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I’m Oliver Peters – an independent video/film editor, colorist, post production supervisor, tech journalist, and consultant. In addition to this blog, I have contributed to various industry trade publications and websites, including Videography, DV, TV Technology, Creative Planet Network, RedShark News, Post, PostPerspective, Pro Video Coalition, and FCP.co – just to name a few. Other writing has included custom content for numerous manufacturers.
My career as a production professional spans radio, television, and film since 1970. Over the years, this has included a variety of hands-on production and post production positions, as well as various facility management roles. Along the way, my work has earned local, regional, and national Addy, Telly, Monitor, and Emmy awards.
I was an early adopter of nonlinear editing and have since logged thousands of hours cutting commercials, feature films, TV shows, corporate videos, and themed entertainment projects. To date, I’ve utilized approximately two dozen different brands and models of edit and color grading systems. My prime focus is post production with a particular emphasis on editing and color grading, but the key factor is and has always been to convey the story.
My web site is OliverPeters.com. Samples of my work may be viewed at vimeo.com/oliverpeters. This blog is an opportunity to revisit many of the topics and articles I’ve written about over the years, plus provide another avenue for my current articles and reviews. Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few other thoughts of mine whenever appropriate. Source
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| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesSafari Goes Wild Again
Safari Audio (formerly Safari Pedals) has always had an atypical approach to developing audio plugins. The original effects (version 1) supplied vintage-style processing in a UI that usually mimicked the look of guitar pedals. The design of those plugins was topped off with playful 2D graphics, a la vintage Animal Crackers circus packaging. Safari Audio has just released their brand new V2 products after a three year development cycle.
LemurAudio SIMON Mastering EQ
There are plenty of equalizer plugins on the market, but not every one is called a ‘mastering equalizer’. There’s no real difference between a regular equalizer and a mastering equalizer; however, certain features are usually associated with mastering EQs. These include parametric controls, mid/side or left/right processing, and proportional Q. LemurAudio, a new Czech developer, has now jumped into the audio plugin market. Their first plugin is SIMON, a mastering equalizer.
Resolve Grading in One Node
I’ve written numerous articles about streamlining Resolve color correction/grading workflows. Sure, at rare times a complex node tree is called for. Add to that tons of YouTube videos about how to get a ‘film look’. The truth is that when actual films were graded by a lab color timer (the film world’s equivalent of a video colorist), the available tools were rather simple. There simply was no complex windowing and masking in the way Resolve and other applications allow.
Kiive Paradox FX – Round 2
I previously reviewed Kiive Audio’s entry round of their new line of Paradox effects. Kiive has now expanded the line with three additional plugins – Stereo Distortion, Mod Filter, and PlasmaVerb. As with Chorus and VC Rotary, these each add a bit more than simply another variation of this type of effect. Paradox – Stereo Distortion is primarily a distortion filter to add saturation and drive to instruments. It works particularly well with electric guitars.
DaVinci Resolve Workflow Simplified Again
I’ve posted a number of articles about keeping your DaVinci Resolve color grading workflows simple. Several of these have focused on using third-party DCTL effects (DaVinci color transform language). Some free, some paid. This approach works well, but DCTL effects have two downsides. The first is that usually two CST (color space transform) nodes are required at both ends of your node tree. That’s to move you from a log camera space to the intermediate DaVinci space and then finally out to Rec 709.
sonible smart:chain
There are tons of audio plugins on the market that emulate vintage hardware. A few companies buck that trend by taking a modern approach – vintage in sound when called for, but with modern processing approaches and interface design. Austria’s sonible is a front runner in this space, offering innovative design coupled with what they call Sonic Intelligence. In short that’s their approach to artificial intelligence in audio plugins.
DaVinci Resolve – Six Apps in One
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve/Resolve Studio is constructed as an integrated set of media tools. These have either been acquired and redesigned or developed from scratch by the Blackmagic team. Unlike application suites, such as Adobe Creative Cloud or Apple Creator Studio, Resolve integrates the various tasks all within a single piece of software.
iZotope Joins the Boris FX Family
First, a bit of the backstory as we know it. iZotope is widely recognized as one of the go-to brands that’s critical to the audio community. Users have been nervous for the past few months, because the former parent company Native Instruments GmbH filed for preliminary insolvency in Germany at the start of the year. Native Instruments was saved from bankruptcy thanks to its acquisition by inMusic Brands, whose portfolio includes Akai Professional, Moog Music, and other music technology companies.
That G-Word Again
Let’s talk about gamma issues again. I’ve previously written about the Premiere gamma ‘bug’ and Premiere’s color management tools. Unfortunately, gamma levels are a never ending issue. It’s not a ‘bug’. It’s the way the system was designed. Different platforms and delivery targets use different gamma values. This makes it impossible to export a single file that will look the same no matter where and how it is viewed.
AI vs Indie Filmmaking
Artificial intelligence (AI) has brought an onslaught of content, including deepfakes, parodies, visual storyboards, and even real commercials. Companies like Byrna and Baerskin are some that have leaned heavily into AI commercials. Various shows on the History Channel have been using AI content to depict historical events in lieu of produced re-enactments. Then there’s the controversy surrounding Tilly Norwood, a synthetic AI character produced and licensed by Particle6 Productions in the UK.