how to create stills in davinci resolve color grading

It’s the common thread that runs through every shot, that visually binds the piece together into a cohesive whole. The look of a film is the macro-level thinking and work of color. We correct for technical things like exposure and color casts, and think creatively to make skin tones clean and colors pop. Image © Sony Pictures EntertainmentĬolorists spend a lot of time working at the level of individual shots.

Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood employs a look that evokes the films of 1950s and 1960s.

In my experience, a look is the creatively-intentional, visually-consistent, and technically-crafted signature of an image. That’s too vague and imprecise for any meaningful discussion, so let’s refine that definition a bit. The term “look” is often thrown around in production and post-production circles as a catch-all for the overall visual style of an image. If we’re going to discuss looks, then we need to agree on what that term actually means. We’ll also explore the “high-con” and “low-con” looks that are so prevalent in cinema, and see the pros, cons, and best creative strategies for using these looks for your own projects. In today’s article, I’ll show you the best practical tools to help you get the best contrast out of your footage.

You need to understand both if you want to use contrast effectively in your filmmaking. That means that skillful use of contrast requires both artistic creativity and practical technique. No art form is devoid of meaningful conventions and proven methodologies, and color grading is no exception. But does that mean achieving “great” contrast in your image is simply a matter of subjective taste, beyond objective principles or best practices?įilmmakers tend to think about contrast like this far too often, but experienced colorists know better. Take a s tep inside a grading suite for a few minutes, or ask a client to give notes on a project’s color, and you’re bound to hear the word “contrast” almost immediately.īut even though contrast is one of the most basic considerations of color grading, it can feel complicated and amorphous, even for experienced filmmakers.Ĭontrast can be applied to our images in many ways, goes by many names, and is influenced by a huge variety of tools, from the cameras we shoot with and the monitors we use, to the codecs and delivery platforms we choose.īeyond these technical details, contrast majorly influences the creative qualities of an image.

How to create stills in davinci resolve color grading