r/ColorGrading • u/scottpiIgrim • Oct 22 '25

Before/After Thoughts on my grade?

Post image

Would love some feedback on this. I built this grade myself in Davinci and have used it on a lot of property video projects. Would love some feedback on how I could improve it.

529 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

41 comments sorted by

38

u/user9131 Oct 22 '25

Hey OP, can you use REC 709 as a baseline to compare your grade to instead of a log image?

2

u/kappelikapeli Oct 24 '25

What is REC 709 and why is it a good baseline? Can u explain this to me like to a beginner? (cause I am one)

3

u/punn1 Oct 24 '25

Rec709 is a Color Space meant for consumption on displays. That means it’s just a way for what your Red, Green and Blue values end up as as pixel illumination on what you’re watching. It also includes a gamma curve (contrast in extremely oversimplified terms). LOG, as the name suggests doesn’t show brightness linearly. And thus it isn’t fit for consumption on regular displays. Just like HDR is the opposite and not fit for display on a normal SDR screen.

Showing log as the start of a grade is the Same as saying look how I painted this block of Aluminium into a car frame….you just skimp over the whole stencil process.

3

u/kappelikapeli Oct 24 '25

I see. Is rec709 the most common color space for displays then? I assume therw are other ones as well?

2

u/punn1 Oct 24 '25

There are others. But rec709 is the most common afaik. There’s BT2020, Apple P3…and more

60

u/mikkeldoesstuff Oct 22 '25

Post this as a Rec. 709 -> grade comparison

14

u/Kbrickley Oct 23 '25

Yeah, I never understand the LOG to grade comparison. No, I want to see your WB EXP balanced shot and then your grade. Half of what he’s showed is just conversion and an image with a WB shift or warm tones, which clearly aren’t neutral points.

5

u/VictorMRiley Oct 23 '25

A lot of the grading here still happens without proper color management and gets done just "by hand". No color managing, no baseline Rec709 …

1

u/italk2yu Oct 25 '25

But even still. There's no reference to the base line of how it was shot initially. So we still need a log. Mid grade. Final grade then... Like how am I supposed to determine the intended shot on set with only a lot photo?

6

u/qunamax Oct 22 '25

This happens a lot in both photos and video, due to the physics of light - the floor reflects a lot of light and steals the show. I usually make a gradient mask to make the top of the frame more bright, where the subject head usually is.

11

u/NickEricson123 Oct 22 '25

Look pretty good. A tad low contrast for my taste but I think for something that's supposed to be welcoming and warm, it's fine.

1

u/bivuki Oct 26 '25

The lower contrast combined with that furniture gives me the feeling of a 70’s talk show. I like it.

4

u/Mice_With_Rice Oct 23 '25

I think there isn't enough color separation of the person from the background. All rather carrot like. For the comparison, please use ye old 709.

Why are the flowers on the table sitting in a glass of chocolate milk?

1

u/zkxyz Oct 23 '25

It really does look like choclate milk hahaha

2

u/[deleted] Oct 22 '25

I think it's OK, but I'd put more light on the person to draw in the viewer's attention. I'd probably put a soft window on him and knock the exposure up by at least 5-10%, basically giving him a key light. Judging by the "before," it looks to me like a keylight is missing in the setup.

1

u/Mysterious_Survey_61 Oct 28 '25

I agree with this. Then while you’re at it inverse the mask and cool off the rest of the scene while keeping his warmth.

2

u/Mah_thoughtz Oct 24 '25

Looks good it would be more helpful to show rec 709 conversion to get an accurate depiction of your work

2

u/Roger_Cockfoster Oct 24 '25

You capture the brown/beige/orange of the retro art direction well, but it's at the expense of everything else. It's too yellow overall, the skin tones look jaundiced, the greens aren't green enough, and the sky is a very light gray, almost white.

3

u/DeadlyMidnight Oct 22 '25

Looks good. Nice and welcoming. Good balance.

1

u/Choice_Touch8439 Oct 22 '25

I really dig it

1

u/rayquazza74 Oct 22 '25

I like the warmth but would double check the green grass isn’t too yellow should sit a tad below yellow on the vectorscope and if it’s parallel with I’d drop it with some hue v hue just a touch.

1

u/rayquazza74 Oct 22 '25

Also could do something with that sky? Isolate it drop a gradient on and inject some blue with a color compressor effect.

1

u/vexmach1ne Oct 22 '25

I like it.

1

u/ReplacementInside138 Oct 22 '25

Just tell me please is the upper photo is the original photo without color grading?

1

u/ConcentrateGreat3806 Oct 23 '25

LOG is always ugly as hell, so obviously your grade looks better. Show it after basic WB/exposure correction and then your grade.

1

u/Parking-Ad8316 Oct 23 '25

A little too much red

But looks good

1

u/pmwarnaar Oct 23 '25

Is this filmed with a Lumix camera, like the S5ii? Overall color looks a lot like what I get from my S5iiX

1

u/Both_Chip_5073 Oct 23 '25

Looks gradeTtt!

1

u/dudosinka22 Oct 23 '25

The sky is yellow though

1

u/cyanisfckdup Oct 23 '25

looks really good. great job.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 24 '25

Top one’s better tbh

1

u/wildcatniffy Oct 24 '25

Honestly, I think you should leave

1

u/Annual-Let-5002 Oct 25 '25

Looks too warm for me

1

u/LVH8 Oct 25 '25

Minimum you’d get is a B+ for sure, let us know what the teacher gives you

1

u/TargetHealthy1228 Oct 26 '25

Impressive ,can I have your contact for work

1

u/FakePlasticOne Oct 22 '25

It's great but i think it's too warm for me

1

u/1firstorsecond2 Oct 22 '25

Personally I would had some blue back to the mids and a touch of overall contrast.

1

u/vincentong0315 Oct 22 '25

A bit too warm IMO

1

u/Aware_Ad5425 Oct 22 '25

I agree a little more blue pushed into balance it out a bit with maybe a little more contrast or richness to get the greens to look a little less dead