How To Color Grade // Fast, Easy & Cinematic

Summary

This video script offers a streamlined guide to color grading in Final Cut Pro, emphasizing speed and quality. It introduces a new LUT pack designed for Sony cameras, promoting efficient log footage conversion and creative grading. The tutorial covers the basics of color grading, including log shooting benefits, LUT application, and color correction techniques. Tips on using scopes for accurate color matching and a mention of a future video on skin tones round out the informative and practical overview.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The importance of color grading in video production for achieving high-quality visuals quickly and efficiently.
• 📹 The speaker uses Final Cut Pro for their color grading workflow and is considering switching to Premiere.
• 🆕 Introduction of a new LUT pack called 'Cine Sony LUT Pack' designed for Sony cameras, offering five looks and ten conversion LUTs for S-Log 2 and S-Log 3.
• 💡 The speaker's favorite LUTs are the 'Teal and Orange Filmic' and 'Moody Warm', highlighting personal preference in color grading.
• 🔍 The workflow for color grading involves three steps: converting log footage to Rec 709 or BT 2020, color correcting or matching clips, and adding a creative look or grade.
• 🚀 Tips on speeding up the color grading process by using LUTs, which can drastically reduce the time spent on grading.
• 📈 The benefits of shooting in log, including more data capture, forgiveness in exposure, and greater flexibility in post-production.
• 🖥️ The impact of using a high-quality display for accurate color grading, with a mention of LG's 32-inch 4K OLED display for professionals.
• 🛠️ Techniques for color correction, such as adjusting the entire section of the video at once using an adjustment layer, to save time.
• 📊 The use of scopes like waveform and vector scope for accurate color grading, emphasizing their reliability over human eyes.
• ⚙️ Additional tips on color grading, such as desaturating shadows for a more natural look and the subtle yet significant impact of minor adjustments.

Q & A

What is color grading and why is it important for video quality?

Color grading is the process of adjusting and enhancing the color of a video to achieve a desired look and feel. It's important for video quality because it allows for the correction of color imbalances, the addition of creative styles, and the optimization of contrast and saturation, resulting in a more professional and visually appealing final product.

Why should one use a log profile when shooting videos?

A log profile should be used when shooting videos to capture the most data from the camera. It provides more flexibility in post-production by offering a greater dynamic range and forgiveness in exposure, which means minor overexposures or underexposures won't be as noticeable as they would be with a non-log profile.

What is the significance of using LUTs in color grading?

LUTs, or Look-Up Tables, are used in color grading to apply a specific color style or correction quickly. They streamline the process by providing a base to work from, allowing for faster adjustments and a consistent look across the footage.

What are the three steps involved in color grading according to the script?

The three steps involved in color grading are: 1) Converting log footage to a natural contrast and saturation using a conversion LUT, 2) Color correcting or matching the clips to ensure consistency, and 3) Adding a creative look or grade using a creative LUT.

Why is it recommended to apply the conversion LUT before the creative LUT in color grading?

Applying the conversion LUT before the creative LUT ensures that the base color correction is applied first, which corrects the contrast and saturation of the log footage. The creative LUT is then applied on top to add the desired style or look, without affecting the initial color correction.

What is the purpose of using scopes in color grading?

Scopes are used in color grading to provide an accurate representation of the image's exposure values and color distribution. They help in making precise adjustments to exposure, contrast, and color balance, ensuring that the final video looks consistent and professional.

What is the role of the waveform scope in color grading?

The waveform scope shows the exposure values of an image, from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. It helps in determining whether the image is overexposed or underexposed and assists in adjusting the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights for a balanced exposure.

What is the vector scope used for in color grading?

The vector scope is used to analyze the color distribution in an image. It helps in identifying if the colors are accurately represented and if the skin tones are following the correct color trajectory, ensuring natural and accurate colors in the final video.

Why is it advised to desaturate the shadows in color grading?

Desaturating the shadows is advised because naturally, when an object is in deep shadow, it tends to lose color and appears black. By desaturating the shadows, the color grade becomes more realistic and avoids unnatural color casts in the darker parts of the image.

What is the significance of using an adjustment layer in color grading?

Using an adjustment layer in color grading allows for global changes to be made across all clips in a video. This is efficient for making uniform adjustments, such as color correction or adding a look, without having to apply settings individually to each clip.

How can one make the color grading process faster and more efficient?

