Cheat Code for Setting up Color Management in Resolve

[@andy80sdrums]

I literally consider Cullen a mentor. He doesn't know me of course. How could he. I am just a color student on the other side of the planet. But I will do my best to put his teachings to good use in my color practice. Thank you Cullen for always sharing your precious knowledge and approach with us. We all admire you!

[@mossgatherer_]

In my notes in Notion any Cullen video is tagged as "LC" for lovely Cullen 😅

[@thekaiser4333]

Grading LOL what a stupid job, not advancing mankind at all. Better do Advanced surgery or particle physics or something else useful.

[@LukeValerio]

Thanks Cullen I haven’t downloaded the cheat sheet but I took a screen grab because I read some of the earlier posts that it wasn’t the same as the video maybe that might help some people who want it right away:)

[@JesseSchroeder]

Thanks for making this available Cullen! The download only gave me the colorist cheat sheet, and it looks to be a different from the one in the video.

[@andy80sdrums]

Yes it is the wrong file. Happens. Cullen will fix it I am sure. Golden advice in this video as always!

[@morgan-xyz]

Wonderful video! I downloaded the cheat sheet, but it's only one page and doesn't match the discussion in the video.

[@mattthedirector4670]

Bro actually knows what he is talking about , so many losers on youtube pretend they know about color grading but this guy is the G.O.A.T

[@HughesHallinLA]

Hey Cullen, great episode. The cheat sheet that downloads isn't the one you reference in the video...

[@sriks8]

I am very new to learning color management and this really saved months of figuring out what to do. I cant thank you enough Cullen for being so detailed and thorough in explaining things. The project settings explained initially really helped in seeing how LUTs can pop up an image. I was doing it wrong the whole time and wondering why LUTs are not having any impact as my project setting was not right.

[@CullenKelly]

So glad to hear it! You're very welcome.

[@grahamfjlaws6108]

The download link on the email does not link to the Color Management Cheat Sheet. Hope you can fix this soon. LINK NOW FIXED ! the document is NOT meant to be physically printed out in its current format - the pages have a black background and will use a LOT of printer ink.

[@chenghancheng8933]

Thank you, I have discovered that you have truly saved me from detours in my learning journey. Thank you for your selfless dedication

[@matrixate]

I've been watching your tutorials for about a year. Everything in these are in line with what other pros do in practice. This particular video is proof. Thank you for the generous amounts of information.

[@thekaiser4333]

Doing what everybody else does it's not really a unique selling point, is it?

[@TMaekler]

This came at the right time. Struggling with how to best set up project that deal with multiple source formats - and voila, Cullen to the rescue. Thanks mate 🙂

[@Filmgoblin]

Love this. I'm curious if you can make a video going over HDR grading with a XDR display from Apple, which the macbook pro max and iPad pro also have and can be used as a reference monitor to an extent with netflix before final pass through with a dolby vision reference monitor. HDR is so confusing by I want to tackle that so I'm not in the dark...quite literally with some of my exports. Thanks Cullen

[@theowlfromduolingo7982]

1:15 How do you work with LUTs (like the Film look luts in resolve) that expect rec709 if your color management is set up like this? I’ve tried different option within the cst but it looks weird most of the time

[@nicholasbrecken7357]

This channel is a blessing.

[@NOLDist]

@Cllen Kelly. Absolutely love your videos, can you please do one on common export practices and trouble shooting!

[@RavikantRai21490]

You have helped me colour-grade a music video I finished, my biggest project to date. I would not have been able to do this without learning so much from you. If I had followed some typical youtuber's colour grading advice, I would never be able to have any kind of shot-to-shot consistency even on a baseline, let alone anything past that point.

[@oguchesamuel7683]

please call the youtubers name let me know what I am doing wrong

[@krdcountrytv]

Another incredibly helpful video. I have been using your method for some time but it is great to have this information consolidated into one video and to have the cheatsheet beside me ready to go! Thank you very much.

[@flochfitness]

That raw information was a life saver!!!!

[@erikgouletphoto]

What is the difference between the colour management project settings vs using Node CST's?

[@siveesh]

The cheat sheet downloaded from link received via email is different from the one shown in video, it has only a single page. Please check and update with new link

[@robs3557]

Totally Agree. It’s nothing like the ones he’s showing in the video.

[@MichaelKaykov]

Might just be a glitch, I’m sure there is an easy fix.

[@GuinnessFL]

both very interesting and helpful. did the link to the LUT ever get updated

[@frank2067]

Cheat sheet is exactly what I was looking for, thanks!

