Skip to content
Da Vinci Resolve:
Color Grade on Human
Commercial vs. Film Color Grading
1. Commercial: Clean and Bright:
Base setting:
3 Nodes: 1st Balance, 2nd White balance, 3rd REC709
On rec709: choose LUTs used from the camera
On WB: change temperature and/or Tint
On Balance: Change gain/lift/gamma
Advance setting:
- 4 parallel nodes after 3rd node
1st node: Hue vs Sat (pull down green and blue colors in color curve)→ to take some color away
2nd node: →Hue vs Lum (dropper on the skin, raise the yellowish color), then to Hue vs Sat (raise the red color)→ to control skin tone (4:00 to 4:52)
3rd node: create a simple S-curve → for better contrast (may need to go back to 2nd node to tone the temp)
4th node: leave blank as backup
-5th: Vignette node (to pop out the subject): create a window/mask (circle one)→ lift up highlight part in curve
-6th: Outside node to do the reverse (to darken the edge)→ hold Alt +O on 5th node→ pull down midtone part in curve
-7th: Glow fx node: adjust threshold, spread, brightness, opacity (to soften up skin and overall image)
Finally back to 4th blank parallel node and adjust Hue vs Sat for saturation or whatever color needed (mainly depend on background environment of the shot) 8:54
2. Cinematic: Film print emulation, character & grain:
- Create 3 Nodes: Base, WB, FPE (film print emulation)
At FPE: apply Film Looks Lut→ Rec709 Fujifilm D65
At Base: boost up Gamma & Gain, reduce Lift in Wheel
At WB: Fix Temp and boost Saturation (fine tone temp at Base node if necessary)
-4th Node: Look (As advance grading):
reduce Offset in wheel (bring down overall exposure),
boost saturation if needed,
inject green in Lift, blue in Gain, and balance things out in Gamma
-5th parallel Node (tone back skin tone from greenish):
Use dropper select face by Qualifier (adjust its Hue, Saturation and Luminance)
Use Window/Mask to circle the skin (face, hands,etc)
Track the Window if he has movement in the shot
Go to Log, push Offset towards Magenta and desaturate a bit
Move back to Look Node and balance back the Shadow in Log (mainly tone the black area as black)
-6th parallel Node (adjust background):
Go to Hue vs Hue in Curve, select strong colors part in different background by dropper and boost/reduce them in curve
Go to Hue vs Lum, tone a bit luminance part where are highlighted in Hue vs Hue
-7th Serial Node (Look 2)
Push the Gain in Wheel more towards yellowish green, balance a bit by Lift and Gamma
If it’s too strong, go to Node Key (reduce the Gain in Key Output until it looks dim, about 0.600)
-8th Node (Vignette)
Apply circle Window on the subject: pull down the midtone in Curve, then reverse the window (To get the outside background darker) 17:10-17: 23
-9th Node (Glow): Add little softness
-10th Node (Grain)
Apply fx Film Grain, Preset: 16mm 500T, adjust grain size and/or texture
Before:
After (commercial look):
Cinematic Look:
Cinematic Look:
Skin tones and Skin Refining (Sharpen eyes and face acnes removal too):
After 2 nodes (Contrast, Saturation), add 5 more nodes as Skin tones, Highlight, Skin Soft, , Eyes, Vignette
For Skin Tone Node:
-Window → Round shape apply on face
-Qualifier (in HSL) → pick the skin color by dropper on screen → Soften the selection by add Denoise, and L.Soft and H.Soft value a bit as follow
-Color Warper → slightly drag the dropper on skin’s on screen to make the skin tone looks natural, use the Warper diagram for reference (4:05 to 4:30)
For Highlight Node:
-Qualifier (in LUM, to only grade the bright part) →Luminance: both Low and High about 60, soften by Denoise, L.Soft and H.Soft again. (Most background should be not selected, add Window on face for more precise selection only on face)
-Increase Gain in Bars to about 1.03 (make the face less flat mulit brightness levels)
Remember the track the Windows if there is movement.
For Skin Soft Node (remove blemish/acnes on skin) :
Copy and paste Skin Tone Node to Skin Soft Node, restore the Color Warper (icon next to 3 dots), reduce MD (Mid/Detail) (recommended not lower than -50)
For Eyes Node:
-Window: manual pen tool, draw a mask around the eyes, increase Softness about: Inside 4, Outside 4 (feather purpose)
-Wheel, boost Gamma (brighter eyes), back to Window Softness to boost Soft 1 if necessary
-Blur (a water drop icon between Magic Mask and Key) → drop down Radius (to sharpen the eyes)
Track the Windows
For Vignette Node:
-Window → Round tool on almost whole frame, feather more
-Boost Gamma (if want to brighter face)
-Reduce Gamma → Reverse the Mask, the square with circle inside icon in Window Tool (If want to dim down the background)
Color Correction:
Stylized Grading:
Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.