Three levels of color management (and 3 things colorists get wrong)

Color management is one of the most important things for a colorist to understand, yet many colorists misunderstand it completely...
Recorded live at ResolveCon, discover:
3 levels of color management complexity
The new role your scopes play in a color managed workflow
The 3 main things people who “know” color management get wrong
Why color management is NOT a creative limitation (and other things color management isn't)
What to do if you don't know what color space your footage was shot in
And a lot more.
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Check out my ebook, The Colorist's 10 Commandments:
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[@OussamaHamrouni]

Feels illegal to get all this info with such detail for free! Thanks Cullen!

[@treyhall4344]

Agreed!

[@chakk0]

True words! Specially in a time where everyone is trying to sell you something

[@BackusCreativeImaging]

It all starts with proper exposure in the field. Here I show a 1 minute "Power Grade" for VLOG for a whole video I did, all custom setup in Resolve: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZSqfGWLnNOebJY

[@genericgymvlogsph9739]

Well it sounds like he just got done watching the color management video by Blackmagic Designs channel.

[@greysonsawyer]

Color knowledge: Master Microphone-on-shirt knowledge: Room for improvement

[@hy3m33]

😂 I'm also grateful the exposure of the camera that was on him was corrected as the session advanced

[@KIWu-th8wr]

1:05:53 Note for CST OOTF. Working space(DWG)->Display space(709)= (Forward OOTF on) Camera space-> Working space (DWG)= (OOTF off)

[@DroneAcharya9]

I believe he said for the 2nd option, Reverse OOTF on.

[@nathansextoncolour]

Mate, your way of teaching is hands down the best I have come across. The knowledge you pass on is priceless. Thanks so much mate.

[@SeanZAcz]

My background is as a DOP and I've been dabbling in DaVinci however the workflow has always left me stumped. After months of searching and endless butchered grades I have now seen the light. Your framework is precise and makes understanding all elements completely palatable. I remember the first time I discovered upstage lighting there was a distinct eureka moment in my career, exactly what this episode just offered me. Thank you for your time and content!

[@DisneyLovers_DL]

I’ve been a freelancing colorist for almost 12yrs now and using color management but this was so brilliant. Really updated my understanding. Thank you. If we ever run into each other I owe you a beer. Cheers 🍻

[@TubeSilva]

Black Magic should include a hyperlink to this video in the Color Management section of the Davinci Resolve manual. Truly amazing work explaining this confusing subject. Thanks again Cullen!

[@mikeallenfpv]

Been down a color management rabbit hole and while after watching this video, I realized I actually have a good understanding of it, you still helped me get rid of any doubt. Sometimes you just need it spelled out for you one last time!

[@glen-draketoolworks7186]

My 80-year-old brain has been befuddled by the literal meanings of CM acronyms and labels for several years, but this post represents a breakthrough for me. I'm now limping like someone in their 70's and couldn't be happier.

[@AdvAnywhere]

I was learning for a long time about CM, there are so many misleading informations on KZbin and blogs. The truth is CM workflow is simple when you realize the concept about it! Thank you for this video, you've done great talk!

[@CmanXP]

I remember watching this live, and panicked when I couldn't find it on Casey Faris' channel. Then I had the brilliant idea to check the actual presenter's channel, and here I am. (I'm okay, I swear) This is a wealth of knowledge and really opened my eyes to the Color Management usage benefits. To think I was grading every shot I had in a Scene Referred Format, by hand, one-by-one. Disgusting. I was a peasant. Thanks so much Cullen, your presentation and Daria's were my favorites of the convention. Keep up the great work!

[@manuelst3004]

This video is pure gold. Best explanation on color management I've seen/read so far. Thanks a lot Cullen!

[@JimRobinson-colors]

Tony's question about the OOTF etc. Cullen is absolutely correct in his explanation, but it should be noted that Resolve used to do this under the hood - and if you change a CST parameter it still does. Changing to a known camera color space - resolve will do it for you. So in almost every situation, the correct option is checked or not checked automatically. People should only change that if they absolutely know that it's picking the wrong option, and what it will do to the luminance mapping.

