r/colorists

in Davinci Resolve color management tab, I set my timeline and output to DWG / DVI

So when I receive the footage (Slog3 / S.gamut3cine) I typically set up my nodes like this:

Denoise > CST IN (slog3 to dwg) > Whatever I need to balance the exp , wb , etc > CST OUT (dwg to rec709) > Maybe a rec709 LUT

I’m honestly been winging it this like this entire time. Am I going down the right path ?

I love OpenDRT. It's so in-depth and full of parameters that can radically transform images and create amazing looks. But I dislike the fact that you can either just completely use drop down lists to pick presets, without further control, or you can have the stick shift version, getting full control but no presets, not even as a starting point. I'm not sure if DCTL even has that feature, but I wish you could pick some parameters and then tweak them. And idk how to contact the devs to make that feature request. Neither of them seem to have a publicly available email address or social media accounts where you can address them for non-professional purposes

Hello everyone,

today I was testing out the Contrast Pop FX in Resolve 21 and I noticed that when used carefully, without exaggerating, it helps increasing the contrast in the mid details and this is something that, for the project I'm working on, I'm looking for.

I know that this FX is mainly developed to increase the contrast in areas where you need to use a tracker, and I know that in color grading "if it works, it works".

But I wanted to know from the community if it is a legit node that can be used in look development or if there are different and better ways to obtain the same result.

My curiosity has once again pushed on the wrong path.... or not? let me know!

S

Hey all! I recently upgraded from the micro panel to the mini panel, and I've been having issues with OFX like the CST and DCTLs not showing correctly on my GUI. This isn't the same issue people have been describing with DCTL sliders containing emojis and conflicts with the panel, I specifically use Non-Emoji DCTLs. Instead, the panel will properly display the DCTL sliders in the FX toggle, whereas the GUI will have them completely mislabeled and display the same sliders for all different instances of DCTLs already present in nodes. So for instance, Tetra sliders on a contrast DCTL.
The Color Space Transform also suffers from this, showing all dropdown options as default (use timeline), even when the transform is clearly otherwise and computed correctly.

This mismatch seems to happen some time after launching a project, maybe when switching between nodes with different DCTL/OFX instances and/or playing with the FX toggle on the panel. Restarting Resolve momentarily fixes things, until the issue arises shortly after.
I'm running Resolve 20 on MacOS (M3 Ultra) and have the panel connected via Ethernet.

Wondering if anyone has had similar issues and if there's a know fix. Thanks!

Hi all. I have a client who has been asking for a lot in post that has been hard to deliver. Now that we’re coloring he wants to brighten up and clean the look of one of the characters while leaving the rest of the scene dark and dingy.

I did a rough pass with a magic mask but it’s not looking great and I can’t push the character very far without her sticking out and looking green screened. It seems like a case where I need to tell the client that we can only realistically stretch the footage a little bit; but I’m also not a pro colorist.

Have any of you had a similar scene or ask before?

What 2383 (and previously other stocks) LUT/transform are you (or were you) grading under?

Are you using a stock software LUT? Do you make your own? Do the labs that do the prints have proprietary LUTs that account for their own printing processes and machinery?

Not relevant to anything I'm working on, just really curious.

I work on a multi-camera production that utilizes FSI CM250s as on-set field monitors. This choice of monitor is out of my hands, but I am responsible for maintaining them and ensuring they have a solid video feed.

I feed two live SDI signals into each CM250, and they are often viewed simultaneously, utilizing the PAP mode. This feed comes from a wireless receiver, and is passed through a DA.

Here is my issue: whenever we lose wireless video signal to one of the cameras, the entire monitor flickers and turns to a black screen. Changing inputs often elicits a similar issue. I typically have to toggle the inputs or PAP function button in order to restore the image.

Is there a way to stop this from happening? Would utilizing a ground isolator combat this issue? Are we misusing the CM250s?

Quanti di voi si sono cimentati nel color grading dei video fatti con Canon R50? È un peccato che Canon non abbia inserito il CLog per i video di questa macchina ma abbiamo solo HDR-PQ. Stendiamo davvero un velo pietoso, poteva fornire questa funzione con un aggiornamento firmware.

Vorrei capire se è possibile ottenere risultati di alta qualità e professionali facendo correzione colore registrando in hdr-pq, che impostazioni avete utilizzato ed il workflow di impostazione.

Ogni risposta è gradita 😉✨️

My first short got into a film festival, and I need some help regarding grading advice.

My film is shot in 144p old DV footage. I have 'graded' it in FCPX with the rec709 display on my Macbook Pro, in a dark room. I have not changed colours at all, and basically only touched brightness, contrast, gamma curves and saturation slightly. Just slightly enhancing out of the camera footage, and I'm happy with how it looks.

