The advent of High Definition television has become the bane of actors, politicians and celebrities everywhere. HD reveals in startling detail every pore, every wrinkle and every flaw. The old makeup used in Hollywood has been tossed in the trash bin because it looks caked on with a putty knife when seen in HD. Airbrushing is the makeup of choice for actors working in HD and most have adjusted, although those with bad skin and unskilled makeup artists still look terrible.
But it's not just celebrities that have to worry about looking ghastly in high definition color. Now ordinary people are getting caught by relatives who have splurged on HD video cameras. And the results have not been pretty. Brides have been horrified at how their wedding videos turned out. Birthday parties look like horror shows when viewed later.
So how do you avoid starring in your brother in law's next horror film (also known as a summer picnic)? There are several options. First off, you must change your makeup.
In terms of makeup, avoid the pancake approach, said Cathy Clark, a longtime San Diego TV anchorwoman and reporter.
"Less is more when it comes to makeup for HD," she said. "You need to use a very light hand, and preferably apply whatever foundation (you use) with a brush. The pros are using airbrushes, which is ideal. But in real life, a good makeup brush will do the trick."
A makeup line called Make Up For Ever even sells a $40, 1-ounce bottle of HD Invisible Cover Foundation, which is billed by its makers as creating "a soft-focus effect, designed to meet the coverage concerns of those in the spotlight. It creates a complexion that looks flawless, even in bright or harsh lighting."
Clark said most foundations used for HD shooting "are much lighter versions of the types of stage makeups we all used for a thousand years. Very heavy pancakes and stick makeups, and some of the mattes that are out there these days simply look like they've been applied with a putty knife when viewed through an HD lens."
She also advises women to "avoid bright eye shadows, blushes and lip colors. Go light on the eyeliner, too, especially for older women. Too much makeup and you'll look like you've already been embalmed."
Another trick with HD videos is to pay attention to the lighting. Midday sun will make everyone look terrible. Go for early morning or early evening light, which is softer. And avoid any kind of overhead lighting which will create shadows on everyone's faces.
If all else fails, you can pull out the manual for the HD camcorder and find out how to activate the "soft setting" that lets you shoot video that has a little less detail in the video. There are actually very few people that look beautiful in hi def. Flowers, landscapes, architecture, those all benefit from crisp detail. But if you don't want your entire family avoiding you at family gatherings, you might want to go easy on the Hi Def.
Pure Digital's Flip mini camcorders are red hot and people are still just finding out about them. Gadgetwise says they were told by a Best Buy rep that Flip's videocameras would be the breakout hit of 2009. Gadgetwise also notes a press release from Fixya that calls the new Flip MinoHD the hottest gadget of 2009.
THe Flip MinoHD, which appears destined to become Flip's most popular mini camcorder, has an MSRP of $229. It carries 60 minutes of recording time and has 4GB of internal memory. You can see the specs here. Like Flip's other camcorders it connects to your computer with USB. The gadget also makes it easy to publish videos to video sharing website likes YouTube and MySpace.
Time put the Flip MinoHD at #7 on its top ten gadget list. David Pogue at the New York Timesgives Flips' HD camcorder a good review. The Free Pressdubs the Flip MinoHD the gadget of the year. Kim Komando also likes it for the low price but notes the "optical zoom is a paltry 2X, and no there's image stabilization." More reviews can be found at ABC, Boston.com,
PC World and Walt Mossberg.
Another cool thing about the Flip MinoHD is that customers can customize the design on Flip's Store. Customers can choose from many images already available or they can upload their own image to go on their customized camcorder. There's even Hello Kitty versions of the hot camcorders already. The Flip MinoHD is also sold at many other retailers including here on Amazon.com where it is currently Amazon's bestselling camcorder.
Pure Digital looks like they are on track to sell many of its Flip MinoHD and its other Flip mini camcorders in 2009. This looks like an area that Apple has overlooked.
Pure Digital's Flip mini camcorders are red hot and people are still just finding out about them. Gadgetwise 