[@joyoffilming9500]

I already felt quite familiar with most of color management - but this tutorial closed some of the gaps I still felt I had, without exactly knowing them. AWESOME content and woth every minute of watching! Thanks so much, Cullen, for helping us getting better. And, I definitely need to get your DWG Kodak2383 FilmPrint emulation LUTS.

[@joyoffilming9500]

@@CullenKelly Hi Cullen, in the meantime, I got your 2 Kodak2383 LUTS (Aces, DWG) and played around a bit in DWG. Colors become awesome, and I like those much more than from the DR built-in LUT. Anyway, and this would be a question for you, I observe some behavior regarding the gamma of your LUT I have noch explanation for: Your LUT appears to limit the highlights very rigidly to 90% IRE, at the same time increasing the luminosity in the area between appr. 75-90 IRE. In total, the result is like a compression of luminosity in the highlights, resulting in fine details in the highlights getting completely blown out. I came across this effect when throwing the LUT at the end of a node tree in which I successfully managed to keep the fine lines of a curtain whith sun shining through - but with the LUT, the whole window looked more like an overexposed window, yet not being completely white. Comparing the DR built-in LUT against it showed that the DR LUT keeps all those highlights and fine highlight gradations, but tends to have other flaws, such as massive color compressing (it's just Rec709), leading to color fringing and banding. So, what am I doing wrong with your LUT I love so much for its colors?

[@jean-michelgilbert8136]

It's good to set timeline working luminance to 10000 to prevent clipping at each node too. The only place you want to clip is at the very end in your DRT. Not sure if DaVinci DRT properly does it but ACES has different DRTs for different max luminance.

[@briansheehan876]

Wow. Cullen. Thank you! This was precisely the workflow I needed for a project that came my way unexpectedly this week. Today was my first step into a color-managed workflow based on this formula you presented here. I incorporated a DWGI workflow with a mix of 6K braw footage alongside some standard REC709 material and it worked to create a fantastic result for my client. The controls felt SO much more feathery and precise and it was like you said, I was able to refer to my reference monitor while keeping an eye on the ‘instrument’ scopes. I think I will be working this way from now on! Kudos to you and your way of explaining this material!!

[@SomewhatAbnormal]

I used to teach color management for print at Agfa back in the 90s. Color Management is definitely not a "new fangled" concept. For print, we had to deal with all of the steps outlined here, but then transform to a tiny CMYK gamut. The workflow was input (scanner or camera), monitor, printing device (CMYK printing press), color spectrophotometer, then back to press adjustments. I used to start class by saying that I could teach a blind person to color manage, because in reality it's all math in the LAB color space - delta positioning data points inside the space. The workflow required a color spectrophotometer to measure, and a program I wrote to map the least destructive path from one gamut to another. Anyway, I just wanted to reaffirm that CM is not new!

[@ColMadden]

I have watched many KZbin videos on colour management but this one clicked as it gives you a context that makes sense. Without doubt this is the most helpful session I have seen. Thank you Cullen.

[@pchuck1439]

Color Management has been a game changer for me. Thank you for all you do!

[@tjbanjo]

I’m shooting on a Panasonic GH6 using v-log. In color Management, I’m using the following settings…
 Color Science: Davinci YRGB Color Managed 

Color Processing Mode: Custom Input Color Space: Panasonic V-Gamut/ V-Log. Timeline color space: Davinci WG/interemediate Output color space: Rec. 709 Gamma 2.4 When I hit save, my image doesn’t change and stays flat. On the color page when I right click on my clip and choose Input color space, Rec. 709 ( scene) is the chosen color space and my image dose not normalize until I choose Panasonic V-Gammut/V-Log as my color space. What am I doing wrong? Davinci Resolve Studio 18.1.4 Build 9

[@mixodd]

same problem

[@lensalucia]

