode include:

• Staying on top of monitoring technologies
• Choosing display technologies for a monitor product line
• Determining what features make it into monitor software
• Addressing different needs of different users e.g. DITs vs Colorists
• How staying at the forefront of color science helps deliver the most accurate monitors possible
• The role that an R&D company like Dolby plays in the monitor ecosystem
• How monitor usability is just as important as performance
• The complexity of monitor display technologies and how they can complicate monitor evaluation
• Sometimes monitor evaluation brings with it things manufacturers don’t want to hear
• Consumer monitors can be considerably harder to evaluate than professional monitors
• What does Dolby Certification really mean for consumer TVs
• When will we hit a point where HDR is standard & SDR is looked at in a similar way to HD or 4:3 
• Professional vs Consumer displays when it comes to calibration accuracy out of the box
• Calibration is not a replacement for understanding & proper setup/use of a monitor
• Exploring how calibration has become both easier and harder
• How accurate is accurate enough and is the cost of reference calibration gear worth it
• Noticeable differences & degrees of accuracy with calibration
• Drift and the frequency of recalibration 

In part 2 we explore some monitoring topics provided by our listeners and ones that Joey and Robbie have been eager to discuss.

In this episode, we continue our discussion about ARM-based computing and its impact on postproduction. If you missed part 1 in this series, be sure to check that out, as we cover a lot of helpful background information. 

In this show, some of the specifics discussed include:

• How ARM will factor into our next workstation purchases
• Do we think Apple will deliver on a ‘beast mode’ Mac Pro
• Will Apple Silicon ever support discreet GPUs
• How ARM Linux systems are very appealing from a hardware point of view but have software challenges
• Is widespread adoption of ARM an inflection point for cloud-based workstations for the masses
• A side effect of cloud-based workstations might be faster feature/bug fix deployment
• Why the future of workstations is really exciting

Be sure to check out our library of episodes, and if you liked the show, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you find it.