T2i Color Correcting

I must be missing something...

The image on the left has greens that are pretty true, the sky looks good, skin tone is not bad. Looks fine.

Then, you "color corrected" it to look like a red/yellow sunset wash.

And then you ask us what you are doing wrong?

How should we know? What were you TRYING to do? What was the goal? What did you do to try and reach that goal? There's no way for anyone to tell you what you did wrong when we have no idea what you wanted, and no idea how you got there.
 
PerroneFord said:
I must be missing something...

The image on the left has greens that are pretty true, the sky looks good, skin tone is not bad. Looks fine.

Then, you "color corrected" it to look like a red/yellow sunset wash.

And then you ask us what you are doing wrong?

How should we know? What were you TRYING to do? What was the goal? What did you do to try and reach that goal? There's no way for anyone to tell you what you did wrong when we have no idea what you wanted, and no idea how you got there.
Click to expand...

I was just trying to do something creative. A filmish look type of thing? I know I probably failed but this is off the subject; I just ran across this video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7NJfuVk9hY - Any ideas how they color corrected this? Or what camera gives off this look...
 
Ok,

Couple things:

1. When you say "color correct" that typically indicates you are trying to get your colors to look like they do in REAL LIFE.
2. The term you are looking for is called "color grading" where you stylize the colors or do something that was not there in real life.
3. I looked at the video you linked. But it is not possible for us to read your mind. Can you perhaps give us some clue what "look" it has that you like? Some possible things you could say:

The skin tones are more/less pink than normal
The colors are more muted/saturated than real life
The blues look more green than real life.

Basically give us some idea what YOU are seeing with your eyes that you want to copy. I won't even say what I saw looking at that video! :)
 
PerroneFord said:
Ok,

Couple things:

1. When you say "color correct" that typically indicates you are trying to get your colors to look like they do in REAL LIFE.
2. The term you are looking for is called "color grading" where you stylize the colors or do something that was not there in real life.
3. I looked at the video you linked. But it is not possible for us to read your mind. Can you perhaps give us some clue what "look" it has that you like? Some possible things you could say:

The skin tones are more/less pink than normal
The colors are more muted/saturated than real life
The blues look more green than real life.

Basically give us some idea what YOU are seeing with your eyes that you want to copy. I won't even say what I saw looking at that video! :)
Click to expand...

okay yeah my bad I did mean "color grading" Was going for a filmish look. The video I am looking it I just liked the colors overall, I think I am aiming for the skin tones, the character really sticks out. I wish I could grade like that in that video. I think it was filmed with a 5D or 7D.
 
Learning to grade is a skill that takes time, and a lot of care. And the 5D/7D aren't really the best cameras to use when you want to do a bunch of grading. One of the most popular tools for grading is Magic Bullet Looks. You should check into that. It's a great program, and there are some great tutorials there and on youtube that will teach you a lot about color grading. That's somewhat a specialty of mine that I've spent the last 4 years or so really learning.
 
PerroneFord said:
Learning to grade is a skill that takes time, and a lot of care. And the 5D/7D aren't really the best cameras to use when you want to do a bunch of grading. One of the most popular tools for grading is Magic Bullet Looks. You should check into that. It's a great program, and there are some great tutorials there and on youtube that will teach you a lot about color grading. That's somewhat a specialty of mine that I've spent the last 4 years or so really learning.
Click to expand...


How much does Magic Bullet Looks cost? Does it intergrade into Final Cut Pro? I think thats what the editor used for that video. I shot with a Canon T2i and I am sure you can make some nice color grades with that camrea, right?
 
Look here:

http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/magic-bullet-looks/

Yes, it will integrate into FCP (and other leading NLEs).

As you learn more, you'll come to understand why the T2i and cameras like it, produce some of the worst footage to color grade. This is not to say you can't do things with it, because you can. But it's somewhat fragile to work with in comparison to more professional cameras. I have a T2i also, and I have to be really, really careful how far I try to push things with it.
 
PerroneFord said:
Look here:

http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/magic-bullet-looks/

Yes, it will integrate into FCP (and other leading NLEs).

As you learn more, you'll come to understand why the T2i and cameras like it, produce some of the worst footage to color grade. This is not to say you can't do things with it, because you can. But it's somewhat fragile to work with in comparison to more professional cameras. I have a T2i also, and I have to be really, really careful how far I try to push things with it.
Click to expand...

I see. I might buy that software. Do you have any sample work you have done you can show me?
 
also Brandon its not all about grading. Set design and wardrobe and choosing the right colours help alot. Heres a very helpful tutorial you can use to grade with the built in tools in your NLE http://vimeo.com/5298634 .
Magic bullet is good and all but there are many things you can achieve with what u already have. U just need to learn...and practise.
 
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Thanks for the link to your samples Perrone. I really like what you did with the two cityscapes. While I understand why DSLR footage can't hold up to higher levels of grading, I'm wondering if you have or can point to some examples of this kind of footage being pushed to far, and how it falls apart.
 
jambredz said:
also Brandon its not all about grading. Set design and wardrobe and choosing the right colours help alot. Heres a very helpful tutorial you can use to grade with the built in tools in your NLE http://vimeo.com/5298634 .
Magic bullet is good and all but there are many things you can achieve with what u already have. U just need to learn...and practise.
Click to expand...

Is CS5 a better program to grade with then final cut pro? I have both. I do not have the Red Giant Software... My main focus is to get my videos a better color grade from 3point color corrector in Final Cut Pro or Apple Color. I really like the look of the video I posted. If I could fix that look I would be content. but thanks for everyones help and advice!
 
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