I could write endless lines praising this video. I have been looking everywhere for a comprehensive explanation on project settings and CST, it turned out to be so darn simple! Cullen, you’re a hero, thank you a million! I was looking forward that you add an CST to Rec.709 after updating Color management tab in project settings, as I was fiddling around DR while watching your video. The results I got were a bit weird. Anyway, I’ll try to figure it out myself. I’ll watch all your videos and keep an eye on any updates. Once again, thank you, Cullen. ❤

[@CullenKelly]

It's a bit hard to say what to do without seeing your project, but generally you only need a CST to 709 if you're not doing your color management on the project level.

[@lensalucia]

@@CullenKelly it turned out that I’m outputting Rec709 twice so they got stacked, once in Color management and another via CST node. I’m totally new to all this, however, I’m able to absorb all the info you are providing us with. You have a unique way in simplifying things. Thanks again Cullen 😊 Edit: I understand that we should add CST Rec709 only if we tell DR not to manage colors in project settings/color management tab.

[@malabath]

This video was extremely eye-opening for me. Thanks, Cullen. It's tough to cut through all the mediocre lessons out there. This, however, is simply excellent.

[@CullenKelly]

Glad it was helpful!

[@totheknee]

I don't do color management, but I subscribed just because you are better than a God at providing pure information gold to us plebes.

[@paulg.sportiello2371]

In fact, feel very HAPPY to get all this infos with such details for free ! Thanks again Cullen 😎

[@mossgatherer_]

This is incredible. Thank you so much Cullen!

[@Longdancer]

Thanks once again Cullen. Clear, concise, and enlightening.

[@chrisnielsen9885]

Question: now that we have color management that allows us to take basically any camera, transform it into a working space like DWG and then apply LUTs like your Elements ones or your 2383 and it really doesn’t matter what camera they were shot on, does this mean that all the old style camera specific Rec 709 LUTs are all now basically obsolete at this point?

[@SomewhatAbnormal]

I use a similar analogy to dirt moving when talking about resolution - specifically when talking about increasing resolution. Imagine you have a 4X4 sandbox full to the top. You've been asked to make the sandbox 40X40, but you're not given more sand. What do you do? The only choice is to spread the sand out into the larger space. You may eventually reach a point where your sandbox is no longer distinguishable as a sandbox. It may just look like a yard with a thin layer of sand. Sure there are tools out there now that do a great job of super-rezzing images, but the final image will never have the image clarity of the original. Despite what we see in movies, there is no way to clarify an image or video to the point where we can read the serial numbers off the side of a pistol. If the data is not there, it's just not there!

[@KasbashPlays]

39:52 - Maybe I'm missing something but I'm following your steps for Project Settings/Colour Management with the only difference being that my Input Colour Space is SLog3/S-Gamut.Cine. I haven't changed anything else but the footage still looks like it's in a flat state with maybe just more saturation added in. Yes this is 10-Bit SLog 3. Any help would be appreciated.

[@mauroangst]

Same here but working with ProRes 4444 export, did you find any solution? It does work when applying the Color Space Transform with nodes tho

[@bharaaaaat]

@@mauroangst You probably need to select the clips in the media pool on the color page and right click and set the input color space to "Project" (assuming you setup RCM correctly).

[@tkane2391]

Great tutorial. At 1:14:50 for changing color space for an individual clip my version does not have the Input Color Space option. Running 18.03.

[@tkane2391]

​@@CullenKelly The whole project was R3D but I brought in BRAW to check out switching Color Space on single clip in timeline as you showed. So for some RAW and R3D media it'll just do it on it's own? Also, love for you to take a deeper dive into the Camera Raw settings in Color and how they factor into the Color Space Management. Thanks for responding!

[@OutlastOverland]

My mind is blown! I understand color management now. Wow what a way to work! So much faster and more efficient and simple really....... also just realized why "lut packs" that creates push are garbage (for the most part) I'm guessing 99% of them are not being used correctly, or the creator just saves out a lut on what they feel looks good from their particular camera without an understanding of color management....

