Beginner's Guide to Color Grading in DaVinci Resolve: Understanding the 3 Core Stages for a Vibrant Commercial Look

Director Qim

Introduction to Beginner Color Grading [0:00:14]

This video provides a tutorial on color grading from scratch in DaVinci Resolve, specifically tailored for beginners. The content aims to simplify professional concepts into basic stages, suitable for starters rather than advanced users.

The 4 Stages of Color Grading [0:01:23]

The video outlines four main stages in color grading, though it will focus primarily on the first three for beginners:

• 1. Color Management [0:01:32]
  • This initial stage involves properly preparing your footage and setting up the project's color space to define the starting and ending points for your grade.
• 2. Color Correction [0:01:44]
  • This stage focuses on balancing elements like exposure, saturation, and contrast, ensuring the image is neutrally balanced before applying creative looks.
• 3. Creating Looks [0:01:55]
  • This is where the creative aspect of color grading comes in, shaping the aesthetic of your image. This often involves techniques like color printing, split toning, and enhancing vibrance.
• 4. Secret Sources (Advanced) [0:02:27]
  • This advanced stage is for those transitioning to professional levels, where individual stylistic choices are applied. The tutorial will not delve into this stage.

Stage 1: Color Management in DaVinci Resolve [0:02:41]

Project Color Space Settings [0:02:49]

• It is recommended for beginners to use DaVinci RGB for project color management.
• The output color space can be set to sRGB or Rec. 709 with Gamma 2.2 or 2.4, depending on what yields the best results for your monitor.
  • The speaker uses sRGB for output with Rec. 709 Gamma.

    

Applying Color Space Transformation (CST) [0:03:40]

• A "Color Space Transformation" node is used to convert the footage.
  • The primary purpose is to inform DaVinci Resolve about the camera's original color space and gamma, and then specify the desired output (e.g., sRGB).
  • The speaker assumed the input camera's color space for the example footage and set the output to sRGB.
  • Enabling "Gamma Mapping Method: Saturation Compression" is advisable to prevent over-saturation in highlights.

    

• After CST, the footage is converted to Rec. 709, which often results in a somewhat flat or unbalanced image, ready for corrections.

Stage 2: Color Correction (Pre-Grading) [0:05:11]

Core Focus of Color Correction [0:05:22]

• The main goals of color correction are to achieve:
  • Proper balance of lights (exposure).
  • Perfect contrast.
  • Balanced saturation.
  • Correct temperature (white balance).

The Concept of Pre-Grading [0:06:02]

• Pre-grading involves intentionally guiding the color correction towards the desired final look.
  • For example, if a warm final look is desired, one might avoid completely neutralizing all warmth during the correction stage, leaving some room for the creative look.
• Color correction is not always about making everything perfectly neutral but sometimes about setting the tone for the creative grading stage.

Practical Application of Basic Corrections [0:07:03]

• A new node is added specifically for "Correction."
• Exposure Adjustments [0:07:28]
  • Use "Offset" to balance overall exposure.
  • Adjust "Gain," "Gamma," and "Lift" to fine-tune highlights, midtones, and shadows respectively.
• White Balance and Tint [0:07:52]
  • Adjust white balance to achieve a neutral look, moving towards magenta or green as needed.
• Saturation and Skin Tone Protection [0:08:09]
  • Increase general saturation slightly.
  • Reduce saturation in skin tones to prevent them from becoming over-saturated or unnatural.
• The goal for this example is a vibrant, clean, and commercial "beauty" look, avoiding overly cool or green tints at this stage.

  

Stage 3: Creating Looks (Look Creativity) [0:09:30]

Three Elements of Look Creation [0:09:43]

• 1. Color Print (Painting) [0:09:43]
  • Applying additional color layers on top of the already corrected image to refine the overall aesthetic.
• 2. Split Toning / Color Separation [0:09:56]
  • Using color contrast to separate subjects from backgrounds (e.g., making the subject pop or the background fade). This is about complementary colors.
• 3. Vibrance [0:10:30]
  • Enhancing the overall color image, increasing saturation selectively, and using masks or qualifiers to target specific areas like skin tones.

Implementing Look DNA, Skin Tone, and Vibrance Nodes [0:13:59]

• The speaker creates parallel nodes for "Look DNA" (general adjustments), "Skin Tone," and "Vibrance."

  

Refining Colors: Background, Reds, and Blues [0:15:09]

• Background [0:15:09]
  • The background's greenish tint is adjusted towards a bluish-cyan tone using the Hue vs. Hue curve.

    

• Reds [0:15:35]
  • The red color (of the rose) is shifted slightly towards orange to achieve a desired aesthetic.

    

• Blues [0:15:59]
  • The blue colors are given a slight pop in saturation to enhance the commercial grade.

    

Adjusting Skin Tone for a Desired Look [0:16:20]

• The skin tone is isolated (qualified) in a dedicated node.
  • Saturation of the skin is slightly reduced to make it appear more muted and natural.
  • The hue of the skin is adjusted from a pinkish-red to a more orange tone.

    

Enhancing Vibrance and Separation [0:17:22]

• A separate node is used to enhance the vibrance of specific colors, particularly the blue background.
  • Using qualifications can sometimes affect other areas, so carefully selecting the target range is crucial.
  • The gamma control is preferred for these adjustments as it primarily affects midtones, preserving blacks and whites.
  • Saturation of the background is then reduced, and its light is balanced to create density without overdoing it.
• This process highlights the importance of precise qualification, or masking, especially with low-resolution footage, to ensure only desired areas are affected.

  

Spotlighting the Subject with Vignetting and Brightness [0:19:10]

• A vignette is applied to draw attention to the main subject, making her "pop."
• In the "Skin Tone" node, the luminosity is raised to brighten the subject's skin further.

  

Final Touches: Painting the Image [0:20:40]

Applying Cinematic Warmth and Magenta [0:21:00]

• The final stage, referred to as "painting," involves adding overall creative color elements.
• A slight cinematic warm tone with a magenta push is applied to the image's midtones.

  

Split Toning Shadows and Highlights [0:21:31]

• Shadows (Lows) [0:21:31]
  • Cyan is introduced into the shadows to create color separation.
• Highlights [0:21:47]
  • Highlights are made slightly warmer, enhancing the overall aesthetic balance.

    

Conclusion: Before & After [0:22:34]

The video concludes by showcasing the significant transformation from the initial flat log footage to the vibrant, clean, and commercially graded image, demonstrating the effectiveness of the three basic color grading stages without using external plugins or LUTs.