Best products from r/editors

One of my hobbies is setting up servers. I've built a number of post systems for companies and I run my current home NAS to do a lot of home automation / media distribution tasks. I've also set up wireless editing systems based on NAS systems (offline only, of course). I've also built SAS backplane systems and custom RAID solutions. I am by no means an expert or an IT professional, but like I said it's a hobby so I've done some experimenting with a lot of what's out there.

Your question makes it sound like you already know what you want, but I'm curious how you're mentally dividing up your data.

What you should consider is the difference between 3 things:

1.) Active, concurrent backups

2.) Long term project archival

3.) Day-to-day project access

It's possible to glom these 3 tasks together into a single storage solution, but you'll hamper performance, safety, and pay more than necessary if you do. It's better to break them apart.

How would you answer these questions:

• What is the average size (in GB) of a project being worked on in my office?
  
• How many people are typically accessing that project simultaneously?
  
• How many simultaneous projects might a single editor have on her plate on any given day (and therefore need to have simultaneous access to from a given system)?
  
• What is the highest bitrate media we'll normally be cutting?
  
• Related: what is the throughput of our network?
  
• How long do we want to archive client projects after delivery?
  
• What kinds of workstations are being used, and how much data needs to be stored on them directly (i.e. not on an external drive plugged into them)?
  
• What other tasks would we like a file server to accomplish (besides just serving files)?
  
• How many blinking lights in a cabinet is too many blinking lights?
  
• Etc. etc. etc.
  
  
  Depending on your answers to questions like these you may want one set of products or something else entirely.
  
  In my experience, for most small editing shops with consumer-grade networking infrastructure, you're best off splitting archival / backups / active projects into separate storage solutions.
  
  For active projects a DAS is necessary above certain bitrates (working with ArriRAW? Not going to happen over the network. ProResLT? Yeah, do it wirelessly if you want). A good DAS on every workstation is also nice because it lets you host several active projects simultaneously in recoverable storage (RAID 1, 5, or 6). In that case OWC is a good cheap solution, but Promise or Caldigit are much, much better. I do not trust G-Drives at all.
  
  If you're working with low bitrate footage and a good network you could instead get a 4+ bay NAS (fewer than a 4 disk RAID and you may not have enough I/O bandwidth for >1 user) and let every workstation pull from the same project pool over the network. This is a completely valid setup, but I would not expect it to be free of bumps unless you're running 10gig Ethernet, fibre, or custom NICs with active teaming. For DASs, Synology is a favorite among filmmakers, but I actually prefer QNAP – I've been running them for ~3 years now and they get better and better every month (company is aggressively developing firmware & OS). Anything above the X53-Pro series can be run as a true server (buy some RAM for $20 and upgrade what it comes with), and simultaneously host a virtual machine if you need a Windows or Linux system. Don't buy anything cheaper than the X53-Pro series though, that model is where they start getting really good. I would stay far, far away from DROBO. Netgear also makes some very solid gear but with limited OS capabilities – good enough for storing files though. I've heard WD is similar but have no experience. All of these systems can run whatever backup software you want for as many machines as you can imagine. The limit will be drive speed + network throughput, and if you're sticking with consumer grade gear you'll want to get a really good router & switch.
  
  Beyond that, if you're doing serious heavy lifting, you could go for a SAN, but those are hard to build yourself. If you're doing work like that though, you should be able to afford to hire EditShare to come in and get your shit in line.
  
  Finally, you should have some other system in place for project archive. I prefer buying drive docks, OEM drives, and anti-static cases. LTO is also an option, but jesus that's annoying. The drives-in-cases plan has been working out pretty well for me over the last 10 years.
  
  Before you buy anything, you should really sit down and try to answer all of these questions, make a spreadsheet of the bitrates of your footage multiplied by num. users, test your network throughput from different workstations, etc.

Without knowing more about your ingest workflow it's had to say, but you might be well served with a Pegasus R6/R8 or similar. That'll give the bandwidth to be ingesting a few cards at once and be duplicating to a portable drive that can go back to editoral. The fewer volumes I have to manage the easier I find staying organized. One 30TB volume seems a lot more manageable than 6 4TB drives floating everywhere. If you go the RAID/NAS route make sure you don't go too small.

A RAID could also be easier on the AEs if the DIT cart can be connected to the SAN and ingested that way. Instead of a couple hundred Mbps you could get in the Gbps range. Remember that standard gigabit ethernet won't be the answer for high speed transfers.

