Loading...

Python 101: Scripting Media Management Operations

In Part 3 of his series, Kaur Hendrikson dives into the deep end and teaches you to script a Media Management operation for copying files.

How To Adapt A Photoshop 'Channels' Technique to Resolve

Patrick answers a member's question about simplifying their node tree, adapting a Photoshop color grading technique to DaVinci Resolve.

A Guide To Composite Modes in DaVinci Resolve

Refresh your knowledge on blending modes: What they are, what they do, and how to utilise them as color grading tools in DaVinci Resolve.

Python 101 - Dealing With Input Errors, Loops, Lists, & Debugging

Kaur Hendrikson fixes the errors from Part 1. Then he adds complexity, teaching more foundational Python concepts, as we skill up.

Fusion Tools for Colorists - Shot Matching Composites In Fusion

Senior Compositor and Trainer Bernd Klim shares his tips and tricks on color-matching live-action footage in DaVinci Resolve Fusion.

Fusion Tools for Colorists - Building Color Page Grading Tools

There are useful Color Page grading tools that don't exist in Fusion. No worries, get guidance on creating them yourself.

Python 101 For Post Production Professionals - Getting Started

Workflow specialist & developer Kaur Hendrikson is teaching coding for post production! A skill that may help you break into the business.

Fusion Tools for Colorists - Getting Comfortable Grading in Fusion

Learn to use the color-grading tools in Fusion, from Curves to Printer Lights while displaying multiple scopes with the viewer's A/B buffers.

Fusion Monitoring Part 3: Accurately Viewing On External Displays

How do you *accurately* monitor a color-managed image from Fusion on your external monitor? Colorist Daria Fissoun teaches the workflow.

Connecting the APIs: From DaVinci Resolve To OpenAI, Part 2

Igor Riđanović shows you how to create a YouTube summary from a Resolve timeline with the APIs from DaVinci Resolve and OpenAI using ChatGPT.

Fusion Alpha Channel Manipulations 201: Advanced Tips & Tricks

VFX artist Bernd Klimm shares tips for creating advanced custom edge masks for better compositing and light effects in Resolve Fusion.

Connecting DaVinci Resolve and OpenAI - Part 1

Using a little bit of Python code, you'll learn the fundamentals for connecting OpenAI and DaVinci Resolve using their APIs.

What's The Role of VFX Colorist? With Christian Ganea Reitmeier

What does a VFX Colorist do? Christian Ganea shares his views and workflows on some of Hollywood's biggest movies & shows at DNEG.

Build Your Own Custom Abstract Animated Backgrounds in Fusion

Igor Riđanović teaches how to quickly & easily generate unique animated backgrounds using DaVinci Resolve Fusion's 3D toolset.

Accurately Viewing Fusion Compositions in ACES Workflows

Images in Fusion can look different to the Edit and Color pages when color management systems clash. Here's how to fix that in ACES workflows

Alpha Channel Manipulations 101 - Fusion Page Fundamentals

Learn the fundamentals of alpha channel manipulations, including tonal adjustments, blurs, and combining masks from VFX artist Bernd Klimm.

Animating Fusion Titles - Polishing Your Shared Title Templates

In Part 3, VFX artist Bernd Klimm customizes a shareable animated Fusion title template with expression modifiers, user controls, and macros!

Fusion-Photoshop Painting/Cleaning Workflow – Part 2

VFX artist Bernd Klimm continues his Photoshop to Fusion workflow with tips and tricks for removing an object using painting techniques.

Using The ResolveFX Relight Plugin With The Fusion Page

Learn to accelerate the Relight ResolveFX by feeding normals maps from CG renders, making it a powerhouse effect for VFX and CGI workflows.

Skill Up: Fusion-Photoshop Painting/Cleaning Workflow - Part 1

VFX artist Bernd Klimm imports one frame of a painted Photoshop still (removing an object) and shows how to composite it into a moving image.

‘Topaz Video AI’ Review: Video Processing Using Machine Learning

Jason Bowdach shows why you might use Topaz Video AI for difficult video manipulation tasks such as upscaling, retiming, and stabilization.

Runway AI - What Can It Do And Will It Take Over Our Jobs?

Are AI tools taking over our world? Tour some of RunwayML’s 'AI Magic Tools' and see if the results match the hype and can replace a pro.

Deep Dive Into A Complex Fusion Fuse Effect For The Edit Page

Igor Ridanovic shows how to write a reasonably complex Fuse, and save it as a Fusion Macro to access it in Resolve's Edit Page Effects panel.

Quick Tip: Exploring The Infinite Images Machine Learning Tool

Fill a vertical 9:16 image into a 16:9 horizontal frame - by painting it in using RunwayML.com's 'Infinite Image' machine learning tool.

Refining A Fusion Title Animation & Creating A Reusable Template

Learn how to use shading layers, add intro/outro animations, and package your Fusion animation as a *.drfx template for easy sharing.

A Deep Dive Into Creating Fuse Effects for DaVinci Resolve

Colorist, finisher, scripting/automation developer Igor Riđanović begins a 2-part dive into creating custom Fuse FX for complicated effects.

Grading An Animated Film: Speeding Up The Fusion Composition

In Part 2 of this series, colorist Patrick Inhofer shows you how he enabled complex Fusion comps for real-time, interactive color grading.

Using Custom Curves To Emulate Fill-Light Adjustments

Sometimes you want to 'open up' the shadows as if you added a bounce card or fill light to the scene. Custom curves make this easy.

Fixing Dead Pixels And Image Artifacts in Baselight

Image repair and dust-busting are frequent duties of colorists & finishers. Learn how Baselight's DSpot and Paint tools perform these fixes.

Getting Great Greenscreen Keys Using Fusion’s Delta Keyer

Have you ever used Fusion's 'Delta Keyer' for greenscreens - but with poor results? You missed a step! Joey D'Anna gets you keying properly.

How To Manage Versions for VFX & Graphics in DaVinci Resolve

If you have many graphics or visual effects shots that might be replaced at the last minute, learn the value of Resolve's 'Take Selector'.

Advanced Optical Flow Techniques For Image Repair

Learn to use optical flow for more than speed changes. In this Insight, fix a corrupt frame and repair archival footage pull-down artifacts.

Digging Into The ResolveFX Surface Tracker (For Retouching)

Resolve 18's Surface Tracker combines a multiple-point tracker and a warper in one tool. Learn how it works while prepping a retouch job.

Joey’s Custom Workshop - Two Useful Scripts And A Fusion Effect

Colorist Joey D’Anna shares with you new custom tools for batch rendering, automatic backups, and a 3D motion control template.

Creative Coding with DCTL Part 8 - Refining UI Parameters

Colorist Cullen Kelly finished defining his Davinci Resolve DCTL plugin. Learn how he tweaks the interface, eliminating 'dead zones.'

Binary Logic In The Node Tree: Creating Procedural Node Structures

What does binary logic have to do with color grading? Colorist Joey D'Anna shows you how to build switches and logic into your Resolve node structure.

Match Move ResolveFX: A Color Page Multitool

In this Insight, Joey D'Anna shows you how to use the DaVinci Resolve Match Move ResolveFX plugin for powerful tracking, stabilization, and paintwork

Joey's Custom Workshop: Solving Problems Using DCTL and Python

Expand your colorist toolbox with custom Python scripts and DCTLs for Frame.io workflows, subtractive saturation, and timeline duplication.

Creating Reusable Custom Transition Presets In Fusion

Learn to use DaVinci Resolve's Fusion page to build custom, reusable transitions to work inside a node based ACES pipeline.

How Can You Color Process Mars Rover's Images In DaVinci Resolve?

Learn how to use DCTLs (and texture references) in DaVinci Resolve Fusion to debayer Perseverance rover raw images, yourself.

Creating Your Own Fusion Effects Plug-ins with DaVinci Resolve 17

Get an overview of how you can create your own 'plug-ins' for DaVinci Resolve's Edit Page with its new Fusion Effects functionality.

Using Fusion's 3D Camera Tracker for Patching and Object Placement

Learn how to insert 3D objects or paint out defects in videos with a moving camera using DaVinci Resolve Fusion's 3D Camera Tracker.

Using the Mocha Pro OFX Plugin in DaVinci Resolve Fusion

See the MochaPro OpenFX plugin in action to track and remove a logo on a car door - and finish / refine the composite in Fusion.

Better Blurring In DaVinci Resolve: Part 2

In the second part of his series on better blurring, Joey jumps into Fusion to explore its powerful capabilities to create natural-looking blurs.

ACES 201 - Node-based Grading, Sharing Looks to On-Set and VFX

In this webinar, learn an alternative approach to color grading ACES projects in DaVinci Resolve plus collaborating with others in ACES.

Removing Unwanted Elements Using ResolveFX Revival Plugins

Do you want to remove artifacts from dirty lenses or remove objects that are distracting. These ResolveFX can help you, in Resolve Studio.

Colorist Inspiration - January 2020

Dan kicks off January 2020 by looking back on 2019 and speaks about his personal favourite grades & experiences of the past year.

Macros on MacOS - Switching from AutoHotKey to Keyboard Maestro

Learn how to use Keyboard Maestro and Stream Deck to supercharge your workflow in DaVinci Resolve on Mac with powerful macros.

Color Grading In Spectachrome Part 2 - Working With The Fuji XT-3

Working with new cameras is always a challenge. Get an inside look at what Dan does when working with the Fuji XT-3 camera

Color Grading 'Origins' In Baselight - Project Overview

In this new series, Dan's grading the short film 'Origins' (using Baselight). It's got VFX, ACES, multiple deliverables (and light sabers).

