How to get the Vsco C1 filter on Instagram? by frevil_21

How to get the Vsco C1 filter on Instagram? by frevil_21 #instagramfilter

Instagram Filter Vsco C1 by frevil_21 Instagram filters are an easy and quick way to enhance your social media posts before posting. Whether it’s for fun or an occasion, you choose a filter to apply to your post based on whatever look you’re hoping to achieve. Each filter is a combination of effects. Thanks to the creator’s community for their great sense of humor and all the hard work they do…

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7 questions to get to know me better

tagged by the lovely @jkvjimin 🩷🩷

last song: palette by IU

favorite color: black, purple and pink

last film/show: Hidden Blade (movie)

sweet/savoury/spicy: sweet!!!!

last thing I googled: Wong Kar Wai lightroom preset

relationship status: single

current obsessions: watching cdramas and giffing, of course 😁 these are forever my obsessions

tagging @cordiallyfuturedwight @raplinenthusiasts @heybaetae @jung-koook @kimtaegis @rjshope @magicshop @thornedswan and anyone who wants to do it!

My preset PINK SUGAR for gshade/reshade

Hey everybody!

I originally created this preset in June 22. I didn't like it that much so I left in my WIP folder for many months until December.

It was right before New Years Eve when I decided to give this preset a shot again.

And here we are!

This preset was also (just like Milky Pastels) designed for not so dull yet still smooth gameplay so that everyone can have a colorful cas/gameplay even with an older PC/laptop.

It works for CAS too!

UI is super clean and visible with this preset.

This one is more warmer, vibrant and playful than milky pastels.

Disclaimers:

-All of the outside pictures were taken in Copperdale on a sunny summer day around 10 am

-Don't forget to disable edge smoothing in game

-This preset is not designed for "professional" picture taking in game with blurry backgrounds etc. - there are no DoF/depth shaders used!

- For both CAS and GamePlay *(you can disable quint_MXAO for gameplay if you want to have normal UI without shadows but it's not necessary)

- Shaders used are listed as a last screenshot (you must have all of them for this preset to work properly)

- BONUS: if you don't want it to be grainy/film like just tick FilmGrain2 shader off.

- It also works with reshade (huge thanks to BlondeSimmer for testing it!)

- If you want your pictures exactly like mine above, I also used these mods:

NoGlo by Luumia

NoBlu by Luumia

Render CAS lighting by Luumia

-Do not re-upload -Do not claim as your own -You can tag my simstagram @simdriella so I can have a look at your creations with my preset! <3

Thank you for all your support! I really appreciate it!

DOWNLOAD

Show Your Coloring Before & After

was tagged by @rose-nebulijia + @laowen ♥ thank u babes

As previously mentioned, all edits are done on mobile apps. Here, I specifically wanted to focus on the raw export onto my computer before sizing/fonts are applied. SW and MARVEL caps typically have screencap galleries in 2160p, while most BL’s I cap myself are required to be 1080p or more. And the most important thing I look for, before editing, is a cap that already shows good lighting and composition. That way, the editing elevates the image.

I won’t go into detail for each edit, but I can touch on my common adjustments and then call out what additional work needed to be achieved for the final edit.

VSCO is my main app for coloring. In addition to having a better quality camera than the built-in one I have, the presets and adjustments achieve better results than other apps I used for IG. I gravitate towards exposure, white balance, vignette, and grain (rip grain 2020-2022, nothing happened but im still bitter its now a subscription feature).

At this point, I am very in tune with what I look for in my edits, so I know how to measure my adjustments and the number range for each (ex: grain ranged between 2.8 to 4.1 depending on the resolution). I now rely on Snapseed for Grain, which is under Grainy Film.

Snapseed is also my go-to app for my most recent editing style — the scratchy or film clip borders (Frames) and then the borders (Expand). If there’s a dusty film look or blurred text, they were overlays (Double Exposure). I’ve also used Perspective, Selective, and Lens Blur in past edits. And of course, text is available here but there’s a limited selection.

When I have made all the necessary adjustments, I specifically save as an Export (not Save or Save a Copy) with the final changes. I find that the Exported images from Snapseed (VSCO too) size down better than the Saved versions.

Size matters, in regards to these edits. Why? I manipulate the size down (commonly from ~1500px+ width to less than 900px), so that the grain is accentuated (and looks sharper). In the end, coloring does skew slightly underneath the grain, which gives off that photograph look moreso than the raw export. Feel free to click on the images to enlarge and see the differences close up. I didn’t mess with the sizing, so it should look slightly different than the post

Additional work for the selected edits are below the cut -

Random BB Screen Cap #12 (Frame 5) - very minimal adjustments, exposure and grain did most of the work

Anakin from Ep VI (Frame 1) - also very minimum, before the additional frame and border; white balance leans heavily on the red side of the spectrum (I think it was above 3.0) before adjusting the saturation down a smidge.

KinnPorsche/War of the Foxes (Frame 4) - I use the B5 preset for all b/w edits in VSCO; image was very mid in coloring, so I used Brush in Snapseed to “burn” the bg

Weeping Angels Set (Frame 12) - very little adjustments needed; white balance leaned more yellow for warmth, in order to work cohesively with the surrounding images; 

BB/Jane Eyre (Frame 2) - again, very little need to be adjusted; the seat lean more pink, but I needed the set to match the purple in Frame 3; white balance leans more blue

The Good Place (Frame 3) - similar to all above statements with adjustments; the additional ’scratches’ come from Unfold, another app I use frequently for this affect and others; I believe this can be found under Journals(?); I export the template and then go back to Snapseed to crop out the excess

BB Top 3 Eps (Frame 2) - Unfold again, but this is under the Paper series; if I want variety in the “folds”, I would flip the image upside down

BB Film Noir #2 (Frame 1) - the only time I used contrast and exposure to its extremes; also heavily relies on using Double Exposure in Snapseed to add in the old film effects and blurred text

Feel free to reach out if you want to know some specifics or if you want to just learn how to apps work. Will also add this to the q&a section.

tagging @mrdumpling @actually-yikes @pranpats @taeminie @loversmore @liyazaki @dingyuxi (no pressure if you’ve already done it or whatnot, i just adore you guys okay)​