[@DayPhotography]

Thanks for the fantastic video! I'm a photographer that started doing video work a few years age and was only shooting raw CinemaDNG which was surprisingly easy to grade in resolve but after moving to a system that only shoots log, it has been so difficult to find a channel that doesn't jump LUT first into a grade. This channel has been a breath of fresh air and Cullen's explanations are succinct and concise and he expounds on numerous concepts so many others seem to breeze past.

[@antonioefisioscanu]

I've been using this settings since the first time you mentioned them a couple of years ago. (Thank you so much for this!) Except for the input color space. I frequently use the "split screen" option with outside references and for some strange reason, unlike "image wipe", it interprets the stills based on the input color space. Until they give us an option to color manage stills I'll go through the hassle of tagging everything manually.

[@chrismierzwinski1398]

Thank you. This video is particularly great as it sorta narrorws down all the various options you go through to eliminate and narrow down the choice. Its a good reference for quickly accomplishing that seeing what you do. Thank you again!

[@ENJOY97]

Thank you so much for your videos! What about if my output color space is aimed for Cinema, Film Festival's?

[@johngiatropoulos3848]

Thank you again! I come from a still photography background and have found your explanations of color mgmt to be clear, and easy to understand . . . and not too different, conceptually, from color mgmt in my still photography world. That, plus this is purely a hobby for me and the only log footage I shoot is from one camera so my situation is not as complex. Thank you!

[@tomaskonvicka4135]

It's good that you also show conditions that are not ideal. Just recently I was solving this problem, I got a rendered source video and the production wouldn't give me information about the cameras used. Thanks for this video:)

[@NINETY-97-SEVEN]

I'm so confused with all these color management settings.. there's so many of them and all are different.. I just want to have 2 simple ones. One for SDR & HDR One for Cinema. I always work in a davinci wide gamut timeline where I use double cst at the start and end (slog3 to dwg, than from dwg to rec709 /rec2020 for hdr?) EDIT: Great video btw! Will this color management workflow work for both sdr and hdr? And when I use this color management setting I don't need to use cst's anymore? I only work in slog3 so this would be great! 😁 Also would like to see how you export for Cinema (DCP) stuff. For Short / Feature films for example. 😁

[@jseamans]

This is very helpful. It's great to have a reliable strategy for dealing with uncertainty, in this case, when you don't know the color space of the camera original. This will help me to move forward with some confidence in this situation, which I encounter more often than I would like. Thank you, Cullen Kelly.

[@Learn2Canoedotca]

Thank you. This should be labeled #1 of Lesson 1.

[@SuchetB]

Thank you Cullen - this is amazingly helpful 😎☀️🎬🎥

[@QualityAntics]

Followed the link but it downloads something different. the colourist cheat sheet.

[@TubeSilva]

Can you make a video/cheat sheet of how you would configure your project settings when color managing using nodes? Do you change anything such as timeline and output colorspace (does it even make a difference). That's my confusion 😥

[@foaly8]

In " How to Color Manage using Nodes in DaVinci Resolve " you say you prefer using nodes. Yet here you use global color management. So which should I use? T_T

[@sL4yerthaMM]

Id say good tips in general. 2 additions: if you dont know the input colorspace ask the dop, 95% you get the answer, if not also check out the resolution of your clip. If its larger than like for example 5k you could mostly think of red etc and then test it out. Also most footage is either arri, red or sony (some Blackmagic aswell i guess in lower budgets).

[@jamescullen6190]

What about Nikon Cameras? I'm using a D780 that has a Sony sensor, what colour space would I use in Davinci? I'm not using 10-bit files yet as I dont have the device to get the dlog file

[@cmscss]

Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge - it’s gold!

[@CameraTim]

Question on the raw tagging. Completely makes sense with Blackmagic, ARRI, and R3D files that they will auto-tag the space because it's embedded in the raw file, but in the case of recording raw from external monitors from something like a mirrorless camera (Canon, Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic, Nikon, etc.) that operate in different spaces, does that change the workflow at all or will Resolve not auto-tag them because their metadata is different?

[@zarias2009]

Cullen would be great if you do a video about creative ways using negative 3x3 matrix in resolve, please

[@NimeshShresthaeditor]

Hi Cullen, again a great video. In one of your videos you were explaining about input DRT and Output DRT. I wanted to revisit the video to learn about them, but couldn't find. Can you please point out or mention the link of that video? I would be very thankful. Thank you.

[@GospelMusicians]

Would it be smart to check Automatic Color space if I’m always using BMPCC 4K Log?

[@anveshpaturi1445]

As always great content, thanks Cullen for the info, can you make a video explaining how to grade a project for both theatre release as well as OTT delivery?

