In addition to disabling motion smoothing, Filmmaker mode disables or limits sharpening, which can increase fine details and edges around objects to the point where they look less natural, and disables noise reduction, which can make the softer images. It disables other dynamic picture “enhancements” that the TV might also apply to the picture. Again, these are all added processing effects that degrade the image quality.

In our TV Labs we now begin our testing using Filmmaker mode, where available, and then make further adjustments as necessary.

“We found that Filmmaker mode closely matched our optimized settings after making several adjustments, such as turning off unwanted processing, selecting the right color temperature, and fine-tuning the color settings,” says Matt Ferretti, who oversees CR’s TV tests. . “Putting the TV in Cinematographer mode lets you get the right picture quality, although you may still want to make some adjustments.”

However, this preset assumes you will be watching your TV in a darker room. So you may want to increase the brightness level a bit if you’re viewing in a brighter room. The organizations behind Filmmaker Mode are currently working on recommendations for appropriate ambient lighting adjustments when a TV is used in brighter viewing environments.

If you want to try Filmmaker Mode, some TVs from LG and others can automatically switch to this feature when the device detects a flag in the content metadata. Typically, you will be asked if you want the TV to activate the preset when compatible content is detected. On other TVs, you can enable Cinematographer mode manually in the picture settings menu.

If you decide you don’t want Filmmaker mode, you can easily turn it off in the same menu.