Color Grading Using Curves
In this tutorial, we are going through how to bring a LOG image to rec.709 using our curves. The clip we are using was shot on the C200 Mark II.
Start by creating three nodes. The first node is for noise reduction. The second node is where we will be creating our adjustments. The third node will be for our power windows (i.e. our vignette).
There are many ways to use curves to get the desired look. However, always talk to your client first. Figure out what they want so that everyone is on the same page. The first way is to use points and create the “S” curve. Bring up the highlights so that nothing is blown out, but is sitting perfect. Use the shadows dot to bring down the shadows/darks to create the desired contrast necessary. The general shape should look like the picture.
The next step is to add saturation. As always, crank it all the way to the max! Then dial it back to the desired level.
The next approach is my preferred method. Create another version and reset the grade (keep the same three nodes). Start by clicking the three dots and selecting “editable splines.”
Once you have that selected, move the highlights up until they are at the desired result, and bring down the shadows and midtones to get the right contrast needed for the job you are working on.
Next, crank that saturation to 100 and dial it back until the saturation is looking good. After that copy the noise reduction and windows from the primary video to keep the consistency.
Quick tip, if the video that you are working on is going to be delivered to the web, exaggerate the contrast and saturation. Web delivery always waters it down a bit. So offset that in the edit.
Now that we have done both primaries and curves, let’s compare the two and see which one we like better.
My personal preference is the primaries grade. The highlights look more natural. When I am not using a conversion LUT, I use the primaries. If I get a job where I don’t know what camera was used, I will use the primaries to do the base grade so I am not dropping on a LUT and praying that it works.
To recap, in this video I showed you two methods for using curves to grade a LOG image. One using points to create an S curve and the other using editable splines to do the same. Play around with these methods and see which you like best. But remember, adding too many points can over-complicate things and end up breaking your image.
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