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Matthew Falconer

Behind the Blackmagic

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Behind the Blackmagic

Color grading still enjoys an odd, almost mystical status among some filmmakers, but what if I told you that you can do it with software that you can get for free?  Well, there's no magic (Blackmagic doesn't count) here, just hard graft and know-how.  This course will take you from a standing start, right the way through to high-end and professional color grading using the excellent post-production solution; Da Vinci Resolve.  The training material I'm providing comes from real-world projects where I was paid to provide my labor.  I'm going to take you through how I approached each one of these projects to achieve professional results.

On this course, you will learn:

  • The full Da Vinci Resolve workflow, from receiving a project right through to final delivery

  • Primary grading tools which work on the entire image

  • Secondary grading tools which allow you to make highly accurate corrections to your image

  • Keying, tracking and rotoscoping in the color panel

  • The parallel and layer mixer nodes, and when to use them

  • Best practices for large and complex projects

  • Tips and tricks to deal with challenging footage

  • Da Vinci Resolve color management, including LUTs and camera RAW decoding

  • Da Vinci Resolve's OpenFX plugins, including the Beauty and film grain plugins

  • How to make your footage sing and deliver a project professionally, every time

  • And much, much more.

I'm now a Blackmagic Design certified trainer in Da Vinci Resolve, and I've been color grading professionally for over nine years.  In that time I've produced work for brands such as Unilever, Greggs Bakery, TNT Logistics, Joules (a UK clothing line), the NHS, the BBC and Virgin Airlines.  It doesn't stop there, either.  I've delivered drama and factual work for broadcast and web, as well as feature films for international distribution. 

Missing a mentor?

I'm bringing the benefit of my experience to this course because I know what it's like to have no-one to teach you.  When I started to grade on my film course back in university, there were no tutors who could teach me to grade at all.  I wound up spending long nights in the grading suite (some winter days I actually missed the sun completely) teaching myself to use Resolve from scratch.  It paid off as I wound up delivering grading work for the BBC wildlife unit, on the project that became Life Stories, whilst still studying at university.   But why was it like that?  I still believe I'd be a lot better now if I'd had the right training earlier, all the harder to iron out bad habits when there's no-one around to call you out.

So this course is my attempt to provide that support and that training to as many people as possible, all for the price of a pizza (a heavily discounted pizza if it's a large one).  If you want to learn how to finish your film projects to a higher standard, then come along as we cover Da Vinci Resolve in Depth in this course.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • You will be able to take a grading project from start to finish and deliver to a professional standard
  • You will be able to guide others through the color grading worklfow
  • You will develop a sense of style and be able to examine other films to inform your own practice.
  • You will be able to confidently continue to develop your skills as a colorist.

Syllabus

This section covers a basic overview of the content of this course

An intro to this course, a quick overview of where I've come from and where we're going.

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A very quick overview of what we're going to be covering and the content in the course so far.

DNX CODECS DOWNLOAD LINK [DO NOT SKIP]
Internal Databases
You will be able to bring an edit into Da Vinci Resolve from Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, proof check it and proceed to the grade

What is a "conform?"  It's how we take an edit from our choice of NLE (editing program) and take it into resolve with all the editing decisions made intact.  We can then grade that timeline and return that to our client.

Here we take a closer look at the Media Panel.  This is where we manage our project's media files, import our material and generally keep things organized to ensure a smooth grading workflow.

A quick overview of the edit panel within Da Vinci Resolve, we're going to be taking our projects into this before we start grading.

Here, we go into how to investigate the important attributes of our footage, we need to know what we're dealing with and where to find that information!

A quick look at the master project settings within resolve.  It's important that we know where these controls are, but we'll go over these in detail as they become important to real-world projects.

