‘Barbie Look’ In Resolve: Emulating The Technicolor 3-Strip Process

January 30, 2024

Colorist Jason Bowdach creates a Barbie-inspired 3-Strip Technicolor film look with customization controls using Nodes in DaVinci Resolve.


Using Nodes to Create a 3-Strip Technicolor Film Emulation

Welcome to my Mojo Dojo Color Suite. Besides being a fun movie, it also has a unique look. The Director, DP and Colorist set out with a unique goal and came up with something I liked a lot.

The first article, linked below, discusses how they created their “TechnoBarbie” show LUT, a 3-strip technicolor-inspired look.

In this Insight, you’ll learn how to set up your nodes to emulate the look and processing of Technicolor film.

I mention it briefly in the video, but its worth mentioning again – this look requires a well-exposed, colorful source image to work properly. Good production and costume design pay dividends here.

I’ve noticed that this technique doesn’t seem to work when using RCM, so you’ll need to set up your color management using nodes.

Also, I make a slight error when describing the director’s intended look, which should be “skin tones that are rather pastel / not very saturated, but where at the same time pinks, turquoises, and other colors really stand out”.


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