Monster Guide: HDR10 in Resolve Studio 17 (Part IV)

Part I: Project settings Part II: Color correction Part III: HDR Palette, project render settings Part IV: HDR to SDR Conversion LUT for YouTube Part V: RAW Part VI: The Grade Part VII: Addendum Part VIII: The State of HDR Film Emulation LUTs & Plugins Part IX: Why HDR Production Monitors Matter YouTube’s own HDR to SDR conversion is seldom satisfactory, which… Read More

Ditching the Video Look

Stuff we’re doing differently now from the past: during shooting, avoiding yellow in false color entirely except for specular highlights (aside from the infrequent occasions when we want to purposely blow out highlights); in post, being meticulous about adjusting white balance prior to color correction, even if it’s just a few degrees; adjusting yellow, blue,… Read More

Monster Guide: HDR10 in Resolve Studio 17 (Part VI)

Part I: Project settings Part II: Color correction Part III: HDR Palette, project render settings Part IV: HDR to SDR Conversion LUT for YouTube Part V: RAW Part VI: The Grade Part VII: Addendum Part VIII: The State of HDR Film Emulation LUTs & Plugins Part IX: Why HDR Production Monitors Matter Stuff we’re doing differently now from in the past: During shooting,… Read More

Grading Tools: Final Cut Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve

In his video Color Grading vs. Color Correction, Cullen Kelly’s articulation of the difference between Log and gamma sounds uncannily similar to our experience grading HDR footage in Final Cut Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve. “Images can be encoded in a Log or a gamma state. Gamma encoding was devised for preparing an image for viewing… Read More

DaVinci Resolve Studio 17 HDR Grading Breakdown

  • Node tree
  • Excessive saturation in the shadows can be unflattering to the talent and clothing and objects in the surroundings can be distracting if left untreated. Reducing saturation is often the preferred method for eliminating unwanted color artifacts in the shadows resulting from extreme color corrections. However, you don’t want to desaturate colors all the way to zero, as the finished look can appear unnatural.
  • Color correction is accomplished using the vectorscope and Hue vs. Hue curves. Although colors like cyan will be undersaturated, increasing saturation can aggravate noise and artifacts and is best left alone.
  • The Color Warper simplifies creating stylized looks by changing aspects of selected areas of the image. The Color Warper makes it easy to simultaneously modify two different color attributes, either saturation and hue, or lightness and hue. This gives the Color Warper a distinct advantage over traditional curves, which only let you adjust one color characteristic at a time. Adjustments are smooth and artifact-free.
  • Found in the ResolveFX texture category, Film Damage is used to recreate the look of poorly maintained vintage archival footage but the temperature and tint controls can also be successfully used to add warmth similar to that of film projector bulbs; vignetting helps to focus attention on the subject; and blur takes off the digital edge while flattering the talent. We disable scratches and dirt specks.
  • Log mode is the home of the RGB Offset/Printer Points color balance and master controls that adjust the overall signal in a linear, film-oriented way. When you drag one of the Offset sliders up or down, you raise or lower that color channel in its entirety. This can be useful for adjusting color channels that are particularly problematic, but it’s also the way you impose the kinds of traditional linear color adjustments that color timers of film have employed for decades. In fact, many colorists consider the simplicity of these controls a virtue, and embrace the slight shadow or highlight contamination that can result from color balancing in this linear way as a creative hallmark of traditional cinema color adjustment. We use Offset to stylize the look of our footage.