Cinematic Color Grading for Vlogs in DaVinci Resolve: Achieving Film Looks Across Three Stockholm Scenes

KC ian

Introduction: Taking Color Grading Outside [00:00]

• The video explores taking color grading outside the studio, focusing on real-time decisions that shape three distinct looks. [00:00]
• The demonstration covers three locations in Stockholm, showcasing different moods and creative directions. [00:04]
• The process involves exploring lights, colors, and atmosphere to spark creative grading choices. [00:11]

Scene 1: Holiday Market (Nostalgic Look) [00:27]

• Observations [00:27]
  • The scene is a holiday market in Stockholm's Old Town, shot in S-Log3 / S-Gamut3.cine and properly white-balanced in-camera. [00:27]
  • The goal is to transform the ungraded footage into a festive, nostalgic, and timeless look. [00:54]
  • Key visual elements include the warm golden glow spilling onto brick-red wood panels, which forms the backbone of the look. [01:03]

    

  • Tungsten light bulbs inside the booths appear overexposed on camera and need to be tamed. [01:15]

    

  • The desired mood for this scene is joyful, festive, nostalgic, and timeless. [01:31]
• Color Grading Process [01:42]
  • The process is a fast walkthrough of creative instincts and choices, not a technical deep dive. [01:51]
  • Step 1: Transforming the Image [02:01]
    • The log footage is first transformed into DaVinci Wide Gamut. [02:04]
    • When converting to Rec.709, "Simple" tone mapping is chosen over "DaVinci" for softer, fuzzier shadows, which aligns with the nostalgic tone. [02:13]

      

  • Step 2: Recovering the Light [02:44]
    • Using HDR Color Wheels in DaVinci Wide Gamut, the "Light" range is pulled down to recover the overexposed tungsten glow. [02:57]

      

    • Contrast is slightly increased using a pivot around 0.336 to add depth and gentle dimension. [03:09]

      

  • Step 3: Color Adjustments [03:23]
    • The vectorscope indicates reds are too saturated, so they are pulled back just below the gamut boundary. [03:26]
    • Yellows are pushed slightly towards tangerine and their luminance is lifted to enhance the stalls' warm, candle-like shimmer. [03:40]

      

  • Step 4: Tonal Zone Grading [03:53]
    • In the Log Wheels, shadows are pushed towards gentle indigo and plum to maintain a sweet, less dramatic mood. [03:57]

      

    • Midtones are nudged towards warm apricot to enhance the festive warmth. [04:10]
    • The overall tone is subtly shifted towards warmth using the Offset control without tinting the entire image. [04:18]
    • Upper and lower ranges are refined, and a layer node is used to protect skin tones. [04:29]
  • Step 5: Texturing and Atmosphere [04:41]
    • Visual texture is added with halation for a gentle halo around lights. [04:49]
    • A soft diffusion is applied to smooth the image, along with a hint of film scratches and a delicate vignette. [04:52]
    • A touch of prism blur and film grain complete the look for a fluffy, velvety finish. [04:59]

      

• Visual Demonstration [05:06]
  • The final graded look for the Holiday Market is showcased, emphasizing intentional choices guided by the scene's feeling. [05:06]

    

Scene 2: Promenade & City Garden (Romantic Filmic Look) [06:23]

• Observations [06:23]
  • The scene transitions to the city promenade and Royal Garden, which has a quieter, more romantic, almost cinematic pulse. [06:23]
  • The camera's white balance again accurately captured the night's appearance. [06:32]

    

  • Two prominent visual elements are the deep, regal blue sky, a winter phenomenon in Sweden. [06:53]

    

  • The warm, elegant red-amber glow from the street chandeliers is also a key feature. [07:10]

    

  • The creative decision for this scene is to use the free Kodak 2383 D60 Film LUT for a distinct personality. [07:28]
• Color Grading Process [07:36]
  • Step 1: Shaping the Film Base [07:43]
    • The image is pulled from log into DaVinci Wide Gamut using a Color Space Transform (CST). [07:52]
    • The output color space is set to Cineon Film Log, and tone mapping is set to "None" to avoid compression or shaping at this stage. [07:57]

      

    • The Kodak 2383 D60 Film LUT is then applied from the LUT library for rich, deep shadows and a soft, creamy highlight roll-off. [08:12]

      

