Happy Holidays!

It’s our last episode of Season 2 and for the year!  We’ll return in mid-January 2026  for Season 3 with some great new topics, new types of content and much more.

If you’ve enjoyed The Offset Podcast help us improve it.  If you have 5-10 minutes we’d love it if you could take our audience survey by visiting this link: https://wkf.ms/4acQMvb

Thank you to our amazing audience we couldn’t do the show without your support.  Wishing you and yours a great holiday season!

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Continuing our recent efforts to address some viewer/listener submitted topics, in this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re exploring a question we got from audience member Jared about how to integrate greenscreen work into a color/finishing pipeline.

It’s a great topic, and one as you’ll see and hear Joey gets particularly amped up about!

Since we’re a podcast and not a tutorial channel, this episode is more about big picture strategies and techniques then the nitty gritty of particular sliders and knobs, but we still cover a ton. Some of the specific topics we explore include:

• Success in greenscreen work starts on set
• Keying on the Resolve Color page vs Fusion page
• Fusion’s Delta Keyer
• Getting more comfortable with mattes and transparency
• Edge refinement, matte finessing and the difference between the two
• Combining keys and using garbage mattes
• Controlling spill with spill suppression
• Light wrap, shadow creation and getting better composites
• Handing off to a VFX professional

If you like The Offset Podcast, we’d love it if you could do us a big favor. It’d help a lot if you could like and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen/watch the show. Also if you liked this show consider support the podcast by 'buying us a cup of coffee' - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

In this episode of The Offset Podcast, we’re exploring another viewer/listener submitted question - this time from a viewer named Camilo.

Camilo asks about the balance as a colorist of being a technician vs an artist.  Thanks Camilo for the topic - it’s a deep one!

Specifics topics we explore in this episode include:

• Color grading IS technical, but its ALSO very creative.  Most colorists aren't exclusively one or the other
• How you got into post/color plays a large role in how you see yourself and others seen you
• How you can fill your technical/creative gaps with conceptual thinking
• The colorist as a fulcrum in a creative/technical seesaw
• How the pressures of having to 'invent images' vs respecting photography brings technician vs artistry to the forefront
• How video/film projects have less diversity of approach than other artistic mediums
• The power of experimental projects
• Learning to understand your own personal strengths

If you liked this episode, please subscribe, like and rate it wherever you found the show. 

We'd also love it if you'd consider supporting the show by 'buying us a cup of virtual coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast 

Did you know you can submit questions or show ideas for the podcast?  If you head over to offsetpodcast.com at the top of the page there is a button to submit an idea for a future episode. You can also use this button to provide feedback about the podcast.  We’d love to hear from you.  

Today we’re exploring a question we got from one of our viewers/listeners Jon who writes asking about trends in color grading.  Thanks for the question Jon it’s a good one!  

Some of the specifics we discuss in this show include:

• The challenge of pinpointing trends
• Hommage vs. copy cat
• What’s popular now?
• Have we become scared of contrast?
• The magic of ‘90s and early 2000’s looks
• Thinking about future trends by using past looks as a library

If you liked this episode be sure to check out our growing library of episodes and like and subscribe to the podcast where ever you find it.  

Also, we'd love it if you consider buying us a cup of virtual coffee to help support the show - it means a lot to us.  https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast 

You hear a lot of talk about references when it comes to color grading - but what are references? How do you interpret them to get great results? And, how can references play a role in client communication?

It's these topics and more we're discussing on this installment of The Offset Podcast

Specifics discussed int his episode include:

• What is a reference and what is it good for?
• References aren’t just good for color - good for all aspects of finishing
• References as a communication tool
• Interrogating the client about provided references
• Inspirational references vs. practical references
• Reference evaluation  - color, contrast, texture, mood and focus
• Working with references in your color grading app
• Thinking volumetrically with references

If you liked this episode, please subscribe, like and rate it wherever you found the show. 

We'd also love it if you'd consider supporting the show by 'buying us a cup of virtual coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast 

If you have a craving for the latest, fastest and most powerful hardware and software out there - you’re not alone!  

Technology lust is real, and in this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re discussing managing it. 