I know you have three laptops for ingest, but I'd try to build the cart around one laptop copying footage. Again, fewer moving parts is easier to manage. Having a utility laptop that can tackle other tasks is often useful. If you need to make proxy files in the field look into a NAS solution instead of a RAID so you can get two, three, or more computers hitting the storage concurrently.

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On top topic of a DIT cart, put some thought into a cart. What it should have. I'd be looking for a big heavy UPS on the bottom to give the thing some stability. Maybe an APC2200? Not sure how worried you are about weight...don't use that if you're flying with it. Get your own network going on there if you have multiple computers. Also add a Thunderbolt dock and power strip on the top to give you more USB ports and power for all the travel drives that will show up. I'd connect drives to a laptop in the middle and look for a way to put a laptop on an arm on the side of the cart too. Needs to collapse down so the whole things is self-contained for transport. I'd use the middle laptop for copying and the side laptop for proxy creation.

Make sure you have all the cables on hand. Thunderbolt 2, USB2 B, USB2 Mini-B (old GoPro charging), USB2 Micro-B (old Android charging), USB3 B, USB3 Micro-B, and finally USB C. I'd have 1 each on the USB2 variants, 2 each on the USB3 variants, and 3 of the Type C variants. Gauge your own need for Firewire 400, Firewire 800, HDMI, Ethernet, and the requisite dongles. Might be wise to have a USB-A dongle and maybe an Ethernet dongle on hand for the Touchbar laptops. Even if you don't have a Touchbar they're coming. It isn't that much money (comparatively) to keep these kinds of things in a drawer, but it can make a huge difference if you have it on hand.

I'd probably trick my cart out with a mass charger and some Lightning and Type-C cables. Hit all the cables with some orange gaff or some sort of mark so that people don't carry them away. Might even tape the phone cables to the cart. Might seem excessive, but if you set that up people won't be filling up your power strip with their chargers or plugging their phones into your ingest station. 10 ports might be more than you need, especially since people shouldn't be using their phones too heavily on set, but the goal is to make sure your power strip isn't used on phones.

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As for software, you'll have to consider your needs and what fits them best. I'm not a lot of help on that front. Haven't messed around with the options too much.

My ultimate goal is to get into tv and I don't expect to jump into being an AE right away, but I'd like to learn more about being one and get some clarification on some responsibilities that they have.

A lot of listings say that the main jobs require transcoding, ingesting, grouping, and syncing. I'm pretty clear on what syncing and transcoding are, and I'm pretty sure ingesting is importing the footage, though I could be wrong. I'm also not really sure about grouping and can't really find info on it.

I'd also like to get your opinion on books, specifically:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0240813987/ref=pd_aw_sbs_14_1/157-3456771-3294657?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D123JR2JSDQZ0FA76Z5Q&dpPl=1&dpID=51dZLUsBFdL

and

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1138691356/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

I know the the best way to learn is through experience and I'm kind of skeptical about "how to" books, but I'd like to hear people's opinions on them, plus the reviews are pretty solid.

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but I also just want to say thanks for this page in general. I've definitely gotten a lot of useful info from it!

Thanks for reading!

First: Avoid the J-series Synology units. All J-series are meant to be cost-reduced, low power units, typically based on ARM processors. They will perform rather poorly, and be completely useless for any kind of video editing applications.

>So when I get a NAS, what can I expect?

Lower performance than USB 3, but greater convenience because all your devices can access it simultaneously. You're going to want your computer and the NAS to be on the same Ethernet switch. Don't even think about doing anything serious over Wifi.

>Would it be a good idea?

Yes and no. Yes, in that it could make a great backup target, and a handy way of storing non-video content for live use, like music libraries.

>How is performance when connected to a network?

Depends on the NAS and the network. As I just finished writing up over here the rest of the traffic on the network can play a role in limiting performance, and the functional capacity of the NAS itself also plays a very key role in whether or not it can keep up with what you demand out of it.

>Is it totally doable for live editing or is it best connected directly to my PC via USB 3?

Maybe. Depends on the footage you're working with. Unless you're getting a higher end model, know how to tinker with these things, and you're not working with like gonzo 4K footage it might work out, but USB 3 will deliver far superior performance, and it would be recommended you continue to work off something like this.

>I'm less concerned about RAID... I'm really only doing this so I can have multiple drives using one power cable.

No, you're getting involved with RAID, so you need to be concerned about RAID. I have a write-up in the Wiki about RAID that gives you a sort of 10-foot perspective on the thing. The RAID tech you invest in will determine how you move forward in the coming years in terms of data protection and storage growth.

