You know, our brain loves colorful visuals!
Our brains process images/videos 60,000 times faster than text– that too In just 13 milliseconds!
And here comes the role of colors. Colors are the soul of your visual communications and can really add potent value to your videos. Just a few strategic color palette tweaks can radically alter the video's vibe, giving the viewers precisely what they want. Color grading allows you to turn your simple camera footage into a film that tells a fascinating tale and touches the viewer’s emotions.
Whether you're new to video editing or an experienced filmmaker, there's a lot to learn out there. So get into your chair, take a cup of coffee, and let's talk about how video color grading can elevate you from cameraman to storyteller.
What is Color Grading in a Video?
Before addressing this blog's core, understanding the definition of "Color Grading" is crucial, especially if you are a beginner.
In visual media, the art of adjusting and enhancing the color palettes of a video to create a consistent tone is called color grading.
There are several purposes that color grading serves, including:
- Improved imagery
- Mood Creation
- Creating viewers' perception of the story you wanna convey.
In short video format, color grading plays a significant role in creating consistent branding.
Understanding the File Type
File type is the most crucial factor in color grading a video. Let's understand some of the most commonly used file types:
RAW: This is a large file type containing a lot of information. RAW videos consist of data-rich color logs, which can be adjusted and graded to create a different color pallet.
MPEG: If shooting videos in a compressed format is your style (compact file size with not much data) like MPEG, you won't be able to adjust the colors as much as you could with uncompressed RAW files because you'll have a lot less data to work with.
However, no matter the format of your video, there are always video color-grading apps available to help you out.
How to Color Grade Videos Like a Pro?
Learning color grading might take some time, particularly if you're a beginner. You can complete the color grading procedure more easily if you follow these guidelines and become familiar with the important technical terms:
Step 0: It All Begins in Pre-Production:
Color editing can't fix a video that was butchered in the pre-production phase. Make sure that the feel and look of your movie are carefully thought out and that they stay the same while you shoot. When you're done taking, it's time to open up the video editing software and make the dull footage into a beautiful work of art.
Step 1: Import and Organize Your Footage
Begin by importing video clips into editing software like Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro. Make sure you properly organize your files in folders for different scenes under similar lighting conditions for easier color correction later.
Randomly sorting through 1000s of clips can be very time-consuming and inefficient. After you are done, create a project timeline and arrange your clips in the desired sequence.
Step 2: Basic color Correction - The Foundation
Your footage needs to be color-corrected before you can color grade. A picture profile that creates a unified image for your movie or video while emphasizing color, saturation, and tone is necessary for accurate color correction. To achieve the best possible clarity in your footage, make adjustments to the white balance, exposure, highlights, and shadows.
- White Balance: Locate the white balance tool in your editing software. It might be named "WB" or "Color Temperature." You'll often find options like "Auto," "Daylight," "Tungsten," etc. If unsure, choose "Auto" as a starting point. You can further refine it by using the eyedropper tool to click on a neutral white or gray area in your footage. This sets the white point for accurate color representation.
- Exposure: Locate the exposure adjustment tool. It might be a slider labeled "Exposure" or "Brightness." Adjust the exposure to achieve the desired overall brightness. Aim for a balanced image where details in highlights and shadows are visible without being blown out or overly dark.
- Highlights and Shadows: Most editing software offers dedicated tools for highlights and shadows. These might be sliders or curve adjustments. Use them to refine the brightest and darkest areas in your image. Reduce highlights to recover lost details in overly bright areas, and lift shadows to reveal details without losing contrast.
Step 3: Creative Video Color Grading - Unleashing Your Artistic Vision
This is where the magic happens! We delve into the world of "looks," the specific color palettes and aesthetics used to enhance your video's mood and story.
Step 3.1: Choosing a Look
- Explore different looks: Many editing software offer pre-set color looks you can experiment with. These provide a good starting point for various styles like cinematic, vintage, vibrant, etc.
- Look for reference footage: Search online or in your favorite movies/videos for visuals that capture the mood you're aiming for. Analyze their color palettes and use them as inspiration.
Step 3.2: Applying the Look - Putting Theory into Practice
Here's where you get hands-on with the video color grading tools.
- Color Wheels: These allow you to adjust the overall color balance of your image. Drag the color wheel to shift the dominant color hue (e.g., towards blue for a cooler look or red for a warmer look). You can also use the saturation control within the wheel to increase or decrease color intensity.
- Curves: This powerful tool offers precise control over individual colors. Select a color channel (red, green, blue) and adjust the curve to manipulate specific color tones within that channel. For example, lifting a curve in the red channel can enhance the reds in your image.
- Lift/Gamma/Gain: These tools further refine exposure and contrast. "Lift" adjusts the dark areas, "Gamma" affects the mid-tones, and "Gain" controls the highlights. Use them in conjunction with the other tools to achieve the desired visual depth and contrast.
