"What monitor should I buy" is the biggest question I get, over and over again, when folks want to get better at color grading their footage. Unfortunately, I usually have answers that are too expensive. There isn't an "amazing" $1000 monitor. Even if there were, you would need monitoring hardware to patch to it.
However, there is a device, the iPad Pro, that has an insanely good monitor built in.
However, the only issue was that you couldn't color grade directly to it before. Blackmagic just made it so you can directly grade on an iPad Pro, and it will totally rock the post world over the next few years.
Remote Monitoring in DaVinci Resolve 18.5 Studio
Using the cloud, you can now patch directly to an iPad Pro (or iPhone) and see your viewer screen. Whether you are in the room (but are a student or indie filmmaker who doesn't want to invest in a broadcast monitor) or your client is on the other side of the other, a reasonably color-accurate image will be shown.
It won't look the same as the timeline, which will be confusing for some, but it will be more accurate than the timeline since it's showing the "video output," the same as if you were using a Blackmagic Design DeckLink or mini monitor. You should actually trust your iPad Pro more than the "preview" monitor inside Resolve.
DaVinci Resolve Remote MonitoringCredit: Blackmagic Design
The iPad Pro will also automatically detect color management. This means if you change your project from HDR to SDR, the metadata will travel and will ensure it shows correctly in the fully HDR-capable iPad Pro. And it works!
The iPad Pro is a surprisingly, almost shockingly good monitor for the price. And best of all, you aren't tying that $1000 up in something you only need for color grading. You can use that same iPad Pro for working on Previz throughout prep with Cine Designer, for previewing edits, making shot lists through production, and for giving your kid a cool drawing app.
The iPad Pro has surprising utilityCredit: Apple
Does this mean your $20,000 Flanders DM250 is now worthless? No, of course not.
For high-end workflows and true quality checks for footage delivering for festivals, theatrical, and broadcast, you'll want the most accurate monitoring you can buy. But those jobs have larger budgets.
For everyone else, is it now amazing to be able to grade directly on a color-accurate iPad Pro.
It is. It's massive. It's here in beta for now but likely be fully stable by the fall.
But what do you think? Would you want to utilize your iPad Pro this way? Let us know in the comments!
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