Want to make your grade look more filmic?
One key attribute of film or “cinematic” color grades is color density.
Color density means that saturated color values become darker.
Bright and saturated colors tend to be associated with “the video look”.
Film emulation is a huge topic and there’s a lot that can be said, but density is one of my favorite aspects of a great looking image. It’s definitely something I love to use when grading.
Here’s one way to achieve this effect…
In this video from Frenchie Color Grading, you’ll learn about:
- 0:12 My grade breakdown
- 3:10 My problem with HSV density
- 5:06 My technique for density
- 6:42 Comparison between HSV and Overlay methods
- 8:04 Recap
Gedaly is the Founder and Lead Educator of DVResolve.com and is Blackmagic Design Certified Master Trainer. He’s edited commercials for major brands and has done color & VFX for independent films. He consults on post-production workflow and creating online education. Gedaly is the co-founder of Working.Actor, a former marketing manager for large brands, and creates original film projects with his production company Razee.