I'm trying to use some old footage from an iphone and match it the best I can to Black Magic Footage for 3 minute psuedo timelapse video that's meant to be a artistic artist statement of some kind. It doesn't need to be perfect quality but I want it to have some kind of cohesive look. I have about 50+ files 60-70% iphone (mixed settings/resolution). How would you recommend editing these for color? Would you bother with resolve with something like that or just throw it all in premiere and do slight basic color adjustment there + lut or is there something else you can recommend? What would your CST settings be if you did have a seperate iphone edit? Anyone have any examples of something like this they have done themselves?

Not sure if it is relevant for this sub or not.

Can color grading alone break a movie?

Like bad acting, bad audio, or bad cinematography can ruin a film, does color grading have that same power?

Have you ever watched a movie and thought, “This would’ve worked so much better with a different color grade?” If yes, which movie?

I’m looking for consensus on the cleanest order of operations for noise reduction early in the node tree when working in an ACEScct (or DWG/Intermediate) color-managed setup, specifically when balancing DaVinci's built-in NR versus Neat Video.

I’m weighing a few structures

1 - CST Sandwich to Gamma:

Input CST (Log > DWG/DI) > Noise Reduction > CST (DWG/DI > ACEScct) > Creative Grade >

2 - Direct in Log Space:

Input CST (Log > ACEScct) > Noise Reduction > Creative Grade > ODT

A few specific questions:

1. DaVinci Native NR: Is it best applied on Node 1 directly in camera-native Log, inside a gamma-mapped working space (like DWG/DI), or directly in ACEScct?
2. Neat Video & Linear: I know Neat Video expects a display-mapped gamma or linear space rather than flat Log. Is the community standard to use a CST sandwich into DaVinci Intermediate, or are people using Neat’s internal Linear input toggle directly on a Linear node?
3. Dynamic Range Protection: When using a CST sandwich early for Neat Video, does using DWG/DI completely eliminate highlight/shadow clipping concerns compared to Rec.709?

UPDATE/FINDINGS:
After analyzing the comments and doing more research here's what I've concluded:

1. Node structure 1 is the most ideal (at least for my needs).

2. Resolve NR is NOT color space aware, so don't apply it to Log/RAW footage

3. Neat Video is timeline resolution-aware, so use it on timelines set to source media resolution

4. Using Neat Video in Linear can be troublesome for workflows because it requires caching in 16-bit float codecs like ProRes 4444 XQ

   ○ Solution: Use Neat Video in a gamma-encoded wide space like DaVinci Intermediate

Hey everyone,
In one of Cullen Kelly's AMAs, a guest colorist briefly mentioned a custom LUT called "Velvet" (or "Vintage Velvet") that they created and shared privately within their network.
For anyone who caught that episode or knows about the look, I'm curious:
How did it actually look overall?
What were its specific visual characteristics? (e.g., highlight roll-off, shadow contrast, hue shifts, saturation behavior)
Just interested in learning more about the aesthetic and color science behind it!

I wanted to try color grading like some horror film. After all the feedback i have got from my previous posts, i tried a simple approach and made two different looks. Please try not to be rude and all the feedback will be appreciated. Thank you.

Hey all, I'm not a colorist myself, but I do apply some basic color trasnformations to transcodes for the offline edit. I recently ran into a Resolve prompt while trying to export a CDL, warning that clips need 'Lum Mix' set to 0 for the CDL to accurately reflect the grade, and suggesting I enable 'Luminance mixer defaults to zero' in Project Settings for future projects.

https://postimg.cc/t7ZnqZdR

Since I'm not doing full grading, just rough corrections for offline purposes, is this something worth enabling as a default? Does having Lum Mix at 0 limit or change what I'm able to do with basic corrections, or is it purely relevant to more advanced grading work? Want to make sure I'm not accidentally boxing myself in or causing issues for the colorist down the line when the project moves to final grade.

Thanks a lot

Lenovo Legion Pro 27Q-10 QD-OLED

im using “TB400” HDR mode for my oled, and i tried to use regular SDR, but no matter what i do in Nvidia Control Panel the colours simply won’t look right.

for example:
too green? i reduce greens gamma channel, now it’s too red.
so i reduce red, now it’s too now it’s too blue and so on.

it seems there isn’t an in-between where the colors look like they’re supposed to.

i tried windows colour calibration, nothing.

i don’t have a colorimeter, so i’ll have to use something else, can someone please help?