  • Step 2: Recovering Light and Shadow [08:37]
    • In a node after the first CST, HDR Wheels are used to gently pull down "Light" to calm bright lamps. [08:47]
    • "Shadows" are lifted to soften contrast. [08:52]
    • A new node for contrast applies a slight nudge with a pivot at 0.336 to add shape without making the image too punchy. [08:57]

      

  • Step 3: Harmonizing the Palettes [09:14]
    • Using Hue vs Hue, the blue sky is shifted towards teal indigo for a deeper cinematic richness. [09:20]
    • In Color Slice, yellow tones are subtly drawn towards amber orange to match the warmth of the street chandeliers. [09:29]

      

  • Step 4: Embracing the Midtone Glow [09:45]
    • In a new node, Primaries Log is used to nudge the midtones towards a gentle sunset orange, with adjustments to the lower range. [09:52]
    • This adds warmth to skin tones and lamps, making the image feel alive. [10:02]

      

  • Step 5: Soft Clip Elegance [10:11]
    • In a new node, Soft Clip under Curves is used to gently lift the blacks, smoothing the very bottom of the curve. [10:14]
    • This preserves deep shadows while removing digital brittleness. [10:23]

      

  • Step 6: Look Development [10:29]
    • Halation is added for atmosphere, and a soft diffusion bloom enhances highlight gentleness. [10:34]
    • A hint of prism blur and a restrained layer of film grain are applied to anchor the texture. [10:40]

      

• Visual Demonstration [10:49]
  • The final graded scene for the Promenade and Royal Garden is presented, demonstrating how a high-end look can be surprisingly approachable with the right tools and intention. [10:49]

    

Scene 3: City Center (Bold Modern Look) [12:24]

• Observations [12:24]
  • The final location is the Stockholm City Center, characterized by explosions of holiday lights and a rush of color and movement. [12:24]

    

  • The desired look for this scene is modern, punchy, colorful, and chic, amplifying the energy rather than softening it. [12:32]
  • This scene is ideal for a colorist to push color, contrast, and brilliance. [12:43]
• Color Grading Process [12:57]
  • Step 1: Transforming the Image [12:56]
    • A quick CST pass converts the footage from log to DaVinci Wide Gamut to Rec.709. [13:00]
    • Unlike previous scenes, "DaVinci" Tone Mapping is chosen for its clean highlight roll-off and crisp shadow definition, fitting the modern aesthetic. [13:05]

      

  • Step 2: Fixing the Color Cast [13:19]
    • Before adjusting exposure, a muddy red cast is corrected as a technical step. [13:23]
    • The offset wheel in Log Wheels is nudged slightly away from red using the vectorscope to clear the image. [13:30]

      

  • Step 3: Exposure & Contrast [13:42]
    • "Light" is pulled down to recover bright decorations. [13:49]

      

    • Shadows are gently lifted to push more detail into the midtones. [13:53]
    • Contrast is added with the DaVinci Wide Gamut pivot to snap the image back to structure, creating a technically solid and balanced canvas. [13:58]
  • Step 4: Chromatic Reset [14:08]
    • A Chromatic Adaptation Transform (CAT) is run to neutralize the overall color bias, allowing individual colors to be pulled out and shaped. [14:14]

      

    • This prepares colors to be evenly spaced across the spectrum for stretching and separation. [14:26]

      

  • Step 5: Minor Color Tweaks [14:39]
    • Warm hues are nudged from yellow into amber-orange for glow and brilliance. [14:44]
    • Cool tones are steered towards cyan for a sharper, sleeker, and more contemporary palette. [14:49]

      

  • Step 6: Tonal Grading [14:59]
    • This step involves separating tonal zones: midtones are pushed towards orange for warmth and vibrancy, while shadows are pushed towards cyan for contrast and a modern edge. [15:05]
    • The lower and upper ranges are defined, allowing each zone to achieve its own identity, creating depth, separation, and color drama. [15:16]

      

  • Step 7: Soft Clip [15:29]
    • The low soft clip threshold is raised to smooth crushed blacks into a clean and elegant finish. [15:32]

      

  • Step 8: Final Polish [15:41]
    • Stronger halation, gentle diffusion, a subtle vignette, a touch of prism blur, and film grain are applied. [15:46]

      

• Visual Demonstration [15:53]
  • The final festive, colorful, and modern grade for the City Center is demonstrated, showcasing a look that bursts with life. [15:53]