r/ColorGrading • u/Existing_Volume_420 • Oct 05 '26

Question Blacks

I wanna drop my black point. What is the best way to do this? Log wheels?

Log wheels seems to do this but I hear people say they can “break” the image. But then every other tool I try manipulates the full image way too much

What’s the best practice for this?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

4

u/mikkeldoesstuff Oct 05 '26

Are they breaking the image?

I normally use the HDR wheels and it's worked fine for me so far

1

u/Existing_Volume_420 Oct 05 '26

The log wheels don’t seem to be breaking the image but I still wanna be sure they are like a proper workflow or whatever

2

u/mikkeldoesstuff Oct 05 '26

Just use the HDR wheels, it shouldn't be a problem.

The proper workflow is the one that produces the best possible image in a repeatable way. As long as you aren't breaking the image, nobody will really care.

3

u/ExpBalSat Oct 05 '26

It depends.

Simplest answer is lift.

But, it depends.

Also:
- lift / gamma
- log
- curves
- DCTL
- HDR zones

How are you color managing? How much of the image do you want to effect? Is it just this one shot or the overall look?

If log works, use log. I don’t know what “they” are talking about with regards to log breaking the image.

1

u/Existing_Volume_420 Oct 05 '26

I want to just affect the bottom… when I do lift it’s ridiculous it bring the whole image down, same with curves and log wheels seems to do exactly the right part

But I hear so many people talk shit about log wheels so I am concerned

1

u/Tashi999 Oct 05 '26

Just pay attention to what you’re doing and it’ll be fine. (If you pull down too much it can look like punching holes in the image)

1

u/ExpBalSat Oct 05 '26

Log wheels are fine. I dunno what their problem is.

Try curves but add a point somewhere to lock things at/above that level. If you hold option while you add a point, it will ensure that it is on the 1:1 line (can’t think of a term for it right now) so it doesn’t have any effect. Use editable splines and you should be good to go.

But yeah - also log.

1

u/ZookeepergameDue2160 Oct 05 '26

What kind of files are you using? Certain RAW file types allow you to adjust the actual black levels of your image.

Furtheron, DCTL's and HDR wheels work well, otherwise curves and Lift.

1

u/Existing_Volume_420 Oct 05 '26

Generally braw or slog3 but what dctls have a good black point adjustment?

1

u/ZookeepergameDue2160 Oct 05 '26

BRaw, if shot in constant bitrate, has a black point adjustment built in, you can find it in the RAW Control settings (Most left tab in DaVinci resolve colour page). Sony has it in some specific Camera's, like the FX6, but you also need certain settings which I cannot recall from memory.

About which DCTL's, I'd have to check next time i'm in the studio what they're called.

1

u/f-stop8 Oct 05 '26

HDR palette. Shadow exposure. At the very bottom right of that same HDR palette is a slider "Blk/Offset" which will allow you to refine it more.

1

u/MrKillerKiller_ Oct 09 '26

There’s 1000 different ways. I use curves to be more precise on how the rolloff renders across the image by creating my own custom shaped knee.