In this text, I’m going to point out you ways I arrange my colour administration utilizing nodes and the way this advantages my colour grading course of. If you’re a little bit shaky on colour administration otherwise you’re not assured with the core ideas, don’t fear. I’ll offer you a reasonably good primer on colour administration in the midst of this text.
Let’s shortly recap what colour administration is. Essentially, colour administration takes what the digital camera sees and transforms it into what your show can present. To put it merely, we need to see what our picture appeared like on set when it was photographed. That’s the aim of colour administration.
Using teams
This is how I arrange my pipeline with nodes inside DaVinci Resolve. Below, you will note I’ve a timeline with pictures that come from a few completely different cameras. Because they arrive from completely different cameras, every shot goes to wish some particular person remedy.
Let’s begin by specializing in the primary three pictures. All three had been gathered with ARRI Alexa cameras utilizing the ARRI Wide Gamut LogC3 colour house. Right off the bat, you may be questioning, “What if I don’t know what the color space is?” You can learn some suggestions in my Color Management Cheat Sheet article to determine what your colour house is and how one can use it within Resolve. For now, let’s say that we all know the colour house of our first three pictures is ARRI Wide Gamut LogC3.
Let’s reap the benefits of Resolve’s Group perform. Click on shot primary and maintain Shift. Then, faucet on shot quantity three to pick all three pictures. After that, right-click and choose Add Into a New Group. Label this group Alexa.
Understanding node ranges
Before I hit “OK” I need to level out the 2 dots which can be presently sitting above the node graph. The first dot represents the Clip stage of our node graph. That’s the place we are able to do Clip-level changes which can be particularly linked to the clip in query.
The different dot is for the Timeline part of our node graph. We will make use of the Timeline part quickly. For now, I simply need you to note that there are two dots right here. Once I click on “OK” and create a bunch for our three Alexa clips, that variety of dots goes to extend from two to 4.
Now, as a substitute of getting solely a Clip and a Timeline part of the node graph, we even have sections named Group Pre-Clip and Group Post-Clip. Group Pre-Clip is why I wished to make use of this Group performance. Pre-Clip is a superb place for us to carry out step one in our two-step colour administration journey.
Step one: frequent colour areas
The first step is to get our picture into a standard working colour house, or what Resolve typically calls a timeline colour house. I all the time use the timeline colour house once I’m colour grading in DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate.
How can we do that? First, go to Effects and seize a Color Space Transform. Then, drag and drop it onto node primary within the Group Pre-Clip stage of our node graph.
I need to draw your consideration to the Group Pre-Clip stage. Anything we do on this stage is restricted to the group that we chosen. No clips exterior of our Alexa group can be affected by the nodes that we’re creating or adjusting. But the clips within the Alexa group will all obtain any changes that we assign to this node as their very first operation earlier than we do any colour grading. That’s good as a result of we need to do all of our colour grading within the working colour house of DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate.
To get there, go to Input Color Space and choose ARRI Wide Gamut 3 from the drop-down menu. Then, go to Input Gama and choose ARRI LogC3. For Output Color Space, select DaVinci Wide Gamut. For Output Gamma, choose DaVinci Intermediate.
Also, make sure that to set Tone Mapping to None. We typically don’t must do something within the Tone Mapping or Gamut Mapping sections once we’re going from a digital camera colour house right into a working colour house. Finally, let’s label our node ‘IN’ to point out that it’s now our enter. This node is taking all of our ARRI materials and turning it into our frequent working house of DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate.
Some colorists select to paint handle of their Project Settings as a substitute of utilizing Color Space Transforms (CSTs). I need to emphasize that utilizing CSTs and managing colour in Project Settings is the similar factor. The similar math and science drive each operations, they only apply it utilizing completely different mechanisms. Both choices gives you the identical end result.
Notice that we nonetheless haven’t precisely achieved the aim of getting a normalized picture on our display. Our node is having an impact, however the picture doesn’t seem like what the digital camera captured on set. It nonetheless feels form of flat. That’s as a result of we’re nonetheless in a Log colour house. We haven’t carried out the second step in our two-step colour administration journey.
Step two: Timeline
Our second step is to go from a working colour house out to a show colour house. We are going to do that within the Timeline part of our node graph.
We want to inform Resolve that our picture has already been reworked into DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate by the point it reaches this level in its sign stream,. Resolve must know that our colour grading is completed and that we’re able to ship the picture out to the show.
How can we try this? We’ll do it by utilizing the identical mechanism as earlier than, a Color Space Transform. Like earlier than, seize a Color Space Transform and drop it onto your Timeline node. However, this time we have to select DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate because the Input Color Space as a result of that’s the colour house that we final moved into on the Group Pre-Clip stage. We additionally must set our output to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4K. Lastly, label this Timeline node ->709.
