Finding the right and wanted look for your film can be tough sometimes. Partly it’s about having the skills to color correct and grade the footage but it’s also about having an idea how the film should look like so it’s not something random that might look cool but goes into another direction than you planned it in the first place. Over the last few years we did a few video tutorials on how to correct and grade footage which you can watch further down on this site.
Below is a new tutorial in which I talk about how audio, light, color and camera movement create a certain mood or define atmosphere.
It’s always great to see that one single shot can be changed in post production that much. It’s not common that a shot can be pushed in two different directions because of lighting and a few other aspects but sometimes it’s possible. To make the same shot look like a dark thriller and a romantic scene on the other hand is an exception. And honestly, before starting to shoot it should be clear whether you are making a thriller or a comedy 😉 ! Grading is an important part of defining a mood but as I mentioned it’s just a small of many parts that result in the final scene.
Some general tips for color correction and grading can be found in the tutorial below.
How to really use different filters and settings to grade your footage:
Which grading suite or plugin should you use if you want to work with presets or are not really experienced? Watch the video below to find out more.
And if you don’t want to spend money on a plugin or presets you can get over 50 grading presets that we designed for grading DSLR footage. (The presets only work in After Effects.) Below is a demo video:
Click HERE to get to the download page!
One of the most important things about color correction and grading is that you shouldn’t overdo it. What I am trying to say is that often less is more. Not every shot needs to look like it’s from a blockbuster. Take your time and think about what works best to support the story and mood of your film.
Written by Moritz Janisch