[@360film8]

This is the brightest I‘ve seen Cullen yet

[@BM4Ever]

What do we do if we are converting analog to digital. What would I chose for input? rec709?

[@markus_knoedel]

Thank you so much. As a DP It is not an easy task for me to grade. Now it got a lot easier.

[@hoodaffairstv]

do you have low-cost monitor recommendations

[@buddpix]

Thank you so much Cullen. I actually understand Color management and use it all the time now. Love the node based system over global settings.

[@titusrivers5059]

great stuff as usual Cullen. you touched on something that I had to figure out on my last project. DWG Color Managed workflow with fusion. I wonder how you would go about it exactly.

[@SaxSpy]

its so bad! i cant figure it out

[@titusrivers5059]

@@SaxSpy check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/rou6ophuZp6kj80 that's where I found my 1st answer and workaround.

[@chrisnielsen9885]

@@SaxSpy There isn’t really a way. I’ve found that you can do a CST to Gamma 2.4 or whatever you use for your output gamma,against your fusion comp and it will display the result of it correctly inside the edit page but it won’t help with how it looks inside the fusion page. There is a way to do something similar inside fusion but it looks really complex to me, based on a tutorial I’ve seen.

[@titusrivers5059]

@@CullenKelly thx Cullen, greatly appreciated! Can't wait for it 🔥🔥🔥

[@SaxSpy]

@@CullenKelly thank you!

[@aristotepham-ba5344]

Funny how the camera shot is overexposed

[@UraFlight]

Cullen ! Could you please help me ? I did filmed the footage on Canon R5C in Raw LT Canon log 2 . When I did use automatic colour management nothing happened in my timeline. The footage is still flat. What I’ve been doing wrong ?

[@NoahBuehler]

1:07:31 I still have the problem of how text is Grey. The clips go through Fusion just fine, but elements generated in fusion have the issue...

[@nitromusik9275]

Cullen thank you so much. Im just 50% through the video but you already finally confirmed some things that i was kinda fuzzy about for years!

[@team2films]

Love your approach to breaking down this topic. Thanks Cullen.

[@joshuamyers5694]

I get to work with BRAW a lot and Ive been wondering where the RAW tab setting land in the pipeline? Like, if I open the raw tab, set it to 'clip' and make temp/tint/contrast adjustments and TURN ON the technical LUT it was shot under BEFORE I use any nodes...so when I use nodes, are the node adjustments I make being applied before that technical transform on the RAW tab or after?

[@zmirfilms3442]

Awesome seminar.

[@rickberger4081]

Excellent presentation. Thanks

[@lifewalklens8447]

Always dishing out quality tutorials

[@lifewalklens8447]

Just stumbled upon another great tutor with exceptional teaching approach am blessed with your tutorials more in depth teaching the project itself is so clear that i don't have to strain my eyes am grateful for that

[@AlexBjorstorp]

Being on the journey of becoming a somewhat amateur colourist throughout this year, this was so much incredible information Cullen! Thank you. I finally understand color management and why I need to start working in Davinci Wide Gamut Intermediate moving forward to streamline my workflow and colours. Going to binge the rest of your channel as well, appreciate you sharing all of this!

[@denniskaspari]

34:50 but what is the timeline color space setting in the project settings for then? I am looking for the answer for this for so long now and no one seems to answer that question.

[@CullenKelly]

Hey! The timeline color space setting tells resolve what color space you’re working in when you’re working on your clips, and helps with proper functioning of the HDR tools, transforms and many other tools. Always want to make sure it matches the color space you’re working in.

[@denniskaspari]

@@CullenKelly Hey Cullen, thank you so much for your response. So if i have two csts (in and out) to transform the clip to DWG then I need to set the timeline colorspace in project settings to DWG as well? Can you explain why? Because its so confusing to me that it is not enough to have the 2 csts.