BAKED MASTER FILE DOWNLOAD LINK

This is our first real look at the workings of resolve.  we're going to take a "Baked Master" File, which is a single video file containing our whole edit, and cut it back up into workable cuts within Resolve using the scene cut detector utility.  This is the simplest way to get a project into resolve and a real bread-and-butter workflow for anyone working on shorts or corporate video that has been shot on the likes of an ARRI Alexa/Amira, a Sony FS7/700 or any DSLR.

XML DEMO PROJECT DOWNLOAD LINK

The first step of a slightly involved process.  We're going to bring a timeline into Resolve, intact and still referencing the original rush files our editors worked with.  This is the essential Workflow for anything captured in any RAW format or any high-end project as well as longer form projects such a serial-length or feature films.  Here we take a look at the first step, and the first step is always organization, follow along with the Premiere pro project file provided.

Now we've got the pre-grade out of the way, we're going to prepare our project and bring the footage into resolve.  We'll go over how to lead resolve to footage that has moved, this is an essential step if the project has migrated workstations.

Now we're going to go through the edit we've brought into Resolve and proof-check it using the offline reference file we made during the first lecture on the XML roundtrip.  We need to be totally sure that what we've got is correct here as we have to send the footage back to our client at the end of the process!

AAF DEMO PROJECT DOWNLOAD LINK
The AAF Part one: Generating the AAF
The AAF Part 2: Reconforming in Resolve
You will be able to read your images accurately using Da vinci's built-in scopes
MODULE 4, 5 AND 6 ASSET DOWNLOAD LINK

We're going to be spending most of our time here so we'd better get well acquainted with the color panel!  We'll have a quick skim through the layout first and then move on to our scopes.

The Scopes Part 1: Luma Waveform
The Scopes Part 2: RGB and Parade
The Scopes Part 3: Vectorscope
You will be able to accurately adjust your images using Da vinci Resolve's Primary grading tools

A quick overview of what a primary grade actually is.  An adjustment that effects the entire image.

The primary wheels are our most basic and important tools in Resolve.  We go through how to make adjustments to the brightness of our image using these simple yet powerful tools.

Now we're going to move on to fixing a color cast in our image using the primary wheels.  This, along with our initial contrast adjustment, is the most common task in Color grading.  Time to get started!

Now onto the RGB curves.  These straddle the line between primary and secondary as they can be used to target parts of our tonal range, but also the entire image at once.  We'll take a look at how they work and how I like to use them.

Now for something with a little more finesse.  We can control our color channels very tightly with the right use of the RGB curves and make some very accurate adjustments.  We'll take a look in this lecture.

The Log Wheels are a very accurate tool that allow us to manually define our area of effect.  We'll take a look at how the differ from the Primary Wheels and when we might use them instead.

Primary Grade Pt 6: Stills Gallery

Now we're going to take a look at Nodes, the building blocks of a grade in Resolve.  We're going to see how we combine multiple adjustments to form a simple grade and how we keep our work organized so that we can revise our grade efficiently later on.

Primary Grading Pt7: Auto Colour

Now to put it all into practice, follow along as we tackle a short dialogue scene head on and make sure we get it into a good place for the secondary grade!

You will be able to make acurate qualifications (selections) using Da Vinci Resolve's HSL keyer and make targeted adjustments using other secondary grading tools

A quick look at secondary grading tools.  Here' we'll start to see how we'll select or "qualify" parts of our image to work on and make highly targeted adjustments to our image.

The Scopes Part 4: Histograms
The Secondary Curves Pt1 :The Attribute curves
The Secondary Curves Pt 2: Sat and Luma
The colour warper basics

Arguably the most powerful tool in Resolve.  We're going to take a look at this tool and how it's used.  We'll be coming back to the HSL Qualifier over and over again whilst performing advanced grades.

Power windows allow us to draw tow-dimensional shapes onto our image that we can then work inside of or outside of.  this is a very powerful feature when combined with tracking and keyframing, which are covered later lectures.

