The Teal and Orange Look: Pro Colorist Reveals 3 Techniques to Do It Right

Almost none of the many Teal and Orange videos on KZbin truly cover what the creative look actually is, when you should or shouldn't use it, or how to quickly and cleanly achieve it. In this video, I’ll cover all three, including three hands-on ways to achieve the look.
We go further into this topic this Friday on Grade School, and I'll show you the tools I most often use to create these looks in the grading suite, avoiding the time-consuming process of building the look by hand over and over again. Here's the link: • Grade School: Pro Teal...
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[@Crimbtw]

Cullen... I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making free valuable content. This video, oddly enough has made my day! I look forward to future videos and I look forward to taking your courses in the future :D

[@ReC86661]

I myself consider him my color dad

[@jablais4]

I've really been enjoying your videos and Grade School. I love that you're not using qualifiers. I think you're the only one I've found on KZbin not using them. They rarely work for me and definitely don't from shot to shot. I've found that creating a look the way you do translates over multiple shots so much better. Thank you!

[@RootCinemas]

Thanks for the great tutorial; I did watch more than 30 videos on the same topic. this is the first time anyone has explained a technique like this. I would like to see more videos like this. You are a great teacher

[@AllenPenner]

This is great! I really value videos like this. I love when you dig into a topic like this and give us your professional perspective on it. Ill try this process on my shoot tomorrow!

[@saarboi]

god I love how articulate you are

[@pixelspotpictures8822]

Its hard to understand for german guys.

[@matheussp13]

@@pixelspotpictures8822 Put it on 0.75. It might be easier.

[@Bobsmithabc]

He talks too much

[@klst1746]

Wait what? As a german the great articulation is sooo satisfying and soothing haha@@pixelspotpictures8822

[@MichaelKaykov]

Exciting to hear you talk about this!

[@jvke.p]

Cullen, really enjoyed your last point on the fact that we shouldn’t go out of our way to avoid not incorporate utilizing this look. That it’s more nuanced. I even question myself sometimes when I notice my image falls into that orange and teal palette, but if the image/look/director calls for it… mission accomplished.

[@iz5442]

Wow i really like the way u do it, youre definitely a pro from just using curves. Everyone else is using Qualifier/HSL Secondary, which i really hate especially in lowlight where the colour bleeds randomly. Thanks for this amazing video.

[@JimRobinson-colors]

I lock off the mid grey in the contrast step - when doing a split tone or a orange.teal, I'm not a big fan of pushing the orange side and prefer the skin to be a realistic tone. Your results ended up there anyway. But I think I generally need that skin to be there in the first place and then I lock them off on the curves before anything is done to the shadows or highlight region. I find that if I just lock middle grey that sometimes the skin will go too far and then I would need to pull it back. But I do understand that just locking the mid grey will have smoother ramps to the splits in the tone. Looking forward to the discussion on friday about it.

[@markuskolberpoxy6790]

Thanks for the great videos! I've been scouring youtube for good color guides for almost two years. Most already use perfect material and beautify it. As a small filmmaker, I usually have to work with not perfekt material. I couldn't find any good instructional videos for a fee either. Your videos are in depth and incredibly educational. Thank you for that and I hope your channel gets more attention!

[@TheL1nkin]

Love grading so much via this man ❤

[@ahmedalsaady3088]

Thank you for your effort , amazing details

[@kingreego8304]

This is so educative...thanks for sharing...

[@Longdancer]

Thanks, as always Cullen. Happy and fruitful New Year.

[@sylvainbaldet3087]

Just one thing to say. Thank You you 're the best CK

[@MuddyWind]

Thank you for your wonderful tutorial, I have benefited a lot from it！

[@ikestrom]

Hi Cullen. Thanks for consistently sharing great professional advice. I have a question about your choice for doing the color compression (hue vs. hue toward the end of the video) to the left of the parallel node. Is there a reason why it's better to do it there than as a serial node after the parallel node, like the teal/orange curves node?

[@1025mahoney]

orange and teal being the "spray tan" of grading was both an excellent analogy and sick burn all in one. well done!

[@Edgeworth992]

Insert a brown and you get *GASP* PERRY THE PLATAPUS?!

[@flochfitness]

Woah!!! Happy new year!!!!