Color Grading In Spectachrome - Starting With Grain

Dan answers some comments from members about why he adds his grain to the image at the very beginning of his node graph

Color Grading In Spectachrome - Going Full Wes Anderson Part One

Dan cracks open another project fresh from the grading suite. In this part we take a look at the Spectachrome brief & project organisation.

Working On The Road - Taking Vacation As A Freelance Colourist

Working as a freelance colorist seems like freedom and flexibility. But what do you do on vacation - and the client has urgent revisions?

Building and Re-using Fusion Setups and Macros in DaVinci Resolve

Learn how to build (and re-use) your Resolve Fusion comps as Groups and Macros. Plus, choosing which settings are exposed on the Edit Page.

My Favourite New Feature In Resolve 16 - Analog Damage ResolveFX

Dan shares his thoughts on recreating tape based artifacts using the brand new Resolve 16 Analog Damage tool.

Grading With Fusion: Connecting The Fusion and Color Pages

Take your color grading work to the next level in DaVinci Resolve. Learn how to use mattes generated in the Fusion page on the color page.

Troubleshooting 101 – Color Compressor & Node Resizing

Dan shares his breakdown of cleaning up a bike frame using the color compressor and node resizing in Resolve

Troubleshooting 101 - Cleaning Up An Annoying Background

Dan shares his thoughts behind his solution to removing a reflection using Resolve's Color Page - on a 16mm shot with moving grain structure.

Overview of Materials and Auxiliary Channels in DaVinci Resolve Fusion

Learn the workflow of the 3D toolset in DaVinci Resolve Fusion. Discover how to change materials, add reflections, color grade 3D objects.

Look Inspiration - Emulating VHS Camcorder Footage

What's harder than faking a VHS-look from a high-end camera? Intercutting that look with actual crummy VHS. Learn one way to do it.

Colorist Inspiration January 2019 - Most Memorable Jobs of 2018

Every year Dan looks back at the previous year and shares his greatest successes. This year, he focuses on his most memorable jobs.

Using DCTLs And Expanding Resolve's Functionality

Do you perform repetitive tasks on a regular basis when color correcting or finishing? Then learn how to use DCTLs to automate those tasks!

Behind The Curtain - 16mm Style Grade Part Four

Dan wraps up his behind the curtain series with a watch through and matching pass on the whole video to make sure it flows as a whole film

Rotoscoping to Replace a Foreground Element in Resolve Fusion

In Part 1 you learned how to remove an object. Now, rotoscope the motion of foreground elements using Polyline masks and keying.

Behind The Curtain - Not So Near-Set Grading

Dan shares his story from a recent "not so near-set grade" for an upcoming collaboration with friends on a short film.

Behind The Curtain - 16mm Style Grade Part Two

Dan picks up where he left off in this series on real time grading a music video. In part 2 we look at the noisy internal scene.

Behind The Curtain - 16mm Style Grade Part One

Dan shares the opening part to his full unfiltered look at how he graded a music video in a 16mm film style.

Introduction to Fusion's 3D Camera, Part 2 (using Expressions)

Learn how to animate unrelated properties using Expressions. In Part 2, we use the Camera's Z-position to drive another element's Opacity.

Behind The Curtain - 16mm Film Emulation

In this Insight, Dan shares his approach to creating a classic 16mm Film Emulation that he used on a recent music video.

An Introduction to Compositing in DaVinci Resolve Fusion

Using a simple green screen from a low quality source, learn the power of Resolve's Fusion. Learn Boolean, Merge, and MatteControl nodes.

Behind The Curtain - 80s Release Print Dirt & Texture

Finding the right balance of noticable and realistic is always a challenge. Dan shares behind the curtain on a film release print style grade.

Using Python and Expanding DaVinci Resolve's Functionality

Resolve's new scripting APIs open up exciting new possibilities. Learn how to get started by using Python to import comments from Frame.io.

Color Correcting With Blending Modes -Recovering Highlights With Multiply

Dan shares his technique of using the multiply blending mode to recover highlights easily and naturally via a layer node.

Colorist Inspiration - UK Music Video Awards 2018

Dan shares his thoughts on the UKMVA Nominations 2018 for best grading. This year he was also part of the judging panel.

Getting To Know Dolby Vision Part 3: Dolby Vision For Everyone!

In part 3 of our ongoing Dolby Vision series, learn about big changes to Dolby Vision & Resolve in 2018, plus new tools & workflows.

Grading Challenge - 90s Video Review

Dan shares his 90s video review and his attempt at going bold, bright soft and crushed in this grading challenge.

Integrating Graphics & Text Into A Dobly Vision HDR Project

Team Mixing Light is once again joined by Joey D'Anna to discuss integrating graphics and text into Dobly Vision HDR projects.

Understanding The Future Of Post Production and Color Grading: Part 1

Digital video post production and color grading is rapidly advancing. Which technologies do you need to prepare for? And why?

Color Grading HDR For The First Time - In A Live Competition!

Dan & Robbie describe watching colorists grade HDR for the first time, while competing! Plus, Mixing Light's partnership in China.

Color Grading Challenge: Recreating the 90s Pop Video Look

Dan kicks off a new grading challenge where he plays your client. It's based on a 90s pop video style color grade he recently recreated.

Behind The Curtain - Liberty Commercials: Adding Depth To Drone Footage

Drone footage is a very common occurance on timelines these days. Dan shares his techniques for adding depth to the footage.

What Can DPs Do To Make Final Color Easier?

Pat, Robbie and Mixing Light Contributor Joey D'Anna discuss what can DPs and onset staff do to make the final color grade easier?

Revisiting DCP Creation With Resolve 15

Resolve 15 supports the ability to create DCPs natively. In this Insight, learn how that works and get back ground info on essential DCP specs.

Behind The Curtain - Liberty Commercials Sun vs No Sun

Sometimes we are gifted with better sun than other times. In this Insight Dan shares his experience on a job shot over multiple months.

Behind The Curtain - Thrice The Grey

In this Insight, Dan shares his experience in developing a look to back up the lyrics and narrative in a music video by his favourite band.

Colorist Inspiration July 2018: Beyond the Usual Suspects

For Dan's Inspiration July 2018 he shares his list of top colorists inspiring him in the summer of 2018 with their amazing grading work.

Shared Storage For The Small Studio: Case Study With The Lumaforge Jellyfish Mobile

In this Insight, learn about the basic design of the Lumaforge Jellyfish Mobile, and why it might be a perfect solution for your set-up.

Elsewhere On The Web: Managing Saturation, Live HDR, Resolve Fusion (& more)

Summer 2018 round-up of don't-miss color correction tutorials from other websites (with commentary). We wish we had them here, first.

Rediscover The Basics - Fixing Exposure Shifts

Exposure shifts creep up in projects regularly. With the right node structure and correct technique you can easily fix these in seconds.

How To Paint, Track, and Replace A Logo In DaVinci Resolve Fusion 15

Learn how to track DaVinci Resolve 15's non-destructive paint tools in Fusion. Plus, get a tip for viewing a color grade inside Fusion.

Behind The Curtain - Live Concert Grade

Dan shares a tale of things going a bit wrong on a live concert grade w/ high powered LED lights and how moving over to ACES solved things.

10 Things I've Learned (So Far) About HDR Grading

In this Insight, Robbie explores 10 things he's learned in 3 years of grading HDR and how his recent experiences have informed his view on HDR.

The 3000 NIT FSI XM310K: Talking HDR With Bram Desmet

Flanders Scientific is shipping it's highly anticipated XM310K - a 31 inch DCI 4k 3000 NIT HDR mastering monitor with 12G connectivity. I talk to FSI CEO Bram Desmet about HDR & the XM310K.

DaVinci Resolve Compound Nodes: Efficiently Managing Looks

Now that DaVinci Resolve is gaining tools by the month, Dan takes a look at managing the node graph to keep things organised and flexible - with the goal of allowing for quick changes.

A Career As A Colorist: The Best Advice We've Received

We discuss the best advice we've received for our color grading careers. From attitude to technical to creative, we share what's worked.

Inspired By Lacoste, Timeless - Learning From An Award Winning Grade

What makes an award-winning grade so special? Dan attempts to break down what made the Lacoste, Timeless commercial so special and how we can pick up some tips to use on our own grades.

How Hard Is It To Export A 'Broken LUT' from DaVinci Resolve?

In an earlier Insight, you learned how to Stress Test your Look Up Tables (LUTs) to discover if they are introducing artifacts in your images. In this Insight, learn how easy (or hard) it is to generate 'broken LUTs' in DaVinci Resolve.

A Month Later: Team Mixing Light's Take On NAB 2018

It's been a little over a month since NAB 2018. We discuss what we saw including Resolve 15, new HDR monitoring, control surfaces and more.

Is Your LUT Damaging Your Image? How To Do A LUT Stress Test

Look-Up Tables (LUTs) are black boxes that make it difficult to know what precisely they're doing to your image. Colorist Jason Bowdach shows you how to stress test and evaluate your LUTs.

Getting Started As A Colorist & What's Changed In Grading?

We've got lots of questions from members asking how to get started as a professional colorist and how has grading changed over the years?

Practical Beauty Color Grading Level One: Quick and Effective

Sometimes even offering the smallest level of beauty work for a client can go a long way. Learn quick skin-smoothing / eyebag-reducing tips .

