Color Part 2: Curves and Grading
This is a part 2 of our previous video called “Color Correction Made Easy: Step by Step” that we did back in February 2018. Pretty much everything we talk about in that video is still valid today in Premiere Pro v 2020, so if you didn’t watch that one, I highly suggest you watch it now because I will assume you know what I am talking about here based on info from that video.
In this tutorial we will use color curves to correct our video as well as some ideas about color grading.
Color Correction Revisited
Objectivity vs. Subjectivity
It’s important to note that color correcting is mostly objective. The objectivity in color correction is due to the fact that white is a reflection of all colors to our human eyes. And when we shoot video, we generally want white to look, well, white. We also know what people look “normal”.
Color grading is mostly subjective. Color grading is the process of improving the appearance of an image for presentation in different environments on different devices. Various attributes of an image such as contrast, color, saturation, detail, black level, and white point may be enhanced whether for motion pictures, videos, or still images.
Previously…
In the previous video, we looked at the Basic and Creative panels in Lumetri. We also used the Fast Color Corrector to help us with skin tone. This time we will look at doing almost everything using the Curves panel and getting rid of that obsolete Fast Color Corrector effect.
The Lumetri Effect is in Premiere Pro 13.0 or higher. Like before, let’s go to our Color Workspace -> Window / Workspaces / Color to open the color workspace and see these controls.
Curves in Premiere Pro
The Basic Correction tab in the Lumetri Panel is great for quick and general collor correction. Just a few sliders and you’re done. But if you’ve ever used a program like DaVinci Resolve, you’ll notice that the first thing in your face is a curve interface. This is because it allows you a deeper level of color work than the sliders in the Basic Correction tab have. So lets talk about this.
The Curves panel contains the following sub panels:
Using curves instead of Basic Panel
RGB Curves
Four lines (that can become curves) for altering the Luma, Red, Green and Blue levels in your video. This independent control is where the power of curves comes from.
Hue Saturation Curves
They are labeled with “Thing” vs.. “Thing”. Let’s break this down to better understand what this means.
Thing 1 vs. Thing 2
Thing 1 vs. Thing 2
Thing 1: What we are going to be identifying or the range of thing 1 will be affected by thing 2.
Thing 2: What we are affecting in that range defined by Thing 1.
For example, Hue vs. Saturation means we will select a Hue (Thing 1) and then affect how Saturated (Thing 2) that hue selection is.
A few things to know about the interface for the Hue Saturation Curves:
Double-click the curve to reset it.
The intensity increases from the bottom to the top of the graph.
Note the slider at the bottom. This allows value ranges to wrap around the screen so you are not limited in what you can select.
All the curves start in the middle but can be moved up or down if needed.
The line will show the intensity via a gradation from top to bottom.
There is an eye-dropper tool to help select ranges in the image.
Holding the SHIFT key locks values to vertical movement only.
Hue v.s Saturation
Hue Saturation Curves Panel
This allows us to control the level of saturation in a given HUE range. If I raise the line all the way to the top, it increases thing 2, which in this case is the saturation. Bring it to the bottom and it decreases thing 2.
Use the Eyedropper tool to have the color range automatically selected.
Hue vs. Hue
This allows us to do essentially what we used to have to do with the Fast Color Corrector Effect. Moving this line up or down rotates the hue values in the image, allowing us to correct things like skin tone. We can also rotate the hue values within a specific range by using the eye-dropper tool or clicking points on the line.
Skin Tone correction: Simply use the mask method described in the first video to isolate the skin of your subject. Then move the entire curve up or down to shift the skin to the skin tone line.
Hue vs. Luma
This one controls the luminosity of the range of hue selected.
Luma vs. Saturation
This controls the saturation level based on the luminosity of the image. This one is hard to explain, but here are some examples of how you can use it
Remove the color from blacks in the image.
Remove the saturation of the sky from an image.
Saturation vs. Saturation
Allows us to select a saturation range and effect its saturation level.
Color Grading & LUTs (Look Up Table)
Looks are visible styles of an image with the intent to create a clear mood or reference. It is usually done after all the color correction has been handled. Once color correction done, you can do all your other adjustments from that point (like color grading and applying LUTs) on an additional Lumetri effect . This way, you can experiment with your grade without fear of affecting your corrections.
Orange and Teal simulate the “Golden Hour”
Popular grades are Orange and Teal. Use the Color Wheels & Match to perform this grade by pushing blue into the shadows and orange into the midtones. This effect works will because orange and blue sit on the opposite side of the color wheel (complimentary colors) and have the strongest contrast. This effect simulates the “golden hour” look where the sky is orange and the shadows are dark blue-ish. It’s a nice effect but use WHERE IT MAKES SENSE!! I would use it in a nature scene but not necessarily on interview footage.
Pre-defined Looks
Start with the Creative tab in Lumetri and choose a Look. This is a great place to play around with pre-defined looks before you start making your own. Just remember to color correct your footage first.
Input LUT
Input LUTs act as a starting point.
Under the Basic Correction tab in Lumetri, there is an option to choose an Imput LUT. This is for LUTs that are profiles for camera or footage types. An Input LUT tells Premiere Pro to interpret footage in a certain way. Typically an Input LUT will be applied to flat log footage in order for it to display with the correct colors.
Now you know the basics of color correction and color grading. There is lots more to learn, but this is a great place to start and will make your video look better than ever. Have fun with your new color skills!