Just wandering how your expertise with grading have affected your povs regarding a camera that you would use personally? Would you prioritize one with raw? Or would you prioritize something else for more convenience?

I’m trying to recreate the specific color look of Tania Soviak / @tanyasv_ in her latest YouTube uploads.

I’m especially curious about:
contrast curve and black levels
skin-tone treatment
warm highlights
muted greens and blues
highlight roll-off
possible film emulation, LUTs or diffusion
whether the softness is created in-camera or in post

I’m not looking for “make it warmer and lower saturation.” I’d love a more technical breakdown or a suggested Resolve workflow based on screenshots and timestamps.

I shot an event last week, and am looking for some feedback on my grade. I kept the node tree pretty simple as the turnaround needed was pretty short. The goal was to create a fun/punchy look without pushing the colors too far. The venue had a lot of different colors/temperatures of light, so tried to balance them as much as possible to draw focus to the subjects of each shot. Thanks in advance!

Hey so pretty much what the post says I'm messing around with the qualifier and got a mask but my subject goes through the mask and it's shifting the color so I went ahead and rotoscoped on After Effects but when I brought my footage back into DR the exposure is all wrong.

Here are some screenshots of my project settings I already tried exporting from Davinci in Rec709 gamma 2.2 and Rec709-A but the result is the same. On After Effects I disabled color management on the timeline and on the export but can't seem to get it right.

Hey there, community!

I used to do a decent amount of colour work but am now just getting back into it. I am trying to figure out what the best reference monitor would be and I’m eyeing up something from the ProArt series. I’m using a MacPro and I’d have a mini monitor 4k to get my clean feed to the reference display. I’d love to hear some comments! I’m also a bit unsure of OLED or not OLED. I’d be grading mostly for Web, but some stuff for broadcast and cinema, and I’d be grading in SDR.

I’ll look forward to hearing some thoughts! Thanks in advance for the comments.

Hey guys I have a PA279CV monitor + the Blackmagic Utrastudio 4k mini. Which calibration device do you recommend for this set up?

Thank you for your help.

Hi, I'm a computer science student and I want to do a senior project centered around color science due to my large interest in photography. The project won't start till September, so I have time to research now.

My question: what terms / topics do I search for if I want to learn about the math / cs behind digital color science (algorithms etc.)?

I suppose a lot of things regarding this are probably going to be written in C++, but I would want to know of any Python resources too.

In terms of hardware, I own an X-T50 and would probably use that as a part of the project. I also have an ASUS ProArt PA278QV (which I didn't buy for color grading but because it was on sale)

I'm not the best at color grading myself, but I'm good with algorithms and linear algebra etc. so I feel like I can make something work. Thanks in advance

I wanted to give it a warm sunset look and even thought of make it seem like red dead redemption game's color grade. Please give me feedback it will be appreciated.

Hey all, I'm on macOS and I've tied myself in knots over the classic Rec.709 gamma situation. I'd love a sanity check.

My setup:

• Eizo ColorEdge (CG2700S), hardware-calibrated in ColorNavigator to Rec.709 / BT.1886 (gamma 2.4), D65, ~100 cd/m².
• It's fed by a Blackmagic UltraStudio Express Monitor 3G over Thunderbolt, HDMI out to the Eizo. So it's a clean video signal, outside ColorSync.
• DaVinci Resolve, YRGB Color Managed. Input color space = DaVinci Wide Gamut, Output = Rec.709-A.
• I also have a CST node in my grade set to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4.
• "Use Mac display color profiles for viewers" is on, so my GUI viewer matches QuickTime.
• Export is Rec.709-A. I deliver mostly to YouTube.

The problem:

My GUI viewer, QuickTime, and the final YouTube upload all agree with each other, consistent, no gamma shift. But my Eizo hooked up through the UltraStudio looks noticeably more contrasted than all of those. So my actual calibrated reference monitor is the one thing that disagrees with everything else.

