Masterclass: Zero to Hero Color Grading for Filmmakers Pt.1

Name: Masterclass: Zero to Hero Color Grading for Filmmakers Pt.1
Rating: 5.0 (3 reviews)

Masterclass: Color Grading for Directors and Producers in Davinci Resolve and Premiere Pro - Part 1 Color Management

Created byJoddy Eric Matthews

Last updated 3/2025

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Helping Producers and Directors to understand effective Color Management Workflow and Best Practices for achieving Cinematic Color
Create great-looking imagery by learning color management workflow, techniques, grading, and strategies that will help you become a better filmmaker
How to understand specifications for Netflix delivery
Learn to work with both display-referred and scene-referred management including ACES, setting up SDR and HDR projects, using DaVinci Wide Gamut
Learn to match camera profiles with (CSTs) Color Space Transforms
Using DCTLs to establish Color Management
Using LUTs in Color Management
How to Create Camera and SHOW LUTs
Using LUTs in the VFX Workflow
Understanding NITs, HDR, and Bit Depth Explained
Intro to the ACES Color Management Workflow

Course content

6 sections • 21 lectures • 6h 14m total length

L1.1: Color Management Introduction2:13
L01: Introduction video and Course PDF
L1.2: Terminology26:00
In this lesson:
Color Management
Color Correction
Color Grading
Color Space
Camera Profiles
Color Science
Gamma
Working Space
Output (Delivery) i.e. Display
L1.3: Workflow14:07
In this lesson:
Look Book (Director)
Choosing Cinematographer/Colorist
Production Design (Dir. DoP, PD)
Camera Choice (RED, Arri, Sony, Black Magic)
Lens Choice (Primes, Zooms)
Camera Test (DoP)
Camera LUT (DoP, Colorist)
Camera/Smartphone (RED, Arri, Sony, Black Magic)
Finishing Suite (Dailies/Proxies) DaVinci, Scratch, Cortex
Editing Platform (Avid, Premiere Pro, Davinci)
VFX (Maya, Houdini, Cinema 4D, Nuke, Fusion)
Lock Edit/Cut (Avid, Premiere Pro, Davinci)
EDL/XML Conform to Finisher (DaVinci, Scratch, Baselight)
Color Grade (DaVinci, Scratch, Baselight)
Finish (DaVinci, Scratch, Avid)

W1.1 Producers and Directors Guide to Using LUTs26:26
In this workshop:
Display Referenced: What are LUTs and When to properly use them

They are Destructive: Advantages/Disadvantages - Info loss/Lack of Control
They are Dumb: They don’t know anything. You need to know what is it’s IDT and ODT
Check out the Bonus Section for how to build LUTs
Difference in a SHOW(Camera) LUT versus a CONVERSION(IDT/ODT) LUT
versus a CREATIVE(Look) LUT
Using a LUT to Grade - Nope
Add a LUT to Davinci
Apply LUT or Curve to LOG footage
Apply LUT to Footage in the MEDIA Page
Apply Universal LUT in Project Settings (Camera Footage should all be the same) applied to Input and Output.
Normal - How to add LUT to the timeline via the COLOR Page
NOTE:
This is the beginning of the Workshop phase of the Lesson. Please download the assets needed or prepare to use your own.
Needed: A Davinci Resolve Project (Resolve Studio is needed if working with DCTLs)
LOG Footage (for conversion nodes)
You can download the DaVinci Project files and Project Files Assets 1.2/1.3 here or you can use your own Footage.
W1.2 Quick Dirty Color Management - Using LUTs23:55
In this workshop:
Display Referenced: Using LUTs