Pro Tip: Don't be afraid to experiment! Create a duplicate clip of your footage and use it as a "playground" for color exploration. Once you achieve a look you like, apply it to your main footage.
Step 4: Refining and Polishing - The Finishing Touches
Think of this step as adding the finishing touches to a painting. Here, you meticulously fine-tune adjustments for a polished look. You might add subtle color tweaks to specific areas of your image or enhance a particular color to draw attention.
Step 5: Export and Review - Sharing Your Masterpiece
- Choose the right export format: Select a format suitable for your intended platform (e.g., H.264 for YouTube, ProRes for high-quality viewing).
- Review on different devices: View your graded video on various devices (computer monitor, phone, TV) to ensure consistent color representation across platforms.
If you practice your color editing skills and follow these steps, you can make your videos more interesting. Remember that the key is to try new things, pay close attention to details, and work hard to improve your artistic vision.
Best Software for Video Color Grading
The world of video editing software offers a vast array of color-grading tools. While most editing applications provide basic color correction features, some programs excel in advanced color grading capabilities. Here's a breakdown of some popular options to consider, catering to different needs and budgets:
Adobe Premiere Pro ($20.99/month)
- Integration with Adobe Suite: Seamless integration with other Adobe editing tools like Photoshop and After Effects.
- Features: Includes Lumetri color panel for color correction, primary/secondary color grading, and basic masking tools.
- Learning Curve: Relatively moderate learning curve, especially for those familiar with the Adobe interface.
- Subscription Model: Part of the Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, which grants access to other Adobe editing software.
DaVinci Resolve (Free)
- Industry Standard: Hollywood colorists use DaVinci Resolve because it delivers professional-grade video color grading tools.
- Features Rich: With strong curves, powerful color wheels, primary and secondary color correction, and modifiers for accurate color modification, it has an extensive tool set.
- Node-Based process: Color grading with DaVinci Resolve is versatile and non-destructive since it uses a node-based process.
- Learning Curve: DaVinci Resolve, while very capable, has a higher learning curve than other, simpler applications due to its extensive feature set.
Final Cut Pro ($299)
- Exclusive to Mac: Final Cut Pro, available only on Apple's macOS operating system, provides an efficient video color grading workflow with user-friendly tools.
- Color Board Interface: The Color Board interface offers an easy-to-use interface with its recognizable color wheels and adjustment sliders.
- Secondary Color Correction: Final Cut Pro is quite good at secondary color correction, which enables focused changes on certain color ranges.
- Limited Advanced Options: Final Cut Pro, like Premiere Pro, may not be able to meet the demands of expert colorists who want more advanced features.
Tips for More Efficient Video Color Grading Workflow
Following the systematic process for color grading should be enough to create a video that perfectly conveys your story. However, the tips we are sharing below can make the process a bit easier:
- Use a Calibrated Monitor - A monitor with accurate color representation (P3 or sRGB) is crucial. Inaccurate color representation leads to misinterpretations during grading.
- Use color wheels and curves: Strong, all-in-one color wheels and curves help you balance shadows, midtones, and highlights in video editing software. This control offers tiny but concentrated changes that sliders cannot.
- Experiment with LUTs: Test and edit pre-designed lookup tables (LUTs) to meet your visual style. Save time and grade swiftly with LUTs. You can make your own future photos and projects.
- Get multiple perspectives: Check color-graded videos on many devices for consistency. Edit on a color-accurate monitor if possible. These render natural colors most accurately, reducing post-production time.
- Plan Ahead: Select color palettes and plan modifications before filming. Preparing your vision before filming might save time in editing.
Speak Volumes with Your Video
Your visuals will be an audience magnet if they can convey a story. Video color grading is a perfect tool to achieve a video that’s not appealing but also has the power to set a mood and express emotions through the screen. Through this blog, we aim to help you understand the basics of color grading. For a better understanding of this and other aspects of video editing consider joining the 30 day video editing course by Miracamp.
Learn from the best at your own pace while practical utilization of your knowledge with real-life assignments. Boost your video editing career with videoboost now!
FAQ
Do You Color Grade Before or After Editing?
After editing, the color-grading video is in the final post-production stage. While color grading gives the story a unified visual aesthetic, editing concentrates on arranging, trimming, and structuring material in a logical sequence to create a coherent plot.
Which software is best for color grading video?
DaVinci Resolve is the industry standard when it comes to color grading, followed by Premiere Pro and Final Cut which are equally capable.
Should I color-grade my videos?
Yes, if you want to stand out in a competitive industry and showcase your work, you should definitely color-grade your videos.
How do professionals color grade?
Editors use color contrast to modify exposure, contrast, and color to make the film look as raw and authentic as possible—just like our eyes would see a scene in real life. This offers the basis for applying a color grade later on.
Is color grading VFX?
Video color grading is an essential step in the visual effects (VFX) pipeline because it can improve the final image's mood, realism, and consistency.