Color Correction Gear Head: May 2018 Edition

In this installment of the Color Correction Gear Head series, Robbie takes a look at the 2018 LG OLEDs (C8), the HD Fury Integral 4k, Aja 1616 12G Router, OWC Mercury HeliosFX and remote control application Splashtop.

Practical Beauty Work - Why You Need To Be Offering It

Beauty work and re-touching can be a great additional source of income as a freelance colourist. Dan shares his thoughts and kicks off a new series on getting involved in retouching.

Inspired by Mini 2018 - How One Colorist Emulates A Vintage Look

We've all seen amazing commercials and films that inspire us, but how do we turn that into color corrections that we can use on our own projects? Dan shares his approach to being inspired by a recent award-nominated color grade.

Talking LGs, OLEDs, and Calibration With Portrait Display's Tyler Pruitt

In this special edition Mixing Light Podcast, Technical Evangelist Tyler Pruitt joins Robbie to discuss LG's 2018 OLED monitors and various calibration issues like metamerism, colorimeter matrices and more!

An Introduction to Fusion (For Colorists) in DaVinci Resolve 15

While Fusion is a node-based compositor, its node tree is very different than the Color Page. Learn how to use Fusion in DaVinci Resolve 15 in under 15 minutes.

Resolve 15 New Color Page Features

In this Insight, colorist Joey D'Anna, fresh off demoing Resolve 15 at the Blackmagic booth at NAB 2018, shares his thoughts on the top new features that benefit the dedicated colorist the most in Resolve 15.

Behind The Curtain - Can You Prebuild An Ideal Node Structure?

Can you prebuild a perfect node structure and use it to speed up your grading? Dan is taking a deep dive to find out how well it works, and if it's a genius idea or a total waste of time.

From The Grading Room – Is Yellow The New Orange?

In the last couple of years there has been a shift away from teal and orange to teal and yellow. Dan investigates that transition and looks at his own grades. He also asks do you miss teal and orange?

Behind The Curtain - Refining and Enhancing 'Bread'

In this insight, we take a look at the final pass on the bread short film. Dan looks at his matching with fresh eyes, checks his black and white levels and decides on the sharpening and grain levels of the film.

Colorist Challenge: Moving From A Direct View Monitor To The Cinema

A member asks about grading on a direct view monitor vs. the cinema. We discuss the differences and why overcomplicating it is a bad idea!

Colorist Podcast EP 022: Dado Valentic

In this installment of the Colorist Podcast, Josh sits down with colorist, trainer and industry visionary Dado Valentic to discuss his much talked about presentation on color grading and AI, HDR workflow, on tools for colorists and more!

Behind The Curtain - Shot Matching 'Bread'

In part two of grading the bread short film, Dan dives into the matching side of things. Although it's the least glamorous part of grading it's also the most important.

How To Migrate PowerBins, PowerGrades, Configs Between Databases?

Team Mixing Light discusses strategies for moving Resolve PowerGrades, PowerBins & project configurations between databases.

Behind The Curtain - Bread Short Film Part One

In this new series, Dan is showing a real-time grade of the bread short film he graded recently. Shot in less than ideal conditions with natural light on a compressed camera, it's a great chance to see the good the bad and the ugly from the grading suite.

Handling A Rejected Grade, As A Freelance Colorist

Dan Moran recently joined the freelance world. He's curious how Pat and Robbie handle a client who rejects a grade - fix it or charge more?

Behind the Curtain - Commercial #2: From Base Grade to Final Look

In this Insight, Dan covers another of his behind the curtain commercials. This time we look at a bright morning kitchen scene. In this real-world assessment and grade, Dan focuses on getting a bright airy feel without losing on the filmic sense.

Grading The White Cyc Stand Up - When White Is Not White

In this video, you learn techniques for color correcting log encoded white cyc footage. Plus get several solutions for fixing common problems with these types of shoots and why, many times, your corrections are a compromise.

Behind the Curtain - Commercial #1: From Base Grade to Final Look

Dan returns to his Behind The Curtain series with a real-time insight that shows his approaches to this commercial grade. He covers primaries, look theory, shot matching and Look refinement.

Colorist Podcast EP 021:Shane Mario Ruggieri

In this episode, Josh talks to Shane Mario Ruggieri, C.S.I. from Dolby. Learn about HDR from the colorists perspective, Dolby Vision, HDR 10, grading HDR and SDR and more! If you're interested in HDR this episode is a must listen!

How Do You Choose A 4k Reference Monitor For Color Grading?

The Team discusses the pros/cons of 4k monitoring. We explore new offerings from Flanders Scientific including the XM650U and XM310K.

How To Color Grade Full Range for Data Level Broadcast Delivery?

A member asks a question about working in Full Range but delivering a video rendered to legal/broadcast levels. We work through the thinking.

From The Grading Suite: From Short Form To Reality

Dan shares the tale of his attempt at grading long-form reality television after spending 10 years being a pampered commercial colorist.

Grading A Short Film Part 2 - Testing The Feel Of The Footage

Dan shares his assessment of how to get the feel of the footage before you speak to the director. It helps when you can be upfront about what is and isn't possible.

Revisiting The Judd Modification When Calibrating OLED Displays

Team Mixing Light answers a member question about using the Judd Modification for an OLED reference monitor. What is it? When to use it?

Grading A Short Film Part 1 - Download The Footage

Dan is excited to launch a new series on Mixing Light that will feature a briefing from the real director of the project. In this intro Insight, download some RED 8k footage to attempt a grade before getting creative brief from the client.

Colorist Podcast EP 020: Ian Vertovec

In the first installment of the Colorist Podcast for 2018, Josh sits down with well-known colorist Ian Vertovec from Light Iron. They discuss Ian's work, ACES, HDR, VFX workflow and much more!

Talking About and Understanding Dolby Vision Color Grading

Building on Robbie's recent articles, Pat and Dan ask questions about workflow and Robbie's recent trip to Dolby in Burbank, CA.

What Not To Do When A Client Asks For A New Direction

Dan shares a tale from the grading room of a film emulation gone wrong and how by missing the mistake was destined to fail in the grade with his clients.

Hollywood Restoration and Remastering: Colorist Marc Wielage

Film restoration and remastering is a specialty in the craft of color grading. Learn how a Hollywood colorist handles its unique challenges?

Building A Show LUT to Keep Your Looks Consistent

When you have complex node trees, rolling it into a show LUT can make your life. Learn how to build your own LUT for your project.

Getting To Know Dolby Vision Part 2: Delivering To non-HDR Televisions

In part 2 of our Dolby Vision series you learn more about suite setup. Then you dive into using the Dolby Vision trim controls (in DaVinci Resolve) for Standard Dynamic Range TVs. Plus, Dolby Vision 'mezzanine' file creation.

Colorist Inspiration - January 2018 Edition

Colorist Dan Moran spends the first day of January 2018 looking back on his best work from 2017. Picking his favourite commercials, music videos and long form narrative projects and also sharing the stories behind when he enjoyed them so much.

Image Cleanup In Resolve - Rotoscoping, Cloning, and Repeated Frames

Being able to offer Basic Cleanup in the grade is a great ability. It saves moving to and from a compositing application and helps finish off that job.

The Fundamentals of Rotoscoping in DaVinci Resolve

Sometimes a shot is so basic that a little VFX knowledge goes a long way. In this insight Dan shares his real world rotoscoping example

Getting To Know Dolby Vision Part 1: Terminology, Gear, and Workflow

In part 1 of our series on getting to know Dolby Vision HDR workflow & color correction, you learn the essentials of setting up a professional Dolby Vision mastering suite.

Fixing VFX Colorspace Issues In A Problematic Pipeline

VFX colorspace issues are the last thing you need when you are on a tight deadline. Dan shares his experience solving issues like these.

Colorist Podcast Episode 18: Patrick Woodard

In this installment, Josh talks to Digital Film Tree lead colorist Patrick Woodard about color correcting high-end TV, remote sessions, ACES and more!

Inside the Color Grade Of A Furniture Brand - Series Overview

In a new series Dan shares a look behind the curtain at a real world grading project. From quoting to delivery he dives deep on his process.

Color Correcting Using New Software - Have Confidence In Yourself

Most of us are more comfortable using the same software all the time but why limit your opportunities? Dan shares his tips on learning a new software.

Colorist Inspiration - UKMVAs Best Color Nominations 2017

Dan shares his thoughts about the UKMVA nominations 2017 for best music video color grading award and asks you to predict the winner

Colorist Podcast Episode 17: Bob Festa

In this episode, Josh talks to legendary colorist Bob Festa about his gigantic body of work, grading techniques and much more!

Grade Rescue - Saving A DSLR Moving Portrait

Dan filmed some bad footage on his 7D with the wrong color temperature, harsh lighting & heavy compression. He offers up his best effort on a grade rescue.

Getting To Know The El Gato Stream Deck: Part 1

Designed for gamers and streaming is the El Gato a suitable control surface supplement for colorists? In this Insight, learn about the Stream Deck

Can You Save This Shot? (while learning Resolve's Noise Reduction)

Download and color correct a challenging video clip - following the instructions of a supervising colorist. And learn about Resolve's noise reduction.

