Similar to editors, colorists have totally different units of guidelines and necessities, however all of them need the identical factor as the remainder of us – an easier life. Constructing your fame as an editor who makes issues simpler for the colorist will assist to construct stronger relationships that may solely profit your profession.
Throughout my very own profession, I’ve labored on plenty of initiatives that took longer to reconcile correctly within the coloring software program than to really coloration the mission. That is tense when the shopper is anticipating you to paint grade and as an alternative you’re losing time attempting to get issues to import correctly.
As a colorist, there’s so much to maintain on high of, from color spaces to LUTs, screen types and scopes. By correctly anticipating the wants of the colorist it can save you them a substantial period of time and stress, in addition to decreasing the general mission value. And that’s a win for everybody.
So right here’s methods to prep your Premiere Professional mission in a means that can make colorists need to work with you greater than as soon as.
First, flatten and simplify your timelines
A flat timeline implies that your timeline solely comprises one or two video tracks with primary cuts (in/out) and nothing else. It’s needed as a result of we’re spherical tripping.
In case you’re not already conscious, spherical tripping means sending a timeline from enhancing software program to coloring software program and again once more earlier than the editor exports the ultimate minimize. And right here’s the place the issues begin. As a result of enhancing and coloring software program have alternative ways of dealing with the edit knowledge, it’s not straightforward for initiatives to outlive this journey with all the pieces intact.
So your greatest strategy is to strip your timeline right down to primary cuts, making it easy sufficient for each the NLE and coloring app to interpret it appropriately. In addition to saving the colorist numerous time, you’ll even be defending your individual edit from being misplaced in translation.
Make certain the enhancing is completed earlier than you do that. Then duplicate your Premiere Mission file (.prproj) and maintain the unique as a backup. I often rename the brand new file by including “FOR COLOR” on the finish earlier than stripping this new mission file right down to solely the timelines that you just’ll be sending to the colorist. Delete the others.
Within the remaining timelines, you’ll have to flatten the tracks, ideally merging all of your video tracks till just one (or two) stay. Now simplify what’s left.
Take away all transitions
I’d suggest eradicating transitions and making use of them again after coloration grading. Particularly if handles are wanted, transitions can’t be utilized within the coloring course of. This manner you’ll be able to regulate every transition later.
Reset customized cropping/framing
In case you resized or cropped footage it’s higher to take away it for now and do it whenever you get the coloured footage again. Or ask the colorist to crop it. In instances the place the crop is extreme, the colorist may need to sharpen or add some grain publish cropping, to compensate for the lack of decision.
Reset stabilization
Stabilization doesn’t translate effectively, so it’s higher to take away it for now and apply it once more later. Coloring software program like DaVinci Resolve provides stabilization instruments, so that is one other process you may need to hand off to your colorist.
Un-nest nested sequences
In my expertise, nested sequences by no means translate effectively. For easy nested sequences, I like to recommend un-nesting (returning the nested footage to the principle timeline). For complicated sequences, you must render the nested sequence and change it with the rendered file in your flat timeline.
Take away results / graphics / textual content
Something that doesn’t want coloring needs to be eliminated, like texts, graphics, and so on.
Take away audio and/or go away one audio grasp monitor for reference
Audio just isn’t needed however you could possibly go away a stereo export of the audio as a reference for the colorist. It makes it simpler for the colorist to examine for sync errors.
Take away empty tracks
Any empty tracks needs to be deleted so our timeline is as concise as attainable.
Retiming
If there may be any retiming, you may need to go away it and inform the colorist about it to allow them to be sure that it interprets effectively.
Retiming introduces the next threat of timing and sync points, so it’s one thing to keep away from if attainable, because it requires coloring the retimed clip(s) individually. If it’s unavoidable, attempt to use fixed (linear) retiming and never variable retiming like ramps. In case of a ramp, I’d recommend asking the colorist to grade the complete clip and re-apply the pace ramp post-coloring.
It’s additionally good observe to maintain media bins inside your Premiere mission neatly organized and clearly named.
Notice on VFX
Earlier than we transfer to the following step, I’d like to speak about VFX and compositing. These needs to be finished prior to paint grading to permit the colorist to match all of the clips. Any shot that’s going by way of VFX/compositing needs to be exported in a coloration area and gamut appropriate for coloring.
The easiest way to ascertain that is to ask the VFX artist and colorist which coloration area they want.
As a information, smaller initiatives that aren’t shot in a RAW format will usually be in a Rec. 709 coloration area and gamma, however initiatives shot in RAW may be coloration graded utilizing a wide range of coloration areas and gammas that can rely upon the ultimate desired look.
So speak to your colorist about what could be greatest for the mission/clips that require VFX or compositing.