We've got a shape, now we're going to make it move!  We can track windows to significant features on our image and make them follow along.  this is very useful for faces in particular.  we'll also go over how to manually keyframe a power window and use manual keyframing to fix a partially correct track.

Keyframing and Fixing a Track

Alpha is a fourth channel that governs transparency, whether or not we can actually see a part of our image.   In the context of resolve it allows us to combine qualifications to make highly accurate adjustments to our image, we're going to look at how to do this in this lecture.

The Node Tree Pt 3: Copying nodes

Here's the first bit of real work.  We've done a simple primary grade but now we've got to finish the job and get this sequence into top shape.  We'll use everything we've learned to grade this sequence to a professional standard.  Download the demo file from the Dropbox link and follow along!

You will have a working understanding of bit-depth, compression and codecs and their practical impact on the grade

A quick look at what we'll be covering in this module.  This is super-important stuff, so be sure to take note!

A look at what we need to know about codecs to deliver a simple project for web.

An all-important concept in both color grading and VFX.  Bit depth denotes the number of colors we have to work with n our footage.  why does that matter?  You're about to find out.

A quick look at compression and the effect it has on our footage.  We don't want our footage to be mangled before it even reaches us, this is important stuff to know and to pass on as we work with less experienced clients.

You will be able to finish a project and deliver it to a client for publishing online

Now we're going to look at how to deliver a project for upload to the web.  We'll start with an overview of the delivery panel, then we'll go through how to get our graded project back to our client in either a single piece or as a new timeline and an XML to finish up our roundtrip.

We're going to look at the different settings available to use when we render out a project from Resolve.  This is super-important, we need to be sure we're sending the right stuff back to our client or we haven;t done the job!

We're going to look at how to render out multiple timelines from a single project.  Useful for when we'e got a series of shorter videos cut form a common pool of rushes or when you've got a single contract with multiple separate videos that can all be exported in rapid succession.

We're at the last hurdle.  We're going to get a graded timeline back into our choice of NLE in it's separate edits ready for the online edit and final export.

The AAF Part 3: Reconforming in Avid
You will go through all the stages of a grade for a simple, but professional, corporate video project. By this point you will be bale to take on short grading jobs of your own.
MODULE 9 ASSET DOWNLOAD LINK
A workaround for crossfades in the Baked Master workflow

We're now on to our first real-world project.  But before we rush in, there's some thought about the grade we're going to perform.  how do we start this creative process?  Continue to find out.

We're going to move onto the first phase of a real grade.  We're going to develop a number of looks that our client can feedback on and then we're going to progress with the chosen look.  We'll take a look at how to find inspiration and what we might consider when looking through our project and deciding on the direction of a grade.

With the look chosen by our client we'll now go onto the first pass of our grade.  We'll use everything we've learned to get a rough approximation of our chosen look on the whole timeline and we'll think about how far to go before presenting the project for feedback.  Then we'll prepare to continue with the second pass.

Keeping track of our grade

Now we're onto the second pass.  We've got feedback from our client and we're now getting the project close to a deliverable state.  We're going to match our shots more closely and sign off on each one as we work.  We'll then prepare for final feedback and the final, third pass.

We're right at the finish line!  We'll polish off the last few lingering issues with our project and then get it ready for delivery back to the client who will take care of the online edit and final export for their delivery to their choice of web platform.

You will have a working understanding of how to generate and apply LUTs using Da Vinci Resolve
An introduction to Lookup Tables
Where to Apply and generate LUTs
1D and 3D LUTs
The Magic mask: Basics
This project sees us grading a music video from start to finish. There will be intensive use of the HSL keyer, making this a great practice project.
MODULE 11 ASSET DOWNLOAD LINK
The conform
look development
The First Pass: Exterior Scenes
The First pass: Interior Scene
The Second pass
The Final Pass
Module 12: Intermediate node Tree and more magic masks
Parallel nodes, advanced organisation
Parallel Nodes, overlapping
Layer Nodes, overlapping and alpha
Layer Nodes, blend modes
Shared Nodes
The Render Cache, the basics
The Magic Mask: Advanced
Module 13: The Feature Film Scene
MODULE 13 ASSET DOWNLOAD LINK
The Conform; A Problematic XML
Contrast Conventions
Raw vs. Footage
A Working Introduction to R3D
Look development
The First Pass
The Second Pass

