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After the shot3 min read

LESSON 70

Colour grading stills

Correct first, then create a look.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Correction and grading
  2. Where it came from
  3. In practice: correct first
  4. In practice: building a look

Correction and grading

Colour grading is the process of changing how an image looks so that it suits different screens, prints and settings. It began in film and video, but the source notes it applies to still images too. It can change contrast, colour, saturation, detail, black level and white balance. The terms colour correction and colour grading are often used for the same thing, and both can include creative effects made by blending masked layers. A useful working split: correction makes the picture accurate and consistent; grading gives it a mood. Grading is usually done in a dim room on a controlled screen.

Where it came from

Before digital tools, film labs did this work photochemically. The process came to be called colour timing: the lab varied the strength and colour of the printing light to change how the print looked. Changes were counted in printer points, where seven to twelve points made one stop of light, depending on the stocks and the lab. Because nobody could see the result at once, labs used a viewing device, the Hazeltine colour analyser, to preview the changes. Digital grading spread in Hollywood in the 2000s. The source lists aims such as matching the original scene, setting an artistic look, and changing the mood of a scene.

In practice: correct first

This section is working practice. Start with a calibrated screen and a RAW file; lesson 22 covers profiles and lesson 21 the RAW workflow. Fix white balance with a neutral area in the picture. Set the black and white points so the image has full range without clipping more than you intend, using the histogram. Even out exposure between frames of the same scene. Only then think about style. If you grade a picture that is not corrected, each later change fights the first error.

In practice: building a look

Also practice. A look is usually a few small moves. Shift the shadows slightly toward one colour and the highlights toward its opposite, such as cool shadows and warm highlights. Lower the saturation of colours that distract and raise one key colour. Use a gentle curve to set contrast. Check skin tones after every move, because viewers notice wrong skin before anything else. Save the result as a preset and apply it across a set, then fine-tune each frame, so a series looks like it belongs together. Keep a copy of the corrected version without the look.

Try it today

  1. 01Open one RAW file and correct white balance from a neutral area.
  2. 02Set black and white points using the histogram.
  3. 03Make a look with three moves only: shadows, highlights and one colour.
  4. 04Save it as a preset and apply it to five more frames from the same shoot.
  5. 05Compare the set with and without the look on a second screen or a phone.