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Mezzo Soprano Emily Harmon: Seeing Color Harmonies In Music
See color differently by understanding the phenomenon of synesthesia, as explored in my conversation with Opera singer Emily Harmon.
Artist Anna Evans: We need to talk about Magenta
What can a contemporary painter teach colorists? Quite a bit about the fundamentals of additive and subtractive primary colors, actually.
Demystifying Colour Spaces, Transfer Functions, Colour Standards
Filmlight engineer Daniele Siragusano unpacks the foundations of colour science and how these concepts define essential industry workflows.
A Deep Dive Into Rendering H.264 & H.265 from DaVinci Resolve
Mixing Light contributor and freelance colorist Luke Ross takes a deep dive into H.264 & H.265 render options on a Mac and PC in Resolve.
Upgrade Your Toolkit: Create Custom Highlight & Shadow Controls
Learn how to create a custom highlight roller tools tailored to your creative needs inside DaVinci Resolve.
Filmmaker Michael Henry - Being color blind in a visual industry
The Color Timer learns to turn a limited visual color palette into creative strength with professional insights from a color-blind filmmaker.
15 Minutes with Tattoo Artist Jhon Gutti - The Color Timer Podcast
What does an award-winning tattoo artist have to say about color? Special guest Jhon Gutti talks about shades of gray in his craft and art.
15 Minutes With Legendary Colorist Peter Doyle
The Color Timer Podcast speaks with legendary colorist Peter Doyle on the nature of color, metameric failure, and the 'why' of every grade.
The Color Timer Interview With High-End Colorist - Rory Gordon
In the first episode of a new podcast, colorist Vincent Taylor chats with Colorist Rory Gordon about painting, color clocks, & color science.
How To Manipulate Hue More Effectively In DaVinci Resolve
Learn how to dramatically improve your Hue vs. Hue adjustments in DaVinci Resolve by changing a node's color model - and why this works.
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.
Deconstructing Blur, Mist, and Unsharp Mask Operations
In Part 3 of Hector Berrebi's 'Texture Management' series, learn what blur is doing to your images and build an Unsharp Mask using nodes.
An Introduction to Texture Management (using DaVinci Resolve)
In the start of a new series, colorist & educator Hector Berrebi defines the terms and tools of the important concept: Texture Management.
Creating And Evaluating PowerGrade Tools - Tips and Tricks
Colorist Jason Bowdach teaches you his approach to developing and evaluating technical PowerGrades (and how it helps your creative grading).
Behind The Curtain - Building a HDR Ready Show Look
In this Insight Dan (well known for his gritty looks) tries to bring a bit of that style to a cleaner, HDR ready show look created in Baselight
Demystifying The Horseshoe - A Guided Dive Into The 1931 CIE Chart
We've all seen the 1931 CIE RGB Chromaticity Chart but do you understand its importance to film and video? How does it map to human vision?
Creative Coding With DCTL: Part 3
In part 3 of this ongoing series, with foundational knowledge in place, start coding your first DCTL a colorist Cullen Kelly guides you step by step.
Creative Coding With DCTL: Part 2
In Part 2 of his series on coding DCTLs, Cullen Kelly covers some additional setup and tools you'll need to successfully build DCTLs
Creative Coding With DCTL: Part 1
Cullen Kelly kicks off a new exciting series about DCTL coding. Learn the vocabulary, syntax, and techniques to create DCTLs to aid your color grading.
Webinar: The Birth Of Color Photography & The RGB Color Process
Help us celebrate the 160th Anniversary of the color photograph, its history, and the RGB color model! Presented by colorist Hector Berrebi.
Color Grading Challenge – Tri-X Style Black & White
Dan briefs you on a Black & White Tri-X look. If you grade to his brief and post in the comments, he'll play 'client' and offer feedback.
HDR Palette - Using Multiple Zones, Contrast, Presets, Global Control
In Part 2 of this series, we dig deeper into the HDR Palette and continue exploring its differences from the traditional Primaries Palette.
HDR Essentials: Vocabulary & Workflow Webinar
In this Mixing Light Webinar replay, join Mixing Light co-founder Robbie Carman as he explores HDR essentials, including vocabuarly & workflow
ACES and DaVinci Resolve 101 Webinar - Understanding the Workflow
Are you confused about what is ACES? What is it used for? How do you use and implement ACES within DaVinci Resolve? This webinar is for you.
