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Why we should use color charts


Ed_David
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Here's a test I just did with the sony f35 and colored with the color chart tool in resolve:

 

No lut - just that color chart tool and some basic color corection - I feel this gives a completely natural amount of skin tones that I think I like more that Filmconvert or Impulz Luts all that stuff.  I am beginning to wonder if using those luts are kind of like using a beginner guide to understanding color and maybe that's why most colorists don't like them.

Anywho, now I know the importance of having a color chart - how useful and quickly it can be used to neutralize an image and skintones, and go from there.

From this day forward, I will bring a color chart to all my shoots.

Here's the LUT from this test - everyone can download and use on pretty much all their footage - it's made for s-log but with adjustment probably works on everything - http://kittyguerrilla.com/ed_luts/

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

Did you use the auto-match feature in Resolve?

I've read some articles about why the X-Rite ColorChecker like used for photography is a wrong choice and a DSC OneShot is better but to be honest I think anything that gets the colors into the right ballpark to begin with is a great help.

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Yes I used the color match tool in Resolve with the x-rite color chart.

Interesting the one-shot vs color checker by Art Adams.  But I think resolve's default is the x-rite color checker.  And it looks like the x-rite has the same colors as the one-shot. Also he works for DSC labs - he designed the one-shot with them, so he maybe a little biased. :)  Would be interested to hear an independent colorist's opinion on the matter.  Also the x-rite is like $70, his is $300

 

here's a good independent test:

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Color Finale is updating its plug in to include support for the X-rite color chart. I have never used one. Hell, I am just starting to understand LUTS. Does anyone know of a good basic LUT that will get skin tones pretty close. I have been testing my G7 and so far like the Tetracolor from Impulz the best. But maybe I need to get me one of them there color charts... As if I would know what to do with it. 

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Just film the color chart with decent light on it.  then go into resolve or whatever - go to "color chart setting" and you put the swatches over the color chat, say what color temp you want it for (6500k) is default, but you can mess with this, and boom - it neutralizes your image to those colors so they are color accurate.  From there, you can start messing around with the image.

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Yes, you use the vectroscope, and you change saturation, and the three-way color correction on midtones, shadows, highlights and offset to get the colors into the boxes.  You don't isolate the color with a key and do it that way.

 

But still his video - I think his skintones from the a7s looked awesome.

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Here's a test I just did with the sony f35 and colored with the color chart tool in resolve:

 

No lut - just that color chart tool and some basic color corection - I feel this gives a completely natural amount of skin tones that I think I like more that Filmconvert or Impulz Luts all that stuff.  I am beginning to wonder if using those luts are kind of like using a beginner guide to understanding color and maybe that's why most colorists don't like them.

Anywho, now I know the importance of having a color chart - how useful and quickly it can be used to neutralize an image and skintones, and go from there.

From this day forward, I will bring a color chart to all my shoots.

 

That's how I want my colors to look. Like there is no look. Just right. Would love to see same subject in other sets if you have it. Thanks for sharing. 

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Just film the color chart with decent light on it.  then go into resolve or whatever - go to "color chart setting" and you put the swatches over the color chat, say what color temp you want it for (6500k) is default, but you can mess with this, and boom - it neutralizes your image to those colors so they are color accurate.  From there, you can start messing around with the image.

Am I right in assuming that color charts work best with log or raw footage?

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Here's the lut to download: http://kittyguerrilla.com/ed_luts/

The charts will work fine with any camera, it doesn't need to be log or raw.  It just takes the color from your camera and rewraps it.

Log is more about exposure and how it handles shadows and highlights - not color.

And RAW is pre-processed LOG files.  There is nothing magical about RAW.  Most raw is actually compressed - like Red RAW.  I like pro res 4444 over DPX (uncompressed) files because it saves on space signifigantly and makes it easier to get thru a shoot on time.

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That's what i'm saying about A7SII colors using the color checker... i see no problem at all with skin tones and other colors... they are just really accurate !!!!!

 

I'm using it every time i shoot some serious work... all cameras. F5, BMCC, RED epic etc etc... and with the A7SII i purchased few weeks ago, no problem too. I never ever used LUTS as they're almost always making some things i don't like on footage.

 

Ed David i 100% agree with your post.

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The charts will work fine with any camera, it doesn't need to be log or raw.  It just takes the color from your camera and rewraps it.

That's good to hear.  I was always compelled to invest in a chart but thought they were suited for material with room with push color around, like raw stills and professional video codecs.  However most of the cameras I use record 8-bit h.264.  I was afraid of artifacts, banding, breaking footage etc, even if I get my white balance near perfect.

That's what i'm saying about A7SII colors using the color checker... i see no problem at all with skin tones and other colors... they are just really accurate !!!!!

 

I'm using it every time i shoot some serious work... all cameras. F5, BMCC, RED epic etc etc... and with the A7SII i purchased few weeks ago, no problem too. I never ever used LUTS as they're almost always making some things i don't like on footage.

So with using the chart with a7sii footage (internal codec), you see no real downside?  The tonality of colors usually holds up?

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Yes there are some problems with 8 bits when trying to correct colors. But this is in extreme correction only, when white balance has not been adjusted correctly when shooting.

when we have to work with this kind of codec, we take time to double check the color temperature, triple check when outside... Our sekonic and our color checker is out for every shot... As we say nearly everywhere : check twice, shoot once.

 

so yes, i agree, sometimes some colors go crazy when using resolve's color correcting tool, but manual tweaking can do a good compromise though in these rare cases. I prefer tweak hard in rare case than doing an approximation work in every shot. In fact we always trust in our color checker better than in our sekonic... And cameras have their own calibration that biases colors too. It is not only an 8 bits codec matter.

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This is what I don't get about people complaining one camera has better colour than another. In the end, you can just do a colour match using a chart and your results will look as natural as possible. 

well with some camera sensors its easier than others to get nice graduations. And if course if the camera can output 10 bit or 12 bit you have more color gradiations than a camera that only output 8 bit. Also depends on dynamic range and sensativity of camera...how quickly it falls apart. Color charted the olypmus e m5 ii for a shoot. Compared to f35 looks like welll...use your imagination.

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