How Pros Get the Film Look

What’s going on everyone! Welcome to another epic tutorial. Today we will be covering how the pros get the film look. We will be doing an overview today on the three main plugins we use: film convert nitrate, look designer, and dehancer. We constantly use these on our professional projects.

        I will be showing you these on four different clips, so you can see how they all work on multiple clips. Here are those clips.

These are all converted to rec.709 and put in a group so that we can add the plugin to one node and see how they all are. Let’s get into it. We are going to start off with Look Designer, which is my personal favorite and the one I find I’m using most often. What you will do is drop it on, and change the input to REC.709 IDT, and the output is REC.709 ODT. Now looking at the first few tabs, it’s very similar to the primary wheels.

Then we move to subtractive color. Basically, if you add cyan to the image, you are subtracting red from the image.

It subtracts colors to change the color. Then you have push and pull which is a method for exposure. I don’t usually use this, but it’s an option. Then you have temperature. This is similar to the temperature slider, but less harsh. Then you have saturation, which again, I don’t use it.

Now we get into the film characteristics. For the negative, you can choose one of these selections.

Then you have different Negative stocks.

When you first apply the negative stock, it may not be very intense, but you can increase that negative intensity in this option.

Then moving to print options, there are many you can choose from. I usually choose 2383.

It’s cool because you can change the intensities and the stock options as well to dial in the look that you like. Then in the post-processing , which allows something similar to a bleach bypass look. So now let’s check out this look we created using this plugin.

Now you’ll notice that this is more of a filmic look, but you’ll have to add grain, glow, and halation to the image once you’re done to complete the film look. This is the cool thing about the plugins, they do most of the grunt work for you. They let you work on the art of it all.

        Now we are going to move into film convert nitrate. When you first drag it on, the input and output are set to rec.709 by default, so you don’t have to do anything there. This will be generally a bit simpler as a plugin.

You can first see that you can choose your camera profile and that will make those adjustments underneath a bit more pleasing and pretty. Then you have the film settings, which give you a few different options of film stocks. Then you can mess with the grain settings in the image.

Then you have the levels. I don’t mess with this at all, but it's theoretically another way to mess with lift, gamma, and gain. These changes tend to be a bit more harsh, which is why I don’t use them.

Now let’s check these looks out.

        Now we are going to move to Dehancer. This one is super powerful, so much so that it can slow down your machine. Dehancer also uses rec.709 by default, but you can choose different inputs.

Then below that you can see the temperature and tint and defringe. Again I’m not messing with those in this plugin, but they are there. Then you have the film stock you can choose. They offer a lot of different ones you can use. I prefer Agfa, but there are many options. Then you have the push and pull underneath. Under that is the expand which is the black and white point.

Then moving to the print tab, this is where you will use the positive print LUT. There aren’t a whole lot of choices, but hopefully in the full version there will be more. Then underneath the target white, is sort of like the white balance. It can warm or cool the image. The exposure does exactly that. It raises or lowers exposure. Then you have tonal contrast, which helps with the contrast. Then color density helps make the skin tones better.

Then we have the color head which is similar to that subtractive color model from Look Designer.

Then you have halation. If you enable mask mode, you can use that to adjust parameters and dial in the halation.

Then you have bloom, which helps add that bloom to the highlights.

Then you have a vignette tab which does what it says. Then you have the film breath which is a very useful tool. Basically what it does is flickers the exposure of the grain, giving it more of a real film quality. And then you have gate weave, which is going to shift the film up and down, giving it that more realistic look where it’s being run through a scanner. This just allows you to add more authentic film characteristics.

Lastly you have false color and output. This output is basically a global opacity. Now let’s check these looks out.

        Now let’s look at a four up to see the difference in characteristics.

You can tell that the Look Designer is more of a look changer. You can see the look characteristics of film, but without the film grain itself. Then moving to the bottom left with film convert, you can start to see more glow and grain. Then you have the final in the bottom right with Dehancer. That covers all the bases of film looks. These tools all offer many options and ways to do things, you just need to pick the one that suits your needs the best.

        Now quickly before we end the video I want to use the built in Resolve Film Luts to show you the difference. In our CST, we will change the output gamma to cineon film log. Then we are going to add a new node and right click and apply the film lut Kodak 2383 D60.

Now with this one, it is a free way of getting a film look. That’s the benefit to this. The downside is that there is a lot less customization being used here. That’s why the plugins are so great.

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