With that said, let’s take a look at what you could be wrapping up this year!
HDRInstant allows you to pull a lot more information out of video than you ever could before. (Photo courtesy of the film, The Children of Light.)
HDRInstant “Screen Cap Software”
HDRInstant is a software that will help the filmmaker on your list get really amazing still images from their films, by overlaying a series of images over top of each other and combining them to get a much more dynamic image–essentially helping to create many of the color and tonal bandwidth options normally found in RAW images after the fact. This is very useful for things like film festivals or DVD jackets, where you need good looking screen captures.
I was a bit skeptical when I tested this out, since Photoshop can do some of this already and now has the option to also look for areas that are out of focus and match the parts that are in focus in multiple images in a video stream. While the current version of HDRInstant won’t do the focus thing, I was shocked by how much detail it actually could pull out of video. After the program—available as a standalone or Lightroom plugin—has analyzed a number of frames, it let’s you adjust the image with an interface similar to Adobe’s Camera RAW. (It doesn’t currently have the option to export out as a RAW image like a .NEF or the more ubiquitious .DNG, but you can export out .HDR files, .PSDs, .TIFs, and other more compressed file types like .JPGs.)
It works best on more modern footage—and does request HD when available—but it’ll even tap into the video streams on SD DVDs and do a great job on them. Even older 4:3 footage can reveal a lot of information that might be normally overlooked without this software, which could make HDRInstant really popular with private detectives who need to look for clues in archival or security footage. (If you want to see some examples of this software, look at our critique of Children of the Sun next month, as it features screen grabs that have been cleaned up through this software.)
The software will set you back $89 for the standalone version or $59 for the Lightroom Plugin at their site. (They are currently running a 50% off special on all of their products for the holidays if you end up picking this up before the end of the year!)
Website: http://hdrinstant.com
If your holiday gift recipient needs to add a lot of flash and bang to their films and projects, Rampant Design might just have the ticket!
RDT Rampant Studio Essentials Vol. 1
RDT makes a number of great collections of visual effects, After Effects templates, overlays, and stereoscopic effects, many of which have been used by major networks, like MTV, Discovery Channel, ABC, and CBS. Visual effects ranging from gunfire, to smoke, to shattering effects are all present; Optical and Damage effects from film grains and lens flares to dust and gate weave are all here; even music and audio tracks are accounted for.
While you can get everything in the Studio Essentials bundle separately, you get the greatest savings getting them all together. Considering how many types of things you can use these libraries for, including both normal filmmaking and corporate videos your studio does to bring in a paycheck, this is a powerful package you may well want to consider. I’ve used a lot of their Damage effects in lieu of using some of my powerful Damage plugins for things like digital interference in a broadband stream in new episodes of the Silas & Ami show and many others. The music, while a bit more basic and corporate than some collections, has still proven quite useful for different projects and is a great add on.
The Studio Essentials Volume 1 , including hundreds of high resolution ProRes clips, overlays, After Effects comps, and backgrounds, comes on a portable USB 3.0 (or Thunderbolt, for an additional charge) hard drive, and starts at $999 for 2K, $1999 for 4K, and $2999 for 5K.
Website: http://rampantdesigntools.com
Alpha Plugins Engraver III can add some really beautiful touches to images. (Image courtesy of David McArthur.)
AlphaPlugins Engraver III Plugin
Engraver III is designed to help you turn photos and drawings into works of engraved art that look like they should’ve come out a century ago. There are almost an endless number of options for this plugin but, fortunately, there are some pretty good presets to help you get up and running. In my testing of the software, I found that it wasn’t limited to just creating an etched or lithograph like work of art, but could be combined quite nicely with photographic work to add extra texture and impact. Testing it on a recent CD album design we were a part of, it allowed us to create a very wood-worn feel to the album when layered together.
This cover design uses Engraver III touches on both panels. (Image courtesy of David McArthur.)
At $74.99, it’s a pretty solid value if your gift recipient needs to combine traditional textures and styles with your work—for things like comic books, stylistic effects, or other non-motion design tasks. (If you’re not sure if it’s a great fit, you can download a demo to see what you think.)
