Color grading.

D

DEZENxx

New member
Please help me!
How to get this color, this skin tone? This video was done with a Canon 7D. This are frames on the video.
Color 1.jpgColor 2.jpgColor 3.jpg

this is my video and I want to do this picture similar color grading. as in the above pictures to be able to see where I'm wrong. I know it will a different environment and the makeup is very important. I've tried everything and nothing is impossible to get such a blue color and skin tone.
MVI_2098_00000.jpgMVI_2082_00000.jpg
Thanks in advance
 
Basically it's color correction while keeping the skin tones. It's pretty common. Google around for Color Correction and Skin tones.

edit:// I don't have a direct example handy but this might point you in the right direction. (Not the best but is generally informative.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcfWvRY3uTc
 
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I am actually just learning the finer points of color correction myself. Here are some video tutorials that I found helpful.

This is from Steve Hullfish, it is a great introduction to color grading.

[video]https://vimeo.com/album/244407/video/55139561[/video]

I just got his book and it is helping me a great deal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240809904/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00

Here are some more tutorials. They are Apple Color specific, but the basics should be applicable across most CC software.

[video]https://vimeo.com/album/244407/video/1056932[/video]

[video]https://vimeo.com/album/244407/video/1068677[/video]

[video]https://vimeo.com/album/244407/video/777939[/video]

I hope those help in regards to color grading.

When looking at the differences in the two set of pics posted above, there is a lot more involved than just the post color grade. A big thing is the lighting. The pics in the first set were lit mostly by skylight and the second set of pics is mostly lit by sunlight. The sunlight in the shoots appears to be from either an early morning or a late afternoon sun which is usually very warm light and the direct sunlight is relatively hard light. The skylight in the first pics is very much cooler (More blue). Also, the skylight is much more diffuse or more soft. Now, I do not rule out that the shots of the model had more than a good bet of good ol' light modification work, supplemental light, reflectors, diffusing silks and the like. Still, the variation in natural light during a day and during the year is amazing. I would be willing to bet that if the second sets of pics had been taken at the same place an hour or an hour and a quarter latter the look would be very different.
 
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BTW, as far as the aerial view in the first set of pics, this shot was taken with relatively flat mid-day light and the foreground is lit with a combination of skylight and direct daylight. As the view fades off into the distance, the blue color is most likely due to atmospheric haze that is scattering skylight. I am not saying that there is not a color grade there, but I think the environmental elements gave a great starting point to work with.
 
Ahhh, the famous "teal and orange" look. It was used so much a few years ago that it sort of became a cliche - Transformers 2, Terminator: Salvation, and The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, etc. A bit of googling for 'teal and orange coloring' will yield a bunch of tutorials. One example <http://vimeo.com/56587479> on Vimeo was based on Stu Maschwitz' tutorial <http://vimeo.com/5298835>

There's also one on RedGiant at <redgiantsoftware.com/videos/redgianttv/item/23>


Jim
Colorburst Video
 
I totally agree with you, the sun is bright and sharp that the recording time is very important. He was at various recording when it comes to music videos, and I know that some sequences filmed in the sun. Only the sun is the source of light, nothing else. Here is an example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTXLZK_td_0

I had a chance to look at the master clips that failed post-production, and they also look like mine. Do not have the look of film, looks like a snapshot of the news. How did he get this softness of the film? I tried all the picture stjle but again that's not it

Thank you for their advice and links.
 
1. Has anybody here heard of MASKING?? I mean seriously?? track and mask the face or use a qualifier to key out the skin tones. Jezzz.
2. Blur or soften the skin tones.

That's it.

Now for this particular shot (the first two) maybe just maybe there wasn't any keying involved - I see that there aren't almost any shadows on the skin tones. This makes the grading a lot easier because when you push the lows towards blue the skin tones that are in the mids won't get affected that much. But on a second look I see that the cars seats (that are basically almost the same colour as her skin tones and were probably lit the same as here face, atleast the seat she's seating on) are affected by the grade whilst her skin tones aren't. This drives me to believe that here skin tones were masked out (not keyed but masked, as creating a key in the car scene would be IMHO very hard because the seats are almost the same colour as her skin tones). Also the guy in the back is blue.

What is particular about this shot? :
1. The skin tones are totally uniformly lit, Totally flat.
2. They are very soft. Baby like.
3. There is absolutely no discolouration on the skin tones. The colour is uniform.

Firstly achieve the 3 point above, then grade, either with the "push-pull" technique or use a qualifier to grade out the skin tones OR mask out her face. Then smooth out the skin tones (this can be done in a multitude of ways...).
 
KINOKS said:
Or maybe a combination of masking and keying was used...
Click to expand...
I was going to say, keying is a big secret to getting these kinds of looks. I've just started using them myself in Colorista II. I isolate the skintones on the secondary keyer, duplicate the effect, and invert the skintones. Seems to work pretty well.
 
DEZENxx said:
I totally agree with you, the sun is bright and sharp that the recording time is very important. He was at various recording when it comes to music videos, and I know that some sequences filmed in the sun. Only the sun is the source of light, nothing else. Here is an example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTXLZK_td_0

I had a chance to look at the master clips that failed post-production, and they also look like mine. Do not have the look of film, looks like a snapshot of the news. How did he get this softness of the film? I tried all the picture stjle but again that's not it

Thank you for their advice and links.
Click to expand...

In reference to your music video, I think the more experienced color graders here can give you some tips about what to do with the footage in post.

As for shooting the footage, I do have a few thoughts. I noticed that a lot of your footage is shot against a white hot mid day sky. That is tough, and I think we can agree that this sometimes doesn't look very good. The best looking light during daylight, IMHO, is in the early morning or in late evening. The light during mid day is, generally speaking, pretty flat, bland and crappy. Of course everything does not have to be shot at dawn, dusk or the proverbial "Magic Hour", but if you want to make good looking daylight shots low budget you really need to know when the daylight where you want to shoot looks the best to you and is appropriate for the images you want and then organize you production logistics to take advantage of that natural light. The secret is to set up your "Money Shots", establishing shots and wide shots when the light is "Perfect" and then go into you medium shots and close ups and use the light modification resources that you have, reflectors, supplemental lights, diffusers, negative fill and what not, to make the closer in shots match the money shot(s). The tighter in you get, the less stuff you need to modify the light.

Here are some posts from Shane Hurlbut's blog where he talks about dealing with natural light in the big leagues:

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2010/12/lighting-series-number-3-the-natural-look-of-crazybeautiful/

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2011/01/lighting-series-number-4-extending-dawn-on-the-practice-field-in-%E2%80%9Cdrumline%E2%80%9D/

http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2011/02/lighting-series-number-4-into-the-blue-sunset-for-hours/
 
Yes, all the frame grabs that the OP provided have compositions that go really nice together with the grade. There are lot's of blue or grey objects that don't have a problem in becoming blue-ish. The OP's own frame grabs have nothing of that sort going for them. Actually they are really working against his goal! The first being a shot of nature + having lot's of natural colours, the second frame is composed pretty much of the same colour - skin tone colour!:)

I you want a specific kind of look for your stuff you definitely have to work for it before post-production. You have to plan it: art design has a big role here.
 
Those first 2 shots are so beautiful.
I hate grading, it's so boring and time consuming.
 
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