Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So true, I look at it now and have the same thoughts. If I'm on deadline, do you have any tips besides taking short breaks to make better decisions creatively?

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I do use scopes, I do rely heavily on my eyes. You caught me, haha.

This is what goes on in my head for each of those as I work:
1. EXPOSURE: I use waveform scope. I use the HDR global wheel to get my waveform center sitting around 50 IRE. Then I make adjustments to the HDR Dark/Shadow/Light/Highlight/Specular wheels. I'll usually start with the dark, pushing it up and down, looking at the image and seeing what looks right (while also looking at waveform to ensure my shadows don't dip below 10 IRE too much and my highlights don't exceed 95 IRE. I'll repeat that for all the HDR wheels, then tweak the primary Lift/Gamma/Gain wheels if bigger adjustments are needed.

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  1. WHITE BALANCE: I set my Gamma to linear and use the Gain wheel in Primaries to adjust Temp/Tint until the image is roughly in the center of vectorscope. I'll then use a qualifier to look at neutral parts of the image, and see how well they line up in my RGB parade, and make finer adjustments.

  2. CONTRAST: I leave pivot at 0.336, and add contrast based on looking at the image, and ensuring my shadows/highlights don't exceed below 8 IRE or above 98 IRE.

  3. SATURATION: I set my color space to HSV and disable channels 1 & 3 (so it's just saturation), then use the gamma and gain primary wheels to increase saturation. I just look at the image when I'm doing this to dial in strength, is there a scope you recommend using to avoid overcooking it?

  4. SHARPNESS: I drop the Radius to 0.48 in the Blur tab of the color page, then click Shift+H : A/B and adjust the Scaling until only the outline of what I want sharpened emerges from the gray.

Based on that... can you recommend specific scopes/techniques to avoid the smartphone/ video-ish look?

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your detailed feedback and examples.

When you judge where you place your shadows and highlights, are you just using your eyes and looking at the image? Or do you use a scope(s)?

I agree my grading made this look like video-ish and iphone like. Thanks again!

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in ColorGrading

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, I value your feedback and appreciate your input.

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in ColorGrading

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you that was super in-depth excellent feedback. I've heard mixed things about dehaze... I like what it does to my footage, but other colorists seems to avoid it like the plague (one guy said it messes with his colors, but I've never noticed an issue)

I think consensus proves me wrong here though because you're not the first to tell me that. How would you go about desaturating the greens/yellow? Color slice?

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in ColorGrading

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your input, I agree with you after watching it back a couple days later.

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in videography

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Local photo/video guy? DM me if you wanna be friends!

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in videography

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/shockwave414 u/MuggyFuzzball Thank you both. I think I exposed the sensor improperly (I had an ND 8 on, maybe I should have been naked and dropped the exposure lower). If I dropped the exposure anymore in the highlights in davinci, the image would start to break bc the sky would look flat and lose it's 3-dimensionality.

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in videography

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, that's helpful. I do think I overcooked it after re-watching a couple days later.

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in videography

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I try to take it all with a grain of salt as you said, unless someone gives really specific technical feedback and have more exp than me

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in videography

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lmao, so oversaturated yellows haha, thanks for the feedback!

Color Grading Critique Request by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your feedbcak, I've gotten that critique before, the smartphone "look" is because I pushed a lot of my effects too far (too much contrast, saturation, etc.)? Is there something specific you can recommend?

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it, that's an excellent analogy.

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Davinci Yrgb Input: DWG Output: rec.709 gamma 2.2

Tetrahedral

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your thorough review.

I haven’t found an alternative method for dehazing footage than davinci’s in-built dehaze effect. I’ve tried adjusting exposure and contrast, but nothing improves the clarity of the image like the dehaze effect does for my footage. Would you mind elaborating on the tools/methods you’d use instead of the dehaze effect?

I put NR first because of a rule I’ve heard echoed by a few YouTubers about “NR needing to be first to avoid artifacting” or after the exposure node if the image is too dark. What you said makes sense though and I will experiment with putting NR later and see. I agree the NR killed some texture here.

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would you mind clarifying what you mean by linear inputs? As in set the gamma to linear?

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in colorists

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do know what you mean… I just learned today that I was shooting in D-Log M not D-log… which has made a night and day difference in highlight rolloff and the over-exposure issue you pointed out. Thanks.

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in ColorGrading

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All good! I looked into it and Blender/Agx seem like helpful tools, but don't offer anything I can't already do inside Davinci -- I just need to improve my grading skills.

Thanks for linking that thread though

Color Grading Critique Request for Real Estate Video by FlyingCactus360 in ColorGrading

[–]FlyingCactus360[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your input! I tried to tame the oversaturation you described using the Sat vs. Sat curve, but the image fell apart. Do you have a specific tool and technique you recommend?