Specific topics for this episode include:

• Staying at or near the technological curve
• Measuring desire vs real impact of new gear and software
• The benefits of being slightly behind the bleeding edge - improvement without breaking the bank
• How small improvements can scratch that upgrade itch 
• Monitor upgrades
• The underrated value of storage upgrades
• The danger of ‘build it, and they will come
• The financial part of upgrades - purchasing, finance, leasing

 If you liked this episode check out our growing library of other episodes, and we'd love it you could take a moment to like/subscribe where ever you find the show. 

Also, we'd be grateful if you'd consider supporting the show by buying us 'a cup of coffee' https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

In this episode of The Offset Podcast, we’re talking about relationships and their importance in the post production industry (or any industry really).  

You’ve likely heard the phrase ‘it’s a relationship business’. What that means and how do you go about working on your relationships is what we’re exploring in this show.  

Specifics we discuss include:

• What do we mean by post is a ‘relationship business’?
• No one is perfect, but trying to always improve relationships should be the goal
• Using the concept of the ‘golden rule’ and giving people the benefit of the doubt
• Stages of relationships
• Managing client relationships and the importance of being ‘invested’ in their success
• The importance of clear expectations with clients
• Stewardship and ‘checking in’ with clients between projects
• How project debriefs can be a valuable tool for client relationship growth
• Working with other vendors and the delicate dance with client involvement
• Direct replies vs reply all when it comes to working with other vendors  
• Using relationships with other vendors as a sales and workflow assets
• The challenges of relationships with co workers & colleagues
• Putting the project first with all colleagues - even ones you don’t get along with
• The importance of modesty and a positive attitude with co-workers
• Owning your faults/mistakes and working to rectify them
• How you talk about others dramatically impacts your relationships 

If you like this episode please like and subscribe to the podcast wherever you find it.  Also we'd be grateful if you'd consider supporting the show by buying us a cup of virtual coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

We'll be back in another two weeks!

In this episode, we’re discussing something we do pretty regularly - look setting with a client.  

If you’re not familiar with look setting, it can be a vital part of the grading process.  It helps ensure that you and the client are on the same page with the creative choices and the look of a project PRIOR to grading the entire project and potentially going down the wrong path.  

Look setting can be an integral part of preproduction - building monitoring LUTs or in camera look files. Or it can happen after production has wrapped but prior to the main grade starting or combination of those approaches 

In this episode it’s that second scenario that we’re going to be discussing.  We’ll cover developing looks for production in a future episode.  

Specific topics discussed in this show include:

• What is look setting and while is a vital part of the finishing process?
• How look setting is the first part of building client confidence and important to the communication process 
• When does looking setting happen? 
• Making the goals of a looking setting session clear to everyone involved
• Strategies to avoid going too deep in the grade while also showing off capabilities & possibilities 
• The importance of reviewing & discussing references
• How to pick shots and scenes to work on 
• Building 3 to 4 looks to share with the client
• Leveraging comparative tools
• Presenting shot challenges without offending clients 
• In person, asynchronous and remote streaming look sessions
• Moving from a look setting session into the main grade

If you like this episode please consider supporting the podcast by buying us 'a cup of coffee': https://buymeacoffee.com/theoffsetpodcast

Big thanks as always to our sponsor Flanders Scientific for helping make these shows possible.  

See you in about two weeks!

In this episode of The Offset Podcast we’re talking about something that’s been on our mind for while - virtualization.  Specifically how virtualization can help facilitate and color and postproduction workflow.

If you’re new to the subject than this episode is a good primer on the essential components of virtualization, for those of you more experienced with virtualization, we believe strongly that virtualization will continue to play a large role in our industry and over the next few years become mainstream in many post and finishing workflows.

Specific topics discussed include:

• What is virtualization and why is it important?
• Local hardware mentality vs virtualization
• Local hypervisors and VMs
• Virtualization servers (DIY local and or Cloud Based)
• Key vocabulary - bare metal, pass through etc
• The role of Remote Desktop/streaming and local clients in a virtualized setup
• Why and how we’re experimenting with fully virtualized workflows
• The trickle down effect of virtualization is gaining steam

If you like The Offset Podcast, we’d love it if you could do us a big favor. It’d help a lot if you could like and rate the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen/watch the show.

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

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!