And if all you care about is the power cord then you're getting into this for the wrong reasons. IF that's all you care about you could get a DAS solution. You could go with just a simple dual disk dock, or a dumb 'ole JBOD enclosure, or get some kind of real RAID solution, either by buying a card and building an array inside your computer or in some kind of external enclosure, or by buying a device that handles RAID internally and exposes itself to the computer as a single dumb disk.

>Currently looking into these two models:

Keep in mind that those are dual-disk models, which limits you to RAID0 and RAID1. This is quite limiting in terms of options, and in terms of volume. However upgrading capacity is cheap, since you only have two disks to replace (however this is only possible in RAID1, and impossible in RAID0 unless you've got enough external storage lying around).

Hey there. Made the jump from Premiere/FCP7 a year ago. I had been in DC working as an editor for 5 years, going between the two programs. When I moved to NYC to work in TV I had to learn Avid. Smaller production companies and some ad agencies will use Premiere (and to a MUCH lesser extend FCPX), but the bigger production houses that do TV work are all Avid. I highly recommend the Avid for Assistant Editor's Handbook. I bought the kindle version for like 25 bucks or something. I came in as an Editor, but I wanted to learn all the AE stuff just so I wouldn't break the program.

Here's the thing with Avid- general editing isn't going to be THAT much different than Premiere or FCP - you can always set up the keyboard to however you are comfortable. In fact, I know very few editors that don't import their own custom Avid keyboard every time they land on a new machine. Keyboards, where things are in menus etc etc is something that you'll pick up after a week's worth of editing.

However, u/Kichigai is very right that the workflows are much more oldschool. Nothing is easy or where you think it is. Syncing is an entire daylong process that involves setting up a whole new batch of keyboard shortcuts, creating sync ins and outs in every clip that was shot, all kinds of malarky. And uprezzing involves knocking stuff online and reconnecting in finder... AE workflows are not something you'll just 'pick up.' There are only a few ways to get certain things done and if you go about them thinking you'll just learn it on the job, you might find yourself looking for a new job.

Pick up this book and also check out that video series that Kichigai recommended. Regular editing stuff will come naturally; the back end, not so much.

http://www.amazon.com/Avid-Assistant-Editors-Handbook/dp/0615487750/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Been an AE for 2 years now and I'd suggest you try to learn to use multiple Editing Systems (i.e. Avid, FCP, Premiere & DaVinci Resolve). It'll help you in the long run when searching for jobs.

When I was starting out, I bought the book, The Avid Assistant Editors Handbook by Kyra Coffie and found it informative.

Your best bet is to start as a logger and become friendly with the AE's and tell them of your ambition. They'll typically show you the ropes. Try to get hands on as much as you can, as experience is the best way to move forward.

The best advice I can give you is:

If you don't know how to do something, don't lie. People will respect you more if you're honest. People are usually willing to take the time to show you how to do it right.

Own up to your mistakes. They'll happen and it's better to own up than to try and hide them.

Take detailed notes as you're shown how to do something. (Someone else already posted this, but it's worth it to repeat it.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as my note-taking has helped me countless times. Have your own pen and notepad.

Lastly, if you're unsure of something, google it. Creative Cow has good forums when troubleshooting.

Best of luck!

You can do a class, something like Manhattan Edit Workshop (I assume they have similar classes in LA) but it might be unnecessary if you are already familiar with Premiere. Most differences in NLE is learning the quirks and shortcuts, generally you learn those by actively using the software. If you can find a short at home job (paid or unpaid) I'd suggest you pick it up and do it strictly on AVID. Forcing yourself to learn it through a project is better than using tutorials.

Also the AVID Assistant Editors Handbook is a pretty decent reference. I linked two different books, cause the AVID Assistant Editors is pretty pricey.