Tone mapping and OOTF
There are a couple of extra settings that we have to right to get a constantly pleasing picture on our display. Here’s the method that works nicely for me. You’re welcome to make use of this or experiment with doing one thing else.
The very first thing I exploit is Tone Mapping. Go into the Color Space Transform and choose a Tone Mapping Method from the dropdown menu. I like to make use of Luminance Mapping. Then, set the Custom Max Input to 10,000 nits and the Custom Max Output to 100 nits. Under Gamut Mapping, select Saturation Compression.
Under Advanced, make sure that to activate Apply Forward OOTF. OOTF is brief for Opto-Optical Transfer Function. It can also be typically referred to as System Gamma. I may write an entire article on the nuances of those settings, however for now, let’s simply say that these are the settings I all the time use in my colour administration.
These settings be sure that because the picture reaches the brightness and pixel colour limitations of the show, it gracefully decelerates to that restrict. That approach, nothing is clipping or trying unusual on account of there being an excessive amount of colour within the supply picture. Let’s take a look at the results of our output remodel.
Our first three pictures at the moment are good to go. We have a copy of the primary three pictures as they might have typically appeared if we had been standing subsequent to the digital camera the second they had been shot. This provides us an excellent basis for inventive colour grading. We now have a baseline of accuracy and a considerably normalized picture for our show. But there are a few different pictures that we have to take care of, proper?
Color managing RED Raw footage
Our subsequent two pictures aren’t within the ARRI LogC3, are they? These pictures had been truly shot on a RED digital camera, so we have to deal with them a little bit in another way. We must get them into DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate so they’re feeding the correct picture into our Color Space Transform (CST).
Let’s arrange one other group for our RED materials. To try this, observe the identical steps we did for our Alexa group. Toggle over to the Clip stage of the node graph, choose the vary of clips, right-click, and choose Add to a New Group. Let’s title this group RED.
Before we do our Group Pre-Clip settings, there’s one thing crucial that I need to name out right here. These pictures are R3D, or Raw recordsdata. They require further diligence when colour managing in nodes versus colour managing in Project Settings. When colour managing in nodes, one must ensure that the picture is being debayered from its Raw state into the correct colour house.
In Project Settings, go to Camera Raw. For RED Raw profile, set Color science to IPP2, Color house to REDWideGamutRG, and Gamma curve to Log3G10. These are RED’s beneficial colour areas for decoding RED Raw materials. These settings give us a wise level to paint handle from within the Group Pre-Clip part of our RED group.
Also, make sure that to pick the ISO and Color temp bins beneath the Use Camera Metadata part. This ensures the metadata that the cinematographer was utilizing is being carried ahead by way of your grade. Remember to additionally hit Save.
Once once more, we’re going to use a Color Space Transform. In the Group Pre-Clip stage, set the Color Space Inputs to REDWideRGB and RED Log3G10. For Output Color Space, choose DaVinci Wide Gamut and for Output Gamma choose DaVinci Intermediate. This time, flip off Tone Mapping and Inverse OOTF. We don’t want these for RED Raw.
Now, our digital camera colour house is being mapped into our working colour house. We have now constructed a sound journey from scene to display for our two Red clips. We’re nearly residence free.
Recognizing double-transformed footage
We solely have yet one more clip to take a look at. But this clip requires some particular consideration. It appears incorrect. Everything is blown out and clipped. It’s very harsh.
When you see a picture like this, you’re normally a picture that has been double-transformed. Essentially, the picture is already in Rec.709, so it’s being reworked into Rec.709 twice.
Right now, we haven’t added this clip to a bunch in any respect. We haven’t any Group Pre-Clip CST occurring in any respect for this clip. The picture is coming in and going straight by way of to an Output Transform within the Timeline stage of the node graph. But the node graph is anticipating DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate as an enter. Then, it’s outputting the picture as Rec.709 Gamma 2.4.
If you flip the Timeline node off, you’ll see that the picture was in all probability captured in Rec.709 Gamma 2.4. There isn’t any option to explicitly know what colour house was being focused when this picture was made, however it’s already normalized. This picture doesn’t look flat like the opposite pictures did earlier than we utilized our colour administration to them.
Working with Rec.709
So, what can we do? One smart thought could be, “If this clip is already in Rec.709 and I am going to Rec.709, can’t I just leave it alone because it’s already where it needs to go?”
That is sensible, however there’s a greater method. Even although we’re beginning and ending in Rec.709, there are some advantages to sending our picture by way of our working colour house of DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate.
