ACES or RCM? Exploring Panel Sensitivity & Other Settings

Episode 39: From The Mailbag

Choosing ACES or Resolve Color Management? + Adjusting Grading Panel Sensitivity And Other Settings

In this installment of From The Mail Bag, Robbie & Patrick are once again joined by Mixing Light contributor, Joey D’Anna.

Don’t worry!  Dan was just on a much-needed vacation while this episode was recorded!

In part 1, we discuss a question we got from Christian about choosing ACES or Resolve Color Managment (RCM) as a color management system for a project. We discuss our likes and dislikes, but also why feel is so important.

Up next, we discuss a question we got from Mixing Light member, Issac. Issac just got a Blackmagic Mini Panel and is curious about sensitivity settings for the panel, which opened up further discussion about panel settings and the future of grading panels altogether.

Remember, if you have questions that you’d like to get our opinion on please use the contact form.

Your questions can be aesthetic, technical or even client related. We’d love to hear from you, and your question might make future episodes of From The MailBag.

Choosing ACES or Resolve Color Management?

Color management is undoubtedly a hot topic for many colorists, and Christian is one of them.  Recently, Christian wrote asking about ACES & Resolve Color Management.

 ‘I’ve been checking out your articles on ACES and RCM and I’m just kind of confused why I would pick one over the other?  Seems to me RCM has more options?  Any thoughts?’

Oh yeah, we have thoughts, nearly 27min of them! In all seriousness, this a question that we’ve received quite a bit over the past year.  In part 1, we discuss what we like about each color management approach, some things we don’t like, but we also explore why feel is such an important thing.

The bottom line is that one system is not better than the other; there are compelling reasons to choose one or the other depending on your project, personal taste, and your client’s desires.

If you’re new to ACES, you can check out the start of the series HERE.  Part 5 will be available soon.

Grading Panel Sensitivity And Other Settings

In part 2, we field a question we got from Mixing Light member Issac who asks:

‘I just got the Resolve Micro Panel and it’s made me think more about what sensitivity settings I’m using in Resolve. I’d love to hear a From the Mail Bag segment where everyone talks about their sensitivity settings.’

A grading panel is a tactile connection to the software you’re using, so how it’s setup is a deeply personal thing. We discuss our basic approaches to panel sensitivity, which then got us into a much broader and deeper conversation about the BMD Advanced Panel and the path that Blackmagic might take with future control panels and software implementation.

Don’t forget to check out both Joey’s and Marc Wielage’s excellent looks at the Resolve Mini Panel.

As always, if you have questions related to the Mailbag please use the comments below.  

-Robbie