Common Mistakes Beginners Make When Grading Dark Skin Tones | DaVinci Resolve 18 Tutorial

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In this video, I will show you the pro way of grading dark skin tones and avoiding beginner mistakes.
00:00 - Intro
01:13 - Free Training Info
01:58 - Beginner's Grade
05:38 - Pro's Grade
15:01 - Recap
16:27 - Final Look
16:42 - Outro
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My name is Qazi and I am a professional colorist based out of LA.
Available for Remote Grading Globally
For Hire: waqasqazi.com/for-hire
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Equipment used:
Canon C500 mkii
Sigma 50mm 1.4
Rode NTG3
Nanlite Pavotubes
Resolve Advanced Panel
Apple XDR Display
Eizo CG279x
#davinciresolve #colorgrading #resolve18

[@derekmcdaniel7975]

I honestly watched this tutorial just to get the beginner look 😂 I thought it was way more engaging

[@JayRalle]

true

[@TheIQWizard]

I lowkey like the Beginner version more 🔥

[@jamesonweston5651]

Always love your videos Qazi. I went from being a self taught absolute beginner back in 2016, to getting my first gig as a colorist in 2017 after learning from Casey Faris. From his channel I found yours and my clients love my work so much more now!!! I'm definitely still not a pro, but this channel and your help is getting me closer and closer everyday!

[@theqazman]

Music to my ears brother. LFG

[@KombatFlix]

Bro I really appreciate that you made this man ✊🏿🔥✊🏿

[@KasaiFilms8]

Honestly I think both versions look good. The feels a bit flat IMO, although very film-like. The beginner example has more depth and separation from the BG. The skin looks good and has more of a cinematic look with the warm tones. The pro has more of a blue tone to the skin opposed to the yellow/chocolate tone to the beginner. My point is this is an excellent video to continue training the eye for the desired tonality - especially for people of color. Another superb training video from Qazi!

[@layonelangel1042]

X2

[@temitayoisme]

You strike a very fine point. I also prefer the beginner look because not only does it look more film-like but it's also a much closer representation of what dark skin actually looks like (I have glorious melanin skin). The main takeaway being that grading is a subjective art but a good video from Qazi as always.

[@lumisho]

I am very inclined to agree with you. Great point

[@kryptonkiller]

The tone of the beginner its pretty similar to City of God but I understand the other look. You can do the same of the pro with the tone of the beginner if you want, this is my point of understanding this video.

[@TreW9808]

Yeah the warm tones just compliment dark skin better where the pro version made the skin look a little ashy. But I do like the softer highlights on the pro version.

[@brown2840]

The hue vs sat along with the printer lights parallel node tip was awesome! It really helped create extra separation too

[@theqazman]

💯

[@milquetoes]

I love love love how you mentioned that beginners complicate their grades too much, that’s very much what I had struggling with. It makes matching and copying grades way too tedious and you can’t be a time efficient grader.

[@theqazman]

You said it. Glad you got a ton of value out of it.

[@fade2nada]

I dig the new “talking head” set up. Getting back to your cinematography roots!

[@theqazman]

You know it

[@JoshuaGill]

Thank you so much for this!!!!!!

[@pedukamedia9865]

Man I've been looking everywhere for the tutorial like this..... I'm from Zimbabwe Africa... Thanks man

[@theqazman]

Happy to help brother. 💪🏾

[@eyeradiosouthsudan98]

I LOVE YOU WAQAS QAZI

[@rnvideoplus3911]

Amazing training !!

[@theqazman]

😀

[@molotovak8177]

Thank you so much

[@theqazman]

You're welcome.

[@tommyvasilev5012]

thank you

[@alnuzanproductions5814]

Wow thanks for the offer

[@theqazman]

Of course.

[@awoyemifola]

I actually think the beginner looks better. It is clean, and well saturated. The fact that the baby is smiling gives the footage a commercial feels and for me personally i think the beginners look fits better

[@melanienolley]

The beginner look was yellow and pea green terrible. Thanks for giving the baby a life like look!

[@thejointedits]

You are Pioneer in Colour Grading 😍 Thanks for making this tutorial ❤

[@theqazman]

😀🙏🏾

[@Jerryossai]

Great video. Where can we download the test footage?

[@luckpadenou3196]

thanks for your tutorial.... can you make tutorial on how to color grade black and white skin on he same shot(plan) ?

[@nicolmicah]

suuper cool

[@curtdp]

I don't think that I am pro, but i think that this is obvious to do the grade in scene referred nodes and after that make transformation to rec709 (which is transformation referred to display), this is why we work with raw or log footage, instead of baking rec709 in camera.