To begin, let’s add this clip into a brand new group. Right-click on the thumbnail and select Add right into a New Group. Let’s name this one ->709. Next, go to the Group Pre-Clip stage and drag in a Color Space Transform. Choose Rec.709 and Gamma 2.4 for our Inputs. Then, choose DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate as your Outputs.
By the way in which, your Inputs aren’t such a clean-cut operation whenever you’re going from a baked picture to a working colour house like DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate. Rec.709 is normally Input Color Space. For Gamma, you may get higher outcomes with Gamma 2.2 or Rec.709-A. This is one thing you’ll be able to mess around with. I’m going to stay with Gamma2.4.
Next, we’ll use Tone Mapping once more, however we’re going to do it a little bit backwards. For Tone Mapping Method, select Luminance Mapping, after which set your Custom Max Output to 2000. You may go all the way in which to 10,000 if you would like, however I typically discover between 1000 and 2000 is a lot.
For Custom Max Input, sweep by way of your nits and attempt to recuperate all of the spotlight element you’ll be able to with out dimming down the picture. Setting this picture’s Max Input to round 120 nits recovers a little bit of element. Beyond that, the highlights don’t recuperate any further info.
Benefits of frequent colour house
It could sound counterintuitive to go away Rec.709 regardless that that’s the place we’re heading again to. But it turns on the market are advantages to shifting all of our clips into a standard colour house even when they begin within the colour house that we’re going again to.
The subsequent step in our colour administration is to arrange a Macro-Level Creative Transform or what I name a glance. We’re going to do this by creating a brand new node within the Timeline stage upstream of our output remodel.
In our case, let’s go into our LUTS and select the Voyager subfolder to search out the Cabra LUT within the Essentials Pack. I’ve already auditioned this LUT and I feel it appears good on all of the pictures on this timeline. Let’s use the Cambra LUT because the baseline for all of our inventive rendering.
This LUT won’t make the picture look good. Some grading nonetheless must be carried out. For instance, this shot of the lady sitting at a desk nonetheless feels underexposed to me.
But we now have one good baseline inventive remodel for our complete timeline. That solely works if all our pictures are in a single frequent colour house earlier than being outputted into Rec.709. We can now use LUTs like those in my Voyager Pack which anticipate to obtain and return DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate.
Working with nodes versus Project Settings
At first look, this course of may appear tougher than organising your colour administration in Project Settings. But there are a few the explanation why I desire managing colour utilizing nodes.
I exploit nodes as a result of I’m used to working in DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate. I can work quicker since I already know how one can make my pictures look good in that colour house. If I had been grading pictures in several colour areas, I won’t instantly know what instruments to make use of. Working in a standard colour house is great for getting an intuitive sense for how one can shortly and successfully push the photographs within the course they should go.
It’s additionally simpler to be taught colour administration when every little thing is spelled out in nodes. With nodes, we are able to click on by way of and see each shot’s full journey by way of our colour grading and out to our show. That would nonetheless be true if we had used Project Settings however it could not be really easy to see. If you’re nonetheless studying about colour administration, I like to recommend setting issues up in nodes.
Nodes will also be good for troubleshooting. For instance, if we had been our picture and thought, “Why does this not look right?” we may click on by way of our nodes to test all of our settings. We may take a look at our enter remodel by itself and say, “Hey, my camera didn’t shoot in Rec.709! It shot in LogC3.” With nodes, it’s a little bit simpler to see and regulate these parameters reasonably than having them hidden contained in the Project Settings.
There’s yet one more massive cause to love managing colour in nodes. When utilizing Project Settings, you can not get to the left of the Input Transform node or to the fitting of the Output Transform. With Project Settings, every little thing has to occur contained in the working colour house.
That’s normally what we wish. However, there are numerous conditions the place you may need to entry your picture earlier than mapping it right into a working colour house or after mapping it out to a show house. If you need to try this, you have to make use of nodes. You can’t get there by managing colour utilizing the Project Settings.
Wrapping up
I hope this was a useful information on how one can handle colour utilizing nodes. Hopefully, you now have a greater understanding of how a picture flows from scene to display.
Nodes might help you visualize a picture’s full journey whereas additionally having the ability to grade with out distraction. You can now grade every shot individually with out having to consider colour administration in any respect as a result of your settings reside within the Group, Pre-Clip, or Timeline sections of your node graph. This means your Clip-level node is totally free for doing your entire colour grading.
Overall, nodes give us better flexibility within the grading course of. With nodes, we are able to visualize a picture’s colour journey, troubleshoot that journey, and customise it past what may be carried out in Project Settings.
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