The MoonBear Blog

the latest News & tutorials

Discover tutorials, gear reviews, industry insights, and creative inspiration tailored for filmmakers, editors, and storytellers. From mastering LUTs to building your editing toolkit, our blog is where creativity meets craft—helping you stay sharp, inspired, and ahead of the curve.
Album Art Archive: A Visual History of Music Design
Album Art Archive: A Visual History of Music Design
What Is Album Art Archive? AlbumArtArchive.com is a growing digital collection celebrating the most iconic and influential album covers of all time — spanning genres from hip-hop to ambient, punk... Read more...
What Is a Film Artifact?
What Is a Film Artifact?
What Are Film Artifacts? Film artifacts are the visible marks, defects, or textural details left behind on a film strip. They might show up as dirt, scratches, grain, or flashes... Read more...
Alternatives to Tropiccolour.com: The Best Filmmaking Asset Stores in 2025
Looking for alternatives to TropicColour? This in-depth TropicColour review explores why many filmmakers are switching to other platforms. From concerns about trust and false reviews to better pricing and fresher creative tools, we break down the best options—including Bryandelimata.com, AcidBite.com, HappyEditing.co, FreddPelle.tv, and MoonBear.shop. Whether you’re asking “Is TropicColour a scam?” or just want high-quality LUTs, textures, and titles, this guide shows you the most reliable and creative alternatives in 2025. Read more...
How to Add Film Halation in Final Cut Pro (Step-by-Step Guide)
How to Add Film Halation in Final Cut Pro (Step-by-Step Guide)
Film halation is the reddish glow that appears around bright highlights on film stock. You can recreate it digitally inside Final Cut Pro with MoonBear’s Film Halation Effect — a... Read more...
What Is the Anti-Halation Layer in Film?
What Is the Anti-Halation Layer in Film?
The anti-halation layer is a special coating in film that absorbs stray light to prevent glowing halos—known as halation—around highlights. While modern films use this layer to keep images sharp... Read more...
How to Get the Thermal Look with Thermography LUTs in Final Cut Pro
How to Get the Thermal Look with Thermography LUTs in Final Cut Pro
Thermography LUTs simulate the colors of thermal imaging — bright reds and yellows for heat, cool blues for shadows — without requiring special cameras. With MoonBear’s 25-style LUT pack, you... Read more...
Flat-Line Cuts
What are Flat-Line Cuts?Edits lacking energy or punch, resulting in a flat pacing. How to Spot Flat-Line CutsUniform cut lengths with no variation. Audience “dropping off” during playback—low engagement. Causes of Flat-Line Cuts Over-reliance on straight cuts without rhythm. Ignoring action/beats in the footage or soundtrack. Fixes for Flat-Line Cuts Vary clip durations: mix quick cuts (1–3 sec) with medium moments (5–8 sec). Cut on action or beat: align transitions to movement or audio markers. Use J- and L-cuts to maintain audio continuity and dynamic flow. Read more...
Stiff Stabilization
What Is Stiff StabilizationOver-stabilized footage that looks robotic or “numb.” How to Spot Stiff Stabilization Juttery edges where the frame-crop shifts abruptly. Subject movements feel disconnected from background motion. Causes of Stiff Stabilization Maximum stabilization settings (100% smooth). Applying stabilization on already-stable clips. Fixes for Stiff Stabilization Pull back stabilization strength to ~30–50%. Use hybrid modes (Optical Flow + Point-based) for smoother motion. Add a tiny, randomized handheld shake using plugin presets. Read more...
Dust & Scratch Overlays
What Is Dust & Scratch OverlaysVintage dust/scratch film overlays that can feel overbearing or misplaced. How to Spot Dust & Scratch Overlays Dense clusters of white streaks or specks in motion. Distracting when used on modern, clean scenes. Causes of Dust & Scratch Overlays Applying 4K dust packs at 100% opacity. No variation in overlay timing or scale. Fixes for Dust & Scratch Overlays Stagger multiple dust clips at different speeds and opacities. Crop or mask off overlays from faces or main subjects. Use lower-density overlays (<15% opacity) and randomize... Read more...
Greasy Lens Flares
Greasy Lens Flares
What Is Greasy Lens FlaresFlare overlays that look overly bright, oily, or smeared. How to Spot Greasy Lens Flares Large, saturated blobs that wash out contrast. Unnatural color casts over... Read more...
Banding & Gradient Loss
What Is Banding & Gradient LossStepped color transitions (banding) instead of smooth gradients. How to Spot Banding & Gradient Loss Visible stripes in skies or skin-tone backgrounds. “Stair-step” look when exporting compressed formats. Causes of Banding & Gradient Loss 8-bit projects with heavy grading. Exporting with low-bit codecs (H.264 at low bitrate). Fixes for Banding & Gradient Loss Work in 10- or 12-bit project spaces. Add a dither/noise overlay (~1–2% opacity) to break up bands. Export at higher bit-depth or bitrate. Read more...
Patchy Keying
Patchy Keying
What Patchy KeyingUneven chroma-key masks leaving holey or translucent patches. How to Spot Patchy Keying Flecked transparency in green-screen areas. Visible background bleed through hair/fine details. Causes of Patchy Keying... Read more...