One can make the color grading process faster and more efficient by using LUTs, creating presets for common adjustments, and relying on scopes for accurate color and exposure adjustments. Additionally, understanding the workflow and practicing color grading techniques can significantly speed up the process.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Color Grading Workflow in Final Cut Pro

This paragraph introduces a video tutorial focused on color grading in Final Cut Pro. The speaker discusses the importance of color grading for high-quality video production and shares their streamlined workflow that takes only 5 to 10 minutes per video. They mention the release of a new LUT pack designed for Sony cameras, specifically for S-Log 2 and S-Log 3, and express their preference for certain looks within the pack. The paragraph emphasizes the ease and speed of using LUTs for color grading, especially for those shooting in log profiles, and touches on the benefits of shooting in log for better post-production flexibility.

05:03

📹 Utilizing LUTs for Efficient Color Grading

The speaker explains the process of using LUTs (Look-Up Tables) to convert log footage to a natural contrast and saturation, such as Rec 709 or BT 2020, which are standard for normal video color profiles. They detail the steps of adding a conversion LUT and then a creative LUT to an adjustment layer in the editing process. The paragraph highlights the importance of applying the conversion LUT first, followed by the creative LUT, and discusses the benefits of shooting in log for dynamic range and error tolerance during filming. The speaker also underscores the value of a high-quality display for accurate color grading.

10:05

🖌️ Creative and Technical Aspects of Color Grading

This paragraph delves into the creative and technical aspects of color grading, including the application of look or grade LUTs and the process of color correction or color matching. The speaker emphasizes the subjectivity of choosing a LUT style and the importance of the order in which LUTs are applied. They also discuss the use of scopes for accurate color grading, explaining how to use the waveform and vector scopes to ensure proper exposure and color saturation. The paragraph concludes with tips on desaturating shadows for a more natural look and the importance of using scopes over relying on the eyes for color accuracy.

15:07

🚀 Streamlining the Color Grading Process with Presets

The final paragraph focuses on streamlining the color grading process by using presets for LUTs and other adjustments. The speaker shares their method of creating presets to quickly apply their preferred color grading settings with a simple drag-and-drop action. They also mention the possibility of using different plugins and LUTs to find the best fit for individual needs. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to not be intimidated by log footage and to not neglect color grading, as it can significantly enhance the quality of the footage with minimal effort.

Keywords

💡Color Grading

Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture, video, or still image. It is a key part of post-production and is used to set the mood and style of a film. In the video, the speaker discusses their optimized workflow for color grading, emphasizing the importance of speed and quality, and mentions using Final Cut Pro for this task.

💡Log Profile

A log profile in video filming is a setting that captures footage with a flatter image, preserving more detail in the highlights and shadows. This allows for greater flexibility in post-production. The script mentions that the speaker shoots in log and prefers S-Log 3, explaining that it provides more data and is more forgiving during filming.

💡LUTs (Look-Up Tables)

LUTs are used in video editing to apply a particular color grade or look to footage quickly. The video script introduces a new LUT pack made specifically for Sony cameras, which includes five looks and ten conversion LUTs for working with S-Log 2 or S-Log 3. The speaker uses these LUTs to speed up their color grading process.

💡Rec 709 / BT 2020

Rec 709 and BT 2020 are color standards that define the way colors are displayed on screens. Rec 709 is the standard for HDTV, while BT 2020 is a newer standard with a wider color gamut. The script refers to these when discussing the conversion of log footage to a natural contrast and saturation level.

💡S-Log 2 / S-Log 3

S-Log 2 and S-Log 3 are Sony's proprietary log picture profiles for their cameras, which allow for greater dynamic range and color detail in video footage. The speaker mentions using S-Log 3 and provides specific LUTs for converting footage shot in these profiles.

💡Dynamic Range

Dynamic range in video refers to the ratio between the brightest and darkest elements that can be captured in an image. A higher dynamic range means more detail in both highlights and shadows. The script explains that shooting in log profile provides more dynamic range, which contributes to a better quality image.

💡Adjustment Layer

In video editing, an adjustment layer is a layer that affects all layers below it, allowing for global changes to color, contrast, and other properties. The script describes using an adjustment layer to apply LUTs and make color corrections across all footage in the project.

💡Waveform and Vector Scope

Waveform and vector scopes are tools used in color grading to analyze and adjust the exposure and color of footage. The waveform shows the luminance levels, while the vector scope shows the color distribution. The script mentions using these scopes to ensure accurate color correction and exposure.

💡Skin Tones

Achieving accurate skin tones is often a critical aspect of color grading. The script discusses the importance of skin tones following the 'flesh line' on the vector scope and provides a tip on using a mask to correct any deviations for natural-looking skin colors.