[@milquetoes]

I noticed that you started the grade and then balanced the skin (into the grade). It seems like it saves a lot of time rather than obsessing about balancing and then re-balancing after the grade. Are there situations where it’s best to go the other way around? Like a clean looking commercial for instance

[@stuartliddell8060]

Excellent video. Hi from Central Australia. I'm learning so much from your channel even though I don't use Resolve. Fantastic approaches. Question: Is a 'Conversion' from a camera to rec.709 something that people used to call LUTS? Some colour programs (I've tried a few) offer built in 'LUTS' describing themselves as SLOG2, RED, Black Magic where they're all converting the camera's colour space to rec.709. Eg, final cut pro x and premiere's Lumetric built in grading offer a 'LUT' from BM Cinema camera's built in gamma mapping to rec.709. I see these as more 'camera conversions' and feel the language you use to be appropriate. Whereas I see a LUT as more of a 'Look', remapping pixels to adjust the gamma that people can built on. and in some cases people sell online. I'm sure there's a crossover but could you or somebody explain the specific differences?

[@TheCoolFlames]

You can think of a LUT as a conversion file (takes one set of colors and maps them to another). Sometimes manufacturers provide luts to take their footage to rec 709 (A 'conversion LUT'). There are also LUTs used for stylistic purposes ("Creative LUTs"). In Resolve, you can also use Color Space Transforms (Which is used in this video), which are similar to Conversion LUTs but they are non destructive. Whereas conversion LUTs can sometimes cause you to 'lose' or clip some color data, that can't be recovered after the LUT. CSTs preserve this information.

[@aidynkuangaliev1349]

this scene was filmed without lighting? Why it's so dark in standart rec709 LUT?

[@jumaa.kivuma6044]

Hey Qazi, Can you please go a little further on Dark Skin Tones

[@thehalecollective]

I've worked with color management and CSTs. Noticing your workflow I'm getting mixed results. It would be nice to see a little more in depth as to why you use the Davinci Wide Gamut along with CSTs, how that works, and the benefit from that particular workflow. I don't necessarily see a video about that so I apologize if I'm missing it. Love your content!

[@aureliorodriguez9942]

There's a lot of amazing resources on KZbin for color management including Qazi. From what I know, the Davinci Wide Gamut has a huge range in its color space, making it a great space to grade in. Its very similar to the ACES color space, but I learned somewhere that it might even be a little bit better with a larger color space. CSTs, for me are a must. You can definitely get great results without them, but the benefit that they give you is repeatability. Its literally based on math and science; very complicated stuff that I don't really understand.

[@thehalecollective]

@@aureliorodriguez9942 I appreciate it but you are waaaayyy late to the game.

[@aureliorodriguez9942]

@@thehalecollective Oh damn 😂😂😂 I didnt realize how long ago this comment was! I’m very late on my saved KZbin Videos!! Have a great day brother 🤙

[@thehalecollective]

@@aureliorodriguez9942 HaHa. I do it too. No worries. I appreciate the input anyways. I'm a lot further these days, even though it really wasn't that long ago

[@CC.cinematics]

Please do a tutorial on sam kolder color grading

[@ShavonSmith]

Could explain how pick the right setting for color transform

[@deivivargas9247]

Your audio voice sound amazing

[@theqazman]

Ty

[@MrAykut2010]

But you have perfect footage…

[@TheCebulon]

The beginner version looked much more engaging and professional ;-) The “pro” version lacks something.

[@theqazman]

If I were you I'd work on my taste. I'm not being rhetorical.

[@luvwisdom2]

Hey Qazi. There is a video on KZbin called "I Paid 5 colorists on Fiverr to grade my braw footage". I would love to hear your critique of this video. What they did right what they did wrong and how you would have approached it

[@RPGBURN]

Where can I look at the toyota Rav4 video?

[@vivehigher]

I want to buy your course

[@bluehoudini30]

Am I tripping or was your advice "Just add an S-Curve?v"

[@akcine]

Sorry to bother, but after watching the entire free webinar, there was no links to download the materials promised. Where can I get them?

[@theqazman]

Please dm me on IG

[@Blankuestra]

is the scopes circle indication connected to the colorpicker a new davinci 18 feature?

[@theqazman]

Color picker

[@user-nc6zr9jq4c]

what happen on 16:46, davinci resolve problem lol

[@Tojizenin96]

it is the free version

[@AVISIONMUSICTV]

Just think Magenta. Thank me later.

[@hiexpectations]

5 mins to show how not to do it...?

[@achalshreepictures3998]

HELLO SIR, I AM A HUGE FAN OF YOUR COLOR GRADDING TECHNIQUE. I AM FROM NEPAL. I WANT LEARN COLOR GRADDING WITH YOU BUT DUE TO THE DIFFERENT TIME SCHEDULE I CAN'T DO ATTEND YOUR ONLINE CLESS, I LOST YOUR ONLINE CLASSES. SO HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU? ANY VIBER WHATSAPP PLAESE