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Cut-Becoming-Successful-Assistant/dp/0240813987/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0240813987&pd_rd_r=FRHM260GT92GNBPPM7SW&pd_rd_w=x9ID6&pd_rd_wg=8fjoq&psc=1&refRID=FRHM260GT92GNBPPM7SW

https://www.amazon.com/Avid-Assistant-Editors-Handbook/dp/0615487750/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480728970&sr=8-1&keywords=AVID+Assistant+Editor

I personally use the Sony MDR7506 as they're pretty much a standard for basic monitoring. Crisp, detailed high end, tight punchy base. Comfortable for hours on end and if you take decent care of them they should last years with the only wear and tear being the earcup material flaking off a bit. They're definitely made for desk-use as they have a very long coiled non-detachable cable.:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

There's also the Sony MDRV6, which are very similar, but apparently have a little more low-end.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRV6-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ
__

As far as speakers go, I've been using the Audioengine A5+ for a few years now and have been very satisfied. Great sound and more power than I'll ever be able to use in my small apartment. They look nice too (I got a good deal on the white ones). They are powered speakers (opposed to the A5) and thus don't require a separate amp. They also come with a small remote for volume/mute:

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Active-2-Way-Speakers-Black/dp/B005OA3BSY

For a DAC I use the Audioengine D1 plugged in through USB, which gives me higher quality audio and a convenient headphone out and volume knob:

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-D1-24-bit-Digital-to-Analog-Converter/dp/B006IPH5H2/

Thanks so much for kicking off this thread /u/klam1987.

I am also in the same boat as you. The one variant is that I am currently an Assistant Editor dealing FCP7 and CS6. I have been turned down for jobs in the past because of my lack of AVID experience and so am keen to get a good solid grounding in AVID and understand the processes that people would expect of a good AE on that system.

Those links provided by /u/LeBunny look excellent and I'm also waiting for delivery of this book.

Good luck and keep us all updated with any further resources you may find.

keyboard linked too looks totally not practical. Heavy and so custom you would have to map keys every single place. If you use Premiere, thats not easy/fun

​

I just use this

​

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Bluetooth-Anker-Rechargeable-Compatibility/dp/B00PIMRCFG/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g8682124849?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8

​

You might laugh but its pretty good, battery lasts forever. It very light and portable. At home I use it too, but i think a full length keyboard with num pad better.

​

I dont need the little pictures or the colours. I just remember what key is what or use muscle memory

So true. Barebones.. A great example is in the book Make the cut: A Guide to Becoming a Successful Assistant Editor in Film and TV. Lori goes over a lot of great tips for everything. PG 10 is the Resume. http://www.amazon.com/Make-Cut-Becoming-Successful-Assistant/dp/0240813987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458075096&sr=1-1&keywords=make+the+cut

You're going to struggle; like editing, you can just only get 'so far' without some higher level education.

I'd start by buying Alexis Van Hurkman's Color correction handbook..

Resolve is a great tool. It's also, probably, right now, over your head. Yes, Colorista free (or Colorista II) is significantly better than Premiere's 3 way CC.

If you're never going to upgrade Premiere, Resolve is a great tool - and the 'lite' version is very full featured. It's one of the 'top' color correction tools; but it's difficult to learn; I'd suggest either the Lynda Course by Patrick Inhopher or the Ripple Training course by Alexis.

Last, I have to mention, Premiere CC (after 6) has a great tool called Speedgrade; it has a zero render workflow starting with CC.

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There are two sides of color correction: being able to interpret images and knowing which set of tools to make a change.

Once you learn how to interpret images, you can use any tool (inside of it's own limitations) to grade images.

Also I'd bring a pair of quality headphone for personal use and editing use. I use Sony MDR-V6's but the MDR-7506 is basically the same. They are both reputed to be pretty reasonable monitors, pretty cheap, and they fold up nicely for travel.

I have a question about the best editing setup for 4K footage:

I am on an iMac so I cannot do the very cool setup that PC users are doing, with a PCI based SSD as their HD for the footage they are working with.

I am thinking of purchasing an editing dock, so I can slap my SSD's in that I use for image capture and just edit the footage right off there (for smaller/shorter videos). For my bigger projects (martial art seminars) I can use the SSD's as fast storage for the files I'm currently working with, then archive them when I am finished with that timeline and move on to the next batch.

Does this sound about right for an editing workflow? For a dock I was thinking either of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DJ3YEH0/?coliid=I3LVQBX3Y28PPN&colid=18MV1ZDGQIPKJ&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

or

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759567JT/?coliid=I1S7ITYP2SKAOB&colid=18MV1ZDGQIPKJ&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I'm going to be working with 4K Pro Res 422 60 fps footage.


Any advice on how your work flow goes is most appreciated!

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Editors Guide to Adobe Premiere Pro.


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||
|China|www.amazon.cn||




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I would lean toward a Raid 5, as it is a more efficient use of redundancy space. You'll have to buy more drives but they can be smaller size, net working out to a similar price. A barebones DAS option might be this one: https://www.amazon.com/QNAP-TR-004-Enclosure-Attached-hardware/dp/B07K4RC7X9.