I'm aware this is definitely not ideal conditions, but my question is will the film look dramatically different to what it does now if I get this version of this film professionally made into a DCP?

I might be able to get it looked at professionally or try and do a test screening, but it would be tricky financially and time-wise.

Any reassurance, criticism, and advice greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I can't seem to find a definite answer to this, as my case is a bit particular. Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask.

When I started grading, learning a look was mostly just “f*ck around and find out.” You'd see a frame you loved and spend hours trying to figure out how the h*ll they got there. Now I can grab a frame I like, use AI to understand what I’m actually looking at, and then try to recreate it myself in resolve.

Obviously, you still need the fundamentals. AI cant replace actually understanding colour. But that gap between “I love this look” and “I know how to approach it” feels so much smaller now.

Hello,

do they offer Christmas, Easter, Black Friday, etc. deals? And if so, how have these deals been like?

Thanks!

I apologise in advance if this has been asked before.

I've been casually hobby-shooting video and photo for years now but I want to move on from the basic colour corrections and LUTS and presets.

Where would you recommend i start if i want to really learn about colour grading/editing/whatever?

Not just the editing tools of Davinci and Lightroom/photoshop etc, but the fundamentals and the understanding of it all?

Are there classes you'd recommend, or guides, or youtube playlists, or books?
I'm really open to anything, but I'd like to form a series of steps to take to learn more.

No problem if this isn't a very clear question or discussion and needs to be deleted.

Cheers!

Hi there! Question for those that can offer some insight...

I have an LG C5 42" hooked up to my Mac Studio via an Ultrastudio Monitor 3g.

The TV was calibrated professionally a few months ago but I was just thinking about this....I'm unsure if I should enable "4:4:4 pass through" on the HDMI port of the LG C5 and if I should also tick, "enable 4:4:4 SDI" in Resolves project settings as well as in Desktop Video Setup.

I believe the Ultrastudio allows 10 bit, 4:4:4 in HD up to 30fps but am unsure if ticking, "enable 4:4:4 SDI" also applies to the HDMI out.

Should I do all of those things or leave everything as 4:2:2? What does everyone here do that uses an LG C or G series? Do you find 4:2:2 is sufficient or 4:4:4 throughout is the much better, cleaner option?

Should HDMI Deep Color be enabled or disabled?

Thanks for any and all information and guidance!

I have been grading for a number of years in resolve  but never on a steady professional basis and especially never under  time demands. Although I bought a mini panel a few years ago I never bothered  with it . However  on a current project I decided it was time to start playing with it . I like it and its been easier to master than I expected. However it has also caused me to wonder about reevaluating  how I label my nodes and my node tree altogether.

While i’ve experimented with different node trees I never settled on any single one and often for small projects just  stay very simple, but I’d like to find a couple to stick with for clarity.  Here’s where the panel is changing my thinking.

Previous: So far on more complicated projects I created trees that use  separate labeled nodes for many of the basic  primary functions: CSTs, Lift , Gamma, gain, Highlights , HDR highlights, Contrast, Saturation , Temp, and different ones for  DCTLs which I like a lot . Its time consuming and cluttered but this way I felt I could go back to  something I wanted to revaluate quickly . Because i was using the mouse for each function separately it wasn’t too much of a pain to switch  nodes for each .

Panel: However playing with panel changed how i wanted to work .  Instead of apply the primary tools separately I can just fiddle with a lot of them  at once  and quickly get a basic grade without bouncing between 4-5 nodes.  So that’s made me want to simplify the tree a lot more . So far I just reduced a bunch of those to “Primary” and  left that for almost everything in the “good old  fashioned” Primary color wheels panel. 

Its also made me question some of the common advice to go out of the old Primary panel for stuff like  exposure and color sat because they aren’t “filmic”, linear and precise ( i.e.   ‘Offset  affects  black levels & Sat) . If I’m  quickly  adjusting  a bunch of  parameters all at once - who cares if they affect one another if its faster than jumping around among nodes?

Also I was starting to use some DCTLs that allow you to adjust a lot of those parameters in one DCTL- exposure, contrast shaping , saturation etc. Most of these do remain linear,  but they don’t always use  wheels and knobs that are at your fingertips  so even though they’re in one place the sliders are separate.  ( Some can show up in the panel screens with knobs but its still slower than the old primary panel.

All of which leads me to wonder what do you guys with panels find to be an effective  use of nodes and the primary panel?

Hey everyone I am currently conforming in resolve getting ready to help assist on a brand promo next week at a small facility for 3 days.

I wanted to ask some advice concerning handles as I am having a little imposter syndrome atm thinking I’ll mess something up on the day…

Been asking people within my network for advice/tips and it’s been super helpful so I thought to ask for more here 😊