Color grading is a vital part of the film making process as it helps improve a video’s overall look. At its core, color grading allows you to adjust film’s color and tone to achieve a particular atmosphere. Film makers utilize different colors to evoke different emotions, setting the pace and tone of their movies. Studios have been color grading movies for several decades to maintain a consistent look and tell stories that evoke different emotions.
In the early days, filmmakers used dyes and chemicals to color grade their footage. With the evolution of technology, however, the process has changed quite a bit. Now, people use software to adjust the coloring of their movies. The right color grading software gives people more control over how they want their films to look along with several other conveniences. If you are interested in learning more, continue reading this piece, as we will discuss the evolution of color grading and new features that you need to watch out for.
A Closer Look
Filmmakers adjust and change things like luminance, hue and saturation locally and globally with the help of editing software to color grade their footage. People often use this term in association with video, but it is also used in relation to photography. A lot of photographers edit and color grade their images to get a specific look.
That said, color grading a video is far more difficult than grading photos. This is mainly because people often need to keep a close eye on every single frame get to ensure they have the right colors consistently. Fortunately, there are some up to date software with features that can help you color grade with high efficiency.
Is Color Grading the Same as Color Correction?
Color grading and color correction are two entirely different things. Sure the software filmmakers use to perform them are often the same but there are several differences in the concept and processes. Most experts out there are likely to suggest performing these processes on individual nodes for a smoother workflow and better results.
You must work on color correction before grading your movie. Doing so will help prepare your footage for color grading. Correction involves taking care of any inconsistencies or technical problems in your footage. For instance, if your team has shot hours of footage using different cameras, you may need to color correct it to make sure the colors look consistent to the human eye.
You can move onto the color grading process after correcting your footage. Filmmakers use color grading to create particular mood or stylistic effect. For example, you could use colors to convey whether a specific scene is happening in the past or future. People also use combinations of colors to create different moods like happiness, sadness or anger.
How to Choose the Right Color Grading Software
It must be abundantly clear by now that color grading is a vial part of post-production in film making. While there are tons of color grading software to choose from these days, finding the right one for your production team could prove challenging. Mentioned below are a few things you need to consider when making the final decision.
Performance Matters
Performance is arguably the most important thing to consider when looking for color grading software. Since most post-production processes require plenty of resources, you need to choose a software capable of taking care of multiple things, which of course, includes color correcting and grading. Ideally, it would be best to choose an application capable of handling high resolution videos, such as 4K or 8K seamlessly. The software should also allow users to take on complex tasks without slowing down.
Before signing up, consider checking the software’s system requirements to ensure it is compatible with your computer. If your computer’s specs don’t match the requirements, upgrading would be ideal, allowing you to run the software smoothly.
Check the UI
Color grading is already a complex task and it is best to avoid overcomplicating it by choosing software with a poor UI. The color grading software should have clutter free interface that allows you to navigate it smoothly. This will allow you to focus on your tasks instead of spending hours searching for the right features and learning how to use them properly.
Look for Specific Features
Every filmmaker has different color grading requirements, so it is best to look for the specific features you want. Quite a lot of people choose a software without learning about their features, only to realize later on that they don’t align with their post production needs. Some applications are made for simple color grading while others provide advanced features such as color matching, key frame animation and plenty more.
Compatibility with Editing Software
Remember, not every color grading software will be compatible with the editing software your production team is using. Consider using a software that you can easily plug-in to your editing program, creating a smooth workflow in the process.
Important Color Grading Features to Look for
While modern color grading software offer a wide variety of features, mentioned below are some specific offerings you should know about:
Facial Tracking
Manually tracking people’s faces when color grading can be quite error prone. Fortunately, some software are capable of tracking faces automatically, allowing you to adjust color and several other things seamlessly.
Color Remapping
The right color grading software lets you make changes to an image’s brightness and color through effective remapping of color channels. This feature is ideal for people who want to make subtle changes to their footage and control things like highlights and shadows.
HDR Grading
Modern software allows people to grade HDR images with the help of tools like HDR Vivid metadata palettes, Dolby Vision and more.
Auto Color Match
This feature is ideal for people who do not want to spend hours color grading as it allows them to adjust an image’s color automatically, matching it with a reference photo or video.