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Teaches grading with the free software Da Vinci Resolve, which is standard in industry
Taught by Matthew Falconer, who is recognized for their work in color grading
Suitable for beginners as it develops skills from the ground up
Taught by instructor with real-world experience in color grading for brands like Nike and Mercedes
Courses includes hands-on labs and interactive material
Develops skills in working with challenging footage
Covers some advanced use cases like keying, tracking, and rotoscoping in color panel

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Reviews summary

Helpful intro to ui tools

According to students, this course familiarizes learners with the tools and user interface of DaVinci Resolve. Learners say that this is helpful before importing projects from other video editing software.
Introduces DaVinci Resolve's tools and user interface.
"So far, the course is familiarizing me with the tools and UI of Davinci which is helpful before importing my Premiere projects."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Color Grading with Da Vinci Resolve: Beginner to Advanced with these activities:
Organize and review course materials
Organising and reviewing your course materials will help you synthesise and retain information, and ensure you're prepared for the course.
Browse courses on Review
Show steps
  • Gather all of your course materials, including notes, handouts, and assignments.
  • Organise your materials into a system that makes sense to you.
  • Review your materials regularly to reinforce your learning.
Read the book "Color Correction Handbook" by Alexis Van Hurkman
This book provides a comprehensive overview of color correction theory and techniques, which will complement your learning in this course.
Show steps
  • Read the book thoroughly and take notes on the key concepts.
  • Apply the techniques you have learned to your own color grading projects.
Attend a color grading workshop
Attending a workshop can provide you with hands-on experience and allow you to learn from experts in the field.
Browse courses on Color Grading
Show steps
  • Research and find a color grading workshop that is relevant to your interests.
  • Sign up for the workshop and attend all of the sessions.
  • Take notes and practice the techniques that you learn.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Start a personal color grading project
Working on a personal project will allow you to apply your skills to a real-world scenario and build your portfolio.
Browse courses on Color Grading
Show steps
  • Decide on a concept for your project.
  • Shoot the footage for your project.
  • Color grade the footage using the techniques you have learned.
  • Export the graded footage as a video file.
Practice manipulating curves and nodes in DaVinci Resolve
Practice is essential to become proficient in using DaVinci Resolve's grading tools, and these repetitive exercises will help you reinforce your understanding and develop your skills.
Browse courses on Davinci Resolve
Show steps
  • Import footage into DaVinci Resolve and create a new project.
  • Use the Curves tool to adjust the contrast, brightness, and color balance of the footage.
  • Use the Nodes tool to create a color grade and apply it to the footage.
  • Export the graded footage as a video file.
Watch tutorials on advanced color grading techniques
Watching tutorials can help you learn new color grading techniques and expand your knowledge of DaVinci Resolve's capabilities.
Show steps
  • Search for tutorials on advanced color grading techniques on websites like YouTube and Vimeo.
  • Watch the tutorials and take notes on the techniques that are demonstrated.
  • Practice the techniques on your own footage.
Create a blog post or video tutorial on a color grading topic
Creating content will help you solidify your understanding of color grading and share your knowledge with others.
Browse courses on Color Grading
Show steps
  • Choose a topic that you are knowledgeable about.
  • Write a blog post or create a video tutorial on the topic.
  • Share your content with others.
Create a color-graded short film
Creating a short film will allow you to apply your color grading skills to a real-world project and experience the entire post-production process.
Browse courses on Color Grading
Show steps
  • Write a script and shoot a short film.
  • Import the footage into DaVinci Resolve and create a new project.
  • Color grade the footage using the techniques you have learned.
  • Export the graded footage as a video file.