12 Finest Wi-fi Gaming Headsets (2021): PS5 Swap PC Xbox Collection X/S PS4 Xbox One

We have rounded up a wide array of the perfect gaming headsets we have tried, however there are numerous others available on the market. Our listing is nice if you would like suggestions so you do not have to take care of combing by means of all of the choices. However if you wish to probe for your self, listed below are just a few essential issues to search for in a great headset. Audio high quality: It looks as if it could go with out saying, however we’re saying it anyway: You’ll be able to’t all the time inform from a spec sheet how a headset will sound. A well-made stereo headset can sound higher than a poorly made 7.1 Dolby Atmos encompass sound set. Test opinions to get a way of how a headset performs in actual life. Encompass sound choices: Fashionable headsets have gotten excellent at recreating or simulating encompass sound in headsets with techniques like Dolby Atmos for Headphones or DTS:X. These techniques are significantly impactful in video games the place you need to have the ability to hear precisely the place an enemy is firing at you from. Ensure you’ll be able to flip the encompass sound on or off. Consolation: That is one other subjective class, but when you are going to put on a headset for hours when you’re gaming, it is essential that it would not harm. A heavy headset urgent towards your temples can provide you a headache after some time. Search for headsets which have adjustable, ergonomic designs, loads of cushioning, and are typically light-weight. An adjustable growth microphone: In the event you plan to make use of your headset for on-line gaming, a great microphone is essential. Many headsets include growth mics that may be positioned in entrance of your mouth. Some are detachable, whereas others can merely be rotated or bent away out of your mouth once they’re not in use. Be sure to get the sort that is proper in your wants. Seen mic muting and indicator LEDs: It is essential to know once you’re broadcasting audio so you do not by chance share your personal conversations along with your teammates. Some mics mute mechanically once you flip them upward, whereas others use a devoted mute button. We significantly like headsets that embody pink LEDs that point out once you’re muted, which will be useful. Mic monitoring so you’ll be able to hear your voice: If you wish to preserve tabs on the way you sound to your teammates, and never sound such as you’re yelling whereas taking part in, mic monitoring is a characteristic that permits you to hear your personal audio by means of your headphones. Optimally, you’ll be able to modify its quantity. Once you take heed to a podcast or radio speak present, likelihood is, these of us are utilizing some type of mic monitoring to allow them to hear themselves in addition to others. Equalizer (EQ) and customization instruments: Video games, motion pictures, and TV exhibits are combined otherwise, and once you’re listening, you may wish to emphasize totally different facets of the audio sign. Customized EQ presets allow you to set totally different balances for watching a film versus taking part in a recreation, and even have totally different balances on a per-game foundation. Originally published at Fresno News HQ

Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow

Before & After

hi! i was the anon talking about the "pink and green blotchy" mess lol, this is the marceau preset. i have all of the normal stuff needed for reshade to work turned off (edge smoothing) and all of the shaders. i hope this helps sdfhjk thank you!!

Okay, first thing I’d say is wow that’s a lot of shaders, and second they’re in terrible order.

The order of shaders in the list matters *a lot*. For example, all the depth effects should be at the top, MXAO at the very top. Deband should be at the very bottom (the only thing that should come below it is film grain if you use it). After the depth effects should come smaa/fxaa, followed by sharpening. Then come all the various colour and light effects - but the preset will look different depending on what order they’re in too.

So, first thing: turn off the multilut.fx and see what happens. I’ve seen that kind of exaggerated colour blotching with bad luts in the past.

Second, get in touch with the preset creator and ask them what order those shaders need to be in. The preset should come with the correct order already, but they can get mixed up sometimes. If the preset creator says the order doesn’t matter then I’m afraid they don’t know what they’re talking about, and you’ll have to experiment moving them up and down in the list (drag and drop) using the rough guide I provided above.

Survey #303

“if i can’t be loved, then i’ll be hated”