[@Dylan.R.C]

Many thanks Cullen for sharing this insights, very presice and clear to understand the advantages of color management !!

[@johnmathews1004]

Hey Cullen, thanks for posting all of this awesome knowledge. I'm working on implementing a color managed workflow at the node level and it's definitely a learning curve. I had one question: is there ever a scenario where you find yourself using a display referred workflow? I color a lot of NFL footage, and I find that color management absolutely nukes the saturation of the fields as well as some jersey colors. Anyways, thanks again - you've made me a much better colorist!

[@vincentlomascolo]

Hi Cullen, I really love your videos and your book. They are extremely helpful! I was just wondering if you might be able to do a video at some point on export settings. I know these vary project to project. But I am having issues with harsher contrast in my exports than in my viewer inside of Resolve. I am really liking the look of my project when utilizing the techniques you've shared. I just don't always get those same results in the render.

[@ryanpaulretouch]

Amaxing vidoe, Cullen. Would you possibly go into detail in a video about how you would colour manage in nodes for working with raw media from multiple cameras? Is this as simple as using a CST set to output DWG / Intermediate with the input being the colour and gamma or the camera? Or does it differ when using raw media?

[@mxim]

I'm a DP, and this is the first time it actually made sense about how to grade in a colour managed workflow. I'll be able to communicate much easier now with the colorist, thanks! I have an additional question though. You do mention the whole essence of working with several different cameras with thus their respectively own color spaces in the Davinci Color Management, but so if this is the case, knowing that I have set up everything in the Settings page, what do I use as the Input Color Space? Or should I work in a more node-based workflow and set the CST's for each camera individually there? Thank you!

[@adventureuav]

This is really outstanding info and I'm greatly appreciative you give it out for free. I was left confused on one point though. In this and other videos you say that the primary wheels are color space aware when using color management. This is contradictory to what Daria from BMD has said in official videos about the wheels and color workflow. Can you confirm one way or the other? The global wheel has always produced a more pleasing full scene exposure change for me than the offset wheel.

[@maurice_morales]

This presentation needs to be color managed 8:01 ;) Thank you Dan Bernard 10:44

[@sunteem369]

Thank you Cullen! This is gold! 👌

[@MariusGerome]

What is resolve con? It feels like a yearly meeting of the davinci resolve guys - which just makes you even better; you're so damn approved, that they hired you to do that job

[@stathisath]

So, Dan Bernard is your stage name. Interesting 🤔

[@TheRealBarkinMadd]

Second time watching this presentation. Absolute gold!!! Thanks Cullen.

[@ThePixelSurgeon]

Thanks Cullen. So incredibly helpful and clear ! Huge help. One question: With RAW clips from multiple cameras. Would you set the input colour space for the majority camera in the workflow (colour managed) settings, and set individual secondary clips with the node workflow (input colour space to DWG - DWG to Rec709 2.4). Doing it this way would you "bypass colour management" on a clip level? Hope this makes sense? Appreciaye your input !

[@ScottDavey]

Amazing work, I wish I found you earlier! shout out to @DarrenMostyn for telling people to check out your colour management videos. I will be watching all your videos from now on.

[@sebastianchala8574]

Thank you SO MUCH for making this and uploading it. This was extremely helpful and well explained

[@kevinbradwick]

This is gold

[@mohamadali2066]

Plz make an Episode on how to Deliver HDR - Dolby Vision - DCI-P3 - Rec 709 from the same grade using the new method of 18.5 color mangment per timeline, also the old method of trimming and how to export all deliverbles. I really need that

[@mohankrishnan1982]

Use full section thanks Cullen!

[@ReC86661]

Cullen, i find i get some pretty decent results by colormanage my braw, but drawing a custom gamma curve myself from the raw gamma state. Am i just a weirdo?

