Hey Shian, good to see you around again. I also believe that ColorGHear still has it´s place. Don´t waste too much time overdoing the new "slick" versions, the old ones worked quite well - at least for me. Easy and reliable punch. Sure, they where not perfect. But then again keep in mind, you are here not aiming for your regular customers, that expect all the glory in an omnicolor 23 sec blast, but for other creators, that most liklely are used to shuttle trough endless footage as you are. So another "10 wasted seconds" might rather help to recognize some details than to bore them, and a little imperfection might even make them feel more connected.

The site is down, likely permanently. [long frustrating story]

ColorGHear will transition to a free youtube format, and you'll start to see all the video tutorials appearing on the ColorGHear YT channel as I migrate everything over and get it organized. And then slowly over time I will redo most of the content and make the information dissemination a lot tighter and cleaner. Cuz many of these vids are boring the shit out of me, so I'm sure they're putting you guys to sleep as well.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4f5q4pUcGiXtWl2Penn6FQ

@shian Thanks for the explanation. I can understand the frustration of working with people who are not at your level. It definitely requires patience and tact to get the most out of the people who work for you. Best of luck in the future.

It is clever to understand complex things. It is really clever to explain complex things simply.

@joethepro Answer most commonly given: "Shian talks to people like they're idiots."

For instance. Some of my local students who I've taught personally would bring me their work to have me critique it. And If it was good I'd tell them everything they did right and everything I thought could use improvement. And often these students had the ability to understand why things worked, and understanding why allows you apply techniques according to your own taste. (That's one of the main things I've tried to teach in all my lessons. And all of those students now have successful careers in image creation or manipulation) BUT everyone else just imitates. They learn techniques, and just use them without any motivation or through line. Cuz it's a cool effect, or whatever. They have no understanding, and I can spot it instantaneously and it just sets me off. When I saw work like that...I would rip it to shreds. Using language such as: "This is dogshit. Do you have a picture of what this actress looks like without your lighting? See, she's gorgeous, but you made her look fat. You're gonna give her a complex and an eating disorder, cuz you don't know how to properly set a fucking key light, even though we've gone over it hundreds of times. Your composition is crap... What were you thinking? What are you trying to say with this image? Cuz what it's telling me is that the person who shot it has no fucking clue what they're doing. They're just setting up a camera with no understanding of the scene, or what that scene requires to convey the proper tone. You're so pleased with your choice of gels, which I happen to like by the way, that you've ignored the fact that this image is completely inert, and you don't realize that your job is to assist the story. Help the actors make the audience feel what they need to feel in this moment. And you are giving them no help whatsoever. This is bush league." And this would be said in a nasty condescending tone. Which is not the most conducive way to teach... or make friends.

Some have likened it to a mild form of Asperger's or something. Going all the way back to grade school in certain subjects I'd easily get the answers way before anyone else. And couldn't understand why no one else was there yet. My mistake for decades was assuming everyone else was either stupid or lazy, cuz I don't consider myself to be all that smart. I know now that I just have a gift for understanding certain things almost on an instinctual level, and that I'm the one who is NOT normal. Everyone else is just fine. Combine that with the fact that often times I can't readily describe what I'm seeing in my head using words in such a way that it paints a picture in other peoples' heads. So instead I would just tell people what to do, and say, "Trust me. You're not seeing it, but you will. Just do what I tell tell you to do, and we'll be fine." and most of the people who worked with me quickly learned to do just that. cuz once they saw it they'd be like... "Oh, that's what you meant." (If I ever write a book, that will be the title)

Filmmaking is 90% problem solving, and I could solve the problems super fast, but the time it would take to explain it step by step to someone, and have them understand it before they acted on it was incredibly inefficient and frustrating for everyone involved. Most creatives have this issue, which is why people on film sets are conditioned to just follow orders. The Director or Director of Photography gives the order and you carry it out without question cuz time is money and you're not being paid to understand. You're being paid to act quickly and competently. But my mistake was that in many instances I treated people like crew even when we were nowhere near a film set... I've treated people on this message board the same way and it's not fair to them. I'm working in therapy now to change the way I approach things in regards to this.