What color are your glasses, if applicable? Black. Candy corn or conversation hearts? They're both gross, don't make me pick between garbage. Do you own a lot of earrings? Not really after I weeded them out before moving. What did your backpack in high school look like? I dare say I had the dopest backpack of them all. It looked like a massive Ouija board, and the zipper was the planchet (sp?). Have you ever been to a rave? Nah. What is your favorite art medium? I have a particular fondness of oil paintings. They tend to look so smooth, and you can achieve incredible realism with them. How far away is the nearest hospital from you? Not even five minutes, I think. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? My mom. What is your favorite car color? Pink, duh. How did you learn to type? We actually had a class specifically for typing in middle school. What style of wedding dress do you want? I don't have that set in stone yet, but I really do love ballgown dresses with long trains as well as a-lines with a moderate train. I love a lot, except really for mermaid dresses. Do you fit into any stereotype, or are you non-stereotypical? I don't know if I fit perfectly into any and really don't care. Would you want your first child to have your hair color? ???? I don't care about their hair lol?????? It would depend on the hypothetical father, in which case I'd probably find it cute, but this is so, so unimportant. Do you enjoy writing in cursive? Yeah, it just feels good and flowy to me. What is your favorite hair color? Natural? Probably blonde with natural darker undertones throughout. I like blonde hair because it's far easier to dye, haha. Now, if we're including DYED hair, rose gold or pastel pink is *chefs kiss* What is your favorite eye color? Sapphire blue, probz. Would you put your birthday on a different day if you could? Nah, it's fine where it is. What holiday is your birthday closest to? Valentine's. Do you vent on social media a lot? NOOOOOOOO. I barely post ANYTHING about myself on social media because I feel like I'm being annoying, self-absorbed, find anything I do actually interesting, or don't want people to think I'm a whiner. All I ever really do on social media is share or reblog funny shit, things I love, stuff I find relatable or inspirational, educational, important for whatever reason, etc... Do you have abusive parents? I am very thankful to say no. Is your house haunted? Doesn't seem like it. What's your favorite thing to watch on YouTube? I'm in a real WoW-related phase lately... Watching my favorite streamers, gold farming guides, and other various aspects of the game. What are five health problems that you have? I talk about the mental issues enough, so I guess I'll talk about physical stuff here. Uhhh I have very low blood pressure (it's a med side effect), I have extremely weak legs following muscle atrophy, I have bad tremors, especially in my hands (amplified by medication once again), maybe TMI but we're adults here and it's a legit issue that I have chronic and severe conspitation, aaaand then of course I have hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) to a fucking outrageous and also humiliating degree. Ooooonce again as a prescription side effect. This answer made meds sound kinda bad, I know, but really, I'd rather have the will to live and just have to deal with these than want to die everyday and not. Do you have surgery coming up? No, let's keep it that way until I lose enough weight and when I am 110% getting loose skin removal. Which family member(s) do you look the most like? My sisters, ig. People say my mom also, but I honestly don't see it. Have you ever cried while watching a YouTube video? Yeah, usually just in let's plays, but it's happened for other reasons. Are you missing a website that just shut down? Nah, none that I know of. NO. FUCKING WAIT. So, when my laptop was fixed, a LOT of shit was wiped from it, and that included all of my goddamn Lightroom editing presets. The site they were from no longer exists, so I had to use a different, pretty sub-par one to install at least a few because it helps me get a start on editing the photograph and leaning towards the "vibe" I want before spending like 15+ minutes tuning it myself. Would you be a barefoot bride? No. Which would you rather name your daughter: Eliana, Echo, Emerald, or Ellery? Ohhh, I like these. I think I prefer "Eliana," but "Echo" is a close second. "Ellery" is nice, but it sounds too much like "celery" to name my kid that lmao. Which would you rather name your son: Maverick, Matthew, or Moses? Ugh, none, honestly. But "Matthew" wins. When was the last time you gave a speech? Like a *legit" speech? Probably not since uhhh... I guess when I argued my disability case at court? Does that even count? Have you ever been in a stampede? Well, never seen this'n in a survey before, so good job, lol. No. If you were a fairy, what color would you like your wings to be? It would depend on what I wore, really. And my hair. But probably light pink. Would you rather name your son Storm, Skylar, Sorin, or Solomon? "Sorin." "Skylar" is SO Southern, and "Solomon" sounds like the creepy kid all his classmates avoid and I ain't putting my kid through that. Did you read a devotional this morning? Not my jam. Would you rather be named Arizona, Alaska, Cali, or Georgia? Hm... "Alaska" is actually kinda cool???? And I'm white as fuck so lol????? I wouldn't mind to nickname of "Ally," anyway. Are you repulsed by ugly reptiles? lololol bro get out Did all your friends know about your first crush or was it a secret? I was definitely secretive and shy about it when I first started getting crushes. Do you ever feel insecure about going out without makeup? I feel insecure either way, so... How many different natural hair colors are there in your immediate family? So, this is a hard question to answer. My mom was born with brown hair, but it darkened to almost black; only her daughter Katie inherited that. By some genetic magic, Dad had blond hair as a kid, but it also turned black. Like... how?????? I was born with dirty blonde hair like him, and mine turned an average brown with age. My immediate sisters have always had brown hair. What is your favorite online game? World of Warcraft is ballin'. Would you ever want to be famous and sign autographs? Ha, the idea of signing autographs is awful... I can't physically write very long without my carpal tunnel flaring up. Do you like your shirt to be loose or tight? LOOSE. Especially as a bigger person, tight shirts are just really uncomfortable. What is your favorite Spanish name? I don't know nearly enough to answer this. Would you rather visit Asia or Europe? I think Asia is, in general, more interesting and prettier as a whole, but I guess I'm drawn to European culture being more like my own and there are specific locations I'm interested in, like Germany or Scotland. So to answer the question, I guess Europe wins. Are there any Asians in your family? I don't believe so. Have you ever had colored braces? Haha yeah, I did that when I had them. Do you take birth control pills? Yes, just for period cramps. Without them, they can be immobilizing for me. If you live in the USA: do you feel free and safe? Ha, no. Well, not *entirely*. Have you ever been sick on your birthday? I was recovering from the stomach virus, if that counts. As in I still got sick the day before and felt iffy on my actual bday. 17th, I think? Is talking about your past painful for you? Yes. Are you a member of any support groups online? I'm a member of The Mighty site, if that counts. When I'm feeling very, very sound of mind and helpful without all the negativity being a detriment to myself, I do like going on there and trying to help or comfort people. Have you ever called a suicide hotline? Yes, and the line was busy, and that's when I decided I was a goner. Do you ever fantasize about revenge? I uhhhhh... sometimes. What's a movie you would recommend to someone who never watches movies? Ohhh, that's hard. I don't really watch movies either, and I'm trying to think of one that essentially anyone would like, so hm. Oh, Coco is absolutely a possibility. That movie touched me so, so deeply and is high on my favorites list. It's impossible to not feel the emotions. Do you want to have grandkids? Hell, I don't want kids. Do you want to be an aunt or uncle? I already am one, and I love being an aunt. Who was your favorite Spice Girl? I don't remember their names or characters in general. Did you make a lot of home videos growing up? I mean *I* didn't, but Mom filmed quite a few. Do you enjoy babysitting? NO. What's an unpopular opinion that you have? Avoiding some political ones, uhhhh. OH. HERE'S ONE. THE SCENE AESTHETIC IS FUCKING CUTE AND NOT CRINGEY AND YOU CAN FIGHT ME ABOUT IT. Are you attracted to the opposite gender, same gender, or both? Both are A+. Was your first crush on someone of the same gender or opposite? Opposite. As a kid, I didn't even fathom the concept that women could date women. What is something you'll never eat again? Why? Brussel sprouts. Fucking disgusting. What is currently happening that is scaring you? Besides the very obvious answer of "Covid," I worry about my mom a lot. She's so weakened after all the chemo and meds and can do literally less than I can without heavily breathing and sweating. I just worry a lot that cancer will return sooner than we hope; I don't want it to EVER come back, but doctors say it is very, very likely at one point or another because she was so very close to Stage 4. What would be your personal hell? Being completely and entirely isolated forever while somewhere hot and humid, lol. And play one of my trigger songs on repeat eternally. What made the "weird kid" at your school weird? There was this poor guy named Alfred that was VERY clearly depressed out of his mind, and I heard him speak maybe once through all of high school, and the entire class couldn't believe it. He always sat way in the back and never smiled. I wonder how he is nowadays. What is a word you personally find offensive? "Retarded" personally offends me the most when misused and spoken as an insult. What instantly puts you to sleep? Now that is HARD to do; I have a ridiculously hard time going to sleep. The easiest way though would probably be me being drained from an emotional breakdown. That is so exhausting that I'm capable of crashing pretty fast and hard. What song is in a language you don't speak, but you love it anyway? I adore Rammstein, so there's plenty. I'll probably say "Donaukinder" is their best. What is something you would like to do if you weren’t judged for doing it? I keep that I RP a complete secret in my "real" life for this reason unless it's like, pried out of me. What's a movie you think everyone should watch? Why that one? Johnny Got His Gun. See how goddamn disgusting war is. What was the most unexpected good thing that's ever happened to you? Ha, realizing I was bisexual after once being homophobic. What is the funniest fact you know? Oh man, I know a lot of random trivia shit, really, so it's hard to say. Maybe that quokkas throw their offspring at predators to distract and escape from them... As awful as that is, c'mon, you gotta admit it's funny and shocking with just how adorable they are. What was your 'mic drop' moment? Oh, I don't know. Possibly when I publicly came out as bi on Facebook and made it abundantly clear that I gave no shits about some homophobic friends and family & I was beyond willing to let anyone's ass go over it. What's the kindest way a stranger has treated you? I remember as a kid at McDonald's, the woman in front of our car paid for our food; apparently seeing a mom, dad, and three kids in a van was enough that she wanted to just be kind and give us a smile. We have no idea who she was, never saw her face or anything, she was just a sweet woman. What is the biggest design flaw of your body? Okay, I'm going to let go of all hatred for my body weight-wise and just think of this as from a strictly natural design perspective, in which case I'd say my toes are too small. What age are you afraid of turning and why? 30, because I'm terrified of getting there and seeing I've possibly gone nowhere. What is the strangest thing you have ever felt? I'm keeping this question in just because I think there could be some interesting answers for others, but I'm witholding my answer because nobody wants or needs to know lmao. What makes someone immediately unlikable? Acting better than others and belittling. Who's a villain you sympathize with and why? D A R K I P L I E R because of his origins and overall purpose and just simply existing. What is something you regret to NOT have done? I have this oddly weird regret of not going like, all-all the way with He Who Shall Not Be Named????? Idk why though????? Considering I loved him way too much and I was a reckless and impulsive person who probably at some point would have wound up accidentally pregs????? What a fuckin trip that woulda been. What movie changed your life for the better? None have really "changed my life." What book you think should be directed as a film? Oh, idk. Most I can think of have been. Of all the decades you've lived in, which one have you liked best? The 2000s, probably. A carefree kid. How are you doing today? I'm exhausted. While out with Mom and my sisters yesterday, we got behind a van whose driver was obviously drunk or high off his goddamn ass, and he was swerving EVERYWHERE, nearly shoving so many cars off the road. Mom called 911 to get in contact with highway patrol to report his dumb fucking ass in. I was having an absolute panic attack and cried quietly like the entire 45 or so minute drive home. I was just so, so upset because this is why I don't fucking drive, and I felt like I'd made my sister (who was driving) mad because she had to firmly tell me I had to calm down (I was hyperventilating and talking to myself to try to calm down) if she was going to focus and keep us safe. She later ensured me she wasn't mad, but I still wasn't the same the entire rest of the day. Anyway, I slept hard last night but had two nightmares, so I'm still really tired today. I'm trying to keep myself really distracted. What's something your relatives don't know about you? A whole lot really, considering beyond my very immediate family, I see almost nobody because they live many states away. What's something your parents did, which you have sworn never to do? Mom would spank us or slap an arm pretty hard if my sisters or I misbehaved or "disrespected" her by "talking back." I'm not having kids, but I would never, ever, ever, put my hands on them in any way that isn't loving. You do not teach children via inflicting fear. I also have this probably overly strong aversion to beer because that's what Dad always drank as an alcoholic. I'll probably never try it, not that I really want to because it smells awful. What's the most annoying thing your pet does? I feel like "annoying" is the wrong word for this, but Roman (my cat) can be incredibly demanding of attention and to lie on me when I'm on the laptop in bed, and sometimes I just want space and be able to clearly see the screen, haha. He will legit meow like a baby and gently swat my arm sometimes if I try to keep him back. Heeee usually gets his way. As for Venus (snek), she does nothing "annoying" either, but rather a bit concerning to a snake mom: she is usually very slow to find and strike her food. I feed her frozen/thawed mice, and she will first slither around her entire cage, tongue flicking and clearly looking for her food, even though I always place it atop the same spot on her hide, and she can have her head RIGHT beside it and still do nothing. She ultimately generally eats (as a ball python though, she's a picky eater and will occasionally reject a meal), but I of course wonder why she's odd about dinnertime... As a champagne, she does have the notorious "spider gene" in her, which can cause neurological issues, but idk if something like this could be related.