Color Grading Challenge - Beauty Grading Review

Dan critiques your beauty grading entries and shares his attempt. The challenge was quite advanced and the results are great. Dan's DRX is also downloadable

Colorist Inspiration – September 2017

Dan shares his inspiration for this month by checking out the nominations for Outstanding Color Grading at the HPA awards

Surviving (And Finishing) A 1000 Shot Project In 2 Days Or Less

Coloring long form projects with very quick turn arounds can be very challenging. In this article, learn techniques for surviving & finishing big projects

Colorist Podcast Episode 16: Alexis Van Hurkman Part 2

In this episode, Josh continues his conversation with director, author and colorist Alexis Van Hurkman. they talk HDR, ACES and more!

Grading Challenge - Beauty Grading Brief

Beauty grading is a discipline all on its own. Dan shares a typical client brief and will offer stages of feedback like a real world client

Is Magic Bullet Looks 4 Fast Enough For Client-Attended Sessions?

Magic Bullet Looks is a powerful plug-in for creating looks. Does the newest version play back in real-time? How is its performance in Davinci Resolve?

Thinking Like A Colorist - The "Final Grade"

An old school technique that is still regularly used today in commercials. Having a break between grading the same footage has huge advantages.

Colorist Podcast Episode 15: Alexis Van Hurkman

In this installment of the Colorist Podcast Josh talks to well known author, director, and colorist Alexis Van Hurkman about a wide variety of color topics

Eye Training : Diagnose and Compare

In a new series Dan shares his guide to training your eye for contrast issues. Follow this four step process to learn how to diagnose and fix your images

RED's IPP2 Pipeline In Resolve (Sort Of)

RED's new IPP2 processing pipeline has a lot to offer, in this Insight, we explore the new pipeline setup in RedCineX & DaVinci Resolve 14

Colorist Inspiration – August 2017

Dan is turning 30 and shares his work from across the years to show how his grading has evolved and improved year after year

Feature Grading: Using Markers To Keep Your Sanity Part 1

Managing the elements and components on a feature film is pretty much a full time job. Dan shares his tips for using markers to stay on top of his project

Using Resolve 14's New Color Stabilizer To Smooth Exposure Bumps

If you're trying to smooth out exposure changes in your footage then you'll love using Resolve 14's new Color Stabilizer filter (and avoid keyframing).

Is Resolve 14's New Stabilizer An Upgrade (or is it dumbed down)?

In DaVinci Resolve 14, the Stabilizer got a new set of controls that seem overly simple. Has this tool been upgraded? Or should you work in Classic mode?

Thinking Like A Colorist - Assessing Tonal Range

Dan shares his new approach to Assessing Tonal Range and the initial grading moves by asking. Are you trying to make it look better or different?

Colorist Podcast Episode 014: Juan Ignacio Cabrera, CSI

in this installment of the Colorist Podcast, Josh talk to colorist Juan Ignacio Cabrera about his work on cutting edge projects & many other subjects.

Creative Color Grading - Blending LUTs | Mixing Light

Some jobs just call for the grade to be turned up to 11. A fun way to do this is by blending multiple LUTs together and enjoying the happy accidents!

Dust Busting - Removing Dirt In Resolve

Dust Busting in one of those tools you don't know exists in Resolve. Dan shares his tips on how and when to use it in the grade

Our New DaVinci Resolve14 Traning & Revisiting Remote Rendering

The Team discusses our new Resolve 14 New Features title as well as DaVinci Resolve Remote Rendering with guest Joey D'Anna.

From The Grading Room – Grading Lucy Rose

Dan shares the behind the scenes thoughts that go into such a stylised 70s era music video for Lucy Rose. 80% in camera and 20% in the grade

Colorist Podcast Episode 013: Vanessa Taylor

In this installment of the Colorist Podcast, Josh is joined by colorist Vanessa Taylor. From balancing tech & art, grading HDR this is a great listen!

In Action: Working With The Key Mixer In DaVinci Resolve

In Part 2 of this series on working with alpha channels in DaVinci Resolve, learn how to use the Key Mixer to solve tricky a tricky problem on a commercial.

From The Grading Room – A Tribute To An Icon

Sometimes we need to go outside our role as traditional colorist. Dan shares his story form his work paying tribute to an icon

Getting To Know The Resolve 14 Collaborative Workflow Part 2

In this Insight, we put Part 1 into action and explore the powerful workflows possible with Resolve 14 collaborative workflows.

Dan's Month In ACES

Dan spent a month in ACES getting to know the new way of grading. In this insight he shares his thoughts on the good the bad and the ugly of ACES.

Creative Grading - Retro Sci-fi Look

Sometimes you have to go full cheese and pay homage to looks and films from the 70s and 80s. In this insight we create a retro Sci-Fi look

Getting To Know The Resolve 14 Collaborative Workflow: Part 1

Among Resolve 14's great new features, the redesigned collaborative workflow stands out. In this Insight, learn the essentials of Resolve collaboration.

In Action: Working with Key Signals in DaVinci Resolve

Working with key signals in DaVinci Resolve isn't hard - but it's not intuitive either. Once you figure it out, it's also a power feature. Learn more.

Find Your Color Correct Inspiration -Best Colorist Nominations 2017

Dan Moran shares his thoughts on the best commercial color grade nominations 2016. Top work from excellent colorists are great sources of ideas.

Colorist Inspiration - ACES In May

Dan is committing to doing work only in ACES in May. It's time to get out of the comfort zone & stop testing. Changing our technique is scary but also fun!

DaVinci Resolve 14: First Look

In this Insight, we take a look at some of the compelling new features in DaVinci Resolve 14 including OFX, performance and editing improvements.

Color Correction Gear Head: Review of the Resolve Mini Control Panel

In this installment of Color Correction Gear Head veteran colorist Marc Wielage provides his impressions of the new Resolve Mini Control Panel.

From The Grading Room - Are We Sterilizing Images?

Now that most people have a basic knowledge of color correction thanks to Instagram what does that mean for us colorists?

First Look: Getting To Know the Resolve Mini Control Surface

In this special edition of the Color Correction Gear Head series, we welcome Joey D'Anna & his review of the Resolve Mini Panel.

Green Screen Keying & Managing Transparency In Resolve

In this Insight, learn about pulling a green screen key in DaVinci Resolve and how to manage transparencies and rendering alpha channels.

Becoming A Better Colorist - Stop Focusing On Individual Shots

We should be spending more time looking at the timeline as a whole than focusing on shots. Nobody ever watches a single shot!

Skin Tone Essentials: Hands, Arms, Legs and Feet Part One

Have you ever considered hands or legs when doing a beauty grade? We spend hours on faces but the skin should match all over the body.

Colorist Podcast Episode 010

In this edition of the Colorist podcast Josh talk to the famed Warren Eagles from the International Colorist Academy.

Breaking Geographic Boundaries: Remote Grading Part 2

In part 2 of this ongoing series, Robbie explores using Streambox's Hybrid Encoder for remote sessions plus some additional gear.

From The Grading Room – Knowing When To Start From Scratch

Sometimes when grading you end up going in totally the wrong direction have to just stop what your doing and start from scratch.

Getting To Know The EasyDCP Resolve Plugin: Streamlined DCP Creation

Want to make a DCP directly from Resolve? In this Insight, Robbie explores the essentials of using the EasyDCP Resolve plugin.

Feature Grading: Getting Started

Getting started on a feature film can be a daunting process. Dan shares his experience on getting the ball rolling slowly and carefully

Colorist Podcast Episode 09

In this episode of the colorist podcast, Josh talks to Technicolor senior colorist Peter Doyle about his amazing career & many other subjects

Feature Inspired Color Grading Looks - Blade Runner 2049

Inspired by the Blade Runner 2049 trailer Dan shares his attempt at recreateing the intense warm washed look.

Breaking Geographic Boundaries: Remote Grading Part 1

In part 1 of a 3 part series, we explore the different methods of remote grading and how remote work can help your bottom line.

Developing Looks And Settling On Your Exposure Levels

In How I Grade Part Two Dan shares more steps in his grading process. We look at auditioning looks and checking the correct exposure

Colorist Podcast Episode 08

In this episode of the colorist podcast, Josh talks to industry veteran/legend Dale Grahn about his storied career & many other subjects

How A Colorist Makes Decisions Through The Grading Process

Dan attempts to walk through his thoughts when grading step by step from quality control to setting the first primary correction

The Look Of 'Westworld' & Look Creation Philosophies

Robbie, Pat, and Dan discusses the look of the series 'Westworld' and our look creation philosophies when color grading.

Sky Replacement - Is It An Essential Skill For Colorists?

If a client asks for a sky replacement; as a colourist, should you? If so, how? Plus a tip on where to start when evaluating a sequence.

Why We Love LUTs and How To Replace Your LUT Addiction

Most of us love to use LUTs behind closed doors. Dan shares his thoughts on why and how to break out of needing LUTs

Creating Haze To Add Depth To Your Image Without Using Shapes

Using Haze as a grading tool is an alternative method to using Vignettes. Making things lower contrast helps them sit back in the image.

Finishing In Resolve - Reframing, Blanking & Delivering

Reframing in Resolve as become common practice. Dan shares his approach to finishing in the box and shares his tips and tricks

Creating the Classic Black and White Look By Thinking Like A Colorist

Dan shares the skills he learned in the darkroom and how he applies them to grading black and white in DaVinci Resolve

New Year Resolutions 2017: Improving Your Business & Color Grading

In this Insight, Robbie shares a number of new year resolutions for potentially improving your business & color grading.