Bottom line is that my quick brain and ease of understanding things, and my frustration with those who don't, lead to an aire of arrogance and superiority. For the record. I am superior to no one. The main issue is that I take incompetence and ignorance as a personal offense. Which is the wrong way to approach things. It's why I've stayed away from PV over the past 3 years. Cuz in the arena of msg boards and social media, things can get combative very quickly and when they do, I usually get nasty. In short: I have shitty people skills.

@joethepro perhaps. Not entirely sure how to go about that, or how I'd even enforce it. I guess I'm just bummed about the general lack of honor in "American Culture". I suppose my own venom is partly to blame. I pissed a lot of people off with the way I used to be.. [and can still be, occasionally] I've had people come up to me that I tutored personally, and who confess they have careers because of me, and whom begrudgingly thank me for that. Getting people prepared to work in the industry and an advantage over film school alone, was every bit my intent. So I suppose not getting credit for my contribution is my just reward.

It's interesting to see how it's handled with foreign users in various regions. The Japanese always reference it's use. (Most even send emails thanking me every time they receive accolades for work they've done with it, or with techniques I've taught), South America more often than not. Everywhere else is hit and miss.

Wow, I hadn't watched that in a while... was my voice really that deep?? That was just... wow?

That definitely is a shame that you weren't credited. But not surprising at all. Maybe it's time to add a license agreement or something, or disclaimer that you must be credited when it is used.

@eatstoomuchjam There's no licensing agreement with CG. I didn't create it to get rich. I just sold it for profit. so it could perpetuate itself. Make enough to keep the site running, and make the time I put into developing it and the videos worthwhile. There is nothing truly proprietary about CG, which is why so many were able to rip it off after it was ahead of the curve 6 years ago. I have no one to blame, but myself. And I'm always proud to hear that people have their jobs because of me and CG. Especially if they're doing good work. It just stings a little to see it used sometimes here and there, and I know immediately that it's CG, and it's always disheartening when it gets zero credit. This isn't the first time I've recognized it's usage, just the first time it's been confirmed.

If a major post house has purchased 0 or 1 licenses for your software and now they have dozens of people using it, you should contact them about licensing it or threaten to sue them for violations of your license agreement. They have the money for it, I'm sure, and this is the industry that makes constant PSA's about the harm caused by piracy.

So a while back a friend drags me to go see a pretty lame Tom Cruise movie. I really didn't care to see it, so I ask why, he says... "You'll know why in the first 5 minutes." He was right. I was steamed coming out of that film.

He looks and me and asks, "Why are you upset? I thought you'd be thrilled. It was ColorGHear right?" I nodded. "I'm about 99.9% sure... yeah."

I wasn't upset that it was used on a big budget film, I always assumed it one one day would be. I was upset that it wasn't credited. No logo, no mention. No articles written that mention the use a great tool. But I couldn't prove it was CG, so it didn't matter anyway. I had never made it a requirement that people give me credit for the product, I just always figured when people saw what they could do with it, a tip of the hat gesture would come as a simple sign of respect.

Fast forward to tonight, I'm at a show in Hollywood, and I hear my name, So I turn around, and a guy introduces himself, says he's a colorist, and that he wouldn't have his job without my tutorials and what he learned using ColorGHear. I'm honored by this. He says, "I still use it all the time. Everyone I work with is using it now, too. Saves us all a ton of time."

I counter with, "Wow, that's wonderful. I'm glad you're all enjoying it.... So everyone there bought CG?"

He says, "No, the LUTs are on my server, so it's accessible across the network." I ask where he works. He drops major post house's name. My face drops..... "Everyone is using it." [I looked it up when I got home...They did post on said film]

I should be proud, I guess. Instead I'm feeling like the guys who sold QDOS to Microsoft for next to nothing.

it's just for viewing... cuz the assist looks nothing like the final product. It's just for exposure and color assist. It won't ever be "What you see is what you get" but it'll be close enough to make key decisions without guessing.

^^^ coming form the guy who's never shot a roll of film using video assist. (not you jam, VK)