Website: http://www.alphaplugins.com
Domke’s new line of Next Generation bags are truly impressive.
Domke Next Generation Bags
These rugged bags from Domke (a division of Tiffen) are really impressive. They’re not designed to carry everything and the kitchen sink, but, rather, to force you to optimize a location shooting kit with a camera, a couple of lenses, some batteries, and a speedlight. We tested out the Black Rugged Wear versions of the Chronicle and Herald bags (pictured above).
The construction of the bags really is rugged, actually, and the Velcro re-attachable pockets impressed me a lot. (The bags are water resistant and include a can of waterproofing wax, so that you can re-surface the bag as needed, which is a really nice touch.) When you’re going to be in a quiet room or a possibly live film set, you can swap the normal Velcro outer catches with a “quiet” version, which is really handy.
The Chronicle has a lot of room for junk in its, er, trunk.
The Chronicle is surprisingly roomy, while still keeping things comparatively compact, while the Herald is pretty narrow—about the size of a large purse or a thick briefcase—but also has a decent amount of room in the pockets.
For more ready to shoot folks who need to bring a few extra lenses (or even a second camera), a small LED light, a boom mic, and maybe a roll of gaffer’s tape , the Chronicle’s the perfect choice. For folks who are going super lean with just a camera, a flash, a few batteries and SD cards, then the Herald is great way not to get weighed down.
The Chronicle runs $349.95 for the Ruggedwear version (although there are currently a discount on them here ) and the Herald runs $299.95 (with its likewise discounted pricing here ). You can also save money if you don’t need them as weather resistant by going with the Canvas material options of either the Chronicle or Herald .
Website: http://tiffen.com/domke
One–or all–of these three newly released Amherst Books might be a perfect stocking stuffer! (If you’re using Paul Bunyan’s socks for stockings, that is!)
Amherst Photography Books
As you might want to get your loved one (or yourself) a book this holiday season, the following are some new releases from Amherst Media that I’ve been impressed by. (All have an MSRP of $34.95, but have substantially discounted pricing by the included links.)
The Speedlight Studio: Professional Portraits with Portable Flash by Michael Mowbray
For folks who want to figure out how to do most of the tricks of a studio setup with their portable speedlights, Michael Mowbray brings a wealth of knowledge and insight. He shows you the basics of using a speedlight, the types of remote triggers you might wish to use, and, most crucially, the plethora of light modifiers you might want to use—and what they do! (There are a number of pages that show the same model and flash with different light modifiers, so you really understand the subtle differences.) This is definitely a key book if you’re wanting to understand how to get the most out of your speedlight photography.
Discounted pricing for The Speedlight Studio is available here .
Lighting & Design for Portrait Photography: Direction & Quality of Light by Neil van Niekerk
If you’ve read our continuing articles on photography, then you know that Neil van Niekerk is an amazing teacher on how to become a better photographer. In Lighting & Design for Potrait Photography, Niekerk looks at the combination of model, location, light source, and lens to come up with optimal photo arrangements. This is definitely a great addition to his Direction & Quality of Light series. Discounted pricing for this book is available here, in either print or kindle.
Alternative Portraiture: Lighting and Design for Photography by Benny Migs
This is an incredible book that could work very well as a companion piece to the aforementioned Lighting & Design for Portrait Photography. This takes the game up a notch with edgier styles of portraiture that use unusual locations, models, and light arrangements (like a DIY ringlight) to get striking photos. This lends itself more to artistic and verité photography, with a style that should also impact your cinematography as well as your still photography, since so much of the book showcases creative camera placements that pair a subject with their environment effectively. Alternative Portraiture’s discounted pricing is here .
Website (for Amherst Media): http://www.amherstmedia.com/
Let us know which items you got this year and how you liked them in the comments!
Jeremy T. Hanke
The director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films, Jeremy Hanke founded MicroFilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make better films. The second edition of his well-received book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) is being released by MWP in fall 2016. He's curently working on the sci-fi collaborative community, World of Depleted, and directed the debut action short in this series, Depleted: Day 419 .