[@obrsl]

For your video idea backlog: I'd be interested in how you created your exposure chart DCTL as an introduction to the topic (assuming it's a simple DCTL)

[@kick91185]

A nice surprise! 👌

[@matheussp13]

Man, you're always dropping a new or a simpler way to make our process easier. I'm just amazed with your 2383 DWG Lut. Although, using it made me question my node tree. As you taught before, I use DWG through IDT/ODT plus Timeline Color to Davinci Intermediate. Grade in between. What I do differently (and don't know if it's right) is to use a "CST" pre IDT, in order to make my footage look like Arri LogC. Usually FLog>ArriLogC>DWG. I often use Cinematch Plugin instead of CST to do it. I wonder if that is a destructive move to my footage, creating misleading results on exposure/balance or is that ok? Also, would you advise to use CST instead of Cinematch Plugin since it is messing with Color Matrix? Now, that's not a question but in the future, I would like to see how you'd use Glow on a DWG time-line. Thanks again for being so much helpful, you're the best on the entire KZbin. Happy New Year 🎉

[@themorgangold]

Hey, Cullen. Awesome channel. Would you ever do color breakdowns where you take a piece of content, talk about the look, and how to achieve it?

[@JrnMnd08]

Thank you again - great walkthrough.

[@bryzr]

amazing vid mate. big ty

[@djsuckertash]

The spray tan of colour approaches. I love that. The HvH method was very interesting to see as well, especially combined with other techniques. A question about the curves-based split tone technique: should one be switching off the outputting display transform before pinning middle grey in the display space? Thanks so much for this Cullen.

[@djsuckertash]

@@CullenKelly yeah, I wondered if the final transform made it a relative concept, but wanted to be sure. Thank you for this.

[@frankinblackpool]

Its taken me 18 months to come back to this episode and actually understand what is going on. I think I'm improving. 🤣

[@zacharias21]

Love this! Could you explain what the bottom two nodes are on your parallel mixer and when do you use them?

[@aaronwalterscheid4496]

Typically he puts any sort of secondaries down there: power windows, hue vs hue, in rare cases qualifiers. His reasoning is so that if any primaries are adjusted later on, especially the balance node, it won’t throw off what those secondaries were targeting originally.

[@linklink9005]

Thank you Cullen! I'm not able to find a link for dctl used in your tutorial.

[@johnmeric492]

Cullen thank you so much, question is that a layer node or a parallel node at the end ?

[@chakk0]

Amazing video again😮

[@PhilDuggs]

Can you do this for other looks/aesthetics in the future? E.g. bleach bypass, cross process

[@jaikrishnakunapareddy4085]

Awesome

[@movietrailer4113]

incredibly cool

[@NoahCinema]

It scares me so much to think what learning Resolve would have been like if I hadn’t found your channel early on. Thank you 🙏

[@albertorambaudi6055]

great lesson 👍🏻, see you in grade school for shure

[@karliemorris7318]

Thank you Mr Kelly

[@flochfitness]

Great video! You mentioned the split toning being based of middle exposure. In the middle grey chart in the color grading kit you provide, the chart has all sorts of color spaces including davinci wide intermediate and s-log 3 (which is what I film in). I grade in davinci wide intermediate but shoot in s log 3. Should I base the middle grey off of DWI or s log 3 for most accurate results? Thanks!!!

[@ErrickJackson]

If you grade in DWG, then you should pick that middle grey point because that’s the space your nodes are operating in.

[@viniciuscursino2121]

Great video! Unfortunately, cant find the right link to download the DWG Gray DCTL.

[@martinlopezfl]

Same here. Can't find DCTL here or in your website. The link says no safe certificate in the browser

[@GatesRick]

@@martinlopezfl same here. Can't get to the starter kit.

[@DGFA-]

Hi, could you made an tutorial about adapting a specific color palette to a footage. There are thousands of "how can you steal a look in one klick" but I want to understand what is going under the hood an could adapt every palette to every shot I want.

[@SagarGanesh_ContentCreator]

nice.. awsome🙂

[@shipaudas]

Hey Cullen, great technique, where can I find the gray scale dctl? thank you!!

[@yashmistri17]

Hey Cullen, Thanks for sharing the great information. Just want to give quick heads up. The second link (Look Design Starter Pack!) is not working. Can you please update? Thank you!

