Hollywood Colorist Walter (CSI) about his color grading process

Hey Walter, one more hehe
in the base node, do you often use the printer light or Curves?
What do you prefer?

//Jesper

Wow! this is the holy grail! Thank you so much! 😍😀

And if I am correct you also make adjustments to the look at the "trim" node? 
(Only if the client wants it?)

Hey Walter - thank you very much for the insights!

How is your workflow if you have a DCP and a R.709 version to deliver and you're not working color managed?

Thanks - severin

2 minutes ago, Jesper Hammarbäck said:

Wow! this is the holy grail! Thank you so much! 😍😀

And if I am correct you also make adjustments to the look at the "trim" node? 
(Only if the client wants it?)

The idea is that at the trim node you are doing a “scene” look (if any) or client trims: it is not uncommon that after a scene is done, you need to do a small exposure adjustment or make it warmer or overall less contrast or whatever. Threat that as an overall..

2 minutes ago, Severin Schultze said:

Hey Walter - thank you very much for the insights!

How is your workflow if you have a DCP and a R.709 version to deliver and you're not working color managed?

 

Thanks - severin

Using OFX color space transforms, you can pretty much do the same math that is is in RCM. It is identical...

so it is a matter of knowing how to do it and where to put it.

Hey Walter, thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

May i ask, is there any article or course or something on luma/highlight-compression you would recommend? I know there is some information here on Lowepost, but maybe a bit more in depth.

Thanks,

Valentin

Dear Walter, thank you so much for this insight! It's incredibly valuable information you're providing here. I love your idea about discipline and creativity inside a constrained workflow. With open-ended tools like Resolve, it's easy to forget basics and lose oneself in dozens of correctors after correctors after correctors.

A few questions that came to mind watching your course and playing around with the node tree:

- How do you go about (if even) node caching? Depending on the footage and grading system, playback after heavy noise reduction in particular benefits from a cached node, which is why one might want to put that as the first operation on the tree.

- You've talked a bit about color management in the comments. Could you elaborate more on that? For example, how would you work when there's an ACES-workflow demanded? Or you have to work with HDR and SDR deliverables?

- Did you have the chance to play around with Resolve 17? Any new tools that piqued your interest? I'm still trying to wrap my head around the color warp tool, and I fear that the new HDR palette might be a bit overhyped for what it can really to to improve an image, but maybe you found something you really liked?

- Resolve 17: regarding the node re-numbering "feature" all of us hate that can't be turned off and f*cks with rippling – how are you gonna deal with that?

On 1/11/2021 at 9:02 PM, Walter Volpatto said:

Either as DCTL on the media page (preferred) or  it depends.

if the shot is already in a LOG like i usually put it on the first node, a OFX color transform will act before the primaries in a node (order of operations) therefore your correction will still be in LogC.

if the shot needs some hard transform, i might put it in the second node, (repurposing) so i can color some in the original space and then transform it.

Is working with DCTL's in the media page a similar workflow to setting an IDT and working in YRGB colour managed? If you were replicating your workflow in a YRGB project, would the Log-Rec709/P3 transform go right at the end of the node structure? This would still allow you to work in Log C throughout?

I've yet to try colour managed or using DCTL's so just trying to get my head around it in a standard project. Cheers Walter really great insight into your workflow. The 'hail mary' comment had me in stitches!

Much love @Walter Volpatto, such sage advice! After the primary node, did I understand correctly that you skip right to the scene node, adjust for the ‘look,’ and then go back to work on the L-C-R and other nodes?

One of the things you stated once remains with me...adjust contrast in B&W and see where you land.