Check out the Bonus Section for how to build LUTs
How LOG/RAW is handled in Project Settings/Camera RAW
Remember, LUTs are Destructive: Why not use Color Space Transforms (CST) for Conversion?
Davinci YRGB (Not Color Managed)
Timeline is normally REC709 as most LUTs are Display Referred (Some are P3)
Check the Guts of your LUTs - Text Editor: What Colorspace is it expecting?
Order of Importance: Conversion ~ Management ~ Creative ~ Output
LUTs versus DCTLs
NOTE:
This is the beginning of the Workshop phase of the Lesson. Please download the assets needed or prepare to use your own.
Needed: A Davinci Resolve Project (Resolve Studio is needed if working with DCTLs)
LOG Footage (for conversion nodes)
You can download the DaVinci Project files and Project Files Assets 1.2/1.3 here or you can use your own Footage.
W1.2a Color Management Using DCTLS6:06
In this workshop:
Display Referenced: Using DCTLS
NOTE: You need Davinci Resolve Studio to work with DCTLs
Check out the Bonus Section for how to build LUTs
How LOG/RAW is handled in Project Settings/Camera RAW
Remember, LUTs are Destructive: Why not use Color Space Transforms (CST) for Conversion?
Davinci YRGB (Not Color Managed)
Timeline is normally REC709 as most LUTs are Display Referred (Some are P3)
Check the Guts of your LUTs - Text Editor: What Colorspace is it expecting?
Order of Importance: Conversion ~ Management ~ Creative ~ Output
LUTs versus DCTLs
W1.3 Matching Cameras Using DCTLS16:43
In this workshop:
Display Referenced: Using DCTLs
NOTE: You need Davinci Resolve Studio to work with DCTLs
They are Non-Destructive (closer to CST)
Davinci YRGB (Not Color Managed)
Check out how LOG/RAW is handled in Project Settings/Camera RAW (Change for footage using)
Timeline Colorspace can be independent to Output Colorspace
Convert all camera colorspace to the Timeline Camera Science you are using (Right-Click Davinci DCTL) This is a Camera color space DCTL
Apply a Finishing LUT (Colorspace to REC709, etc.) (Last Node) serves as ODT
Render
NOTE:
This is the beginning of the Workshop phase of the Lesson. Please download the assets needed or prepare to use your own.
Needed: A Davinci Resolve Project (Resolve Studio is needed if working with DCTLs)
LOG Footage (for conversion nodes)
You can download the DaVinci Project files or you can use your own Footage.
W1.4 Matching Cameras Using CSTs21:17
In this workshop:
Display Referenced: Using CST (Color Space Transforms)

They are Non-Destructive (closer to CST)
Davinci YRGB (Not Color Managed)
Check out how LOG/RAW is handled in Project Settings/Camera RAW (Change for footage using)
Timeline Colorspace can be independent to Output Colorspace
Convert all camera colorspace to the Timeline Camera Science you are using (Right-Click Davinci DCTL) This is a Camera color space DCTL
Apply a Finishing LUT (Colorspace to REC709, etc.) (Last Node) serves as ODT
Render

L1.6 Scene Referenced11:01
In this lesson:
Camera Gamut - LOG, Raw, Science
Sony: SLog,
Canon CLog,
REDRAW,
Arri LogC4
Blackmagic Raw
Panasonic VLog
L1.7 Creating a Display Referred Project with Mixed Footage29:32
In this lesson:
Creating a Display Referred Project using footage from several different types of Cameras
Practice footage included (Project 1.3)
L1.8 Resolve Color Management (RCM) and CSTs19:47
In this lesson:
Learn the power of Resolve Color Management, Color Managed Workflows and an Introduction to Color Transforms
Practice footage included
Link to Resolve Project:
This Project uses the same footage as the previous Lesson(s). If you did not download the footage you can acquire it at Workshop 1.1 or use your own.
L1.9 Intro to ACES5:20
In this lesson:
What is ACES
Why would I use ACES
How ACES works

L1.10 What is HDR?5:15
In this lesson:
HDR removes the limitations presented by older video signals and provides information about brightness and color across a much wider range. HDR-capable displays can read that information and show an image built from a wider gamut of color and brightness. HDR video simply contains more data to describe more steps in between the extremes. This means that bright objects and dark objects on the same screen can be shown to high degrees of brightness and darkness if the display supports it, with all the necessary steps in between described in the signal and not synthesized by the image processor.
To put it more simply, HDR content on HDR-compatible TVs can get brighter, darker, and show more shades of gray in between than non-HDR content.

Colorspace
REC2020
REC2100

Gamma
PQ
HLG

Output
Dolby Vision
HDR
HDR10+
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
L1.11-12: Buyer's Guide - NITs & Reference Monitors (What to Buy?)20:09
In this lesson:
HDR-capable displays can read that information and show an image built from a wider gamut of color and brightness. HDR video simply contains more data to describe more steps in between the extremes. This means that bright objects and dark objects on the same screen can be shown to high degrees of brightness and darkness if the display supports it, with all the necessary steps in between described in the signal and not synthesized by the image processor.
The brightness component is expressed in terms of Nits on Monitors. HDR delivery for Streaming/Broadcast (HDR10+) has to be done on a Monitor with over 600 Nits of brightness. Dolby Vision, 1000 Nits.
Typically 1000 Nits is the standard
1000 Nits doesn’t mean it can be used for HDR Grading
Reference is NOT Mastering!
Calibrated OLEDs ARE used by Netflix for reference
L1.13 Netflix Color Management24:50
In this lesson:
Understanding Netflix HDR Color Management

