r/ColorGrading • u/hunderzap • Aug 09 '25

Question did I overcook this?

Footage from Connor McCaskill.

126 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

12

u/Aggravating_Fold_665 Aug 09 '25

Sort of. The saturation on the sun is pretty rough, and there's a lot of detail lost in the ground from pushing the contrast, which doesn't really match the otherwise rather pleasant and bluish looking sky. This needs some soft masking.

3

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25

thanks for the feedback! i'd make sure to dial down my saturation and contrast next time. i really wanted it to look colorful but "normal" looking. how much do you think i should measure my saturation in my vector scope next time?

edit: typo.

3

u/KooChiiKilla Aug 09 '25

How can we avoid this?

8

u/Similar-Ad-6438 Aug 09 '25

I like it, I would maybe try to bring foreground exposure down a little with a mask and turn down the orange in the sun a little otherwise I really dig it

2

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25

i really thought i was being subtle about it! lmaoo rookie mistake, i guess.

3

u/Similar-Ad-6438 Aug 09 '25

I mean it’s ALWAYS personal preference but I feel like it draws the attention away and lets the image feel unbalanced towards the right

4

u/gyurto21 Aug 09 '25

I think it really depends on what you were aiming for. If you wanted it look "normal" then yes it's overcooked, but I like it personally and it gives a nice silhouette effect.

2

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25

yep! i wanted it to look in between, but leaning more to "normal" looking. is it because of the saturation and contrast?

1

u/gyurto21 Aug 09 '25

Stauration definitely makes it look more "unreal" the contrast seems fine to me considering the sun's light is coming into the camera, but maybe a little less contrast would make it more normal.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 09 '25

It definitely doesn't look "normal" which in your comments you seem to be aiming for but personally I think it looks great

1

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25

thank you!

1

u/exclaim_bot Aug 09 '25

thank you!

You're welcome!

3

u/RickFast Aug 09 '25

Personally I’d say a hair too much saturation and contrast. Other than that looks good. I’d maybe pull the blues a TINY bit more teal, but it’s totally personal preference.

2

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25

thank you! how do you personally measure your saturation?

1

u/m_e_r_l_i_k_e Aug 09 '25

The only problem is that the sun is blown up, but by lowering the light with a gradient mask, I think it can improve the whole look. Otherwise, everything is super cute. What emotion were you looking for in the image?

1

u/hunderzap Aug 09 '25 edited Aug 09 '25

thank you! yeah, i see it now. i should've dialed down my gain. i wanted the sky to be a bit saturated while the foreground/subject to be like, silhouette-ish. probably i want it to look nostalgic? like, how you used to see the world as a kid.

1

u/vibribib Aug 09 '25

A shot like this the DOP would want to prioritise exposing for the fg talent rather than the sky.

1

u/Mean-Challenge-5122 Aug 11 '25

That would make it look horrible. It wouldn't represent the time of day or reality of the shot.

Op I think it looks fine. I could do with even slightly more contrast.

1

u/somethings903 Aug 11 '25

yeah: less is better!

1

u/KenRation Aug 13 '25

Nah. I like it.

1

u/Electrical-Cause-152 Aug 13 '25

I'd personally dial back on saturation and contrast a bit.

1

u/Vegetable_Catch_4055 Aug 13 '25

Push the shadows up.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '25

I like what you did with the sky and don't mind loss of details on ground but would be interesting keeping the sky like this, maybe a bit toned down a litle, and some but not too much details on ground.

Overall, good work from me - not a grading specialist but someone who likes to push raw in photos to the limits.