Hey there, creative gang! This week we’re checking out Blackmagic Cloud’s latest features, MoonRay’s 1.7.0.0 update from DreamWorks, and a sweet new NVIDIA app for creators. Let’s jump in!

New in Blackmagic Cloud

If you’ve logged into Blackmagic Cloud lately, you’ve probably noticed some cool new features that make life easier. The new thumbnail view that lets you quickly scrub through clips right in the browser. No more guessing which file is which! They’ve also added a handy metadata panel that shows you everything you need to know about your clips in one place. Best of all, you can now share your work with clients using a simple link – no need for them to sign up for an account.

For those of you shooting and editing simultaneously (I’m looking at you, news crews!), there’s even better news. If you’re using a Blackmagic camera, your footage now shows up in DaVinci Resolve as you’re recording. That means your editor can start working while you’re still filming. Pretty neat, right? They’ve also added tools for syncing multiple cameras and live editing, which is perfect for broadcast work.

DreamWorks MoonRay Update

DreamWorks just dropped a big update to MoonRay, and it’s packed with goodies for those of us pushing pixels. The standout feature? Better GPU support through XPU mode. If you’re running NVIDIA cards, you’ll see faster rendering across the board, plus improved motion blur handling (up to 16 steps now!). They’ve also thrown in some nice quality-of-life updates like better field-of-view controls for spherical cameras.

The dev’s have been busy squashing bugs. Annoying flickering shadows and random crashes with volumes are gone! They’ve fixed up memory leaks and made the whole system more stable. Improvements in render times, especially when working with complex scenes. You can read more (here)

NVIDIA’s Creator App: Your New Best Friend

NVIDIA just revamped their app for us creators, you’ll want to check this out. They’ve packed in some seriously impressive features, like 4K 120 FPS AV1 capture and RTX-powered filters that’ll make your footage sing. The new NVIDIA Broadcast tools for remote work – crystal clear audio and virtual backgrounds that actually look good.

The best part? Everything’s in one place now. No more digging through different menus to adjust your GPU settings or update drivers. Plus, the new AI upscaling features are fantastic for working with older footage. I’ve been using it to clean up some archived material, and the results are impressive.
Read more about the update (here) 

Double Negative VFX Breakdown for Venom: The Last Dance

Technique used by master painters we can use in color grading

Keep creating, stay curious, and never stop pushing your creative boundaries!

Stay creative,
Justin R.