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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

HIGH GLOSS look

Zakaree Sandberg

Zakaree Sandberg

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trying to figure out how to get this type of color look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U

from lady gaga telephone video..

It was shot on 35.. but i have never been able to get these kinds of color from apple color..

boosting saturation just gives a weird blown out saturation look..

any ideas on how to get the GLOSS look
 
I personally think that is 90% production design. If you look at the beginning of the video where all the sets and costumes are a cool steel blue, the image actually looks fairly desaturated, although the crushed blacks do tend to increase saturation. It's not until the second half when the really brightly colored costumes, makeup and truck show up. And you can tell they aren't achieving it by boosting saturation because the skin tones stay fairly desaturated.
 
Zakaree Sandberg said:
trying to figure out how to get this type of color look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVBsypHzF3U

from lady gaga telephone video..

It was shot on 35.. but i have never been able to get these kinds of color from apple color..

boosting saturation just gives a weird blown out saturation look..

any ideas on how to get the GLOSS look
Click to expand...
It has nothing to do with being shot on film or using VERY expensive colorist. It has everything to do with the quality of light. It definitely helps, when you start with beautifully lit scenes.
 
jake blackstone said:
It has nothing to do with being shot on film or using VERY expensive colorist. It has everything to do with the quality of light. It definitely helps, when you start with beautifully lit scenes.
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I thought he was specifically asking about the color saturation. But yes, you are absolutely right that giant soft light sources are a basic requirement for creating the slick glamor look.
 
yes. i know how to do glamour look.. i meant the saturation of colors in general.. either its just done on set with bright vibrant colors.. or they are able to tweak it in post without going nuclear... just wanted to know which
 
Julio Quintana said:
Wow. Fantastic actually.
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Yep ! Totally agree !

You have fans here Jake!


@ Zakaree:

The light work during shooting is a huge part of the final look.
I'm not a pro colorist, just used a bit of Color and Da Vinci. But I worked with a pro who says that you can have different looks when using the same settings on 2 different programs. So if you can't achieve what u want with Color :cryin:, maybe u should just try with another system. :laugh:
 
@Zakaree, I think I remember Jarred mentioning once a system they used that is very similar to Briese, but I can't find the post at the moment. (Or, I could be way off and it was a different system they were talking about.)
 
It's nothing special.

Just a good colorist, creating a look the is copied from work that JC was doing at MPC at least 15 years ago!

As for the lighting, well I always thought that wides & close should match and they sure as hell don't here!!

Instead of a Brieze just use a large diffuser or bounce and centre a hard source in it.

Apple color is not a full function grading system, it's prosumer.

Resolve will certainly let you do this but as always its the people doing it not the kit.
 
Thanks Geoff.. I just wanted to make sure this wasnt something I should be able to figure out.. was kinda hoping it took legit colorist to make happen (so i dont feel so shitty about not correcting properly)
I really wish i could just color a still in photoshop.. then somehow use all those settings.. save the file somewhere and upload it into a coloring program that applies the look to moving pictures. would make my life so much easier.. and really doesnt seem like it would be that hard to implement. I can get some fantastic looking colors in photoshop.. just not anything else made for video :/
 
Zakaree Sandberg said:
I really wish i could just color a still in photoshop.. then somehow use all those settings.. save the file somewhere and upload it into a coloring program that applies the look to moving pictures. would make my life so much easier.. and really doesnt seem like it would be that hard to implement. I can get some fantastic looking colors in photoshop.. just not anything else made for video :/
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Have a look at Iridas SpeedGrade OnSet.

It costs about $500 but takes in any format of digital original and lets you grade one frame of it and then generates a LUT or look file that can be imported into most high end grading systems.

I've been a beta tester of theirs for 6 years or so and have used it on most of my feature and commercials work.

I also used it on Wallander which was shot entirely on RED's
 
Lightroom?

Lightroom?

Zakaree Sandberg said:
I can get some fantastic looking colors in photoshop.. just not anything else made for video :/
Click to expand...

Have you tried processing TIF or DPX 16bpc frames out of REDCINE-X through Adobe Lightroom in batch processing?

I don't know but maybe someone else here has used LightRoom if it can take settings from PhotoShop or has similar controls?

I think Acam dII is batch processing their DNG through LightRoom for some of their demo videos(?).

==

As for a low cost softlight, I just put a large sheet of lee white frost (forgot the number but its the one you cannot see through, its like white paper but does not burn) onto the barn doors of Mole 2K with metal noteboard clips (about 2' - 2.5' away from the fresnel), in a sort of 3' wide bow, and adjust the focus in the 2K fresnel to make the bright spot larger or smaller, works great from about 3 feet back put one on each side of the actor you get a very even soft light...

I think to get a gloss look it is good to flag the lights off so that you have black all around the subject, with just a narrow line of bright but diffused light on both sides, if you need to shoot through a large black cloth with a hole in it so there is less bounce light, which reduces the gloss effect, and use a pola filter to control the specular reflections to the bounce fill ratio.

And have a subject that has gloss to start with...

Gloss is about the contour of the subject as it reflects the light source, if you have too many light sources or they are too large, there is not contrast between the reflections of light and dark... You do not want shadows, so the light should be soft but directional, like a window at the end of a room on an overcast day...

There are special optical filters you can use to increase color saturation without clipping the chroma in post, some use chemicals in glass that block yellow making red and green brighter when you open up to compensate, and others use interference to block UV, cyan, yellow, and IR to get cleaner primary colors...

You can tell how someone has used their lights by counting the shadows, seeing if the shadows are hard or soft and what shape they are, and looking at the reflections you can see the direction of the lights and if they are high or low angle to the subject. From shadows you can also see the key to fill ratio, and also the ratio of key to kicker etc.
 
Zak - I'm with you about Photoshop. I've been using it since the 90s and it is very powerful and has an easy order to using the controls - levels, curves, etc. IF some one could just adapt it to motion files - Adobe are you listening?
 
Richard Foster said:
Zak - I'm with you about Photoshop. I've been using it since the 90s and it is very powerful and has an easy order to using the controls - levels, curves, etc. IF some one could just adapt it to motion files - Adobe are you listening?
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plus 1
 
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