💡Desaturating Shadows

Desaturating shadows refers to reducing the color saturation in the darker parts of an image, which is often desirable as very dark areas should appear neutral without color tints. The script describes this as a subtle but important step in the color grading process to achieve a more natural look.

💡Film Convert

Film Convert is a plugin used in video editing for adding film grain to footage, which can give it a more cinematic look. The script mentions using Film Convert to add grain, adjusting its application to specific exposures for a nuanced effect.

Highlights

The speaker discusses the importance of color grading in video production for achieving high-quality visuals.

They mention their optimized color grading workflow that takes only 5-10 minutes, emphasizing speed without compromising quality.

Introduction of a new LUT pack specifically designed for Sony cameras, offering five looks and ten conversion LUTs for S-Log 2 and S-Log 3.

Personal preference for the 'teal and orange filmic' and 'moody warm' looks from the new LUT pack.

A simple, fast, and easy color grading process for 2022 is outlined, focusing on shooting in log for better data capture.

Explanation of why log profiles are beneficial, offering more flexibility and forgiveness in post-production.

The three-step process of color grading: converting log footage, color correcting, and adding a look or grade.

A quick method to convert log footage to Rec 709 or BT 2020 using a conversion LUT for efficiency.

The significance of using a high-quality display for accurate color grading and the mention of LG's 4K OLED display.

How to add a creative look or grade LUT after the conversion LUT for a personalized video style.

The importance of applying the conversion LUT first, followed by the look LUT for correct color grading order.

Tips for color correcting footage, including using adjustment layers for efficiency and consistency.

Using scopes like the waveform and vector scope for accurate color grading instead of relying on eyes alone.

Techniques for achieving perfect skin tones by adjusting them to follow the flesh line on the vector scope.

The option to further refine the color grade with power windows for localized adjustments.

Adding film grain for a cinematic look using plugins like Film Convert, enhancing the final video quality.

Creating presets for a rapid color grading process, allowing for quick adjustments and consistency across videos.

Encouragement to not be intimidated by log footage and to prioritize color grading for enhancing video quality.

Transcripts

[Music]

what are you guys doing

playing games oh kookaburra what's wrong

are you okay

should we teach you about color grading

today do you know anything about color

grading um

no

[Music]

i think everybody misses you a lot

there's gotta go high five

[Applause]

[Music]

so

[Music]

ah

[Music]

[Applause]

note to self don't be lazy and scared of

the cold i thought you know it's cold

outside i'll just fly through the window

don't do that

the drone is fine though

good job buddy

i think we can all agree that we want

high quality colors in our videos done

fast we don't want to be spending hours

on color grading and you know how long

it takes me to color grade my videos

like 5 10 minutes at most my color

grading workflow over time has really

been optimized for speed while still

keeping a pretty professional high

quality look i figured out ways to do it

super fast and efficiently and that's

what i'm going to show you today i'm

going to be doing it in final cut pro

because that's what i've been using

lately although i have been thinking

about switching to premiere

is that a mistake oh and we just

launched a new lup pack made

specifically for sony cameras the cine

sony lup pack we made five looks and 10

conversion luts so you can work with s

log 2 or s log 3 really fast these are

the luts that i use exclusively and now

you have access to them too i absolutely

love the teal and orange filmic that's

what i've been using for like the last

few months but i also very very much

like the moody warm those are my

favorites but all five looks are really

great anyways this is how i color grade

in 2022

spoiler it's simple fast and pretty easy

now i'm gonna assume that all of us are

shooting in log because you really

should be using a log profile to get the

most out of your camera and it's not as

scary as you think it saves so much more

data while you're filming so that you

have more room in post to take it this

way or that way and it's more forgiving

while you're filming so if you

overexposed or underexposed a little bit

it's not gonna matter as much as if

you're not using a log profile you're

not gonna have as much information in

the highlights or the shadows and you're

just not going to get as much out of

your camera there's this idea that it's

so much harder working with log footage

in my opinion it's the exact opposite it

just gives you way more options and it

allows for some errors to be made while

you're filming i'll show you how to work

with log it's very simple i prefer s-log

3 right now and i made a whole video

about my sony camera settings if you're

interested color grading consists of

three steps first you're gonna convert

your log footage to a natural contrast

and saturation rec 709 or bt 2020 those

are just fancy versions for saying

normal amount of contrast and saturation

number two you're gonna color correct or

color match your clips and then number

three you're gonna add your look or

grade now for me i actually like to do

the color correcting last and at the end

of this i'm gonna show you a way to do

all three of these

even faster like lightning fast all

right number one what i do here is i've

finished my edit i'm gonna add an

adjustment layer over all of my footage

and i'm gonna add to it two custom luts

the first slot i'm gonna add is just the

conversion lut that's going to bring my

log footage to a good amount of contrast

and saturation in my case it's the s-log

3 madi special bam done

if you've been scared of log that's

basically it that's

that's it now you could add contrast and

saturation and tweak it yourself but

this is just so much faster and there's

other conversion luts for free that you

can find some of them are okay but

actually we made 10 different conversion

luts depending on which uh gamma profile

you're using s-log 2 or s-log 3 and then

for a few different color profiles for

example if you're using s-log 2 as

cinetone bam you just add that

conversion light you're ready to go it's

literally

that easy or if you're using my the the

maddie special it's s log 3 with s

cinetone add 15 saturation and sharpness

out minus one

you just add the conversion lot boom

done and there's even a dark version to

just give you a little bit more options

again speed is the key here step one

literally took two seconds don't spend

hours doing this each time just use a

lot and again

you might be asking why am i doing this

why am i not just filming with contrast

again two reasons if you make a mistake

exposing you can't get that detail in

the highlights or shadows back you're

screwed and then two you're getting more

dynamic range out of your camera which

is just like it's a key thing for a high

quality image to make it look good you

need more dynamic range so even though

you're adding that contrast and

saturation you could decide how much and

how much of the highlights you're

keeping and all of that oh and it really

helps to have a high quality bigger

display to see exactly what you're doing

while you're color grading this isn't

sponsored but lg sent me this 32 inch 4k

oled display for design and video

professionals it's really nice to color

grade with they also sent me this

ridiculously

big monitor

which uh

look at all the screen real estate like

look at that timeline it's not i could

be doing so much at once tyler's been

absolutely loving this thing having a

good display is huge because you could

color grade absolutely perfectly but if

your display is not good and doesn't

show colors accurately when other people

see that footage they're going to be

like

what were you doing with your color

grade and it's something that we can't

fully avoid even if you use the best

monitors it's still somebody's going to

be watching it on some other weird

random color profile and all of a sudden

your skin tones are so saturated it's

just something that you have to deal

with but it does help to have a great

display so that you are

starting from a good place step two is

to add your look or grade lut and this

is completely creative and subjective to

your style there are some like color

sciency things that make certain color

grades look better but this is 100

percent creative subjective and we made

five different looks in the cine sony

lip pack there's cold vibes which has

this nice cool tones look then there's

warm moody which i really like and i try

to name these so they're kind of obvious

what they do and not just some like

random name that you're like wait what

was that again you have to like try it

out you know that warm moody is gonna be

warm and moody soft filmic has kind of

this california warm teal and orange

glowy look to it really cool neutral

film mick this one is pretty light and

gives a nice cinematic look but it's not

heavy-handed at all and finally my

favorite is the teal and orange filmic

this is what i've been using for months

now jake really killed it on these we

were working back and forth with them

and you could use these luts on any

camera but the conversions are for

specifically sony cameras working in

s-log 2 and s-log 3. key thing here is

make sure that the conversion lut is

being applied first and then your look

after that that's very very important

you don't want to be

converting the lut look on final cut

that means you want to have the

conversion at the top and then the look

under that if you're using premiere you

can actually put the conversion lut in

the basic settings and then the creative

you can use whatever look light you want

and the best part about this workflow is

that you can dial in the look lut you

can turn it down or turn it up as you