[@LWMphoto]

If you're applying the same custom curve to all of your footage and that's how you like to achieve your base grade from the original then that's also a kind of colour management. It's essentially what Cullen started the talk with: LUT based colour management. Colour management is about getting predictable, repeatable results from your footage by using a set transformation. You've decided to design that transformation yourself rather than use the ones designed by your camera manufacturer/resolve/aces. The biggest issue is that this kind of colour management is "dumb", like Cullen said, and will only work on footage shot in that colour space. It won't be able to match footage from different cameras like a broader colour management process would. You also may not be as good at designing your colour management, so you might end up limiting the quality or flexibility of your footage, or make it so that your footage only looks good when shot in very specific ways, where established colour management pipelines are designed to be more robust.

[@ReC86661]

@@LWMphoto Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

[@JoshuaKirkNZ]

Hey Cullen thanks so much for this and for sharing your knowledge so freely! I’ve purchased your Luts and looking forward to adopting theme into my DWG workflow! Can you explain how keying and qualifiers work under the hood in a DWG working space? Are the qualifying tools (such as an HSL key for skin) designed for that working space or would you get better results in a display referred working space? I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong but I never feel like the qualifiers work as good in a scene referee working space. Any thoughts would be really helpful - thanks again.

[@Farisdaniiel]

Other than color management, would it be possible to get a "look" tuts? Or perhaps something like how to approach a look?

[@TeipelFilms]

I am working on a customer project that was sent to me in ProRes as usual. I have cut the files into individual clips using the scene cut detection. I then set up color management and set the input color space to RedWideGamut/LOG3G10 and timeline color space to DWG. The client then told me that some of the clips were shot on Blackmagic and not on Red. However, when I right click on an individual clip and change the input color space to Blackmagic Gen 4, it changes the setting for all other clips too since it was just one single clip before cutting it into individual clips. Is there a way to change the input for only one of the cut clips or is the only solution here to bypass the color management for these particular clips and use CST‘s?

[@GMAIL.COM139]

Hey Tobias, Did you manage to find way out of this.What if , we tag those shots which were shot on Blackmagic and export them as ProRes from Davinci and Import them back to resolve .Will Resolve see them as different identities?In that way ,Can we assign 2 different input spaces to , different clips?Did you find anyother work flow.Am not sure about group assignments in Resolve it self.That may work too.

[@TeipelFilms]

@@GMAIL.COM139 Hi Sandhu, no there is apparently no other way than bypassing color management for these clips. I have gone back to working with CSTs altogether.

[@leebrandt8597]

I really like your 2383 lut for DWG. My only issue is that it seems to clip the highlights. If you would consider doing a version 3 where the highlights aren't clipped, it would be awesome. Cheers

[@chrisnielsen9885]

It doesn’t clip highlights. It does add a ton of contrast and if your source material is already contrasty it will blow your highlights up completely but in DWG you’re in such a massive colorspace that the highlights are still in there. Just pull your gain down and you’ll get them back

[@aaronwalterscheid4496]

I think what Lee might be referring to is how the highlights are capped in a way, so that they stay well bellow 100% white no matter how bright the image is going into the LUT. It’s very clear when looking at the waveform. Sort of Cullen’s way of rolling off the highlights in a more pleasing way rather than letting them slam into the ceiling, so to speak. But all of the highlight detail is still there. If you have a preference for letting the highlights reach a bit closer to the ceiling, you could implement a sort of custom tone curve after the LUT, but I would take care to make sure middle grey and the rest of the image overall is left unaltered.

[@chrisnielsen9885]

@@aaronwalterscheid4496 Yes that did occur to me as well after I posted my comment. I think you're correct

[@suminkim4249]

Absolutely amazing!!! Thank you very much !!! The best color management tutorials i have ever watched and finally understood! 😊

[@relaxmusic77]

Hello Cullen, i have a question, maybe it's a stupid question, but i can't figure out how to set a proper color management for CGI stuff. I mean my image sequences are in EXR and it's linear. Now when i import all that in Resolve, how can i color manage that ? I mean, it's cgi, there is no camera type or brand i can choose, the color space in Blender 3D is stock in an OCIO file, and i know i could use ACES but unfortunately ACES is not implemented yet in Blender. So could you help me and tell me if in my case i can colormanaged my project or no i have to work without color management ? Thank you so much and thank you for all the content you make it's awesome.