[@outdoorsinontario3037]

Ur the best dude!

[@frankinblackpool]

That was a really helpful. I've tried the Custom Curves trick in the past with very poor results. However the 18% Grey anchor is the missing piece to this puzzle and I now GET IT! 😀 Sadly I have only one problem now that I don't fully understand, but I WANT TO and that is your Node Tree. I like the idea but I don't know exactly how to use it. What goes before the Parallel Nodes, and what comes after the Parallel Nodes please? I was fully expecting your "Split Tone" Node number 7 to go somewhere within the Parallel Node Structure, and not after it in Node number 7. Either way I will try my best to learn this last piece of your Node Tree puzzle. Thankfully, I'm not working on Friday so I will sit in the back of your class with my usual glazed expression trying to understand what the Big Boys are saying at the front. 😂

[@KaurH]

As I understand it, Cullen does split-toning after exposure and balancing because that influences how the split-toning is applied. For example, if you have a shot that is really bright out-of-the-camera, sitting mostly above middle gray, the split-toning would make the whole image orange, but if you bring the exposure down first and then apply split-toning, more of the image will sit below middle gray and thus become teal.

[@craigkeyintel]

“The spray tan of color grading”. 😂 😂 😂

[@outdoorsinontario3037]

U da man!

[@user-oc6mr1jr6s]

Thank you. In the frame with the white sheets, some movief intentionally add blue to whites sometimes to create a feeling. What about those situations?

[@ShijoCT650]

Oh I want to learn all these. Do you run a course somewhere?

[@sottosopra4769]

hallo Callen, thanks for the tutorial and happy new year. If we want to create to apply this look to all the clips we work on the time line. What about luts? Wat do to with the nodes of color space? Thanks

[@CullenKelly]

In most instances, you're going to want to deploy your LUTs at the global timeline level as well!

[@moshuajusic1811]

Do your LUTs work in FCPX? Really dig the idea of separate contrast and color LUTs. But it says "Purpose-built to work within Resolve Color Management"

[@bryzr]

u sir are goated

[@LonzosStudios]

your audio sounds awesome, is that Fairlight or the mic pre-amp

[@Veptis]

Is the color warper similar to the hue vs hue curve? Also is there any use for the RGB mixer tools?

[@danielkraus6846]

Hi Cullen, thnx for the lesson.. where i can find the BlackGrey Image?

[@SheldonCharron]

Cool. :) P.S. Starter pack link to get split toning PG is dead. :)

[@jkdrake1]

bump

[@botbot3698]

Any advice on where to find free log footage from different cameras to practice with?

[@bobmusikk]

New to Resolve, is a node can be tame down in % globally like you said? like a layer in photoshop? or we have to lower each setting of a node one by one

[@jpyudhi_]

Hi Cullen its a great tutorial - i wanna ask, if we used dehancer pro 7.2 which is better we put dehancer node . is it on the first node - before your template paralell node, OR put dehancer next after your template parallel node ? thanks

[@CullenKelly]

Thanks! In general, I recommend putting look LUTs and plugins like Dehancer at the end of your node tree, so it would come after the parallel stack, as well as any other grading nodes. Hope this helps!

[@coloristph]

Hello Cullen,Im a silent audience of your channel and this is the first time I will comment.Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise to us. How I do I Put the CKC DCTL in Davinci?Thanks.

[@CullenKelly]

You're very welcome! Check out the instructions that came with the DCTL for exact steps on getting it loaded into Resolve.

[@musicandhappinessbyjo795]

What if my color space is Rec 709 what should I select in the tone curve

[@GuanRytheFantastic]

Rookie colorist question here: when I add vfx to a scene, do I add first then grade or grade first then add the effects so you have the proper color?

[@pb8569]

Hi,I am currently working with videos in mini dv format for a documentary. What would be your approach with these analog videos? Regards! Pierre Would it be possible for you to make it a subject in your next videos? Thanks

[@ShelterDogs]

What do you suggest we use as an exercise file to follow along?

[@ColbyBrickwell]

Hey Cullen! When I apply your Middle Gray DCTL it looks different than what you show here. I don't get the DCTL tab that opens up and shows the middle gray, step increment, and total steps sliders as well as the tone curve box. I am assuming I am doing something wrong haha. Hoping you can help me out!

[@ColbyBrickwell]

Never mind, everything worked once I reset resolve haha! Thanks a million dude. Cannot thank you enough for your help

[@pollloxxx]

Hi Cullen, i have a doubt, i always use your methods by the way... and this is great, but my doubt is , sometimes the skin is lower than 18% in dark scenes, So , we should use the split tone node on timeline level? or clip level, and move the 18% point on the curves to the level of the skin on this scene?. I dont know if I expressed well, sorry for my bad english!

[@pollloxxx]

@@CullenKelly thank u very much Cullen, you always help us.. I really appreciate all!! 🙏

[@connorrose4560]

Cullen, or anyone, know where I can find the Elements LUT pack? Or am I right in suspecting it's momentarily unavailable to buy while the website is reworked? :)

[@hughsfilms]

great stuff but i cant find the 18 grey download

[@RafalGendarz]

could you tell why not to put the 'split' tone into the secondaries below so it takes the source from the original, why it goes after the parallel?

[@CullenKelly]

Great question, Rafal! Split toning is typically a tool used in our global look that is applied to every image in the timeline. In this example, we're placing it after the primary and secondary adjustments of these shots. But it could also be placed at the timeline level as part of our look stack.

[@RafalGendarz]

@@CullenKelly thank you Cullen!

[@randallburgess6393]

I bpught the pro lut pack but in the payment email you sent me with the download button, it will not download the LUTs. Can you please send me a link with the download

[@legitimatejones]

❤.

[@frankinblackpool]

Just thought Id' mention, the link to your Starter Pack does not seem to work.😯

[@Julianorzel]

Best workflow for this is the arri film c lut with a 1200k+ warm

[@Julianorzel]

Now, i actually layer them with filmconvert. So basically it goes contrast + 2400k hdr wheels > 50% 500t filmconvert> 50% arri film c>arri 709. Id highly recommend you check out these LUTs yourself, as Im sure theyll speed your workflow up a ton like they have for me.

[@20x20portraits]

the starter pack address isn't working

[@danmcdaniel709]

Beginner here. How do you get the .dctl file into the Gallery in the first place? Right-clicking in the Gallery window and choosing Import doesn't work for me

[@randallburgess6393]

I just get a error message for the starter pack link

[@OmkarKaduFilms]

he is underrated please support him guys

[@zuzannazamyslewska4842]

Sorry, there is no link to download DWG Gray or I'm just blind?? :(( i really need this, help me

[@FlyingLapMedia]

"Spray tan of color grading" - man leave it to you on the last day of the year - to come with the comment of the year. Well played.

[@bowserlm]

How are you copy / pasting a single node to a new grade? I'm on Resolve on 19 on Windows and cannot make it do it for the life of me.

[@CullenKelly]

It's a bit touchy -- you need to first single-click the node before hitting Cmd+V. Hope that helps!

[@mandesarprostudiotiewdohma9545]

Cool give us your website brother

[@siddhant1687]

hello sir can you demonstrate ,how to achieve it in kdenlive

[@CullenKelly]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with that!

[@movietrailer4113]

⚡super cool. Techniques, in order to achieve a certain Look, expand the use of a set of tools with the least impact on the manifestations of artifacts. This is by far the best solution 😇

[@antonarap]

The general idea on this channel is that color should be delegated to photo and art. Which is not wrong when it happens but where we are particularly needed is exactly when it does not

[@misterbonzoid5623]

Teal and straw.

[@fashion.photographer]

using LAB color does better

[@1025mahoney]

LOOK AT ALL THAT HAIR!

[@Bobsmithabc]

Mr Synonym.

[@bobmusikk]

I know you have a good reputation and everything but, seriously it makes me mad seeing your videos always 1~2 stops under compare to all other youtube videos! For a colorist why do you do that? It looks like you don't care about your own videos. That's pretty strange and I'm not talking about the content just the look.

[@pasupathis3799]

First of all Please increase your video exposure or brightness all of your videos are very dark, so if I increase my laptop or smartphone brightness up then its hurting my eyes a lot. 2. If you really want to teach something to us then come to the point straight don't waste our time with useless talking. No hate. Got Very uncomfortable with your dark videos and extra unwanted talking. Please up the brightness.

[@dan_76]

Teal and orange... don't ever do it. It's terrible.