Video summary

How To Get CINEMATIC COLOUR everytime

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Cinematic Color & What Drives the Look

  • The creator emphasizes that color grading strongly changes how a film feels—it can control mood, atmosphere, and the viewer’s emotional response.
  • The “most interesting” color isn’t necessarily the most accurate. Instead, color is used creatively, such as:
    • pushing warmth/coolness
    • pushing hues in shadows/highlights

Color Grading Workflow (their “Power Grade” in DaVinci Resolve)

Setup

  • They grade six clips total:
    • three from a documentary
    • three from a trip to China
  • Their workflow typically starts by:
    • importing a saved Power Grade
    • making small adjustments afterward

Core Adjustment Nodes (foundational controls)

They repeatedly adjust the same base controls across clips:

  1. Exposure (Gain wheel / exposure)

    • Often used first to make the image “work.”
    • Their Power Grade tends to compress highlights, helping prevent them from looking overly bright.

  2. White Balance (temperature)

    • Used to shift the overall color cast.
    • Often used to counter heavy blue looks.

  3. Contrast

    • Used to shape how dark or blown the image feels.
    • Example goal: keep blacks deep, while sometimes reducing contrast so it isn’t too dark.

Look-Enhancing Additions (beyond the base grade)

  • HDR / “definition” trick

    • They add extra nodes and adjust HDR color wheels.
    • They mention using a value around MD ≈ 40 to add “definition.”

  • Shadow tint pushing (signature look)

    • They add nodes specifically to push shadows toward certain colors.
    • Often green in shadows for a particular look.
    • They can also push reds or blues depending on the desired aesthetic.
    • This is described as the main way to get a distinct signature appearance.

  • Grain

    • Typically added last (or near the end).
    • Adjusted via opacity and grain size.

  • Halation

    • Usually turned off, unless a subtle effect is desired.
    • When enabled, it’s adjusted in the key output using gain-like controls.
      • Examples:
        • subtle levels around ~400
        • stronger bloom around ~900 for bright lights
    • Halation is described as creating bloom/blooming around highlight edges.

Reuse / Efficiency

  • If clips are similar, they copy/paste the grade between clips.
  • Even with a Power Grade, they still stress per-clip adjustments are necessary to match:
    • exposure
    • footage characteristics

Key Guidance

  • Proper exposure matters most. If footage is under/overexposed, the grade won’t “just work.”
  • Power grades are not “one-click perfection.” Users should still:
    1. adjust white balance, exposure, contrast
    2. then finish with:
      • grain
      • halation
      • HDR definition
      • shadow tint pushing
  • The Power Grade is primarily tailored for Sony footage, though they mention working toward other camera versions.

Alternative Method (No Power Grade): Manual Node-Based Grading

For users without the Power Grade, they demonstrate a basic node workflow in DaVinci Resolve:

  1. Reset grades/nodes
  2. Use Color Space Transform
    • Input: Sony S-Log3
    • Output: REC.709
    • They mention variations like gamma 2.2 vs 2.4; they use 2.4
  3. Add a Looks node (labeled conceptually as white balance/exposure/contrast)
    • Fix exposure first
    • Build contrast using either:
      • an S-curve, or
      • editable splines
  4. Use a built-in “film look” style tool
    • Mentions something like Aurora / Film Look Creator (not certain on the exact name).
    • Choose a preset described as “Kodak 2383”-like
      • they reference a “Rochester” preset for that Kodak look
    • Adjust strength (example blend around 500ish) and highlight roll-off for softer highlights
    • Avoid double-applying contrast when using this tool
  5. Fix color shifts after the film look effect
    • Use a white balance node to restore balance (e.g., adding blues)
  6. Adjust texture and finish
    • Grain (optionally turn off to check clarity)
    • Bleach bypass (to bypass/affect strong colors)
    • Richness (adds depth/saturation)
  7. Add the same HDR trick and correct exposure if needed

Product / Review-Like Information (Their “Power Grade”)

They promote their own Power Grade (linked below), claiming:

  • Easy to use
    • drag/drop
    • primarily adjusts 3 nodes: white balance, exposure, and contrast
  • Flexible finishing controls
    • grain, halation
    • HDR definition
    • shadow color pushing
  • Especially effective for Sony cameras due to tailoring to those logs/characteristics

Main Speakers / Sources

  • Main speaker: The YouTube creator/host (intro like “Yo guys, welcome back to my channel…”) demonstrating color grading in DaVinci Resolve.

  • Tools/Software referenced: DaVinci Resolve, including:

    • nodes
    • Color Space Transform
    • HDR color wheels
    • film look tools such as Aurora / Film Look Creator

Original video