[@realgouravverma]

Do we also need to apply colour space management when we shoot video from normal mode and not in raw mode? I have canon m50 mark2 camera. I bought it for normal KZbin video making.

[@charlesn]

Brilliant as always. Thanks for the tips Cullen. It is interesting to see the workflow shift. I still use your original ACES workflow (your 6 part series) and enjoy the results.

[@JimRobinson-colors]

This video is going to be really helpful for a lot of people - so good topic - and the cheat sheet will help a lot of people too. So good idea. The last one is the tricky part and happens way too often. I tend to look for other clues as well. The name of the file if not changed from the camera originals a lot of time can tell me where to start looking as well. Especially on Prosumer cameras like Sony or Panasonic - they tend to be named by default - i.e. Sony alpha footage with names like c0031.mp4 - or Panasonic using P12345.mov etc. and MVI_ for Canon etc. But the one you showed looked like it was renamed before you received it - but it did say 6k - so I probably would have gone to BMD first or RED to find the camera. Sure would be better if the camera manufactures forced the meta data onto any copy. Thanks for this Cullen. Your videos, even if I already know or have my own methods, get me thinking. And that is an important part of the whole process. Thanks again

[@JimRobinson-colors]

One actual question - on your sheet the use of rec709-a as an option. I have told people over and over that rec709-a is not an actual colorspace as it is a BMD only innovation to tag files. But I keep seeing it being used as a color space choice. I think that is kind of confusing in itself and not aware of any camera that would record to it, and when used from another source ( a Resolve render ) it would be rendered to a rec709 space and the transfer function would be then jsut read 1-1-1 by apple colorsync and would be identical to Premiere tagging of rec709 2.4 - So really confusing when used as a color space choice for input.

[@zmirfilms3442]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you.

[@rMr.big13]

Great video as usual but I have a question for you. So where does having to tag Rec709A , when using a Mac, so that there is no colorshift, when you render come into play?

[@garybarnett893]

Hi Cullen, great video! I’m using your method for setting up my Color Management project settings, with the default input color space as Apple Log. In my clips, I also have some RED footage. When I right-click a RED clip, there is no option for setting Input Color Space. But if I right-click an Apple Log clip, there is an option for setting input color space. Now, since I have Apple Log as my default input in my project settings, I don’t need to set those clips. But, how do I set my RED clips without creating a Color Space Transform node? I really liked your workflow, but was surprised when the Input Color Space wasn’t available for RED when right-clicking the RED clips.

[@commando9321]

Thanks Cullen for the info well elaborated!!

[@Wayofthedream]

Great job CK! So useful.

[@maxvolokh4711]

You can change input colorspace of SonyRAW in Raw menu. Do not need it, but have this option)

[@pasolero]

Thanks for your video. Can you provide the equivalent settings for Lumetri in Premiere Pro?

[@editology]

If you were to continue this video further and state why the Input Color Space is not available for R3D & BRAW files.... is that you can state the Color Space & specific Gamma in the CAMERA RAW tab on the Color Page... Thank you for pointing out that assigning a mystery log file (happens all the time) to be in the DW color space is the best solution rather than choosing a random space that just happens to look good. Appreciate the insight. :)

[@TheCatatumbito]

Hello, one question Cullen, what if all of the clips are log and you cannot find de color space metadata, and you dont know in which color profile it has been recorded, what should it be your input color space in the color managment settings?

[@ina00203]

Thank you Cullen

[@KirkwoodImaging]

Question for those that work with graphics and overlays when editing videos together, should I adjust the "Graphics white level" to something different here to make this easier?

[@X86Steve]

I have some Alexa WG Linear EXR ftg, I tried using this setup and the image is fringing and artifacts appear on the edges near the bright areas? Could it be the Vendor did not Debayer these .EXR files correctly out of Resolve??😱

What about if all your clips are RAW clips, you don't need to set any input color space/gamma then? Just leave at default REC.709 (Scene)? And this apply even for cinema DNG raw?

[@dumbstupidjarhead769]

this is what confuses me the most.

[@TempyEdits]

From my research, people will go to the Camera RAW tab and set Color Space to P3 and Gamma to D65, then do the CST-IN/OUT workflow. I'm still trying to figure out the best workflow. This seems good, but it might not be proper.

[@CaptainKage]

What about grading on Mac display? I should use 709-a as my output color space, but in this case the picture that I see after selecting proper input color space is pretty washed out..

[@_-raven-_]

Dear Cullen Assuming I have a custom camera conversion LUT from Log to Rec.709. Where and how should I integrate it into my color grading pipeline? In the project color management I can only set the the manufacturer LUT. Should I extend the Node Tree to [Conversion with custom LUT] - [Exposure] - [Contrast - [Balance] - ... - [Conversion to DaVinci Wide Gamut?] And what would I put as the project's input color space? Thank you in advance.