Thinking Like A Colorist: Breaking Down the Western Scene

Download the footage and follow along as professional Colorist Dan Moran, CSI color corrects a classic shot in the style of a Hollywood Western Look.

Thinking Like A Colorist - Color Correcting A Forest Scene

Colorist Dan Moran shares a color correction breakdown on how he approaches a new shot, sight unseen. How to make it an alien planet or a shed in a garden?

Making The Move From Mac To A Windows PC, Part 1: Addressing Common Objections

In part 1 of new series on switching from the Mac to Windows, we address some common complaints often cited about moving from a Mac to a PC

Matching Pantone References - And When To Say No

Matching Pantone references to video can be tricky at the best of the times. Get advice on getting that exact match - even if it's not precisely correct.

An Interview with Professional Colorist Rob Bessette

In Episode 6 of the Colorist Podcast, Josh Petok talks to commercial colorist Rob Bessette about his career, grading commercials & more!

Warm Looks: Yellow Warmth Vs Red Warmth (which are you?)

Warm looks don't always have to be rosy red and cozy looking. Take a look at a non-traditional warm color and learn how to add it to your color toolkit.

Getting To Know ACES Part 4: The Latest In ACES Updates

Continuing our introductory series on ACES, you learn about the latest updates to ACES, including a working color space added to the ACES 1.03 specficiation: ACEScct. Plus, how it effects DaVinci Resolve colorists.

Find Your Color Correct Inspiration - British Arrows Best Colorist Nominations 2016

Dan Moran shares his thoughts on the best commercial color grade nominations 2016. Top work from excellent colorists are great sources of ideas.

Syncing Resolve's LUT Folder & Viewing HDR & SDR Simultaneously

A member asks how they can easily sync Resolve's LUT folder between suites. Plus, the pros/cons of viewing HDR & SDR simultaneously.

Colorist Podcast Episode 005

In Episode 5 of the Colorist Podcast, Josh talks to well-known online editor & colorist Terence Curren about his work & other sujbects

Showreel 2016 - Showcasing Your Creative Range To Win Clients

Are you showcasing your range of looks and grades with your showreel? Dan breaks down his latest reel and explains his approach.

Getting To Know ACES Part 3: Visual Effects Workflows

Our Getting To Know ACES series continues, looking at the essentials of using ACES for VFX roundtrips with DaVinci Resolve. You learn how to move images between VFX and color grading within the ACES color science.

Getting To Know ACES Part 2: More Terms & Resolve Setup

Start digging deeper into ACES terms and acronyms that will have you sounding like a pro. And you learn how to set up ACES in DaVinci Resolve.

Colorist Inspiration - UKMVAs Best Color Nominations 2016

Dan shares his thoughts about the 2016 best color grading award nominations and asks you to predict the winner

Color Grading with the ResolveFX Lens Flare Plug-in

Dan shares his experimentation with the idea of grading using lens flares for subtle lighting effects to help match and lift scenes.

Colorist Podcast Episode 004

In Episode 4 of the Colorist Podcast Josh talks to well-known freelance colorist Mark Todd Osborne about his work & many interesting subjects

Color Correction Gear Head: September 2016 Edition

In this installment of Color Correction Gear Head we take a look at the Pascal Titan X GPU, LG B6 OLED, & some fantastic Focal Speakers

Colorist Inspiration –  August 2016

The summer vacations are winding to a close, the kids are returning back to school and the post industry is winding up for that crazy blur that is the September…

From The Grading Room – Radiohead

Dan shares his story from the grading room on grading a short promo project for radiohead

Colorist Podcast: Episode 3

In Episode 3 of the Colorist Podcast Josh talks to well-known finishing artist & colorist Gray Marshall from Technicolor L.A. about his work.

How to Color Grade With Client Revisions In Mind

Sometimes we get lost in the heat of the moment and over complicate our grades. Dan shares his tips for responsible grading when time is short

Conform Issues Database – Introduction

Conforming timelines can be time-consuming before you even start color correcting. Learn the common issues (and how to fix them).

Resolve Remote Rendering: Setting Up A ProRes 'Dongle'

Working on a PC but need to render ProRes? In this Insight, learn how to setup Resolve remote rendering & use a spare Mac for ProRes renders

Dirty Color Grading Looks - Taking Your Image To The Limit

Dan shares his techniques for taking your image to the brightness, saturation, and sharpness limits while maintaining legal levels.

Bad TV: Essential Steps For Creating The Bad TV Look

Every once and a while you'll need to create a stylized bad TV or surveillance camera look. In this Insight learn how.

Dirty Looks: Early '00s Looks

Dan shares some looks from his past focusing on two Early '00s looks in particular. One home digital camera one heavy 35mm music video

Color Correction Gear Head: The July 2016 Edition

In the inaugural edition of the Mixing Light color correction gear head series we take a look at 4 pieces of gear for the colorist.

Dirty Looks - Emulating Early Film Looks with Light Leaks

Early film looks are a very popular request from clients.They can be tricky to build quickly so Dan shares his DRX files that you can download

Dirty Looks - Looks Throughout The Ages

At some point in every colorists career you will be asked to make some looks throughout the ages like 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. Dan shares how.

Colorist Inspiration – June 2016

Summer has arrived and the annual down turn in business begins. My clients first head off to the cannes lions festival and then off on their summer holidays. It’s the…

Dirty Looks – To Grain Or Not To Grain

Adding grain can help add a wonderful cinematic feel to a project but in the world of heavy compression is it a smart decision?

From The Grading Room – Wonderful Life

Dan shares parts of his conversation about the grade on recent wonderful life commercial grade.

Dirty Looks - Pushing Your Images Toward Extreme Warmth

Some projects call out for extreme warmth to help back up the story. Learn methods to get an extremely warm feel that looks real.

How Sync & VPN Changed My Color Grading Life

In this Insight, Robbie explores how through VPN & BitTorrent sync he was able to leave the office earlier & still work!

Inspiration - Color Grading Methods In A Fashion Commercial

Get an inside look on methods and techniques a professional digital video colorist uses on a short-form fashion commercial.

Colorist Inspiration - Creating Looks from Reference Images

Learn how Dan uses reference images to create his Looks - and download the sampe footage to try your hand and practice your skills.

Colorist Inspiration – April 2016

NAB is over and a whole heap of new tools and toys have arrived for us colorists. The perfect time for another installment of colorist inspiration. This installment is slightly…

Resolve 12.5 - Robbie's Top Features

Another April, another version of DaVinci Resolve! In this Insight, Robbie shares his top new features of this exciting release.

Premiere Pro Color Grading - Working with Vignettes to Control the Eye

Step 3 in our 'Premiere Pro Color Correction Protocol' is to control the viewer's eye. Learn how—by working with vignettes and custom masks.

How To Sharpen Quick Focus Pulls? Plus, using the HP Z27x DreamColor.

The Team answers a member's question about sharpening quick focus pulls. Plus they discuss using the HP Z27x DreamColor display.

From The Grading Room Grading Underwater Footage

Grading underwater footage is like grading footage from an alien planet. Dan shares his approach and technique for working in that world

Shot Matching 101 - Techniques for Matching Black Levels

In this insight dan shares his approach and methods to matching black levels. Matching is hard but with practice you can become much faster!

4 Things To Know About Working With Look Up Tables

Using Luts in a color correction workflow is common, but everything doesn't always worked as planned. Learn 4 ways to work around look up table limitations

Shot Matching - Learning Through A Commercial Case Study

Dan shares a job as a commercial case study in shot matching - from pristine stock footage to constantly changing clouds.

From Big Shop To One Man Show - A Workflow To Minimize Downtime

Building a one man workflow to get the maximum out of your time grading. 

Getting Grainy: 3 Different OFX Plugins

In this Insight Robbie explores 3 different OFX grain plugins for Resolve from Film Convert, Boris, and GenArts and explains which is his favorite and why

Showreel 2016 – Who Is Your Target Audience?

It's time to cut your reel and Dan shares his advice on his Showreel 2016

An Introduction into Shot Matching

Shot Matching is one of the hardest areas of being a colorist. Dan shares his approach to going head to head with mismatched shots.

Colorist Inspiration - February 2016

Dan rounds up the best colorist inspiration from February 2016 with some of the best grades from the new year so far. 

Look Inspiration - Inspiration From Unlikely Sources

Sometimes inspiration can strike in the strangest of places. In this insight Dan shares how he finds inspiration from unlikely sources.

Look Inspiration - Bond Movie Inspired Retro Look

Dan shares his attempt and look inspiration in DaVinci of a fabulous Bond movie inspired 35mm film look from the music video Genghis Khan by Miike Snow.

Look Inspiration - Getting the 70s TV Inspired Retro Look

There is a time in every colorist’s life when we need to add some retro 70s TV vibes to footage! This insight is based on both creating a parody of…

HDR Essentials - Getting Setup In Premire Pro

HDR video is coming, and coming fast.  In this Insight, learn how to get setup and work with HDR video in Premiere Pro's Lumetri Color Panel.  

Building IR LUT Variations In Photoshop

In this Insight learn how to build Infrared type looks in Photoshop & export them for use video grading tools like DaVinci Resolve.   

Look Inspiration - B&W Looks

Dan shares two of his favourite B&W Looks and the DRX files for you to download

Look Inspiration - Colorized Film Look

Dan shares his look and drx files for a Colorized Film Look

From The Mailbag EP 29: HDR Musing & Log Saturation

In this episode, Team MixingLight discusses HDR and best practices for setting saturation levels for log encoded footage

Neat Video 4 - Revisiting The Popular Noise Reduction Plugin

Neat Video is a popular noise reduction plugin for a variety of platforms. In this Insight Robbie explores the plugin now in version 4.