Baselight Start to Finish - Series Overview Kodachrome Inspired Look
An introduction into building a Kodachrome inspired look on Arri Alexa footage using Basegrade, Looks, Grain and Color Crosstalk
Grading Challenge – Modern Sci-Fi Brief
Dan plays client and dishes out a grade brief for a Modern Sci-Fi film that he'd like you to execute. Remember there are no wrong looks!
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).
Why Is Color Grading So Hard (and what can you do about it)?
Do you doubt your ability to color correct moving images? Are you constantly re-doing your work? Learn what's going wrong and how to fix it.
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
Understanding the Future of Color Grading - Part 4
The film and television production and distribution pipeline is quickly evolving to support wide color gamuts. What's pushing this change?
ACES in Action Part 2 - Breaking Down the Imaging Pipeline
In Part 2 of this Series, learn the details of an indie film navigating ACES between DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and After Effects.
ACES Color Correction in Action: An Indie Case Study Part 1
The ACES color management workflow is a key technology for major Hollywood productions. Learn how an Indie film implemented ACES.
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.
Understanding The Future Of Color Grading - HDR and 'Presence'
In Part 3 of this series, you learn about the evolution of digital video from Standard- to High- Dynamic Range. Why is it here to stay?
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.
What Is A CDL And When Do You Use It?
Take an introductory look at the Color Decision List (CDL) and learn about the strengths and weaknesses of an ASC-CDL based workflow.
The Future of Work: Can computers be creative (and take your career)?
Creativity makes us human. What is the place of AI in this area? If computers become too human, will we become just machines?
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 Three
Dan is back in part three of his unfiltered look at a recent grade. In this part we take a look at matching the externals in this 16mm style
Elsewhere On The Web: The Fall 2018 Edition
These 'don't miss' color grading related articles and videos are culled from 2018's 4th quarter of the weekly curated Tao Colorist Newsletter.
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.
Behind The Curtain - Cleaning Up For 2019
Dan shares his thoughts on trying to clean up his grades in 2019 and moving away from his favourite film emulation techniques.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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 (Improperly) Export LUTs in DaVinci Resolve 15
Learn the 'rules' when exporting LUTs in DaVinci Resolve 15. You also learn how to break a LUT to understand the problems with many LUTs.
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.
Colorist Toolbox 2.0 - Building A Look Library 2018
The only person that is going to inspire you is yourself. A Look Library surrounds you with inspiration keeping you motivated and current.
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.
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.
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 .
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.
Colorist Inspiration -Best Colorist Nominations 2018
Dan Moran shares his thoughts on the best commercial color grade nominations 2018. Top work from excellent colorists are great sources of ideas.
A Filmmakers Guide to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
In this introduction to AI / ML for filmmakers, put those buzzwords in context. How can they inform you about the technology being discussed?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Elsewhere On the Web... Insights You Shouldn't Miss 'Out There'
Our focus in our Insights Color Correction Library is on creating original content. But sometimes we see original thoughts on other websites that you need to read. In this post, we share a few of those don't-miss insights from the internet.
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?
The Challenges (And Lessons Learned) Of Color Restoring Classic Films
The color restoration of classic films is one of the few 'Dark Arts' of digital color correction. Colorist Jim Wicks shares his challenges - and lessons learned - from this unforgiving niche of the craft of color grading.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Grading Challenge - Reviewing My Car Brief Grades
In this insight Dan is reviewing your efforts on his car brief and also sharing his attempt at the shot to show his approach to the grade.
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.
How do you choose Gamma 2.2 vs Gamma 2.4 when color correcting?
When you start delving into the finer points of color correction you'll eventually learn about Gamma 2.2 vs Gamma 2.4. Learn how to choose between them.
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
Grading Challenge - Follow My Brief
Following a brief for unattended grades can be incredibly difficult. Dan sets up a virtual client grade and will give feedback on your grade in the comments
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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?
Colorist Inspiration – March 2017
Dan shares his inspiration for this month including BTS on Moonlight, Peter Doyle, A$AP Rocky and a Lorde video shot on 16mm
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.
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.
Lens Profiling - What Is It And Why Could It Be Useful?
Is lens profiling something we should be looking at as colorists or is it a lot of extra effort to save a small amount of time in the grade?
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
How to Color Match using Color Charts with RAW (or LOG) Footage
DaVinci Resolve's 'Color Match' is terrific for Color Charts recorded on-set. Learn the tricks to this feature if your Footage is RAW or Log.
