Digital Print Stock Design: A Framework for the Post-Film Era

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Publisher: SMPTE — White Plains, NY, USA
Doc Type: Conference Paper
Content Type: Original Research
Volume: 2021, No. 11, pp. 1–31
Abstract: For most of cinema history, the defining factor in the post-production “look” of captured imagery was the print stock. In addition to serving the technical function of transforming scene-referred imagery for display, print stocks were engineered by color scientists to impart preferential color characteristics, and selected by filmmakers based on these qualities. — As the physical medium of the print stock has been retired from contemporary image mastering workflows, so too has the guiding principle of a global creative transform. This is neither necessary nor beneficial; in fact, modern colorists are more in need of this concept than ever. — With the expanding color gamut and dynamic range capabilities of cameras and displays, unifying the imagery of a given piece of content has become increasingly challenging. This has led to the development of systems which address the $\underline{technical}$ aspects of the challenge, most notably ACES. Such initiatives and their broad adoption demonstrate an industry-wide recognition that world-class color grading demands world-class engineering. — Yet in spite of this recognition, there exists no initiative aimed at supporting the $\underline{creative}$ aspects of unifying motion imagery at the macro level. As a result, colorists are left to either re-purpose traditional color correction tools, or to step into the role of image scientist to develop their own. — This paper outlines a proposed framework for the design of digital print stocks, composed of a set of manipulations whose parameters can be intuitively modified by artists, resulting in a global look which can be deployed within any imaging pipeline.
Publication Date: 2021-11-09
DOI: 10.5594/M001947
Link: https://doi.org/10.5594/M001947
Author(s): Cullen KellySenior Colorist
Keyword(s): Color Grading, Look Development, Film Print, DCinema, HDR, Color Management, ACES
Copyright: © 2021 Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Inc.

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<span class="citation">Cullen Kelly; <cite>Digital Print Stock Design: A Framework for the Post-Film Era</cite>, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( November 2021); SMPTE, 2021. Available at <a href="https://doi.org/10.5594/M001947" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.5594/M001947</a></span>

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Cullen Kelly; Digital Print Stock Design: A Framework for the Post-Film Era, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( November 2021); SMPTE, 2021
doi: 10.5594/M001947
url: https://doi.org/10.5594/M001947

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Cullen Kelly; <cite id="bib-10-5594-m001947">Digital Print Stock Design: A Framework for the Post-Film Era</cite>, SMPTE Meetings and Conferences ( November 2021); SMPTE, 2021
<span class="doi">10.5594/M001947</span>
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