My quick review of the ASUS XG27UQ monitor (4K, HDR, 120Hz)

I originally wanted to tweet this series of bullet points out but it was getting way too long, so here goes! I got this to replace a PG278Q, which was starting to develop odd white stains, and never had good color reproduction in the first place (TN film drawbacks, very low gamma resulting in excessively bright shadows, under-saturated shadows, etc.)

The hardware aesthetic is alright! The bezels may feel a bit large to some people, but I don’t mind them at all. If you’re a fan of the no-bezel look, you’ll probably hate it. There is a glowing logo on the back that you can customize (Static Cyan is my recommendation), but it isn’t bright enough to be used as bias lighting, which would’ve been nice.

The built-in stand is decent; it comes with a tacky and distracting light projection feature at the bottom. It felt quite stable, though I don’t care about it because it got instantly replaced by an Ergotron LX arm. (I have two now, I really recommend them in spite of their price.) 

The coating is a little grainy and this is noticeable on pure colors! You can kinda see the texture come through, a bit more than I’d like. Not a huge deal though.

The rest of the review will be under the cut.

The default color preset (”racing mode”), which the monitor is calibrated against, is very vivid and saturated. It looks great! But it’s inherently inaccurate, which bothers me, so I don’t like it. It looks like as if sRGB got stretched into the expanded gamut of the monitor.

sRGB “emulation” looks very similar to my Dell U2717D, whose sRGB mode is factory-calibrated. However, the XG27UQ’s sRGB mode has lower gamma (brighter shadows), so while the colors are accurate, the gamma is not. It feels 1.8-ish. Unless you were in a bright room, it would be inappropriate for work that needs to have accurate shadows. This mode also locks other controls, so it’s not the most useful, but the brightness is set well on it, so it is usable!

The “User Mode” settings use the calibrated racing mode as a starting point, which is a big relief. So it’s possible to tweak the color temperature and the saturation from there! I checked pure white against my Dell monitor and my smartphone (S9+) and tried to reach a reasonable 3-way compromise between them, knowing that the Dell is most likely the most accurate, and that Samsung also allegedly calibrates their high-end smartphones well. My configuration ended up being R:90/G:95/B:100 + SAT:42. This matches the saturation of the U2717D sRGB mode fairly closely. You also get to choose between 1.8, 2.2, and 2.5 gamma too, which is not too granular, but great to have. It kinda feels like my ideal match is between 2.2 and 2.5, but 2.2 is fine.

The color gamma according to lagom.nl looked fine, but I had to open the picture in Paint, otherwise it was DPI-scaled in the browser, and that messed with the way it works!! (That website is an amazing resource for quick monitor checks.)

Colors are however somewhat inaccurate in this mode. It’s easy to see by comparing the tweaked User Mode vs. sRGB emulation. There are some rather sizeable hue shifts in certain cases. I believe part of this is caused by the saturation tweak not operating properly.

Here’s a photo of what the Photoshop color picker looks like when Saturation is set to 0 on the monitor, vs. what a proper grayscale conversion should be. It’s definitely not using the right coefficients. 

So in practice, when using the Racing & User modes, compared to the U2717D sRGB, here’s a few examples of what I see:

Reds are colder (towards the purple side) & oversaturated

Bright yellow (255,215,90) is undersaturated

Bright green (120,200,130) is undersaturated

Dark green (0,105,60) is fine

Magenta (220,13,128) is oversaturated

Dark reds & brown (150,20,20 to 90,15,10) is oversaturated

Cyan (0,180,240) is fine 

Pink (230,115,170) is fine

Some shades of bright saturated blue (58,48,220) have the biggest shifts.

The TF2 skin tone becomes slightly desaturated and a bit colder

It’s not inaccurate to the point of being distracting, and you always have the  sRGB mode (with flawed gamma?) to check things with, but it’s definitely not ideal, and some of these shifts go far enough that I wouldn’t recommend this monitor for color work that needs to be very accurate.

I’ve went back and forth, User vs sRGB, several times, on my most recent work (True Sight 2019 sequences). I’ve found the differences were acceptable for the most part; they bothered me the most during the Chronosphere sequence, in which the hazy sunset atmosphere turned a bit into to a rose gold tint, which wasn’t unpleasant at all — and looked quite pretty! — but it wasn’t what I did.

I’m coming from the point of view of a “prosumer” who cares about color accuracy, but who ultimately recognizes that this quest is impossible in the face of so many devices out there being inaccurate or misconfigured one way or the other. In the end, my position is more pragmatic, and I feel that you gotta be able to see how your stuff’s gonna look on the devices where it’ll actually be watched. So while I’ve done color grading on a decent-enough sRGB-calibrated monitor, I’ve always checked it against the inaccurate PG278Q, and I’ve done a little bit of compromising to keep my color work looking alright even once gamma shifted. And so, now, I’ll also be getting to see what my colors look like on a monitor that doesn’t quite restrain itself to sRGB gamut properly.

Well, at least, all of that stuff is out of the box, but...

TFTCentral (one of the most trustworthy monitor review websites, in my opinion) has found suspiciously similar shifts. But after calbration, their unit passed with flying colors (pun intended), so if you really care about this sort of stuff and happen to have a colorimeter... you should give it a try!

I hope one day we’ll be able to load and apply an ICC/ICM profile computer-wide, instead of only being able to load a simple gamma curve on the GPU with third-party tools like DisplayCAL. Even if it had to squeeze the gamut a bit...

Also, there are dynamic dimming / auto contrast ratio features which could potentially be useful in limited scenarios if you don’t care about color accuracy and want to maximize brightness. I believe they are forced on for HDR. But you will probably not care at all.

IPS glow is not very present on my unit; less than on my U2717D. However, when it starts to show up (more than a 30°-ish angle away), it shows up more. UPDATED: after some more time with the monitor, I wanna say that, in fact, IPS glow isit's slightly stronger, and shows up sooner (as in, from broader angles). It requires me to sit a greater distance from the monitor in order to not have it show up and impede dark scenes. It is worse than on my U2717D.