P3 D65, PQ / ST.2084, ≥1000 cd/m2 Color Science
BUT - With a PQ Curve
Choose ST 2084 P3 as Gamma Curve
Television should use PQ Curve for viewing/grade
NEED Dolby Vision license for HDR to SDR Trims $2,500 Annual Fee
Mastered to 1000 Nits minimum
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision is an HDR framework that helps maintain creative intent from the image seen in the color grading suite all the way to the consumer devices being used to watch Netflix.
To be able to achieve this all Netflix Originals delivering in HDR must be mastered in Dolby Vision, and delivered according to our IMF delivery specifications for Dolby Vision packages. From the Dolby Vision IMF package, we derive Dolby Vision, HDR10, and SDR streams for Netflix members to enjoy.
UPDATE: Dolby Vision 4.0 is now supported for delivery to Netflix. Please note that Dolby Vision 4.0 deliveries are not required. Netflix continues to support Dolby Vision 2.9 deliveries.
L1.14 Using Color Wheels in SDRHDR and Wrap-Up9:46
In this lesson:
Learn to navigate the Color Wheels

Introduction to the Log, HDR and Color Wheels Interface
Wrap Up
You have completed Lesson 1 of Color Grading for Filmmakers in Davinci Resolve! Feel free to navigate back to any sections that are of interest or difficulty. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
Again Thank You for Your Purchase! Do not forget to download your COUPON HERE. This gives you 20% off Lesson 2: Color Correction and Lesson 3: Color Management

Creating a simple LUT36:38
Additional Content: Creating a simple LUT
Creating a simple LUT to be used in a Timeline or with Monitor or Camera onset
Creating an advanced LUT34:51
Additional Content: Creating an advanced LUT
Creating an advanced LUT to be used in a Timeline or with Monitor or Camera onset
Developing Look Book or Mood Board Color Palettes for Directors using DCTLs6:45
Developing Lookbook Palettes
Creating a Lookbook and Color Palettes for Pre-Production and Post

Requirements

Basic understanding of Digital Cinema Camera production
Davinci Resolve 19 or higher, or Adobe Premiere Pro (25 or higher), Resolve Studio needed for DCTLs
Any software that uses Color Management Workflow

Description

In Part 1 of 3 of this masterclass, Zero to Hero Color Management, you are invited into this unique color suite to watch how a professional Director, Finisher, and Colorist create great-looking images and discuss color management workflow, techniques, correction, creativity, grading, and strategies that will help you become a better filmmaker.

Built for beginners and professional filmmakers, the instructor takes time to explain the How and more importantly the Why of each lesson, aiding the student in understanding the information and goals presented.

In this Road to Netflix training series, you will learn to work with both display-referred and scene-referred management, including ACES, setting up SDR and HDR projects, using DaVinci Wide Gamut, or ACES in Premiere Pro (NEW) matching camera profiles with Color Space Transforms, workflows for Color Correction and introduction to Color Grading in Davinci Resolve for filmmakers migrating from Premiere Pro.

You will also learn about:

Color Terminology (How to effectively communicate with Editor\Colorist)
Typical Color Management Workflow
Display (Delivery) Codecs Explained
Creating Color Palettes in Davinci using DCTLs for use in Directors' Lookbooks or Mood Boards
When to Use\Not Use LUTs
Intro to ACES
DCTLs, and how to change Colorspace
Color Space Transforms (CSTs) their correct usage
How to build Show, and Monitor LUTs to get the correct look in the field.
Delivering specs for Netflix
How to Choose the Best Color Reference Monitors
NITs, HDR, and Bit Depth Explained
ACES Color Management in the New Adobe Premiere Pro update

Next, you'll learn how to create stunning Color Palettes, sampling colors from existing Hollywood blockbusters, for use in your Lookbooks and Mood Boards, thus driving your creative vision. Helping Production Designers, Producers and Financiers grasp your vision more quickly.

Lastly, the Course includes a Series of Workshops, with assets to help you practice setting up a winning Color Management Workflow.

Who this course is for:

Directors and Producers seeking to enhance their filmmaking by increasing their command of the Color Management process, thus creating better films.
Editors and Colorist interested in taking advantage of Davinci Resolve's robust color management toolset.
Beginning Editors and Colorist seeking to understand Color Management Workflows.
Producers and Directors wishing to understand the importance of establishing a Color Management Pipeline from Pre-Production to Post
Filmmakers interested in Look Development

Masterclass: Zero to Hero Color Grading for Filmmakers Pt.1

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 42min

Scene versus Display Referred, Codecs Explained2 lectures • 34min

Workshops5 lectures • 1hr 34min

Creating a Project with Mixed Footage Scene Reference Project Creation4 lectures • 1hr 6min

HDR and Understanding Netflix Color Management4 lectures • 1hr

Additional Content: Creating LUTs, Color Management in Premiere, Color Palettes3 lectures • 1hr 18min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: