Blurred/Glowing Highlights – A Straightforward Approach

A Quick Recipe For Blurred Or Glowing Highlights

Every so often a client will request a dream look or a flashback look.

While of course up to interpretation about what that actually means, one of my go-to techniques (at least to start with) for that request is the blown-out and blurred or glowing highlight look.

This technique is often overused, but there will come a day when you need to quickly create it.

So in this Insight, I thought I’d share how I go about creating this look.

Select, Blow Out, Mist

While there are quite a few techniques for creating the blurred or glowing highlights look, I think I use this simple recipe most often:

• Isolate the highlights with a Luma only qualifier
• Use Gain and Gamma controls to blow out that selection – this will make the selection “glow” a little bit all by itself
• Use the Mist Controls in Resolve to add a blur and enhance the glowing look.
• After you’ve done these steps you can tweak the look in a couple of different places including with your qualified selection or with the mix parameter found within the Mist Controls – this gives you a lot of flexibility.

Hopefully, this Insight movie gives a way of quickly creating this look when you need it!

– Robbie

P.S. A big thanks to Mike Kravinsky the Director/Producer of the film Geographically Desirable – for the shot.  I’ve just completed grading this film and Mike is a great talent and the film is really fun too!

What do you think of this Insight?

Leave comments below to share your thoughts and ways that you create this look. Use the Like button up above to let your fellow MixingLight members if you recommend this video.