Backlight bleed, on the other hand, is there, and a little bit noticeable. On my unit, there’s a little bit of blue-ish bleed on the lower left corner, and some dark-grey-orange bleed for a good third of the upper-left. However, in practice, and to my eyes, it doesn’t bother me, even when I look for it. It ain’t perfect, but I’ve definitely seen worse, especially from ASUS. The photo above was taken at 100% brightness, and I’ve tried to make it just a tad brighter than what my eyes see, so hopefully it’s a decent sample.

Dead pixels: on my unit, I have 5 stuck dead green subpixels overall. There are 4 in a diamond pattern somewhat down and right to the center of the screen, and another one, a bit to the right of that spot. All of them kinda “shimmer” a little bit, in the sense that they become stronger or weaker based on my angle of view. They’re a bummer but I haven’t found them to be a hindrance. Took me a few days to even notice them for the first time, after all.

HDR is just about meaningless and uses some global dimming techniques, as well as stuff that feels like... you know that Intel HD driver feature that brightens the content on the screen, while lowering the panel backlight power in tandem, to save power, but it kinda flattens (and sometimes clips) highlights? It kinda looks like that sometimes. Without local dimming, HDR is just about meaningless.

Unfortunately, the really nice HDR support in computer monitors is still looking like it’s going to be at the very least a year out, and even longer for sub-1000 price ranges. (I was holding out for the PG27UQX at first, but it still has no word on availability, a whole year after being announced, and will probably cost over two grand, so no thanks.)

G-Sync (variable refresh rate) support is... not there yet?! The latest driver does not recognize the monitor as being compatible with the feature. And it turns out that the product page says that G-Sync support is currently being applied for. Huh. I thought they had special chips in those monitors solely for the feature, but it’s possible this one does it another way? (The same way that Freesync monitors do it?)

DSC (Display Stream Compression) enables 4K 120Hz to work through a single DisplayPort cable, without chroma subsampling. And it’s working for me, which came as a surprise, as I was under the impression this feature required a 2000-series Turing GPUs. (I have a 1080 Ti.) I was wrong about this, it’s 144 Hz that requires DSC. And I don’t have it on this Pascal card. But I don’t really care since I prefer to run this monitor at 120 Hz, as it’s a multiple of the 60 Hz monitor next to it.

Windows DPI scaling support is okay now. Apps that are DPI-aware, and the vast majority of them are now, scale back and forth between 150% and 100% really well as they get dragged between the monitors! The only program I’ve had issues with is good old Winamp, which acted as if it was 100% on the XG27UQ... and shrinked down on another monitor. So I asked it to override DPI scaling behaviour (”scaling performed by: application”), which keeps the player skin at 100% on every monitor, but any call to system fonts and UI (Bento skin’s playlist + Settings panel) are still at 150%. So I had to set the playlist font size to 7 for it to look OK on the non-scaled monitor!

A few apps misbehave in interesting ways; TeamSpeak, for example, seen above, scales everything back from 150% to 100%, and there is no blurriness, but the “larger layout” (spacing, etc.) sticks.

Games look great with 4K in 27 inches. Well, I’ve only really tried Dota 2 so far, but man does it get sharp, especially with the game’s FXAA disabled. It was already a toss-up at 1440p, but at 4K I would argue you might as well keep it disabled. However, going from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 requires some serious horsepower. It may look like a +50% upgrade in pixels, but it’s actually a +125% increase! (3.68 to 8.29 million pixels.) For a 1080 Ti, maxed-out Dota 2 at 1440p 120hz is really trivial, but once you go to 4K, not anymore...  you could always lower resolution scale though! (Not an elegant solution if you like to use sharpening filters though, looking at you RDR2.)

Overall, the XG27UQ is a good monitor, and I’m satisfied with my purchase, although slightly disappointed by the strong IPS glow and the few dead subpixels. 7/10

Four Albums with Distinct Atmospheres

By John Matraia

We are currently living through a historical event and at times, it is difficult to keep our spirits up. All we can do is try to adapt and do what we can to keep ourselves safe and sane while being cooped up indoors. One way to cope is to try and step away from the tragedy for an hour or two. I’ve personally found myself watching movies, reading, or listening to music to distract myself. There are many different ways music can help, but I’ve found that albums that distinguish themselves from the rest are those that create a distinct atmosphere and a world of their own. They do this by establishing consistencies, not just sonically, but also in terms of subject matter.

An atmosphere alone isn’t ideal though. Many albums fall victim to using the same presets, filters, or vocal pitching across songs to the point where they blend together and create an album that serves as nothing more than a soulless tone. What is really impressive is an album’s ability to have a collection of songs that stand strong on their own, while also reinforcing the qualities that many of the tracks around them share, thus creating a cohesive piece.

You may be thinking that I’m just describing a concept album, and some may use that term more loosely than I do, but the projects I point out below are not in-your-face with a singular story or meaning. While they create their own universe, that universe may vary from listener to listener because these projects allow us to make our own interpretation of it, while still focusing on certain themes and stringing the project together musically. This is exactly what makes these albums below such transcendent experiences.

Liquid Swords – GZA (1995)

Liquid Swords gives me a feeling similar to the one I felt when I watched Michael Mann’s film Heat from the same year. The world of Los Angeles in Heat, contrary to the film’s title, is actually cold, devoid of any compassion or love. The icy blue hues that consume so much of the film’s color palette represent the city’s cold nature and the characters’ inner workings. The film is raw and up close and personal with the characters and the multiple lives that they each balance. On Liquid Swords, GZA (and other members of the Wu-Tang Clan) recognize the reality of the world they are living in, and this album is them coming to terms with that reality and telling their story. The intoxicating combination of GZA’s otherworldly raps and RZA’s barren beats place the listener directly into New York’s cold world in 1995. Everything, down to the way the album is mixed, drops the listener into their story.

The beats on Liquid Swords are dark and skeletal, with grim storytelling to match. Its minimal production doesn’t distract from the rapping, but everything included is necessary for the album’s success. GZA reflects on his surroundings, most notably on tracks like “Cold World”, speaking on the violence and other social problems that surround him in New York. Along the way though, he also establishes his dominance as a top tier rapper who will slay any opponent he comes across. It wasn’t just RZA’s production that created the bleak aura of Liquid Swords. GZA’s way of translating the daily problems people in his position faced for the listener to give them a harsh, yet realistic depiction of his life adds to this nature and brings the listener in. Liquid Swords is a true timepiece that captured the gritty essence of a night in New York, and has also proven to be a lasting piece of music that has influenced the generations to come.

The OOZ – King Krule (2017)

The OOZ is King Krule’s slow and lengthy descent into loneliness. It translates emotional outbursts into music on post-punk influenced tracks like “Dum Surfer”, and converts roaming aimlessly into ambient pieces like “The Cadet Leaps.” Tracks here include subtleties in the background that would be musically impressive even without the dark jazz infused instrumentation that graces the foreground of those tracks. The album drags on in the most realistic way possible, following our protagonist as he copes with the dreary world surrounding him.

The album’s moody nature swallows the listener through fleeting guitar solos and alienated keyboard melodies. The instrumentation of “Lonely Blue” becomes more climactic as Archy’s vocals become louder and more helpless. The experiences Archy describe seem uncertain to the listener at times, but the mystery within the songs reflect the unpredictable essence of his experiences. We empathize with his sense of misdirection, and wander along with him in a world that seems hopeless at times.