Colorist Inspiration – Dan’s Best Of 2015

Day 16: 25 Insights in 25 Days Holiday Marathon Colorist Inspiration – Dan’s Best Of 2015 As the year comes to an end I thought it would be the perfect…

Look Inspiration - Getting the Classic ENR Processed Look

Dan shares his ENR processed look with his nodes and footage to grade along with at home.

Edge Sharpening & Denoise Workflow

In this installment of From The Mailbag we discuss how to isolate and sharpen edge details, and discuss a proper video noise reduction workflow

Look Inspiration - Executing the Cold Commercial Look

A cold commercial look can help bring bright natural commercial into a moody and grungy world

HDR Essentials: What's HDR?

HDR is the 'next big thing' for color grading.In this Insight, get up to speed with two discussions about HDR with industry experts Bram Desmet & Juan Salvo

From The MailBag Ep 27: The Glossy Look & Edge Sharpening

In this installment of From The Mail Bag, Team Mixing Light discusses what goes into the 'glossy' look of many commericals & how to edge sharpen shots.

Colorist Inspiration - Adding Sunshine

Adding Sunshine In post can be tricky but Dan shares his techniques in DaVinci resolve to turn dull and grey images into warm and sunny!

Look Inspiration - Red Filtered B&W

Dan shares his thoughts on how to emulate shooting black and white with a red filter on front of the lens to give an interesting look.

Look Inspiration - Warm Commercial Look

Dan shares his attempt at matching the shot on 35mm film warm commercial look of one of his favorite commercials this year.

Colorist Inspiration - November

Its time for the big christmas ads to roll out and more colorist inspiration. Dan share's some of the top work and one of his own.

LUT Limitation - The Best Of Both Worlds

The main pain when working with LUTs is not knowing exactly what they are doing. Dan shares his technique of LUT Limitation.

Calibrating To Match: Perceptually Matching Two Monitors

Two monitors may not match even if calibrated to the exact same color and luminance values. Learn how to perceptually match two monitors

Look Inspiration - Hyperreal Look

We all strive to create the most cinematic looking images possible but sometimes its fun to go for a harsh hyperreal sharp bright look.

Permanently Adding LUTs To The Lumetri Color Panel

Using LUTs with the Lumetri Color Panel can be tedious.In this Insight learn how to add LUTs permanently to the panel for quick access

Color Correction Breakdown: Solving Problems

In color correction we're solving problems. Sometimes they're handed to us, sometimes they're problems we created. See examples of both.

Tales From The Grading Suite - DP Colorist Communications

Have you ever wondered what it's like to speak to a DP before a job is shot? Dan shares a real world discussion on a tricky job.

Using Resolve's 'Layer Mixer' to Switch Between Looks

If you need to switch between different Looks in a single shot, learn how to use DaVinci Resolve's 'Layer Mixer' node for fine-tuned control.

Fusion - Expanding Your Colorist Toolbox

Blackmagic Design Fusion is now free for everyone so make sure to add it to your colorist toolbox. Dan runs down his favorite tools so far

Look Inspiration - Metallic Monochrome

Sometimes you need to go hard and contrasty with black and white and Dan shares his experience when building a metallic monochrome look

Colorist Inspiration - September 2015

Septembers most memorable grades roll in and dan shares the best work he has seen from young colorists including one of his own!

Resolve Color Management & Raw

Resolve Color Management (RCM) is powerful workflow tool but using it with Raw footage can be slightly confusing. Learn more in this Insight

Rendering Multiple Projects (And Timelines) At Once!

In this Insight, learn how to leverage DaVinci Resolve's powerful rendering engine to render multiple projects and timelines all at once.

Color correcting raw footage using Camera Raw controls

DaVinci Resolve provides RAW controls for color correcting raw footage. Here are three rules if you want to use those controls.

Rebooting Your Eyes : How To Step Back From Your Grade

Rebooting Your eyes can be tricky after spending hours, days or even weeks on a project. Dan shares how to refresh your eyes for a grade.

Resolve 12 First look: Resolve Color Management

Check out this Insight to learn more about the essential of the new Resolve Color Management (RCM) features of DaVinci Resolve 12

Resolve 12 First Look: Automatic Shot Matching

A most welcomed new feature in Resolve 12 is Automatic Shot Matching. In this Insight, learn how it works and if it's right for your workflow

Compositing in DaVinci Resolve 12 - A First Look

Have you ever tried compositing in DaVinci Resolve? It used to feel like a work-around. In Resolve 12, it's MUCH easier. This video explains.

DaVinci Resolve 12 First Look : Colorist Crash Course Mixing Light

Resolve 12 is here and this insight is aimed to get experienced colorists up and running as soon as possible with some tips from Dan

Look Setting Review & Approval With Frame.io

Frame.io provides a ton of tools for collaboration including some great ways for a colorist to interact with their client. Learn more...

Using The EyeHeight Broadcast Video Legalizer Plug-in

File based or software video legalization can be hard. Check out this Insight to see how EyeHeight is making video legalization simple

Baselight For Avid - Colorist Crash Course - MixingLight.com

In this insight Dan gives you a crash course on all the major tool sets that you need to know to start grading in Baselight

Baselight For Avid: Initial Thoughts on Primary Corrections

Dan shares his first thoughts on making primary corrections using the Baselight for Avid color correction plug-in.

Creating A Shared DaVinci Resolve Database Server

In this updated Insight learn what gear you'll need and how to properly setup a shared database in DaVInci Resolve.

Grade Breakdown - Challenge Your Imagination

In this insight Dan shares a Grade Breakdown on a recent commercial to challenge you to use your eyes to notice all his grades

Using DaVinci Resolve's Curves To Deconstruct A Look

In this Insight, contributor Josh Petok shows a straight forward but very effective way to use Resolve's curves to deconstruct a look.

Grading CG Footage - An Introduction To Video Game Footage

Video games are just as visually stunning as films these days but how to you approach color grading CG footage from one?

Degrading Footage - How To Mess Up Shots

Sometimes you need to throw the rules out the window and create the worst possible image for effect. Dan shows you how to do this in Resolve

Color Washes - Working With Extreme Washes

Color washes are the most extreme form of grading but can be very rewarding when done well. Dan shows you how he thinks they work best.

Lens Distortion Removal With Premiere Pro

Action cameras and other wide angle lens can have some pretty severe lens distortion. Check out this Insight to learn how to remove it.

Rediscover The Basics - Invisible Look Technique

What do you do when a client says keep it natural? Dan shares tips for getting the most out of your image by building an invisible look

RGB Gamut Errors A Broadcast Colorists Nemesis

In this Insight, learn what RGB Gamut errors are and how to identify them before a broadcaster catches them for you!

Advanced Beauty Grading : Stills Techniques

In this insight I borrow my Stills Techniques and try and apply them to my video work. The standard is very high and the results are amazing

Advanced Beauty Grading : Borrowing From Stills

The world of stills retouching has such an amazing standard. Dan looks at those techniques and will borrow them for the video world

Rediscover The Basics - Defining Texture In Your Image

Defining Texture is a great decision to make early on when grading. Do you want it to look glossy and commercial or textured and filmic?

Getting To Know Lattice

With LUTs so common place in modern color grading sometimes you need to visualize and convert them - Lattice can help!

Frequency Seperation : An Introduction

When working with skin it's quite easy to make it look false and over worked

From The MailBag Episode 23

In this installment of From The MailBag we take a look at file naming and project organization as well as tips for sharpening footage.

From The MailBag Episode 22

In this installment of From The Mailbag, we discuss using grain as an external matte on a still & broadcast safe workflow.

Damage Control - DSLR Music Video Case Study

DSLR Music Video are pretty common and can be incredibly tricky. Dan shares one of his favorite music videos shot on DSLR

Damage Control - Working With Tricky DSLR Footage

Working with Tricky DSLR footage can be frustrating. Dan pulls out some awful clips from his archive and does his best to fix them.

From The Mailbag Episode 21

In this installment of From The Mailbag we explore the idea of a rolling conform in Davinci Resolve and using Dropbox to share databases

Damage Control - Creating A Look With Difficult Footage

Grading high quality is fun but what happens when you have difficult footage to begin with? Dan takes a look at Damage control when grading

A LightRoom LUT Workflow

In this Insight, learn how with help of a simple yet powerful plugin you can export Look Up Tables (LUTs) from Lightroom to use elsewhere.

Colorist Look Inspiration - Food Commercials

Food commercials can be the trickiest of grades as they push your skillset and leave little room for error. Here are some techiniques

Creating Skin Contrast With High/Low Key Techniques

In this Insight, learn how powerful shaping skin contrast around someone's face can be to make a shot more dynamic.

Rediscover The Basics - Advanced Node Operations

When you get into very advanced grading there are even more node operations to worry about. Dan shows you his layout for commercial grading.

Exporting LAB LUTs from Photoshop: Does it work?

Can you make extreme color corrections in LAB color space and export those LAB LUTs from Photoshop and have them work in Davinci Resolve?

Rediscover The Basics - Node Operations

Have you ever paused to think of the order that you place your nodes? Dan shares his approach to getting the most out of your image.

Colorist Block - When Nothing Looks Good

Sometimes you just can't make a grade look good no matter what you do! The Colorist Block is real and dangerous but defeatable.