[@DrHansBrewery]

So good, thank you

[@MattMcCool0]

Great presentation, Cullen. Thanks so much! I'm still confused about the question asked at 1:03:28. It seems like the new color managed project settings do not support Fusion. Bypassing CM doesn't work correctly, the clip filtration feature doesn't do anything, and you can't specify the input color space. What is the proper workflow for working with Fusion generated graphics in a color managed project?

[@chrisnielsen9885]

There isn’t really a way. I’ve found that you can do a CST to Gamma 2.4 or whatever you use for your output gamma,against your fusion comp and it will display the result of it correctly inside the edit page but it won’t help with how it looks inside the fusion page. There is a way to do something similar inside fusion but it looks really complex to me, based on a tutorial I’ve seen.

[@MattMcCool0]

​@@chrisnielsen9885 I think I've seen the same tutorial, from Bernd Klimm I believe? I'm honestly shocked because it's almost been 2 full years since the introduction of project color management and we still have no official workflow for Fusion 😕

[@chrisnielsen9885]

@@MattMcCool0 I’m not sure what his name is but he’s the guy with the channel teaching VFX. I’ve yet to see where BM even acknowledges it as an issue. They’ve been through two major versions so far and it’s the same. I think the issue is the technology they use to map fusion comps for display inside the fusion page is completely inadequate when you use color management and probably needs a full rewrite

[@chrisnielsen9885]

@@CullenKelly There is an issue with projects where you enable the automatic colour management and Fusion. I don't pretend to understand fully what the issue is, but it manifests in the Fusion viewer giving dramatically incorrect results inside the Fusion page and also Fusion comps not appearing correctly in the Edit page. You can easily test this by creating a project with the automatic colour grading enabled, then drop a Text title and a Text+ title next to each other. The Text+ will look grey vs the white of the Text title, because Text+ uses Fusion. You can add a CST to the Text+ title and transform it to Gamma 2.4 OR set your timeline luminance to SDR/100 and it will look correct but that doesn't help with the Fusion page viewer not being compatible with RCM. BM haven't even acknowledged it as an issue so I don't hold much hope of it being fixed soon.

[@mrentertainer8867]

Had a great time and wealth of knowledge

[@TradingInMarch]

Hi Sir Cullen. Please if you the time. Make short tutorial of how to color manage an Iphone footage. Thanks Sir.

[@rod.b.carmona]

I’m regards to knowing what color space footage is shot in, wouldn’t Resolve recognize it most of the time due to the metadata in the footage?

[@zooeyelaine]

This is an amazing seminar thank you! I have a question. If using node based colour management with CST in Davinci YRGB, say from input Arri Log-C to output DWG, then DWG to Rec-709. When then moving onto the Deliver tab, what does one set the Color Space Tag + Gamma Tag in the video settings as? It is left to "Same As Project"?

[@CullenKelly]

Great question! If you are working in Rec.709 Gamma 2.4, "same as project should be fine.

[@JauneMacReady]

Thanks for that! I'll take a look 😃👍

[@RhythmicEye]

This Dan Bernard guy is fantastic!

[@mario-off-topic]

Getting smarter on color management with every video you put out.

[@mauroangst]

40:00 This does not work for me. Im using ProRes 4444 exports recorded with Arri LogC3. I used the exact same config as you used in the video (but Arri Logc3 instead of the BlackMagic input color space) and when I save the project settings nothing changes and the clips still looks desaturated. I does work when I doo it with the Color Space Transform nodes tho... Any idea of why I isn't working? I need to change any extra settings? Thanks!