Career center

Learners who complete Color Grading with Da Vinci Resolve: Beginner to Advanced will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Colorist
Colorists are specialized technicians who perform color grading on film and video footage. This course can help you become a Colorist by providing you with the skills and knowledge you need to correct colors and achieve the desired look and feel for your projects.
Motion Graphics Artist
Motion Graphics Artists create digital graphics and animations for a variety of applications, including film, television, and advertising. This course can help you become a Motion Graphics Artist by teaching you about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital graphics.
Film and Video Editor
Film and Video Editors perform similar tasks to Video Editors, however, their focus is specifically on film and video footage. This course can provide Film and Video Editors with a strong foundation in color grading and help them advance their careers by learning how to produce professional-quality results.
Video Editor
Video Editors go through the raw footage from a film or video project, cut it together, and add special effects and music to create the final product. This course helps you become a Video Editor by teaching you the fundamentals of color grading, which is the process of correcting color in digital images to achieve the desired look and feel. This is an essential skill for Video Editors, as it can greatly improve the quality of their work.
Digital Imaging Technician
Digital Imaging Technicians work on the technical side of capturing and processing moving images. This course can help you become a Digital Imaging Technician by teaching you about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for color grading.
Visual Effects Artist
Visual Effects Artists create digital effects for film, television, and other media. This course may be useful for Visual Effects Artists who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital effects.
Production Designer
Production Designers are responsible for the overall look and feel of a film or video production. This course may be useful for Production Designers who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.
Lighting Designer
Lighting Designers create the lighting for film, television, and other media. This course may be useful for Lighting Designers who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.
Set Designer
Set Designers create the physical environment for film, television, and other media productions. This course may be useful for Set Designers who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.
Broadcast Technician
Broadcast Technicians operate and maintain equipment used in the broadcasting industry. This course may be useful for Broadcast Technicians who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for processing and broadcasting video content.
Costume Designer
Costume Designers create the costumes for film, television, and other media productions. This course may be useful for Costume Designers who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.
Director of Photography
Directors of Photography are responsible for the visual aspects of film and video productions. This course may be useful for Directors of Photography who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for capturing and processing digital images.
Makeup Artist
Makeup Artists create the make-up looks for film, television, and other media productions. This course may be useful for Makeup Artists who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.
Video Producer
Video Producers oversee the creation of video content, from pre-production to final delivery. This course may be useful for Video Producers who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for producing professional-quality videos.
Art Director
Art Directors oversee the visual aspects of a production, including the design and execution of the color scheme. This course may be useful for Art Directors who are interested in learning more about color grading and how to use DaVinci Resolve, which is a powerful software tool used for creating and manipulating digital images.

Reading list

We've selected seven books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Color Grading with Da Vinci Resolve: Beginner to Advanced.
Offers insights into the creative and technical aspects of color grading. It provides practical guidance on how to use color to convey emotions, create visual impact, and enhance the storytelling process.
Provides a comprehensive understanding of lighting techniques for film and video production. It covers topics such as lighting design, camera placement, and the use of different lighting equipment. It valuable resource for those who want to improve their lighting skills and create visually stunning images.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the technical aspects of digital cinematography. It covers topics such as camera technology, sensor types, and image processing. It valuable resource for those who want to understand the technical foundations of digital cinematography.
Comprehensive guide to digital color correction and grading. It covers the basics of color theory, color grading tools, and advanced techniques for achieving professional-level results.
Provides a comprehensive overview of color theory for cinematographers. It covers topics such as the color wheel, color harmony, and the use of color in cinematography. It valuable resource for those who want to understand the fundamentals of color theory and apply it to their cinematography.
Provides a comprehensive guide to the art and techniques of cinematography. It covers topics such as camera operation, lighting, and composizione. It valuable resource for those who want to learn the fundamentals of cinematography and gain practical knowledge.

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