Rediscover The Basics - Color Temperature

Color temperature allows us to control many factors from time of day to adding to the mood of your image by warming or cooling.

Rediscover The Basics - Contrast

Its tempting to dive in with many nodes & advanced techniques but spend more time getting your contrast right & you'll love the results

Using Data Burn-In & Text Layers For Client Notes

Take notes in a grading session? Have bad handwriting? In this Insight learn how to create client notes directly in Resolve with data burn-in

Rediscover The Basics - Saturation

In a world where you can apply 20 nodes to build a look Dan challenges you to rediscover basic grading concepts starting with Saturation

Better Grades In Premiere Pro: The Tonal Range Definition

Premiere Pro has a powerful 3-Way Color corrector but by default its tonal range is narrow. Learn how to get better grades by adjusting it.

From The Mailbag EP 19 Skin Corrections & The Film Look

In this episode of From The Mailbag, the team explores fixing blotchy skin and what goes into a film stock emulation.

Dynamic Project Switching In DaVinci Resolve

Learn about a little known feature in Resolve 11 called Dynamic Project Switching that allows you instantly switch between large projects

Advanced Beauty Grading Part Two : The Fashion Look

Time to take the image into the next level with a fashion look in part two of the series on advanced beauty grading.

Creating LUTs From Adobe Photoshop

You've been able to apply lookup tables in Adobe Photoshop for a while, but a new feature gives the ability to export LUTs. Learn how!

5 Things Keeping You From Becoming A Better Colorist

Everyone wants to get better at their craft. In this Insight learn about how to overcome 5 common barriers to becoming a better colorist

Photochemical Grading - Part Two

In part two of this series Dan dives into Resolve and tries out the methods first hand. Enjoying the restrictions and relief of grading.

DaVinci Resolve Node Trees for LAB Colorspace

Explore the different types of DaVinci Resolve node trees for LAB colorspace. Should we do all our work in one node? Or multiple nodes?

Adding Some Clarity: 3 Different Methods

The clarity slider in some Adobe apps is a popular way to add a little pop or punch to a shot. Learn 3 methods for emulating this control.

Photochemical Grading - Part One

Have you ever wondered why Christopher Nolan uses color timing instead of a DI for his grades? We take a look at the color timing world

From The Mail Bag Episode 17

In this installment of From The Mailbag, learn about our 25x25 Holiday Marathon & we each discuss our top 2 color related questions.

Neo Noir B&W - Using Hardlight Blending Mode

Creating a feature film neo noir look can be tough. Dan shares his look using hardlight blending modes instead of his beloved curves.

4 Ways To Create The Leave Color Behind Look

The leave color behind look is something every colorist should have in their tool kit. Learn 4 different methods for creating this look.

Infrared Look - Emulating Aerochrome

Building an Infrared Look can give you some beautiful results if you have the right projects and feel adventurous!

Selectively Apply The "Instagram" Look With YSFX

YSFX tools in Resolve can be used to create vintage looks especially when combined with selectively applying them. Learn this technique now

Color Correction Breakdown - Spanning the Ages

Commercial Breakdown - Rolo. Dan shares another instalment of his series of behind the scenes insights. We build looks for different eras.

Footage Quality Control - When To Reject Footage

Footage Quality Control in a modern file based world can be tricky. Dan shares his advice on how and when to reject source material.

Look Library - Halloween Slasher

Dan shows you how he built a Halloween Slasher Look inspired by classic 80s movies for a recent teaser commercial for Halloween.

Advanced Windows - Difficult Shape Masking

We take a look at difficult shape masking and combining multiple windows in DaVinci Resolve to give you total control over difficult images.

UKMVA's Best Color

Dan showcases the best of the best in UKMVA's Best Color grading award catagory.

Commercial Breakdown - Smirnoff

Dan takes a look at his latest commercial grade and shares the thinking and techniques behind the grades.

SpeedGrade CC 2014.1 - New Tools & Improved Workflows

SpeedGrade CC 2014.1 offers an updated Interface, New Features and some new tools. Check out this Insight To Learn More

Colorist Inspiration - Dave Hussey

We visit the colour grading work of Company 3 master colorist Dave Hussey – rock star colourist and all round awesome guy

Color Balance Skies and Shot Matching

Do you need to color balance every shot in your video? What are the best strategies to color balance and enhance gray skies? Listen & learn.

Shot Matching - The Basics of Matching Cameras Together

In this Insight we take a look at doing shot matching with multiple cameras to create a smooth edit. Featuring: BMPCC, BMCC and Red Scarlet cameras.

DaVinci Resolve 11: Broadcast Safe + Grouping LUTs

In this episode of From The MailBag, learn about Resolve 11's new broadcast safe option & how to use LUTs while Grouping.

Mixing Light From The MailBag Ep 14

In this episode of From The MailBag learn about what to do when you have no client direction & how to achieve that national spot look

Resolve Keyframes - From Newbie To Ninja

Resolve Keyframes can be confusing at first but if you follow a few essential rules you'll be keyframing like a pro in no time!

Shot Matching - Working With Skin Tone

Making people look as good is part of the dayjob for colorists. Working with skin tone can be tricky but Dan shares his tips and approach.

1D Vs 3D LUTs - The Colorists Prespective

Look Up Tables can be complex subject. In this Insight get a colorists perspective on the difference between 1D and 3D LUTs.

Using Log Controls As A Secondary Correction

Many colorists use log controls as a primary grading tool. In this Insight learn how the log controls can also be used as a secondary.

Circuit Training - From Camera Rushes To Final Look

Dan breaks down a shot from camera rushes to final look. He shares the good the bad and the ugly grades from starting point to final grade.

Shot Matching - Matching Skies

Shot Matching - Matching Skies. In this Insight, Dan shows you his techniques for color matching skies between multiple set ups and scenes

Resolve 11 Highlights And Shadows Controls

New Tools For Resolve 11 Are The Highlights And Shadows Controls. They offer up new creative options for setting the contrast in your scene.

Attended Grading - Starting A Session

Attended Grading - Starting A Session is the hardest part of the grade. You need to understand what your new clients want from the grade

Grading Master Clips in Adobe SpeedGrade & Premiere Pro

Learn how to leverage grading a master clip in SpeedGrade & Premiere Pro. By using master clips you can speed up your grading dramatically.

Resolve 11 - Softlight Blending Mode

New to Resolve 11 the softlight blending mode gives you a great new way to add texture and depth to your image.

Resolve 11 - New Matte Finesse Controls

Resolve 11 - New Matte Finesse Controls brings some great refinements to the qualifier controls. Clipping and noise reduction make pulling keys easier than ever!

Resolve 11 - Introduction To Lab Mode Grading

Introduction To Lab Mode Grading in Resolve 11. This new way of working gives us lots of new creative options when grading.

Working With The Clone Tool

Working With The Clone Tool in Resolve 11. Dan will be showing you how to paint and clone out elements of your footage.

Sky Replacement Challenge

Using a sky replacement we change a simple beach scene into a moody tropical sci fi establishing shot

How to make Blown-Out Highlights Look Intentional

Frequently we need to make blown-out highlights in our videos look intentional. I demonstrate doing that using Lens Flares from Sapphire 7.

Narrative Grading - Time Of Day

In this insight dan takes you through a journey of setting the time of day in a scene. The flow of the story is key when setting a time.

The Tangent Element In SpeedGrade & Good Skin Tone

In this episode of From The Mailbag, we discuss using the Tangent Element In Adobe SpeedGrade & what goes into getting good skin tone.

Best Exposure From Your Raw Files

Working With raw files allows you to to get the best possible results with your footage. Lets start with getting the best exposure

Narrative Color Grading: Practice Your Craft By Setting Time Periods

Have you ever had to build a look that helps put a shot into a certain era? Learn how to approach this challenge - and download a 6K RED Dragon shot to give it a shot and share with us.

A Straightforward Approach To Creating Blurred or Glowing Highlights

Learn how to quickly create a blurred or glowing highlights look using DaVinci Resolve

Using External Mattes In DaVinci Resolve

When you need precise separation using External Mattes from a Rotoscope artist makes precise grading in DaVinci Resolve a breeze

Adding Grain Efficiently Using The Overlay Blending Mode

Adding grain can be hard to manage in Resolve but handy to have in your 'toolbox'. Dan shows you a simple way to add grain, without a plugin.

How to create a light, airy feel by dropping the midtones

Are you having trouble getting bright, happy images that aren't also feeling flat? Learn how I get around this by dropping the midtones.

Masking and Tracking in Premiere Pro CC

Learn techniques for masking and tracking in Premiere Pro CC in this color correction tutorial from a professional colorist.

Photochemical Color Timing + Cinematographers and Colorists

What is photochemical color timing? What is the role of the cinematographer while color correcting? Learn what three colorists think.

Managing A Grade – The Music Video

Grading a music video can be challenging from a time perspective. In this Insight learn about Managing A Grade for when time is tight.

Offset Controls - Introduction To Offsets

Dan takes a look at the offset controls. The oldest and most overlooked primary controls in Resolve. Great for shot balancing.

Reference Images - Matching To A Reference

Reference Images - Matching To A Reference. Have you ever had to match your footage to a famous movie or photo? Dan will show you how.

Colorist Inspiration – Jean-Clément Soret

Jean-Clément has been the most influential post production professional in London and for many years. Here is a look at his work.