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.
How To Prepare And Quote A Bid To Color Grade A Feature Film
Dan jumps from commercials to features in this series and shares his guide to getting organized and plan for efficient feature grading
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
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
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
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?
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.
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.
From Client Hard Drive to XML Export: Prepping a Timeline
If you need to move a timeline from Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro for color grading or finishing then learn how to prep it for an XML Export.
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.
From The Grading Room - Behind The Looks of 2016 UK Best Nominated Commercials
First, explore the list of the UK's 2016 Best Nominated Commerials - then ask a professional colorist to breakdown how they achieved their Looks.
White Balancing Shots and Solving Common Problems
Learn how to white balance shots with mixed color temperatures. Plus, how to deal with subtle color balance issues.
How To White Balance Shots Using Common Color Correction Tools
Watch how to White Balance (or Color Balance) digital video images. You'll explore 4 different tools and learn their differences.
Thinking Like A Colorist - Considering Final Contrast Pt 1
Considering Final Contrast before you make your first primary correction is a huge advantage creatively to help you get the best results
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.
Getting To Know ACES Part 1: Introduction
ACES (Academy Color Encoding Specification) is a professional color management system used by productions of all types. In Part 1, you learn about the problem it solves and basic terminology.
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 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
Should You Go For That Film Look Or Embrace The Digital Clean Look?
Sometimes going for the film look is not the right decision. Dan shares his tips on going digital to give us great punchy sharp images.
How to Protect Skin Tones While Color Grading with a Heavy Look
When working with heavy looks we sometimes forget about protecting skin tone and making our artist/actor look as good as possible
How to (mostly) Fix RGB Gamut Excursions in Software
If you're color correcting digital video for professional distribution, nothing is worse than having it rejected for RGB Gamut excursions!
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).
Colorist Inspiration – July 2016
Dan shares his top grades from July as a source of great colorist inspiration
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.
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
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.
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.
Getting Started with Lightspace DPS - Do You Need To Calibrate?
'Does my color correction display need recalibration?' Getting Started with Lightspace DPS (a free app) helps you answer that question.
Reference Display Profiling: Is Your Display Accurate?
If you do video color correction, do you know if your reference display is accurate? Learn how to find out. The first video in a series.
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…
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.
Showreel 2016 – Who Is Your Target Audience?
It's time to cut your reel and Dan shares his advice on his Showreel 2016
Working with LUTs in Premiere Pro - Part 1
Learn how to color correct with LUTs in Premiere Pro and the Lumetri Panel. Especially if your color correcting with RAW-, Log- or flat- recorded images.
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.
Data Levels or Video Levels — How To Choose Wisely
DaVinci Resolve allows you to choose between 'video levels' and 'data levels'. Learn how to choose wisely and if you should be making a choice at all?
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 - Adding To The Narrative In A Flashback
Sometimes we need to add more to our image to sell a flashback. Dan shares his tips for a firey look and adding diffusion and motion blur.
Look Inspiration - Colorized Film Look
Dan shares his look and drx files for a Colorized Film Look
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.
Christmas Clean Up: Refresh Your System
In this Insight Dan explores some things to think about when it comes to doing a refresh of your system.
Skin Tone Essentials
In this Insight, Dan guides you through key aspects of getting proper skin tone in your grade.
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 - 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.
Finding Opportunities When Color Correcting
How do you stay creative when you're not feeling creative? Learn how one professional is always finding opportunities when color correcting.
Tales From The Grading Suite - Lighting The Looks
When jobs look good you wonder why your own work might not look as good. In this insight Dan shares his thoughts on Lighting The Looks.
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.
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!
Colorist Inspiration: August 2015 MixingLight.com
Colorist Inspiration – August 2015 The Best Grades From Around The World The world of color grading is mostly a thankless craft. Regular viewers don’t even know we exist and most…
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.
Anatomy Of A Commercial Color Grade
The question of how to commercials look so good crops up constantly. Dan shares the in and outs of a grading session to show you how
Is Changing ISO in Post Production Accurate?
When working with RAW-recorded video in post-production is changing ISO in software the same as doing it in-camera? Click and find out.
Changing Exposure in Post-Production: A Thought Experiment
Does the Exposure control for a RAW-recorded video file work the same as changing the iris on your camera? This video explores this concept.