It won’t work for everybody, however utilizing the identical software program for VFX/compositing and coloring can minimize down on spherical journeys, and cut back the time required for adjustments.
Now consolidate your mission
Consolidating your mission merely implies that you’re eradicating any unused belongings from the timeline, and may be achieved utilizing Premiere Professional’s Mission Supervisor device.
In addition to ensuring that each one the information your colorist wants at the moment are conveniently positioned in a single location, this may also cut back the bandwidth and time for uploads and transfers.
One other important good thing about consolidation is that it brings all of the footage used within the mission (which can be unfold throughout a number of drives and areas) into one folder.
Listed below are the steps I like to recommend:
- Open the Mission Supervisor in Premiere (File > Mission Supervisor)
- Test the sequences (timelines) you need to export for coloring
- “Exclude Unused Clips”: Test
- “Embrace Audio Conform Recordsdata”: Uncheck
- “Embrace Preview Recordsdata”: Uncheck
- “Rename Media Recordsdata to Match Clip Names”: Uncheck
- “Accumulate Recordsdata and Copy to New Location”: Test
- Select a vacation spot path
It’s value noting you could both straight consolidate onto an exterior drive in case you’re getting it to your colorist by courier, or you’ll be able to consolidate to a cloud storage folder to share later with the colorist.
However earlier than you despatched it out, I’d suggest that you just check the consolidated mission by opening it and checking that all the pieces remains to be working correctly.
A preferred trade normal has been to export every flattened timeline as an EDL file (Edit Determination Record), which is a straightforward textual content file that comprises the timecode and clips info.
Sadly, EDL is a restricted format that solely contains the in/out factors of a clip on a timeline. Traditionally, editors have chosen EDL information when simplicity and cross-compatibility have been a priority, primarily as a result of there was no various. Nowadays EDL information have been changed with XML-based information which embrace extra info. However as a result of there’s no single format or normal for these XML information, they are often topic to compatibility points.
It’s value noting that Premiere Professional can export to a Remaining Minimize Professional XML, which comprises extra info (retiming, cropping, and so on.) than a easy EDL file. And coloring software program like DaVinci Resolve is ready to import these XML information fairly constantly.
However that is nonetheless a really restricted strategy whenever you evaluate it to prepping your Premiere Professional mission and consolidating it with Mission Supervisor, which provides you higher management over the media, timelines, and output.
Earlier than you ship it
While you’ve completed consolidating, it’s useful to export every flattened timeline so the colorist has a handy reference to ensure all the pieces is translating correctly of their software program. A easy H264 or Prores Proxy in 1080p is sufficient for this. You may also need to embrace audio in these exports.
Preserve them separate from the consolidated footage in order that they’re straightforward to seek out – I create a folder referred to as “References” within the consolidated mission.
It’s helpful to incorporate a easy doc file with notes in your colorist – like pictures that want stabilization, denoising, cropping, and so on. However a more practical strategy is to make use of a collaborative cloud service like Body.io as an alternative. This can allow you to shortly remark and annotate with timecodes, in addition to straight drawing on frames.
It’s additionally essential to inform your colorist in case you want body handles and the way lengthy they should be. Body handles can be few frames earlier than and after every minimize (often 10 or extra) that the colorist will coloration grade so you could have some room for adjustment after you get your coloured mission again.
Now you’re able to get your stripped down, flattened, consolidated mission to your colorist. With excessive pace web changing into extra obtainable we are able to add initiatives to cloud companies fairly shortly and it saves time. For instance a 100GB mission can take lower than an hour to add if in case you have entry to a 1Gb/s connection.
If this isn’t an possibility, there’s all the time sneakernet. In a single day delivery with Fedex or UPS remains to be pretty affordable, often round $50-100 for a small drive that’s shipped within the US, and moveable drives are low cost and fairly strong.
What do you need to get again?
While you communicate to your colorist, be sure you allow them to know your export necessities for coloured footage. Ideally, you need one thing as near the unique format as attainable, so that you’ve got higher flexibility when selecting methods to export the ultimate supply file.
I’ve discovered that essentially the most handy and versatile means for each events is to export coloured timelines as particular person clips at authentic decision which is able to permit reframing to occur later. I often specify Apple ProRes 4444 (or 422HQ) for smaller initiatives, and DPX for greater initiatives. In case your colorist has their very own copy of Artistic Cloud, you may additionally need to ask them to incorporate a Premiere mission reconciling all the coloured clips of their respective timeline.
You’re finished (not less than on the technical aspect)! Then the following step can be to decide on a search for your movie. In case you’re caught for inspiration, why not begin by studying methods to get the filmic look of celluloid, or how to craft high- and low-contrast looks?
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