Color Grading / Color Timing in Photoshop

[Mintoro]

Hello,

I am searching a way to do Color Grade like in the attach sample
Would you guys tell me the technique to do in Photoshop
I cant find tutorial about it, i had read many PS book about color
but no info about proffesional color grade like this.


Thanks
mintoro

i dl the sample from www.finalcolor.com

[SalaTar]

32 float and a bit of cash

[Mintoro]

hmmm,

come on man, i just wanna use for personal still photograph
scan from negative film. (only 14/16bit per channel)

Can you guys gimme a clue. I cant find information out there.
thanks

Mintoro

[Yossarian!]

Umm, levels and curves? Is this a trick question?

SalaTar is getting at the fact that the images above were done on highly specialised software using 32bit colour processing and images which were probably run through a $5 mil telecine machine.

It looks like most of the results were achieved by crunching the levels, desaturating and tinting to a particular tone then doing spot grades on specific features (ie. vingette for the sky, blur here, grad there...)

Just play with the colour tools dude

[Mintoro]

No its not trick

I hv been searching a way to do it for many years "since the Matrix movie"
I was shock when i saw the movie look green but it still pleasing in my eye.

I try blending mode in photoshop but still look bad/ not smooth or look natural
so after watching finalcolor web i try looking the answer in here.

I use nikon filmscanner for scan the negative but, color result is so normal
image. I use curve and level in photoshop for adjust contrast and color balance.


thanks
mintoro

[SalaTar]

Take a look at digital film tools for PS

http://www.digitalfilmtools.com/photshopprods.htm

[Mintoro]

hmmm, that expensive solution eheh

So, its really hard to do in photoshop only ?
or simply not possible in photoshop?

come on guys, tell me some your movie magic touch here


thanks,
mintoro

[haz]

well there isnt really any magic involved apart from knowing the tools and how to apply the tools to the colour vision/style you are after.

If you really want a quick fix, then you could use something like Magic Bullet by red Software (developed by the orphanage). But to get a colour like those images you showed you have to be able to have access to a telecine machine like Spirit or DaVinci... and that costs! also if you want to do frame by frame you have to make sure your frames have alot of depth information (16bit or 32bit)

Hope this helps... its not like everyone doesnt want to share their knowledge.. its just that you have to face the facts... those shots were done on some serious high end systems.. so what you are asking us is to figure out a cheap alternative..

[Mintoro]

hello haz,

hehe you right,
I want to know how it can be done in the hard way using photoshop.
or maybe you guys can gimme some tip or concept to do it.
it pure for 1 frame only, coz it photograph "not movie"
and sometime the frame is huge like scan from MediumFormat 6x6 or 6x7 negative.
@4000dpi, it about 8900 x 8900 pixel for 6x6 and 8900x10900 pixel for 6x7
more then 500MB in 16bit for 1 photo and from
35mm @4000dpi 5640x3660 pixel = 112MB (16bit)
so it must be done in photoshop i think

how do they do SEPIATONE LOOK in the car while the grass still green(dark brown green)
and other color look good in eye
I try all blending mode in PS using channel mask but still look BAD.
Which tone or color or channel that should be blend with sepia/brown ?
"which area shadow, midtone, or highlight ?"

thanks
mintoro

[pingking]

what about a mask for the grass and put it in a new layer?

[Mintoro]

Guys,

Let me keep simple
What should i do to change the mood from "normal/regular" image to
afternoon mood/sepia tone "color cast" like those volvo sample.
I think that what i am looking for.


thanks
mintoro

[haz]

hey Mintoro,

in combustion I can isolate colours using the 'Colour Shift' operator... might be worth looking into that...

Cheers

HaZ

[adolf]

hey dude !
all u have to know is :
how color works ! principles of color ! like how much rgb is in shadows, midtones and highlights ! what if u decrease rgb on color wheel ? will it darken my image ! it will ! how rgb and cmyk differs ! understand tonal values !
then understand ur weapons ! ur color tools ! all ur grading fundamentals lie in adobe photoshop ! practice them hard ! u wil err and er and improve ! practice makes one perfect !
then u will have to do selective color correction based on masks ! also u will have to experiment layer modes or blend modes !
so to achieve that color correction i would:
make use of mask
play in layer modes ( blend modes )
and do the color correction in multiple passes !
it can be achieved easily in photoshop ! but ur source quality should be good !
believe me i learnt color correction from photoshop and today i color correct film in flame and smoke !
please understand color grading art is not software dependent ! it is akin !
so dont depend on softwares ! if u havr it and understand basic color theory and have a flair for colors then u will easily achieve this look !
please analyse the source image very very carefully !
also there is a good book !
color correction for digital video.
photoshop color correction
i believe that shall help u
all the best !
feel free to contact me
adolf
yash_2001us@yahoo.com

[michaelmovies]

If you're using Photoshop CS or CS2 open the uncorrected image, then go to Image > Adjust > Match Color. Make sure "Preview" is checked, then click the Source dropdown and choose the final corrected frame as the source.

Basically this will try to automatically match the curves and balance to the image you apply as Source. Most of the time it does a reasonable job, then you can play with the sliders to get the match closer.

That's as close to a magic solution as I've seen for stills. If that isn't close enough, read the good advice above and stop looking for a machine to make artistic choices for you.

Michael

[Mintoro]

Hello,

Adolf, thanks for the good tips, i will do it !!!
I will try harder but right now my brain so jamed "can not find the exit"
Maybe i dont have access to colorist so right now i hv to do on my own
the very hard way.

I hv read some photoshop color correction book, but
Mostly this book teach about fixing the wrong pic to correct pic.
but in this vfxtalk you guys make "correct pic" to "wrong pic" by adding
color cash etc, etc and this kind of work actually make those "wrong pic"
look much better in the eye

I put sample in 48bit "JPEG2000b.JPF inside ZIPfile, the other for thumbnail",
hopefully you color grade the image to those sepiatone colorcas like in the volvo
and Teach me/others "behind the magic" or "the secret receipe"
step by step work you hd done
I think that process can gimme fresh new idea in my mind.


Michael, thanks for the advice.

regard,
Mintoro