G raid and Promise also make excellent enclosures but youll pay a premium. OWC is a middle option if you have a Mac.

I would recommend the site Wolfcrow (a play on "workflow"). He gives guidance on lots of different workflows, some software-specific, some more generalized. I find it easy to follow because explains things in plain language and with visual aids.

There's also the book Make the Cut: A Guide to Becoming a Successful Assistant Editor in Film and TV, which covers a lot of the paperwork involved in post, especially for TV. But it might be better to read the follow-up book, JUMP•CUT: How to Jump•Start Your Career as a Film Editor, which I haven't read, but I'm sure is more up to date.

For ballin' on a budget you will want to look at headphones that have the Qualcomm® aptX™ LL codec. These have a latency of around 40ms (1 frame @ 24fps). You can get a pair off Amazon for around $60. I have tested these for an engineering project and they were the best bang-for-the-buck - https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Wireless-Bluetooth-Foldable-Headphones/dp/B01A0EAYDI. But any option that uses the same chipset and codec will work. Be wary - aptX HD is not low latency, and will incur a delay of around 150-200ms - too much for use with sync sound. You may also need an aptX LL transmitter, which you can buy for around $40 - https://www.amazon.com/Avantree-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B01N5KKUR0. Bonus is you can take this home and use for TV or other stuff where sync needs to be "close enough." Hook it up to your camera when you shoot and ditch the tether if the sound man doesn't have Comteks.

​

Other options include oldschool RF and 2.4G technologies, which tend to be more expensive or harder to find. Something like these Sennys should do the trick - https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones-home-audio-rs-175

The past month I got a G13 along with a Cintiq knockoff. It's amazing. The G13 is highly customizable, you can have custom keybindings, keystrokes, anything.

With the right hand I use the tablet and my left is on the G13

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-G13-Programmable-Gameboard-Display/dp/B001NEK2GE

Where did you read that you can only get 4TB with raid 1? But if you're going for more than 2 drives, it's irrelevant anyway.

Also I have this running on my wife's computer (she's the photographer, I'm just the computer guy):

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K4RC7X9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With 4x10tb shucked easystore drives in Raid 5. Good performance, not too much lost to overhead.

I don't know how big of a cache you need for video. Maybe someone else can help with that part.

Highly rea commend reading the freelance manifesto by Joey Korenman of school of motion. Just came out.

https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Manifesto-Modern-Motion-Designer-ebook/dp/B071JRYMSG

I'm in a very similar boat as you and started freelancing full time about a month ago using this book as a blue print. It's for motion designers but everything still applies. It's a godsend. Would be much more lost without it!

This may be a bit overkill, but we had these at my old job and they were fantastic. Especially since Apple has a thing for removing more and more ports each generation of product.

http://www.amazon.com/CalDigit-Thunderbolt-Station-Ethernet-TS2-US-60/dp/B00R85YSYO/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1464123970&sr=1-3&keywords=Thunderbolt+dock

If i were you i would look at the PMBOK book first then. A lot of what i have read so far is about organization, documentation, genaric/broad direction that you can tailor to industry specific standards and goals, and assignment and delegation.

I think, since you will be running a team in the future, its really helpful to know how to organize everything and make things much more streamlined. You will be able to set expectations of your editors as a group, and as individuals. It can help define rolls and responsibilities and cut down on a lot of confusion in processes and procedures.

​

Check out this book on Amazon to help you get started.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1628251840/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_1miVDbJV2W54M

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Since your company is willing to pay, and if you are planning on staying with the company long enough, Id say go for it!

Adapting eSATA to anything else can be tricky, so you might have to try a few different solutions based on your computer and your RAID.
This is what I use for my 2012 MacBook Retina and an old G-Raid and I've never had a problem:
eSATA to USB3 6GBps cable - $23

If you want to use the thunderbolt port instead (which will likely not give any visible increase in speed over the USB3 port).
I would recommend buying the thunderbolt station - $200, as it will perform the function that you need and give you plenty of options for other devices.

