T2i Graded In Apple Color. What Do You Think?

A bit overexposed. The T2i meters hot, so take what the camera says is right and pull it back a stop.
 
I think the battleship itself looks great. The rest does seem a little hot--maybe apply a mask?

Also, does anyone feel like there's a bit of noise in the ship's hull?

Sorry if this is coming across overly judgemental--I'm also a beginner working on my grading "skills".
 
dajavudesigns said:
that and the colors are kinda "dull" lol
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Well we appreciate constructive criticism here.

Brandon has come seeking advice. I dont think that comment adds anything.

Brandon, I think first you need to take a step back and ask yourself what your trying to portray when you shoot something like this - think of words like (its a naval vessel) so, I want to show power or grandeur of size or etc etc. As it is those fast pans, dont let us see much. Those thoughts also really help when you colour grade.

Shooting and grading all should serve the purpose of what you are trying to show. Remember we only see whats in front of us, not any thought behind it.
 
brandondull said:
okay then "how do I make it not look so blown out"
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The first step is proper exposure when you shoot. As I said earlier, the T2i tends to meter a bit too hot, so take what the camera's meter says is right and close down a stop. If you blow out your highlights in production, you've lost all that detail and cannot restore it in post. If you blow out your highlights in post, you can always back up and start from the source footage.

Another important piece is your picture style. Read up on what picture styles can do, and use them to your advantage. Some folks shoot SuperFlat, and some absolutely hate that one. Others shoot a variation of Neutral, which has sharpness at 0, Contrast at -4, and Saturation at -2. Both are designed to maximize dynamic range, which gives you more control over contrast in color correction by adjusting blacks and whites.

When you move from the edit to the color treatment, start with color correction. This is the process of getting colors where they should be and restoring a more natural look. Learn to read your waveform monitor and vectorscope as they will tell you where to go. Get your flesh tones (if applicable) as close to the flesh line as possible. Make sure that your whites are not above 100 IRE (top line on the waveform monitor) and that blacks are close to 0 (assuming you want decent contrast). If any colors are oversaturated (past their target boxes on the vectorscope), pull them back.

Once you're color corrected, then you can go into color grading if you so choose. Grading is different from correcting, as it is meant to add a "look" or a "feel" to the footage by using diffusion, saturation, mattes, color grads, vignettes, etc.

Also remember that your computer screen is lying to you when you view the video within your NLE. It's only there so you can see which frame you're cutting and make sure that your spelling is correct on lower 3rds. If you really want to see your footage is it actually is, you need to send the video out to a broadcast production monitor that has been properly calibrated.
 
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brandondull said:
what settings do I use on my Canon T2i to shoot outside for good exposure?
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Well, proper white balance and the right balance of aperture and shutter speed, for starters. Don't forget to choose the right ISO for the setting, too. There's no magic formula. It all depends on how much light you have available, what kind of light it is, what kind of DOF the shot requires...
 
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