[@Learn2Canoedotca]

The flow chart is missing?

[@desander1000]

I'm asking once more, sorry for that, but what should I enter in the input tab if dealing with dng-files...? Same as timeline or something else...? Thanks Cullen.

[@Lavonne1]

What if your working with 3d renderings or animations or motion graphics? Will those settings work?

[@kansaitraveler]

It appears to link to the wrong cheat sheet.

[@gregorynierfeix8420]

Thanks for your video. I still have a problem with this workflow when using graphics such as logos. Colors are never correct even when trying various input color spaces for those medias. I tough 18.5 fixed that, am I missing something?

[@gonzalomorenocl]

the problem is the input luminance value. graphics or logos are usually 100 nits, so you can fix adding a CST with luminance mapping, or use an input DRT

[@ReshaTech]

hey cullen , what's the difference between this and idt / odt workflow?

[@hadyhambaly94]

is there any different for windows user?

[@trvlr002]

What do you set your output colour space when you don't know the ICC profile of your monitor and you can't find it either? I'm using a cheap monitor (HP 24f) - because that's all I currently have access to. Worked for a week on a project colour correcting/grading, and then during the render process all the colours look horrible. Now I'm trying to figure out what went wrong, and I think it was my colour profile. So - I'm stuck trying to figure out if I need to change the colour management on the project or the settings on the export. But either way, the question still stands. What colour space do I use if I don't have an ICC profile for my monitor?

[@AppleExpeditionProductions]

Thanks for this video. I am using Rec 709 for jpeg and png files, then I set each Blender sequence files to Linear color space. When I set the timeline to DaVinci WG, the colors became too saturated in Fusion. I can't match the timeline colors inside Fusion as well as for the external monitor.

[@CullenKelly]

Without seeing your exact setup, it sounds like the color space of your images might already be in Rec 709. A potential reason for the extreme saturation could be that there is an additional transform to Rec 709 being applied in Fusion. Even though these images are in linear, the color space is still Rec 709. Try playing with the input settings and see if that doesn't give you the correct result!

[@AppleExpeditionProductions]

​@CullenKelly Thank you very much. I just watched your Fusion video with Casey Faris. I still can't get the right fusion setup. My setup has Imageplane 3D, 3D camera, 3Drenderer and an external monitor in Resolve 19 Fusion. I hope to see a turorial on this. Cheers! Update: I tried setting the project color mangement to auto. Now all colors are consitent with the edit and color pages. In the fusion page, (with my existing color space transfer setup) just a slight difference in brightness and contrast.

[@koushikbhattacharya832]

Thank u so much sir

[@markarnold8308]

fabulous......

[@ryanseif]

Amazing video. Thank you very much

[@rodprod8522]

Amazing! thanks

[@jeepyang]

Wish there was a cheat sheet for HDR too

[@justsomeframes]

Hey Is it a must to grade ? or can it be enough to just use the management to transform it and thats it? like if i use it for a vlog or other stuff that isnt a movie or something for a consistant look.

[@BloomfieldProductions]

So I don’t need to use a CST after this correct?

[@CullenKelly]

That is correct! When using project level color management, there is no need to use a color space transform for any color management operations. You might still use a CST somewhere in your pipeline to make a round trip to and from something like linear or HSV.

[@BloomfieldProductions]

@@CullenKelly amazing bro I made a post in R/davinci on Reddit and somebody lead me to you while I’m not getting exact 100% colors from laptop to iPhone you’ve gotten me even closer and better than I ever have you’ve earned my sub ma

[@derio7983]

I am using fuji and even if I copy the same settings my image is still pale and not converted in rec 709, any suggestions? (Because fuji is using rec 2020 color space I choose that in the Input color space section).

[@oldman1517]

Excellence! Thank you

[@Hikebike365]

Hi Cullen, thanks for this. What happened to the recommendation to use node based CST? I just finished setting up a project with the node structure but my system seems to be choking on all the nodes and edits. Thinking of starting over.... Node CST or system CM? All clips shot on Fuji log.... Thanks! Also F-log is rec2020 in the documentation. Use that or DVWG for the color space

[@CullenKelly]

Great question! Both are viable options, and each has some advantages and disadvantages. I, personally, like to see a visualization of the color pipeline from sensor to display by using color space transforms. But this cheat sheet should help those situations when you might prefer to color manage at the project level. Hope that helps!