like without changing the contrast and

saturation whereas if everything was on

one light you would dial it in dial down

a little bit and it would change the

contrast and saturation then you'd have

to go back and add contrast and

saturation and all that stuff this is

way better way faster and look at the

difference

all i did was add two let's took me two

seconds and look at the difference it

looks great already and i'm gonna show

you how to do this even faster at the

end step three is to color correct or

color match your footage and this is the

hardest part it's the part that takes

the most practice and now a lot of times

i do just add the two luts and i'm like

that looks good that looks great i just

go with that but if you want to go the

extra 10 20 then you're gonna need to

color correct especially if your

shooting wasn't that good and the way i

usually do this is if a bunch of clips

all have the same issue then i'm gonna

do that color correction straight on the

adjustment layer i might cut the

adjustment layer for the different

scenarios in my video but this means i

don't have to go through each clip and

add a color correction to that one and

that one that one i can just do it all

at once for that section for example if

i wanted this to look a little bit

warmer quick adjustment done on the

whole thing or you can see this section

is a little bit too blue and dark and

desaturated we can just make those

adjustments really quickly to the

adjustment layer boom done ready to go

and again it's very important that this

adjustment comes before your look and

your conversion lut it would be right at

the top first thing you want to affect

your footage and if you want just a

little bit more quality even though i

love the teal and orange look it's just

not natural to have blue in the deep

dark black areas of your image naturally

when we see things and something is like

really dark black there's no color to it

and so you shouldn't have this blue tint

over all of the really dark areas on

your video but it's actually really easy

to solve this you just need to

desaturate your shadows and maybe even

your highlights just take your hue

saturation curve go to the luma versus

saturation and this is your saturation

from the shadows to the highlights you

can bring up or down the saturation of a

specific exposure on your clip so we can

just go to the shadows and bring that

down

and there we go we've desaturated the

darkest parts of our image it's very

subtle

but it's these little changes that make

a really big difference in the end just

make sure you're not desaturating your

mid tones and make sure this is being

added last you don't want to be

introducing colors after this so this

should be the last thing on your list of

corrections and then go through each of

those sections and make sure the clips

match each other in both exposure

contrast and in colors and saturation

pro tip here is to use scopes our eyes

constantly lie to us they get used to

colors and maybe there's you know a blue

light shining and so your eyes will

actually adjust to all of those things

but scopes never lie they always tell

the truth and that's why you really need

to get used to relying on these scopes i

love the waveform and the vector scope

the waveform just shows your exposure

values from zero ire which is the

darkest on the bottom to a hundred ire

which is the brightest on the top and so

you can see really quickly whether

you're overexposed or underexposed

basically you would want your shadows to

be touching that zero ire and your

highlights if you have something really

bright like the sun that should be

touching the 100 ire there is some

nuance to that but that's kind of the

basics if the contrastor exposure looks

different on one clip just open up your

waveform and check out are your are your

shadows raised or are your highlights

too crushed and then fix it and notice

as you adjust the shadows you're also

adjusting the mid tones and maybe even

the highlights a little bit and same

thing if you're adjusting the highlights

it's going to affect different parts of

your image so you kind of have to go

back and forth and finesse them you

can't just do one adjustment and then

you're done and for colors we want to

use the vector scope and this is really

just showing you where your colors are

shifting to they should be around that

center dot and then the further out they

go the more saturated your image is the

key thing we're looking at here is the

skin tones and there's actually this

little flesh line and so all skin tones

no matter what your complexion should

follow this flesh line if they're not

then your skin tones are going to be

looking too green or too magenta and

protip here is if you're like i don't

know what's going on here just take a

mask mask around your skin tones and now

you know exactly where your skin tones

lie and then you can just make the

adjustments so that the skin tones are

on that flesh line that's how you get

perfect skin tones every time i'm gonna

make a whole video on how to deal with

skin tones because that's probably the

hardest thing about color correcting and

color grading in general

we could go on forever about this but

that's basically all i do now you could

go further with your color grade and do

things like power windows and affect

certain areas of your image separately

but honestly for most of my videos i do

these adjustments pretty quickly the

only other thing i've been doing lately

is adding a little bit of grain using

film convert i don't actually use their

looks but i like how

grain can be applied with their plug-in

because you can affect uh what parts

what exposures it's affecting and how it

affects it

i don't know it just gives it a little

bit of a film look so that's my little

extra spice it is a paid plugin so

uh it's really good but you don't need

it there's other ways to do

grain also but that's it super easy add

the conversion lut add your look let's

small adjustments that's it how do you

do this faster well of course use those

luts like i showed you but once you have

this set up just make a preset then it's

literally just drag drop adjust a tiny

bit you're done like it's that fast and

that's how i'm able to color grade a

whole video within just a few minutes

and remember you don't have to use my

luts i i really like my luts and i think

you will also but there's tons of luts

and conversion luts and all of that

stuff out there find what works best for

you but i really highly recommend using

luts and then figure out what plugins

you want to use which ones you like best

and make a preset and then just drag and

drop done that's the same thing i do

with my audio i have audio presets if

you didn't know i just drag and drop

done sounds way better than just

straight out of camera and it took me

two seconds to drag and drop that don't

be scared of log and do not neglect your

color grade because with really little

effort very fast you can make your

footage look so much better get

everything you can out of your footage

okay that's it for me i'll do a whole

video on how i deal with skin tones but

i hope this helped you like it has for

me it's taken years to streamline it

like this hopefully it doesn't take you

years just watch this video and start

doing it alright see you guys

[Music]

you