Big Fish Theory – Vince Staples (2017)

Even if Big Fish Theory came out today, it would still be ahead of its time. There is nothing quite like this album, and I’m sitting here waiting for it to get the credit it deserves. If nothing else, from a production perspective alone, it is remarkable. The beats are sharp and cold with rhythms that move in hot and sweaty fashion, serving as a wake-up call within an album that has a very gloomy feel to it. The punchy, booming bass on every track feels like the thunder that accompanies a rainy day.

Regardless of whether the track goes down a more electronic dance route or takes on an industrial sound, Vince’s adrenaline-packed delivery is hard to ignore. When a track like “Big Fish” takes a funkier approach, a subtle running water sound effect plays throughout the track and strings together the album’s motif of water, supplemented by other tracks with bubbly synthesizers and futuristic recordings. A small detail like this only adds to the theme of drowning created by the other tracks through Vince’s lack of optimism about society’s future and even the way his vocals are mixed. We hear this distrust in Vince’s lyrics that are fed up with the system and the dystopian world that the music of the album creates.

Wildflower – The Avalanches (2016)

Wildflower is breezy and care-free musical bliss. It’s rooted in nostalgia and creates a sense of longing for the unknown future in the listener. The light, airy rhythms and angelic vocals are pure joy in sonic form. It’s full of bright and colorful textures, and flows together beautifully. The run from “Subways” to “If I Was a Folkstar” features infectious grooves that float above the glistening samples and take us on a journey like none other.

The group’s unique sampling style we heard on Since I Left You is still there, but Wildflower presents more easy-going instrumentals at times that give the listener space to breathe and lounge on the beach. Not only that, but The Avalanches also make room for a number of guest appearances on the record from the likes of Danny Brown, MF DOOM, Biz Markie, Ariel Pink, Toro y Moi, and more.

While the first three projects I pointed out featured murky aspects, I’m glad to end this piece on more of a cheerful note with an uplifting album experience. Many of us tend to resort to consuming darker art, and it’s good to be in touch with that side of ourselves. It’s important to understand our situation and face it. At the same time though, it’s important to take a step back from all of this and try not to worry or mope around too much, because better days are ahead.

Originally appeared in Lyrical Lemonade

2019 Best Press 3/4:  カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title by TANUKI

While for many vaporwave vinyl is doubtless equal parts collector’s item and audio source, I don’t want to lose sight of the goal of this blog here: developing a canon of the genre for high fidelity enjoyment. That said, when I come across something remarkable or noteworthy about a particular piece of wax, even if it is not a “purely audiophile” object, I want to make mention of it.

And TANUKI’s カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title wax release is not only noteworthy, but contends for hi-fi consideration despite it’s status as a picture disc.

But let’s back up slightly.

Going back to the previous thesis on why we buy records, sometimes you just want to own a vinyl just because. Just because you’re a collector trying to compile a discography on wax — or, better yet, just because you truly love the album art. For me, カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title (Double EP) was undoubtedly all of the three “just be-causes”.

A while back, I noticed that the LP was going into its 3rd press, and decided to snap up a copy because I like Tanuki, I like Lum, and because of those other just becauses. Unfortunately the only format available was not the pink vinyl, but the picture disc. As I’m sure is well-known (because audiophiles are very loud about things they dislike), picture-discs are a big no-no in the audiophile community. This is because while a beautiful objet d’art, a serious listening session of a picture disc release will usually produce greater amounts of surface noise than any other type of vinyl. You can, of course, with the right system, neutralize and mitigate this process slightly, but true-blue hi-fi heads pursuing that elusive muse of “pure sound” would never give a picture disc a second look.

I’m not one of those people.

Tangentially, I’ve heard whispers of ghosts of rumors from when I was living in Shenzen, China — that various record suppliers (small batch Makers) are working out manufacturing and material processes that minimize these issues on pic discs to create appealing records that cover all the bases: hi-fi suitability, collector oriented visual esoterica, and price. I should also admit I have no idea where those companies are in terms of R&D and/or producing these. I end up catching a lot of very fast talk from extremely motivated enthusiasts, but Chinese is still as elusive a language to me at times as “pure sound” can be. With that in mind, however, it’s logical to surmise that advances in technology will eventually render the differences between picture discs and traditional black wax undistinguishable. So long as the world isn’t destroyed in some cataclysmic climate disaster (very real possibility), or -- as we are watching evolve now: World War 3. My view is that it’d be pointless to dismiss the format out of hand when there are active attempts to innovate it as we speak.

That all said, I know what to expect when a contemporary, big-label picture disc plays. During my college days, I used to spin wax at the university radio station. One of the previous catalog managers had a fetish for this “collectible” format, and was convinced he was doing the station a favor by purchasing all these vinyls, noting a pre-supposed resale value later. I remember throwing these on the well-worn Technics SP-10 we had as our main turntable, and listening to the occasional scratch, frequent popping, and constant surface noise, that for the uninitiated (bless you), sounds like a sustained “cracking” in your Rice Krispies — or for those born in the analog age, CRTV static.

So when I sat down with the Tanuki picture disc, I had this laundry list of preconceptions and prejudices about the format. I thought that I could listen to a moderately scratchy record once or twice, keep it as more a visual boutique item and then eventually include in an article where I bemoan the poor quality of the genre’s releases.

But then, I actually listened.

And it sounded… well, I won’t get ahead of myself. Here’s the full review:

THE MUSIC

BABYBABYの夢 — is doubtless the reason why many of us have bought the EP from a sonic perspective —especially if the band-camp reviews are indicative of trends. I still maintain that this is the Mariya Takeuchi sample/remix work par excellence. Tanuki hits all the essential notes here, a genuine respect and love for the sound-staging of its original source, Yume No Tsuzuki. I still get echoes of the original arrangement in my system, (ever so slightly) with a bright and dance-infused collection of unique sounds — particularly in that delicious, wide mid-range — that flesh out the track into its own sort of masterpiece.

何がGoin' On — the curatorial and conspiratorial side of my brain tells me that Goin’ On will probably go down as one the under-appreciated vintage bangers of this era of future funk. I can envision hipsters two or three decades from now sussing out a neophyte with pretentious questions about this track’s pitch-shifted sample draws from. It has that sort of vibe that you know hits with a certain subset of electronica fans — rich & vibrant, making the tweeters on your system work out in all the best ways — it’s just great.

がんばれ — Tanuki is at his best when he gets playful with brass samples. I firmly believe that the titans in this genre each have their go-to piece in their best arrangement — like Dan Mason’s creative vocal array, or greyL’s manipulation of micro-samples. For Tanuki, it’s whenever her gets a horn — synthesized or otherwise, into his production workflow.

ファンクOFF — continues Tanuki’s magic act, taking another city pop track more iconic for its soulful electric guitar riff and turning it into the most slap-worthy single on this EP. I prefer it when Japanese pop samples are fundamentally re-imagined, although I can see how the perfectionist tweaking of someone like Yung Bae is more appealing for some. Tanuki is undoubtedly one of the innovators of this genre, and there’s no more solid evidence of that talent than this track.

腕の中でDancin’ — if I ended up hosting a sort of mythical vaporwave grammies or something like that, (I’m available, folks!) I would probably go off on a Ricky Gervais style rant on how artists aren’t in touch with “the people” (read: me) because all we really want are more remixes of Meiko Nakahara songs — who given her impact on City Pop should have way more play in this genre than she does. This one, like most of the Meiko mixes I’ve heard, is a banger with an absolute fire bass riff punctuated throughout.