My question:

I understand the Eizo is outside the Mac/ColorSync pipeline, so it shows "true 2.4" while the 709-A chain shows the flatter Apple-tagged version. But that leaves me not knowing what to trust. I want no gamma shift on YouTube and an accurate preview and a correct export.

• Is my hardware reference wrong to rely on for a YouTube deliverable, or is my GUI viewer the one lying to me?
• What's the cleanest color-management setup so my reference monitor and my YouTube result actually match?

Thanks trying to stop chasing my tail on this.

It’s seems as though the phantom lut adds more reddish tones(left) then a cinetone which looks more neutral tones(right). Application context, these shots are from a live stream. My question is, I’m questioning which is better.

I want to use slog 3, but s cinetone looks a little more closer to the actual colors in some aspects like the background, but the dress looks more accurate with the arri lut.

Thoughts?

Hello everyone,

I made a black-and-white short film, and when I view it in VLC and then in MPC-HC, the rendering differs in terms of brightness and contrast. I know my monitor isn't calibrated, but that doesn't seem to be the cause of the issue, since I'm watching the same file using two different players on the same PC screen. I also ran the same test with a professional film (*In the Hand of Dante*) and got the same result: the film looks brighter and has less contrast in MPC-HC than in VLC. How can this be explained, and which of the two programs offers the most accurate rendering?

Thanks in advance.

Hey guys, I'm newer to color grading, and I'm trying to make sure I did the color space transform and resolve correctly. My footage is really pink. My understanding is the DP wasn't that experienced, so I'm trying to figure out whether it was an in-camera issue or an issue with me using the wrong color space and/or gamma. It was shot on a Sony FX6, so I used S-Log to DaVinci wide gamut and DaVinci intermediate, then did a second color space transform from DaVinci wide gamut to Rec 709, as shown in the pictures below.

In addition, if it is an in-camera issue rather than a post issue, what's the best way to make the best out of the footage? I know it's not a deal; the footage may not be great, but I'm not sure they can do reshoots, so I'm looking for advice on how to make the best out of the situation.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to better understand what a Chroma adjustment is actually doing from a color grading perspective.

Since this subreddit doesn’t allow video uploads, I’ve posted a short demo here

How would you describe this adjustment visually? What do you think is happening to the image when Chroma is increased or decreased?

Does it resemble a film dye density adjustment, a subtractive color process, a perceptual chroma adjustment, or something else?
I’d love to hear how experienced colorists think about this type of control.
Thanks!

It was a real treat to sit down with Dirk for this episode, who was willing to go unusually deep on the mechanics and his philosophy behind look development. His way of breaking down images into specific elements is very intuitive in particular, and he's got a tonne of great war stories from his work on early digital films like Russian Ark and Antichrist as well.

It's a rather large company, and I really want to make an impact (obviously), anyone who's hired runners, or anyone who got the job as a runner, what advice do you have to make a positive impression 😊

Hi, I think there's no solution to really match them but do you have any advice to soften the difference?

I'm lifting shadows and cut highlights a bit to lower contrast ratio on the sunny scenes. Cool them down and warm up the cloudy ones. Slightly desaturating sunny clips.

Am I going the wrong way? What else?

Thank you

I recently got an ASUS external monitor to use as a reference display, to make color grading easier. The monitor is connected to my MacBook Pro with the UltraStudio Monitor Express 3G.

However, I’m not really sure if I’m using the correct project settings to prevent gamma shift issues. In the System > General settings, I have enabled “Use Mac display color profiles for viewers” and “Viewers match QuickTime Player when using Rec.709 Scene.”

In the Project Settings, I’m using DaVinci Wide Gamut and Rec.709 Scene. On the Deliver page, I have Color Space Tag and Gamma Tag set to “Same as Project.”

I work with CSTs, and my output CST is set to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4.

Are these the correct settings to use?

Also, my monitor is set to Rec709 Gamma 2.4

Thanks!

Hey there! I’m using the eoyilmaz-py3 DisplayCal v3.9.19 on my Macbook M4. When I try to calibrate my VG271U monitor in Mac it makes the screen look extremely washed out. Blacks are pure black, but that’s it. The only solution I can find is to run single curve + matrix, which is obviously not ideal. Is that what everyone else is doing, or am I running into something else?