[@Hikebike365]

@@CullenKelly As it turns out I had to get deep into the weeds on this. Lots of snow and the sensor shows pink casts then blue casts at times. To get it mostly resolved (npi) I used 2020, went in and adjusted the luminance in and out levels from the project CM settings. All Fuji footage and snow in every scene so project wide worked. Helped a lot. Got some great usable footage. Thanks for the reply and all you do for us novice video folks

[@AyoushC93]

In-depth video, how to work in proxy please🙏

[@alexanderjeffery]

So helpful! Thank you!

[@Solovyov77]

Thank you very much!!

[@kentjensen4504]

Do you have a course?

[@ja-kidnb6416]

Just be aware that setting your input DRT different to your output DRT will lead to images that should not be altered (like already finished 709 material or graphics) will come out differently and you will HAVE to grade these even if you don't have to. Also setting your input luminance leads to having most of your image data "to the left" of your curves for example, meaning highlights (that won't necessarily always be there) taking up most of your histograms. Also that luminance value had "step" and resolve will apply different math above or below certain values (try 48 and 49 for example or 200 and 500). I highly recommend playing with this value until you feel comfortable with it. I prefer having a bit more "space" in the shadows than in my highlights so I go for a lower value line 2000 or 4000. Just my 2 cents, open for criticism :)

[@ja-kidnb6416]

*setting your input luminance to 10000

[@TroyQwert]

Hi! I tried to access your links in the description, but each link returns this: 429 Too Many Requests. Can you fix it please?

[@CullenKelly]

Hey Troy! Yep we're working on this, will have it back up ASAP!

[@TroyQwert]

@@CullenKelly , nice! Thanks for your responce.

[@anamorphicalan]

love it

[@ekphotography]

So many dang options and opinions out there it is mind boggling. I have been contemplating moving completely over to DR from FCPX and right when I was setting all my custom keyboard short cuts and starting to get a hand on it, the Color management now seems to be a "problem". I work with 99% Sony S-log, my own camera. And I want to the best and easiest way to do "simple" cuts and have correct color management. can anybody link a really good simple and proper video to learn that? So many people talk about CST in and outs but most do not mention what their project setting color management is so it makes it basically useless or more confusing. I am on Mac and there are many options as to whether the out should be 709-A or standard 709 and 2.4 gamma etc etc etc.. Thanks for any simple suggestions. Will watch this video completely, Thank you!

[@FelixChamber]

Is that question still an issue or have you found thr proper workflow within those past few weeks yet?

[@twitch_theoxidado9043]

hi, and for HDR?

[@CullenKelly]

Depends on the HDR format you're targeting (unlike SDR, which only has one spec)!

[@dossantos_films]

The V-Log input is so bad on DaVinci Resolve. it always makes my footage looks horrible.

[@callienell]

MAny thanks)

[@herlambangtanosefren2350]

Great tutor Subs done

[@directore4398]

Most powerful video or am later 😂

[@frankinblackpool]

Please, please, please pay your electricity bill and let a little light into your room. It’s like squinting into a dungeon.

[@drewh79]

It's dark because it's a room for colour grading. You grade in the grade so the light doesn't effect your monitor.

[@frankinblackpool]

@@drewh79 the room may be dark for grading, however the room is being used for a secondary purpose to film a talking head and do a demonstration, which could benefit from brighter ambient lighting to brighten the subject and make it more visually appealing to the client, the KZbin viewer.

[@Jose-Luis-Arrufat-Ripolles]

Good morning, Cullen. I am writing to you because I am really desperate. I am making a documentary film series to show on KZbin and I cannot in any way be able to correctly decode the color space. I have asked the people on KZbin for help and I also wrote to the Davinci Resolve technical service, but no one has been able to clarify anything for me. I have spent money paying a professional to do color correction for film and, unfortunately, his advice hasn't helped me either. I shoot my raws in BRAW format with my BMPCC 6K PRO and edit in DAVINCI STUDIO with a mac monitoring with a BenQ screen. What I need to know is what color space I should configure my project with and what is the output color space that will guarantee greater image fidelity when people play my videos on their mobile devices, smart TVs, tablets, etc. And above all, how should I adjust my screen (both in the BenQ settings itself and the Mac screen settings) to be able to achieve this. The professional I hired told me that he should always monitor in P3 and the result has been worse than when I did some tests in REC709. I also asked him how I should store my master copies so that I would have HDR options in case I needed to display my work on other platforms in the future, but he insisted that only the P3 faithfully shows what I'm doing. I can't do the color correction work (P3 and REC709) twice for the youtube copy and the backup copy of each of my chapters... It's absurd and seems crazy to me! I beg you to help me, please. I don't know who else to turn to. How should I configure all this?

[@TheToneWork]

So helpful! Thank you!