Radiant Memories — this might be my first certified “hot take” in the publication (they’ll be many more, I imagine) — but as far as I’m concerned this is the superior Plastic Love edit. I’ll just leave my thoughts there, so they can soak in with a portion of the fanbase who split my reddit account on an open fire of downvotes for suggesting that other artists than Macross 82-99 (Praise be upon him!) are allowed to touch this song as well. While Macross’s mix is definitely the more up-temo of the two, and that for some is the very essence of the genre, this slightly down-mixed version is both the perfect conclusion for the EP and ideal antithesis.

THE LISTENING EXPERIENCE

Signal to Raise ratio on the following albums:

カタカナ・タイトル + Kanji Title:  ~61.9db (1 db MoE)

Tron Legacy, Daft Punk:  58.4db

Love Trip, Takako Mamiya, Kitty Records Press: 65.8db

(ratings based on averages 5 minutes of sustained play on the testing unit, the machine actually complied this data on its preset, which is another fascinating part about this sort of vintage press-testing tech). The margin of error is because the machine, according to my mentor Dr. Juuso Ottala formerly of Harman International, informs me it was never meant to give accurate readings of picture discs, and to add about a dB of error margin.

One of the benefits of growing up in New England and, subsequently, New York, is that there are no shortage of heritage professional audio brand HQs in operation around a 200 mile radius from Manhattan to Boston. Off the top of my head, there’s Harman/Kardon, Boston Acoustics, Bose, NuMark, Marantz, and Rane headquarters within an hour’s drive from my two hometowns. Early on in my audiophile quest, I got my hands on some cool vintage gear — vinyl lathe testing equipment that has collected dust in both an old Harman technician’s storage unit, and now my parent’s basement. Over the holiday, I recently brought it out to do some surface noise testing on it to get a rough confirmation of what I was explaining in yesterday’s hi-fi guide. The innards of the machine looks eerily like a plinth-less linear tonearm and plate pair attached to a monitor. After making sure I’m not violating some kind of Harman International trade secret, I’ll post it on instagram.

Wanting to also get a firm idea on just how good my ear-test sounded, I grabbed another picture disc vinyl I had received as a gift a few years ago from my brother — the Tron Legacy OST. While I found the film passably enjoyable, my own preconceptions about pic discs, and a general exhaustion with french house — left me with no discernible desire to spin the thing. I hadn’t even broken the seal on the plastic wrap, so it seemed like as good as a blind test as any. I also grabbed what my ears tell me is a “good”, “heavy” press, a 1982 original dead-stock copy of Takako Mamiya’s Love Trip LP pressed by Kitty Records Japan. I’ve played it maybe a half dozen times since I bought it, so it’s as close to “new” 80s audiophile pop record as you can get. The Japanese are infamously anal about low SNR on their vinyl.

And, well, the results speak for themselves. The sweet spot for most black vinyl records is between 60-70db depending on age, weight, and a host of other frankly uncontrollable factors that aren’t worth getting into detail here, as I’d go on forever. The main takeaway here is that Neoncity’s and Tanuki’s record sat at the low end of the audiophile vinyl reference spectrum. Which in itself is a remarkable achievement for a pic disc. It’s worth taking a look at Tron Legacy, which just barely scratches 8db above a cassette tape, and 7db a Japanese vinyl from 1982.

This is all in an effort to say: damn, this is pretty good.

This also somewhat counters the usual “picture discs sound like shit” narrative that’s prevailed pretty consistently in the audiophile community. Tron Legacy? Yeah, that probably sounds like shit if I could bother to suffer through a listen. But whoever Hong-Kong based Neoncity is using actually makes “good” — if such a qualifier needs to be attached — image-pressed records. And that devotion to audio fidelity should be rewarded.

It might be time for me to re-asses picture discs on the whole, and that mind-expanding moment is something I owe to the fine folks at Neoncity.

APRIL: THIRD WEEK

Sorry for the vauge heading, but this is the protocol we are supposed to follow duh! Anyways, I’m Nishtha, a media studies’ student at Bodhi International school. I’ll be briefing about the media studies’ lectures according to weeks hence, “ Apirl: Third Week”!

I have ALWAYS been interested about what all happens behind-the-scenes, how much effort is put in by different departments to make a film! Besides this, I love taking part in performing art competitions specifically acting, poetry recitation , monologues etc ; all of these falling under Media. Perhaps, I chose this subject (media fitting well with my other subjects was another benefit ) !

So, our first class was all about going through the syllabus, knowing about all the components and seeing what the subject demands. We were also briefed about “ film media”.

This was followed by an activity ( #activity 1) where we penned down our favourite movies and series. Honestly there were SO MANY movies, we ran out of time! Later we realized that the purpose of the activity was to identify our preferred geners.

Codes and Conventions was our next topic. We did have a general understanding of what “ codes and conventions” mean ( thanks to English classes ). Here in media, codes basically mean “symbols” whether symbolic or technical or written. Conventions are preset rules/ guidelines we are suppose to follow throught pre-production, production and post-production.

To check if films use these codes and conventions, we analyzed first five minutes of an Indian critically acclaimed film “ Lunchbox”. This was our #activity 2 ! We decoded each and every shot. We broadly focused on symbolic codes here and not technical.

The movie was indeed a cinematic treat! Every shot had an implicit meaning which kept the audience engaged and captivated!

Remember how I told that my subjects fit well together, art and design knowledge helped me out in our next task here ! So as we all know, each colour has a meaning or we can say each colour portrays different moods and feels . For example- red depicts love, compassion, danger , fearlessness whereas orange depicts youth, freashness, power, fun etc! Perhaps, different posters have different colour schemes in order to convey the true essence.

Here, blue represents future and technological advancement in Avatar poster. Love is significantly symbolized in Kalanks poster via colour red. Golden adds to the royalty and delicacy factor in the song “ deewaani mastani” from movie Bajirao Mastani evidently! Whereas in Kal Ho Na Ho movie’s poster, white keeps things classy, simple, elegant and romantic!

Orange : youth, charisma and playfulness!

Black : seriousness, power and mystery!

Pink: romance, love, fun and fantasy!

After knowing what each colour depicts, we analyzed a poster. We observed different aspects of symbolic , technical and written codes.

So yeah! This is it for this week!

Greg Autore has updated his blog “12 Inch Treasures” with a segment focused on the beautiful women of color in his doll history. He briefly talks about Fallon.

“One of the problems with modern computerized films is that it allows the studio to keep making changes up to the last couple of months before distribution. Often the film’s colors keep changing until the very last available date. This obviously creates issues for making toys to match the film. Production can take three months for a large release and it is about six weeks on the water.

Even though I was just picking apart the doll, it still is one of the better non-collector price point dolls on the market. On a high note, I found a website that listed her as one of the “10 Best Black Dolls Ever Made.” I took that as quite a compliment. Especially considering one of my other dolls was on the list also – Fallon from Princess Gwenevere and Jewel Riders.

One of the things that always irked me at Mattel was their insistence at that time on using only three different skin tones on dolls: Pink, Suntan and African American. That particular AA color always looked chalky and dead. Later when I was a Kenner and they did not have preset skin tones, I was very particular to find just the right skin colors that looked alive. Those two dolls were really two of my best female dolls.”

Read the complete blog: http://twelveinchtreasures.com/?p=309

Editing the Video - VFX

I planned to incorporate SFX into my trailer as I wanted a chance to try out Adobe After Effects, and thought it would make it a lot more visually appealing. There were several scenes that had to have effects added to them, which were usually just simple glowing runes or light. 