[@milquetoes]

Thanks so much Cullen, this is an incredibly video, very generous to share. 🙏🏼

[@TexasTabla]

hey where would someone new to grading start on your channel? trying to edit my pocket 6k footage is confusing

[@TexasTabla]

@@CullenKelly thank you! I made my way through those videos, then on to contrast (adjusting the curves was a little intense) and now im on color balance, your fantastic at teaching!!

[@kevinjack5184]

What if it's not shot on the a log profile. For instance, S-cinetone?

[@spidersseen]

Hey Cullen! I've loved all your color management workflows, they've changed the way I grade fundamentally. Something I'm struggling with since the change, though, is how I deal with a DOP's creative LUT. These are never labelled, we never know what they're doing under the hood - but usually they themselves contain a 709 transform. So my question is how do we get the properties we want from the LUT without the double-transform. Does that make sense? Thank you!

[@spidersseen]

Ah maybe I get it - you constrain your controls within the Davinci Wide Gamut space on your top nodes, then after the combiner which brings your Primary and Secondaries back together, you convert back to the camera color space? In my case Log C, which the LUT is expecting?

[@CullenKelly]

Great question! Unfortunately there's no perfect way to remove the log to 709 transform from a LUT like this. Best options: 1. Do the best possible job of inverting the log->709 transform -- this requires intermediate to advanced color science knowledge 2. Grade under the LUT in camera space instead of using full-on DWG color management 3. Educate the DP and creative stakeholders on the compromises and limitations of working under this LUT, and rebuild the desired characteristics by hand, or better yet, with a modular set of scene-referred LUTs like Voyager.

[@spidersseen]

@@CullenKelly regarding your answer #1 here - is there any guide online to doing this? and if there is some magic bullet way to invert, could it be baked into a power grade?

[@phil_marshall]

Very good video, thank you very much for sharing it

[@cbuggs1442]

What about re709 luts are they even usable in the color management work flow

[@AlbertKarhuFilms]

i would love to hear your take on film texture (thick details?) and is it possible to simulate that in resolve. With HSV/HSL nodes the colors are there, grain can be added, so can halation/bloom, but to replicate the texture is something i have not found a satisfying method. Thanks for all the helpful videos 🙏

[@rayprod8571]

How much all this color transform take from the systems resources.... and is that different between different settings?

[@AustinAlimbuyuguen]

Great video, so much solid information!

[@EgorKlimenko-]

I always try to use professional color correction in my KZbin videos, but it takes so much time (8 hours per 153 scenes on average). Any tips on how I can speed up this process?

[@Fireandagrill]

so should you use tone mapping for the first CST (from Log to Davinci Wide Gamut)? And why and when would this be necessary, thanks!

[@MrDuckLiver]

Really appreciate all these resources you are providing. I have a question which I know is a can of worms… I am working in Davinci wide gamut colour managed workflow. I am still getting a colour shift in addition to contrast shift on export. Is this just something I need to expect out of resolve? I have tried every conceivable combination of workflows and I still get a shift.

[@ekphotography]

I watched this video last night for the second time and even downloaded it to look over it. I just tried your way of color management in the project settings menu and instead of Arri Log I put in Sony Slog 3 and when I do all my clips get blown out and oversaturated. I only shoot in Sony Slog 3 and is why I decided to take your route of setting it up like the. Any idea as to what the heck might be going on? MY clips are completely perfect in exposure and I have been shooting Slog for the last 15 years.

[@tkoushik1]

Incredible wealth of information..thanks for the talk Cullen 👏👏

[@ChrisTomberlin]

Great information! Are you aware of a way to "convert" LUTs that were built in rec709 to DWG? I don't use LUTs too terribly much, but I do have some I'd like to use in a color managed workflow. I know you have some solutions you'd built as well but just wondering if there's a way to use Resolve's various transform options to get a reasonably accurate conversion.

[@maurice_morales]

Speaking of getting stumped: If I decide that I want to operate in a Node Based Color Management Pipeline what should my Project Settings Timeline Color Space and Output Color Space be? Does it matter? And Why?

[@BigFlavorFilms]

Superb explanation. Many thanks!