COLOR CORRECTION WITH Download Learn how to use Hollywood’s most powerful color correction Download and grading solution to create incredible cinematic looks for your own digital film and video! Free! Free! by Daria Fissoun Color Correction with by Daria Fissoun Color Correction with DaVinci Resolve 15 Daria Fissoun Copyright © 2019 by Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd Blackmagic Design www.blackmagicdesign.com To report errors, please send a note to [email protected]. Contributing authors: Jason Druss, Mary Plummer, Dion Scoppettuolo, David Hover Series Editor: Patricia Montesion Editor: Bob Lindstrom Cover Design: Blackmagic Design Notice of Rights All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected]. Notice of Liability Neither the author nor Blackmagic Design shall have any liability to any person or entity for any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book, or by omissions from this book, or by the computer software and hardware products described within it. Trademarks Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Blackmagic Design was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. 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ISBN: 978-1-7327569-3-9 Contents iii Foreword vi Getting Started vii Contents Acknowledgments xi Interface Review xiii Color Page Layout xiii Primaries Wheels xiv Viewer xv Palette Panel xvi Introduction to the Color Panels xvii Part 1: Color Correcting a DaVinci Resolve Timeline 1 1 Balancing Footage 2 Opening a Resolve Archive 3 Setting up Project Backups 4 Maximizing the Dynamic Range 6 Understanding the Grading Workflow 10 Setting Tonal Range and Contrast 12 Balancing Colors 19 Understanding Log Controls and Primaries Wheels 22 Exploring a Color Managed Workflow 29 Lesson Review 34 2 Creating Color Continuity 36 Building a Shot-matching Strategy 37 Organizing Shots Using Flags and Filters 38 Applying Shot Match 42 Matching Shots Using Stills 43 Comparing and Matching Shots Manually 48 Lesson Review 56 3 Correcting and Enhancing Isolated Areas 58 Controlling the Viewer’s Eye 59 Sharpening Key Elements 67 Tracking Obscured Objects 69 iv Fixing Overcast Skies 73 Warping Colors to a Target 81 Enhancing Skin Tones with Face Refinement 85 Adjusting Skin Tones Manually 91 Contents Lesson Review 102 Part 2: Managing Nodes and Grades 104 4 Conforming from an XML Timeline 105 Importing an XML Timeline 106 Syncing an Offline Reference 108 Conforming a Timeline 111 Associating HQ Footage with a Timeline for Online Workflows 116 Lesson Review 119 5 Mastering the Node Pipeline 121 Understanding Node-based Compositing 122 Understanding the Importance of Node Order 123 Creating Separate Processing Pipelines with a Parallel Mixer Node 130 Visualizing Mixer Nodes 132 Compositing Effects with the Layer Mixer Node 137 Lesson Review 157 6 Managing Grades Across Clips and Timelines 159 Working with Local Versions 160 Appending Grades and Nodes 164 Using Shared Nodes Across Multiple Clips 168 Saving Grades for other Projects 171 Copying Timeline Grades using ColorTrace 175 Copying Grades using the Timelines Album 181 Lesson Review 183 Part 3: Optimizing the Grading Workflow 185 7 Adjusting Image Properties 186 Preparing Media using Scene Cut Detection 187 Understanding Timeline Resolutions and Sizing Palette Modes 192 Using Keyframing 203 v Applying Noise Reduction 209 Optimizing Performance with Render Cache 213 Lesson Review 220 Contents 8 Using Groups in the Grading Workflow 222 Creating a Group 223 Applying Base Grades at Pre-clip Group Level 226 Making Clip-specific Adjustments at the Clip Group Level 231 Creating a Unifying Look using the Post-Clip Group Level 240 Applying Timeline Level Grades 247 Lesson Review 252 9 Setting up RAW Projects 254 Adjusting RAW Settings at the Project Level 255 Adjusting RAW Settings at the Clip Level 261 Color Correcting with RAW Through Resolve Color Management 264 Setting up a Render Cache for RAW Media Projects 265 Lesson Review 268 10 Delivering Projects 270 Using Lightbox to Check Timeline Prior to Delivery 271 Understanding the Render Workflow and Presets 275 Creating Custom Renders and Saving Presets 279 Configuring a Timeline for Digital Cinema 280 Rendering a DCP 282 Using Commercial Workflow to Export Versions 285 Exploring Advanced Render Settings 287 Lesson Review 292 Appendix 294 Setting Up and using the Blackmagic Design Mini Panel 294 Using DaVinci Resolve Panels 294 Index 299 About the Author 302 Foreword vi Welcome to Color