Pro Colorist Explains Gamma

Improve your creative control by better understanding your toolset. In this round, we're explaining gamma, and essential colorist tool.
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[@JimRobinson-colors]

I usually go to gamma if I feel the person ( skin ) doesn't have enough key light and doesn't pop - so I would put a soft power window on the subject ( person that is talking ) and just bump the gamma up a bit. That subtle bump of gamma helps make the viewer look at the subject. I have also done the opposite in concert footage where the exposure is good on the stage lighting but the faces are almost blown out - so then reducing the gamma can tame the skin and not affect the black level.

[@breveganlyfe]

Always nice to see your input in the comments Jim. Keep at it. We appreciate you.

[@user-ho8pt4cp3t]

What a nice teaching style you have! Straight to the point but also with a nice voice and intonation ! :) keep up

[@MichaelKaykov]

I love it 🎉

[@luisveco]

You are the best! Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge to everyone who’s interested in this wonderful world of color grading!

[@CullenKelly]

Thanks, Luis!

[@dukebozikowski3801]

@@CullenKelly Why should we be using gamma if we are trying to preserve middle grey?

[@issayasamanuel722]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge to your audience. You are one of the few on youtube explain the fundamental concept behind color grading. Now I know why and when to apply Gamma!

[@RafalGendarz]

If I know what it does to the curve is there any benefit to using the knob instead of building that curve where I have more possibillity to shape that curve?

[@gagegarza]

I’m curious about this too. Is there a specific reason to use the primary wheels over the curve?

[@Fedor_Dokuchaev_Color]

It is simpler. And it is easily repeatable.

[@Diego24fps]

The knob maintains a certain smooth relationship as you move it up or down. You could definitely make the curve manually but you might find yourself introducing unwanted effects if you manipulate in a certain way

[@ncmotorcyclist]

Thanks Cullen.

[@milquetoes]

I really like how you make videos about uncertainties i’ve had during grading, but couldn’t quite put into a question. I would love it if you would talk about log midtones wheel, I’ve found it sometimes very useful for pushing color and exposure. I’m curious how that functions and how a Senior colorist might use it.

[@flochfitness]

Learned a lot here!

[@KaceyBakerFilms]

Hey man. Thanks for a million for these.

[@arcshotfilms]

As always, great insight!!

[@mrfroopy]

Lots of people still have to color grade rec 709 non log footage.

[@alexabesadubitrusbyanyiko6742]

Very insightful. Thank you!

[@lifewalklens8447]

Thanks cullen it helps me a lot

[@stevesexton6194]

Another great explanation Cullen, I have your exposure chart dctl but is the gray scale ramp available? Thank you...

[@stevesexton6194]

Never mind, I found it in Generators... Sorry about that.

[@MichaelKaykov]

Thank you once again… I really appreciate it

[@phpn99]

If you understand the math in the gamma function, the only thing to know is that gamma = midtones. It affects everything except pure black and pure white, and inversely-proportional to. Gamma = midtones, without fussing around. Once you've correctly set gain and offset (i.e. the position of the black and white points on the exposure scale), the most useful control is gamma. And when you do RGB gamma (separately) you are essentially also doing white balancing (aka colour temperature). So Gamma is the most useful control to know ; everything else is just a technical grade ; the more of it you do, the more you risk messing up your image.

[@SchmidtyFilms]

Where would you play with your Gamma or work your Gamma/Lift/Gain in your node tree? Would you have that in Node 7 or would that be in your Balance Node? Or would that be a thing in your two secondaries Nodes underneath?

[@karliemorris7318]

thank you mr kelly

[@Mixxwizard]

Nice video Cullen, I have a question for you or anyone else in this community. When I imported my Dji drone footage into Davinci Resolve 18.1.4 studio without any nodes. The footage was so grainy unbelievable noise. But I know for a fact my ISO was set at 100, & F4.0. SS60. Here's the sad thing, it looked perfect when viewing it on my iPad. Same good results on my iMac pro. When I put it in FCPX, it had Zero noise on the clip. So what's going on in DR 18.1.4 Studio that's causing the noise?

[@BrianMarcWhittaker]

Are you talking about Lift Gamma and Gain knobs or the wheels? Is there a difference on the control surface?

[@airbeoneairbeone2872]

this question please about UTILITY's folder in LUT : - is it to be downloaded somewhere ? - is it a personal built folder ? seeking-it in my DVR18 pro version for long. thx your returns

[@Patrick-mg7vv]

Thanks Cullen. When in ACES (cct), which control would behave like gamma behaves in display referred between 0 and 1? In ACES cct, I find offset works well for exposure but raises black. Thanks👍

[@bobbydrake8965]

But that’s Gamma in the generation. I’d like to think it has some photometric elements to it that made it so sophisticated and output clean operations. Now, is Gamma today, and here in resolve the same as it was back then? Like, does it have the same mathematical operations? Or do we need to modify our today’s Gamma to get it to match?

[@RafalGendarz]

❤❤❤❤

[@zakirhossain01757]

satting up dolby vision in davinci resolve

[@thebobbymisner]

why is this colored so bad if your a pro colorist.

[@aniruddhasphotography]

❤❤❤