I went to film school and took Avid classes and that didn't come close to preparing me to use it professionally. Literally takes years. But, if you really want to get after it, here's two nice books:

https://www.amazon.com/Avid-Assistant-Editors-Handbook/dp/0615487750

https://www.amazon.com/Avid-Agility-Working-Intuitively-Composer-ebook/dp/B0051ZT4B0

I bet if you read either one cover to cover you'll be ahead of the game

Three things:

No Money? - Watch all of this guys videos. His lessons in 12 will also transition into 14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDPDpWLSNkY

Some money? - Buy this https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321929667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520105245&sr=8-1&keywords=color+correction+handbook

Want to learn it all? Friend of mine highly recommends this set of courses: https://www.fxphd.com/new-resolve-v14/

I swear by my Sony MDR-7506s

If I'm working with these on, I don't hear people around me call my name. Plus the quality is great, and if the ear cups ever wear down they'll send you replacements.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321713117 seriously.

To me, scopes are useful for three things: troubleshooting issues like undesirable color cast, comparatively between multiple shots to ballpark match values, or to maintain spec compliance.

Beyond that, does it look good on a calibrated monitor?

Yes, the human brain is sensitive to how healthy skin looks but it's also contextual. You could have skintones that read near neutral gray but if the scene is substantially cooler, they'll appear correct.

Human skin, no matter the shade, doesn't vary much in hue which is why some vectorscopes do have a skintone target. It also assumes the shot in question has been lit for, or corrected to, neutral (typically 6500K edit: probably 5600K which is considered photographic white rather than display white).

If desk space and finances can accommodate, you can enhance the workstation with this programmable gaming peripheral. You can change profiles and hotkeys/macros per profile, making the process a bit more open and, personally, more comfortable.

If you need principals and some theory - https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321929667/ref=sr_1_1?crid=25KJGUHR9XZQT&keywords=color+correction+handbook&qid=1562776577&s=gateway&sprefix=color+correction+%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-1

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Pretty much the CC "bible"

Man I know the struggle. I would suggest one of these:

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/TeckNet-Laptop-Cooling-Powered-Ultra-Slim/dp/B0164R64Y8/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=laptop+fan+stand&qid=1574280054&sr=8-5

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I used to leave my machine on the thing all day. I would plug the fan into a seperate source so I could keep the fan on whilst the machine was off. That way when I arrived at the machine later on, it was already cooled and started cold. This dramatically increased performance on that laptop.

The dream is to get something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-HF2-SU3S2-ProBox-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397244765&sr=8-2&keywords=hard+drive+enclosure+8+Bay

And build a RAID system. Out of the budget ATM, though.

Noise-canceling is an absolute no-go. You want the cleanest signal possible, and the fewest points of failure.

You'll also get pretty sweaty in the QCs.

Sony 7506 are a gold standard for people in audio, and a lot of editors. They're comfortable, easily serviceable and ridiculously accurate.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E?tag=pantsmedia-20&linkCode=ur2

Well, now I'm just jealous. Another good book to read is Make the Cut (I promise I'm not a shill). It talks a lot about AE protocol and professionalism in the workplace, whereas a lot of AE guides are 100% about the technical aspects of the job.

I learned Avid using two books: Avid Editing by Sam Kaufman and The Avid Assistant Editor's Handbook by Kyra Coffie.

The first one comes with a DVD with some scenes I believe, and it's really helpful to use the footage they give you to cut. I had an internship where afterwards I literally just sat down with this book for a couple hours each day, taking notes and practicing on the Avid in front of me. The second one is more up to date but obviously geared towards assistant editors more, and is a little more technical.

As far as sound quality goes, the Monoprice DJs are a fantastic bargain. When it comes to comfort however, I just cannot stand to wear them for any length of time (I know that's subjective, and will be different for each person). For me, the problems are too much tension pressing the cans into the sides of my head, and very stiff foam and vinyl. I can wear the 7506s or the less expensive but very similar Sony MDR-V6s all day. YMMV.

I have the exact same setup - been using on location edit. Mixed feeling - might go back to Mac very shortly. In the mean time - this thing has given me a load of extra time without lagging or overheating the system.

TeckNet 12"-17" Quiet Laptop Cooler Cooling Pad Stand With 3 USB Powered Fans, 1200 RPM, Light Weight & Ultra-Slim Design

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0164R64Y8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_p-0YBbMB0YRSX

Is this the book you recommend

> I just don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to color correction. Forget about color grading.

Alexis Van Hurkman's book

I know you want a tutorial, but get this book. It's not hard to read or digest.

I've been an AE for a few years but I just read Make the Cut. The info is slightly dated (mentions of tape workflows) but the vast majority of it holds up. I've only done reality/doc and because of this book I was able to step in at the last minute for a scripted project without issue. Highly recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Make-Cut-Becoming-Successful-Assistant/dp/0240813987