This video offers a comprehensive color grading tutorial for beginners using DaVinci Resolve. Key takeaways include:
Selecting the most representative frame for grading to ensure consistency across the clip.
Properly converting Log footage using the Color Space Transform (CST) tool, placing it at the end of the node tree to preserve detail.
Adjusting exposure effectively with HDR color wheels instead of offset, highlighting the importance of working in Log space before CST.
Understanding and structuring node trees with separate nodes for exposure, contrast, and specific adjustments for a non-destructive workflow.
Utilizing log wheels for precise control over shadows, midtones, and highlights to refine contrast.
Employing parallel nodes and HDR color wheels for advanced highlight recovery, such as bringing back detail in a blown-out sky, by selectively targeting and adjusting specific bright areas.
DaVinci Resolve Color Page Interface with Node Tree
[
00:00:30
]
To accurately grade a clip, choose a single frame that contains most of the elements and lighting conditions present in the scene.
Avoid grading on frames that only show limited aspects (e.g., just a wall or sky).
Identifying Key Elements
Look for skin tones, grass, sky, and light sources (like the sun) within the frame.
A frame where a subject is walking or interacting with various elements is often ideal.
Real-World Workflow
In professional scenarios, colorists often switch between various frames within a clip to ensure the grade looks good throughout.
Understanding Light Interaction
The color of the sky can affect objects in the shade; for instance, a blue sky can cast a slight blue tint on shaded areas. This is often filtered out by our brains but is visible in footage.
Skin tones can vary significantly between sunlit and shaded areas, which is important for consistent grading.
Example: A white shirt appearing blue in shade due to sky influence, or a shoe appearing orangey in sunlight and blue in shade.
Applying adjustments (like exposure or contrast) after the Color Space Transform (CST) node can lead to detail loss, especially in overexposed areas (e.g., a bright sky).
When Log footage is converted to Rec. 709, DaVinci Resolve must clip details that fall outside the Rec. 709 gamut. If grading happens after this clipping, those details cannot be recovered.
Demonstration: Boosting exposure heavily after CST and then trying to recover it shows irrecoverable clipped highlights. Doing the same before CST allows for full recovery.
Correct Node Tree Structure
CST at the End: The Color Space Transform (CST) node should generally be the last node in your node tree. This allows all grading adjustments to occur in the wider dynamic range of the Log space.
Workflow: All color, exposure, and contrast adjustments should be applied before the CST node.
Naming Nodes: Label nodes (e.g., "EXP" for exposure, "CONT" for contrast, "CST" for Color Space Transform) for clarity and organization, especially in complex projects.
Efficiency: Always create relevant nodes (even if no adjustment is initially made) to maintain a consistent structure. This saves time when copying grades between clips, allowing quick adjustments if a new clip has different exposure.
Matching Clips: A colorist's job often involves matching different clips within a sequence, requiring individual exposure adjustments while maintaining a consistent "look" (contrast, color).
Once the overall exposure is set in a dedicated "EXP" node, move to a "CONT" (contrast) node.
Primary Color Wheels for Contrast
The primary color wheels offer controls for Lift (shadows), Gamma (midtones), and Gain (highlights).
While these controls affect the entire image, they have a stronger influence on their respective tonal ranges.
Precise Control with Log Wheels
For more isolated adjustments, switch to the "Log" wheels (found in the primary color wheels section).
Shadows, Midtones, Highlights: Log wheels allow independent control over these tonal ranges.
Range Adjustment: You can define what DaVinci Resolve considers "shadows" or "highlights" by adjusting the range sliders associated with the log wheels, giving granular control over which parts of the image are affected.
This precision is valuable for fine-tuning the image's tonal balance without broadly affecting other areas.
If, after initial exposure and contrast adjustments, highlights (like the sky or sun) are still overexposed or "burned out," specific recovery techniques are needed.
Initial Attempts and Their Limitations
Simply adjusting the "highlights" slider in the primary color wheels might affect more than just the intended areas, changing the overall image.
Advanced Method: Parallel Nodes
Serial vs. Parallel Nodes:
Serial nodes process information sequentially (Node 1 -> Node 2 -> Node 3). The output of one node becomes the input for the next.
Parallel nodes receive the same input signal from a previous node and combine their outputs before passing them to the next serial node. This allows for independent adjustments that are blended together.
Create a parallel node using Alt + P (instead of Alt + S for serial).
Workflow for Highlight Recovery with Parallel Nodes
In a parallel node (e.g., named "HI REC" for highlight recovery), switch to the HDR color wheels.
Click the "Light" button (top-left of the Light wheel) or use Shift + H to visualize the areas being affected (highlighted in white).
Adjust the selection sliders (black/white and red) within the HDR color wheels to isolate only the desired highlight area (e.g., the sky or sun).
The left black/white slider defines the brightness threshold of the selection.
The right red slider controls the "feathering" or smoothness of the selection's edges.
Once the highlight area is precisely selected, use the exposure control in the HDR color wheel to bring down the brightness, recovering detail without affecting other parts of the image.
Benefit of Parallel Nodes: This method allows you to apply selective adjustments (like highlight recovery) simultaneously with other broad adjustments (like overall contrast) without the order of operations causing unintended cascading effects or requiring re-selection of areas.
The button in the top-right corner near the highlight wheel or Shift + H toggle allows you to see exactly which areas of the image are being selected by the HDR color wheels' controls.
Understanding the Sliders
Left (Black/White) Slider: This slider determines the threshold of what is considered a highlight (or shadow/midtone, depending on the selected wheel). Moving it adjusts the brightness range that the tool will affect.
Right (Red) Slider (Feather): This slider controls the smoothness of the transition between the selected area and the unselected area.
A low value results in a harsh, cut-out selection.
A higher value creates a softer, more natural blend.
Combined Use: These sliders are used in combination to precisely define and feather the selection of a specific tonal range in the image, allowing for targeted adjustments.
The video concludes with a quick exercise where the student applies the entire workflow to a new clip from scratch.
Reinforcing the Workflow
Start by placing the CST node at the very end, converting input gamma (e.g., SLOG 3) to Rec. 709.
Create an "EXP" node before CST and adjust global exposure using HDR color wheels.
Create a "CONT" node after "EXP" (but before CST) and adjust contrast using primary or log wheels.
If specific highlight recovery is needed, create a "HI REC" parallel node from the "EXP" node, use HDR wheels with selection sliders, and recover highlights.
When to Adjust
Not every step needs an adjustment if the footage is already well-exposed or correctly balanced.
Focus on making changes only when necessary to improve the image. For instance, if the sky is not severely overexposed, a parallel node for highlight recovery might not be required.
Applying the workflow to a new clip with adjusted exposure and contrast
[
00:34:40
]
The new clip after applying initial exposure and contrast adjustments, demonstrating a balanced look without needing highlight recovery.