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
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?
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
Colorist Health - My Campaign For Eye Awareness
How much time have you spent thinking about your eyes? Dan starts a new series about health issues including eye awareness.
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!
Advanced Beauty Grading Part Three : Smoothing Skin Tones
When working with people we always need to smooth skin tones. In this video I explore my three favorite skin smoothing tools.
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 - 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
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
Colorist Look Inspiration - Car Commercials
How do they make car commercials look so polished and refined? Dan shows you some common techniques used on a car commercial.
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.
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
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
Resolve's 'Color Match' Is Easier Using 'Brightness First' Rule
DaVinci Resolve's 'Color Match' feature can be tricky. But if you follow the 'Brightness First' Rule, you'll probably get better results.
Why Is Camera Matching with Color Charts So Hard?
If you've tried to match multiple cameras together using color charts, you've likely found it difficult. What's the problem you're having?
Colorist Inspiration - The Best UK Commercials of 2014
We take a look at the Best UK Commercials of 2014 in the world of uk color grading.
Saturation in Final Cut Pro X: Is Your Image Colorful Enough?
How do you know if your images are colorful enough? When's the best time to set your saturation in Final Cut Pro X? Find your answer here!
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.
Why You Need To Dig Deep: Final Cut Pro X Exposure Slider
Understanding the Final Cut Pro X Exposure Slider is critical to knowing how to color correct in Final Cut Pro X. Click and discover: Why?
Advanced Beauty Grading Part One
Advanced Beauty Grading is quite a dark art in the world of color grading. Dan shows you his approach to beauty grading on a commercial.
Dealing with Saturation in LAB Colorspace
In Part 5 of our LAB in DaVinci Resolve series, we answer members questions about dealing with saturation in LAB colorspace.
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?
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
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.
LAB Color in DaVinci Resolve: Is it effective?
Explore several types of source footage to determine which one are best suited for working with LAB color in DaVinci Resolve.
Infrared Look - Emulating Aerochrome
Building an Infrared Look can give you some beautiful results if you have the right projects and feel adventurous!
LAB Color in DaVinci Resolve - Foundations Part 2
In this video, transfer those Photoshop skills color correcting LAB color in DaVinci Resolve - plus how the tools don't translate directly.
LAB Color Correction Foundations - Photoshop
Learning how to color correct in LAB color space with DaVinci Resolve is easier if we start with how the Photoshop experts are doing it.
LAB Colorspace: An Introduction (using DaVinci Resolve 11)
Photoshop pros are learning the power of LAB Colorspace. This is the first of several videos on applying those Insights to moving images.
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.
Advanced Windows - Multiple Windows & Tracking
Using multiple windows and tracking them into your scene gives you total control of your image and allows you to build powerful looks.
UKMVA's Best Color
Dan showcases the best of the best in UKMVA's Best Color grading award catagory.
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
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.
Essential Skills For Assistant Colorists
Essential Skills For Assistant Colorists to help you get the job in a big facility. Being an assistant is hard work but you'll learn so much
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.
When Color Management Fails : Dan's Strategy
Have you had a client reject a grade after they left the color correction suite? Learn how handle this problem without losing your client.
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
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!
Managing Contrast Across Multiple Scenes
Stop using the full video contrast range on every shot in every scene. Learn to start managing contrast between scenes for visual interest.
How to Compress Video for YouTube
How do the pros compress video for YouTube at the highest quality? Listen to this interview with specialist Jeff Greenberg.
Narrowing Your Color Palette
Grading isn't always about adding to your image. Taking away and controlling colors is just as important when building strong images.
Legalizing With No Legalizer & R3D Trimming
In this installment of From The Mailbag we discuss two questions about video legalization & using R3D trimming in Resolve with Remote Grades
Sky Replacement Challenge
Using a sky replacement we change a simple beach scene into a moody tropical sci fi establishing shot
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.
How to use the Offset Control in DaVinci Resolve
The Offset Control in video color correction looks quite rudimentary. Learn how to use it powerfully and to great effect.
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.
Creating An S-Curve Using The Contrast & Pivot Controls
Learn how to quickly create an S-Curve using the Contrast and Pivot controls in Resolve to add more filmic contrast to shots
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
Colorist Tip: How to Build a Color Correction Showreel
How do you build a colorist showreel / demo reel that condenses your whole career into 3mins? Dan shares with you his approach.
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.
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.