Legalizing Video with DaVinci Resolve

Legalizing Video with DaVinci Resolve can be done in several ways. In this video we show you how to do it Shot-by-Shot.

Commercial Workflow Part 2: Leveraging The Master Session

Learn how ripple your color corrections through multiple timelines in DaVinci Resolve using the power of the Master Session.

Color Grading Picture-In-Picture Effects in DaVinci Resolve

Color grading composites, like picture in picture effects, from a single render is hard. Learn how to attack these shots in DaVinci Resolve.

Double Side Technique: Getting Aggressive with Complementary Colors

Learn how the Double Side Technique can help you to create more dynamic color corrections on flat or boring shots. This simple technique can generate multitudes of stylized Looks.

Mailbag: Beating A Creative Funk & Consolidating Reels

In this episode of From The Mail Bag we discuss getting out of creative funk & consolidating a multi-reel project in Resolve.

Analysing Your Footage : Pieces To Camera

Get the most out of your 'Pieces To Camera' (on-camera Stand-Ups) using power windows and curves on footage that needs to look normal.

Techniques for Color Correcting Long Steadicam Shots

Color correcting long steadicam shots can be a challenge. Learn how a professional colorist cracks this nut with shapes, tracking and keyframes.

How To Analyse Your Footage For Color Correction: Beach Sunset

Learn how a professional colorist analyses an image. Learn what they focus on and how they grade using contrast, color and secondaries.

Color Correcting With Blending Modes : Using the Add & Screen Modes

In Part 2 of this series you learn how to use the Add and Screen blending modes to create glows, texture or light leaks to your moving images.

How To Creatively Use DaVinci Resolve's Splitter-Combiner Nodes

Learn how you can easily add some fun 'video distortion' to a music video or commercial using some creative Splitter-Combiner techniques in DaVinci Resolve.

Digital Video Noise Reduction: Targeting Individual Color Channels

In DaVinci Resolve, video noise reduction targeted to specific color channels lets us balance between sharpness and noise reduction.

Color Correcting A Film Trailer: Simple Compositing (in DaVinci Resolve)

Can you perform simple compositing in DaVinci Resolve? Yes. Plus, you can use blending modes and alpha channels to add visual effects or graphics.

Basic Visual Effects & Online Editing in DaVinci Resolve 10

Learn how to perform basic online editing tasks in DaVinci Resolve 10. This tutorial looks at compositing, titles and Sapphire plug-ins.

How To Use the RGB Mixer To Remove The Arri Alexa Film Matrix

Are you fighting a green color cast with Arri Alexa footage? This may be due to the Arri Alexa Film Matrix. Learn how to use Resolve's RGB mixer to fix it.

Color Correcting A Film Trailer: Sony FS700 Footage

In this color correction tutorial, we explore color correcting FS700 footage in our Fake Film Trailer. We'll also use Sapphire plug-ins for DaVinci Resolve.

How To Use The Premiere Pro Title Tool To Color Correct with Shapes

Using shapes to isolate areas of your image for color correction is a key color correction skill. Learn how to do this using the Premiere Pro Title Tool!

Color Correcting A Fake Film Trailer: Grading RED Dragon Footage

In this installment of the Fake Film Trailer, I start color correcting Red Dragon footage. It's my first time working with this camera.

Video Noise Reduction In DaVinci Resolve: The Neat Video OFX Plug-in

We explored video noise reduction in DaVinci Resolve 10 earlier. In this tutorial you look at the OpenFX plug-in, Neat Video, and compare the differences.

Video Noise Reduction In DaVinci Resolve: The Built-In Toolset

Explore DaVinci Resolve 10's built-in video noise reduction tools. It's available to paid owners Resolve 10. Should you upgrade? Watch Parts 1 & 2...

Adding Tension by Animating Power Windows: The Spaceship Sequence

We're going to use DaVinci Resolve key frames with animating Power Windows—dialing up the tension and creating the feeling of alien ships flying over head.

How to Prepare A Film Trailer For Color Correction

Learn how a professional colorist evaluates a project (film trailer) before a single shot is color corrected - a critical step for smooth sessions.

An Introduction to the OpenFX Film Convert Plug-In: Part 1

Part 1 of our two-part overview of the Film Convert Plug In. Learn how to use the OpenFX version in DaVinci Resolve 10 and explore its various options.

How to Emulate the Clarity Slider + Color Correcting in VFX Workflows

Three professional colorists discuss how to emulate LightRoom's Clarity Slider in DaVinci Resolve. Plus, where color correction fits in VFX workflows.

How to Use DaVinci Resolve's Splitter Combiner Nodes

Learn how to split color channels into RGB, YUV or LAB with the Splitter Combiner nodes in DaVinci Resolve. Watch me put them to work.

How To Color Correct With Blending Modes : The Overlay Mode

You can use the Overlay blending mode to add grain and get great colour and contrast pop, with the click of a button. Watch me put it to use.

How To Color Correct Green Screen Footage (in DaVinci Resolve)

I like to work with background plates in Resolve. This allows me to color correct my product or actor in place, allowing creative choices. Watch me work.

Creating Color Correction Looks: The Low Contrast Look

The Low Contrast Look is a flat style of color correcting. In this video, learn how we execute it without making our images look lifeless.

Creating Color Correction Looks: Emulating the Film Look

Has a client ever asked you to create a 'Film Look'? Yes, us too. In this video, learn how we get to this Look using some new features in DaVinci Resolve.

Building Color Correction Looks: Tinting Your Shadows

Sometimes when you're color correcting you need to give the job an extra wow factor. My favorite technique at the moment is tinting the shadows. Learn how.

Secondary Corrections in DaVinci Resolve

'Secondary corrections' are isolations to areas of an image to make specific color corrections. Here are tips on getting quick results.

The Fundamentals of Power Windows in DaVinci Resolve

Learn the recent updates and feature refinements for Resolve's Power Windows, including a new gradient window and unlimited shapes per node.

HEY—Where's My Master Session (in DaVinci Resolve 10)?

DaVinci Resolve 10 hides the 'Master Session' by default. Why do I rely on it when color correcting commercials and music videos? How do you find it again?

Tips & Tricks for Time Remapping in DaVinci Resolve 9 & 10

Dealing with Time Warps in a color correction workflow is difficult to manage. I found a workflow, saving time and money for you and your clients!

How To Copy Color Corrections Between Sequences in Avid Symphony

Do you know how you can copy / merge color corrections in Avid Symphony from one sequence to another? This video shows you the process.

Color Correction Tips: Matching Shots To A Brand Logo

Have you ever been asked to color match a shot to a reference image for their video? Here are a few ideas on how to do that in DaVinci Resolve.

DaVinci Resolve Tools: Using The Key Mixer Node

You will learn two ways to use the Key Mixer Node: How to set it up as a master control for multiple masks; and how to build garbage masks for cleaner keys.

Color Correction Looks: Creating The 7D Korean Horror Look

If you're looking to create a Look and want something a bit different (and even noisy)... here's how you can create the 'Korean Horror' Look.

How To Blend Between Color Corrections Into The 'Day For Night' Look

DaVinci Resolve's node tree makes it tough dissolving between two completely different Looks. Learn how to do it easily, without getting lost in keyframes.

How to Build A 'Day For Night' Look - Color Correction Technique

What does it mean to shoot film or video as 'Day for Night'? Learn the terminology and how to do it in this video tutorial.

How to Build a Vintage Look For Your Videos

Recently, clients have been coming in asking me to create a 'vintage look' for them. What is that? And how do I go about it?

Color Correcting A Music Video: Ask Me Anything

Do you have burning questions about color correcting music videos? Professional colorist Dan Moran, CSI is here to give you his answers.

What Are the Limitations of LUTs When Color Correcting in 32-bit Float?

When using Look-Up Tables you've got be careful with LUTs and 32-bit Float... otherwise you may end up clipping out valuable image detail. Learn why.

How to Composite Graphics in SpeedGrade CC

Compositing graphics in SpeedGrade - even in a Native SpeedGrade project - is easier than you think! Learn how you can do it.

Adding Depth To Video : Putting Theory Into Action

After my 3-part series on the theory of Depth-of-Field and techniques simulating it, the theory is put to action—learn how you can use these techniques.

Adding Depth-of-Field Using Selective Sharpening and Blurring

Are you looking to control depth-of-field in your video images during color correction? This video shows you how to use selective sharpening and blurring.

The 3-Band Technique for Enhancing Boring Exterior Shots

Flat boring outdoor shots are very common when color correcting. What can you do to fix it? Learn a technique based on Classical painting theory.

The Fundamentals of Color Correcting for Beauty

Have you ever needed to improve how an actor 'looks' in a video? Learn the basics of how the pros do it in this Beauty Grading 101 video.

Premiere Pro Adjustment Layers: Applying A Look To An Entire Scene

Adjustment layers can be used for many things—a favorite is color correcting and applying a Look to a few shots, a scene or an entire timeline.

DaVinci Resolve: Preconform or Conform Before Starting A Job?

When preparing to color correct a job in DaVinci Resolve, to Preconform or Conform is a question you need to ask yourself (and know their differences).

Creatively Using Soft Clipping in DaVinci Resolve

'Clipping' image detail is considered bad. But learn how to use DaVinci Resolve's 'soft clipping' control for great creative effect.

How You Can Add Camera Shake in DaVinci Resolve

If you want to add Camera Shake in Davince Resolve then it can be tricky since there isn't a 'shake' tool. Learn a quick workaround to achieve this effect.

Filter Results