Correction with DaVinci Resolve 15 I think one of the most exciting things about DaVinci Resolve 15 is that it brings editing, color correction, audio post and now visual effects together in the same software application! Foreword With the addition of the new Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve 15, you get over 250 tools for advanced node based visual effects compositing and motion graphics, along with even better color correction and editing features and a full blown Fairlight digital audio workstation. That means you’ll be able to switch between creative tasks without having to export or translate files between different applications! Best of all, DaVinci Resolve 15 is absolutely free! Plus, we’ve made sure that the free version of DaVinci Resolve actually has more features than any paid editing system. That’s because at Blackmagic Design we believe everybody should have the tools to create professional, Hollywood caliber content without having to spend thousands of dollars. I hope you’ll enjoy using DaVinci Resolve 15 and we can’t wait to see the amazing work you produce! Grant Petty Blackmagic Design Getting Started vii Welcome to Color Correction with DaVinci Resolve 15, an official Blackmagic Design-certified training book that teaches professionals and students how to get the most out of color correction using DaVinci Resolve 15. All you need is a Mac or Windows computer, the free download version of Resolve 15, and a passion to learn about color correction. This guide blends practical, hands-on exercises with the aesthetics of the colorist’s art to help Getting Started you discover new techniques for whatever tasks you take on. You will learn how to use the program’s many grading tools and workflows, and gain an in-depth understanding of advanced techniques and creative industry practices. Some exercises will even take you into the realm of compositing, which is an increasingly requested skill of contemporary colorists. After completing this book, you are encouraged to take the 50-question online proficiency exam to receive a Certificate of Completion from Blackmagic Design. The link to the exam is located at the end of this book. About DaVinci Resolve 15 DaVinci Resolve is the world’s fastest growing and most advanced editing software. It also has a long history of being the world’s most trusted application for color correction. In addition to its world-class color correction toolset, DaVinci Resolve 15 is a professional-level non-linear editing and effects application with a complete set of professional audio editing and mixing tools that enable you to complete projects using only one piece of software! What you will Learn viii In these lessons, you’ll work with multiple projects to learn advanced, practical techniques used in several editing genres. You’ll acquire real-world skills that you can apply to real-world productions. Part I Part I of the book will have you restoring a documentary edit from a Resolve archive file. The three lessons within this section focus on fundamental grading theory and practices. Getting Started You will normalize and balance footage with the primary grading tools in lesson 1, match the shots in the timeline for continuity in lesson 2, and adopt secondary grading workflows in lesson 3. Part II Part II looks at more advanced approaches to the grade node structure in the context of a feature film trailer. In Lesson 4, you will migrate the project to Resolve using an XML file format. In Lesson 5, you will more fully explore the importance of node order and consider incorporating mixer nodes when grading to ensure the optimal color outcome. In lesson 6, you will practice different methods of managing and copying grades, with an eye toward developing efficient, quick workflows. Part III Part III will focus more strongly on the optimization of grading workflows to ensure a quick, accurate grading process and output. In lesson 7, you will look at a variety of methods of controlling the image frame and properties, as well as advanced keyframing, compositing, and noise-reduction techniques. Lesson 8 will incorporate the classic grading workflow into a group-based pipeline that will allow you to grade entire segments of the timeline in one node tree. Lesson 9 will demonstrate the many approaches you could take when starting a grading workflow with RAW media and emphasize its extended grading potential. Finally, lesson 10 will cover project delivery from basic preset setup to custom renders and DCP workflows.