This was my first time using Adobe After Effects.

Arm Rune

To create this effect, I went to the storyboard to see the design I had for the arm rune then traced over it in Photoshop to get the correct shape. The design was then saved as a PSD in 2 colours: black and blue. The PSD was transparent and had no background.

I opened After Effects and imported the clip of the arm, then turned it into a composition. Then, I imported the PSD file and added both of the rune layers to the original clip. I then decided on a time to make the rune appear in the video based on how long it was. 

I opened the ‘transform’ bar on the layer (for the blue rune layer) and started making keyframes for the Opacity. To do this, you click on the timer next to Opacity so that it turns blue, like this:

From this point, whenever you move the position in the video and change the opacity there, it will create a keyframe. I set the opacity to 0% at the point just before I wanted it to start appearing, then moved to roughly a second later and set the opacity to 100%. Now it faded in between the points I had selected. I also lowered the opacity when the rune turns black so it would look more like it was on the skin.

Next, I searched for the following effects in the ‘Effects and Presets’ bar on the right hand side of the screen. With each effect, I dragged it onto the blue rune layer, which then allowed me to adjust it in the top left hand corner. 

The Hue/saturation effect allowed me to change the colour of the rune from blue to white to black as I needed. I realised at this point that there was no real need to also have a black rune layer as I could just change the colour of the blue one. The rune stayed blue at first, then flashed to white and finally faded to black.

The Gaussian blur was used to make the rune blurry while it was appearing, then appear much sharper at the end once it turns black. However, I made sure to keep a small amount of blue the whole way through, as it looks more realistic. 

The Glow effect added a blue glow around the rune as it was appearing, which the colour and opacity of could be changed.

To track the rune to the arm, I had to choose a point on the arm which stood out from the rest of it. Since I wasn’t aware you had to do this, I didn’t add a marker to her arm when filming so had to use a freckle instead. 

I used the Tracker on the right hand side of the screen, and positioned the marker on the freckle. 

I selected ‘Track motion’ and made sure the motion target was the actual video clip layer. After this, you can change the size of both of the boxes.

I learned that the smaller box is the size of the actual object you’re tracking. The larger box is the radius in which the tracker will search for the object - the smaller this is, the quicker it will be done. If the object barely moves from one frame to the next, the box can be small, but if it moves a large distance between each frame then the box should be big enough to compensate for that. 

Finally, I selected the play button next to ‘Analyse’ and it went through each frame and marked where the tracked point is located. If any tracked point was very far out of place I stopped the analysis and moved it back to the correct location before letting it analyse the next frame. Once this was done, it looked like this:

Before clicking Apply, I made a new Null Object layer. I clicked on this layer and then clicked Apply. This way, the tracked point is now attached to the blank layer rather than the video layer.

I then parented the blue rune layer to the null object layer so it will now move along the same path as the tracked point does. 

The rest of the effects in the video were made in a similar way except the hardest scene - the one in which the magic circle appears.

Magic Circle Scene

This was the most complicated scene in the entire trailer to create, and i’m still not completely happy with the finished result but I don’t know an easier way to get a better result currently. I got the Magic Circle, Lightning Bolt and Smoke from Production Crate, and referenced this tutorial a lot in order to help me achieve the effect I wanted.

I downloaded the magic circle animation and converted it into a 3D layer:

This way, I could move and adjust the layer based on perspective as if it was laying on the ground. In Hindsight, I think that the magic circle was not quite at the right angle to look convincing against the ground.

Changing the size and opacity of the magic circle was achieved the same way as with the arm rune and was easy enough. I also used the same method to make the circle and the lightning bolt glow (and to change the colour of the circle from pink to blue - I used the hue/saturation effect.)

Using the CC Light Rays Effect

(With^^)

(Without^)

I added this both to the magic circle and the bolt, which I think makes it look a little more impressive. 

To add even more light, I added solid layers of blue, then hid them while I drew a mask in the area I wanted the light. Once I showed the layer again, the colour was inside the mask. I feathered the mask a lot using the mask options inside the new layer so it actually looked like a glow. Next, I changed the shape of the mask at different points in the video so that the light appeared and dissipated as I wanted it. This worked really well I think. The light layers were on the blending mode ‘Add’

Layering the Magic Circle behind Chloe 

This was the most difficult part of the entire process. I tried 3 separate methods for this and even the best looking one didn’t work as well as i’d hoped. 

Method 1: Rotobrush

I used this tutorial to help me with using the Rotobrush. This method would have worked a lot better if my video was higher resolution and if she’d have been wearing a more contrasting colour to the ground. 

I begun to try and rotoscope Chloe out of the original footage using the Rotobrush tool. I selected the video layer and the Rotobrush, then double clicked the video. This took me to a separate tab with just this layer in it. The brush works a similar way to the select pen on Photoshop - by drawing, it will select the entirety of the area that has the same colour as the one you picked. 

To erase using the Rotobrush, I held down the alt key. By playing the footage once all of the subject is selected in the first frame, After Effects will try and keep the same object selected and change the shape accordingly based on it’s position or shape. However this did not work properly, so eventually I had to individually erase and select the area I wanted to rotoscope for each individual frame. 

Once the main area was rotoscoped, I tried using the refine edge option which is meant to make the selection more accurate - this didn’t work either. I was left with a mask that I didn’t know how to use and wasn’t the right shape, so I decided to abandon this process and try something else instead. 

I tried various other methods - and eventually decided not to mask her out at all. Instead, I created a new solid, hid the layer and then masked around the lower half of her body. Then went into the layer settings and clicked on the stopwatch for the ‘Mask Path’ option. This meant that I could edit the shape of the mask for each individual frame. I also feathered the mask so that it looked a lot softer and less noticeable. 

The next part was really difficult to figure out. I was trying to figure out how to make the mask transparent but also not show any of the magic circle inside it. To do this, I made sure that the mask layer was directly above the Magic Circle. I then selected the magic circle layer and did Layer>Track Matte>Alpha Inverted Matte. This created these two icons on both layers:

After this, I hid the mask layer (black solid 3) so it appeared to be transparent while not showing any of the magic circle inside it. The mask was still a little uneven and shaky in some parts of the clip but it seemed to be the easiest way to accomplish what I wanted, despite this method taking several hours. 

Chloe’s Eye

I made this sequence before I had ever used After Effects. At this point, I didn’t want to use After Effects and so attempted to do it in Photoshop, which took a really long time and wasn’t really worth it. I drew in each frame of the eye beginning to glow, and had to manually move the eye colour in each frame so it moved with the face. It ended up looking a little shaky and if I could do it again i’d definitely use After Effects’ motion tracking tool. 

Colour Correcting

This was achieved mostly in premiere. The scenes that had SFX were individually colour corrected in After Effects by adding coloured solids set to multiply to get the level of light I wanted. When adding the colour correction to the rest of the clips, I wanted the footage to look cold and somewhat desaturated - since the original is really bright and sunny - which I thought looked really out of place and didn’t fit the genre, song or tone. 

To colour correct, I used the ‘Lumetri Colour’ option on the right hand side of the Premiere work-space. I did this while having my chosen clip selected. I then lowered the saturation and changed the hue to something darker and more blue, as I was trying to make it look a lot darker. I then copy pasted the FX to each clip so that they were all the same.