Color Grading 101, Part 3: My previous approach to color grading

I have mixed feelings about sharing this set of videos from my old Resolve 12 training course. As I said in Parts 1 & 2. The fundamentals haven’t changed in the past ten years. BUT – we have new workflows, and I’ve evolved from most of the techniques I show in this ‘In Action’ section.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with what I’m doing in this Insight.

It’s just that I’ve found better ways of doing it, thanks to workflows and toolsets that didn’t exist a decade ago.

So why am I sharing this?

I’m sharing this because it is valuable in the questions being asked and how the images are evaluated. And the color grading ‘moves’ I’m executing I still use – but they are no longer my go-to moves. Yet, having them in your back pocket is useful.

I also want you, up-and-coming colorist, to ask how much of yourself do you see in this set of tutorials?

Does the work I do here resonate with you? Do you find yourself saying, “Yup. That’s what I do.”

If so, the good news is that in 2024, there are better ways of solving the problems I’m solving and with better results. It’s not because there’s anything ‘wrong’ with what I’m doing. New workflows have evolved, allowing us to do less work and get more impressive images.

Less struggle. Better results. Less time.

It’s a great combination, especially if you’re still in your career’s ‘struggle’ stage.

As we walk down memory lane, I encourage you to watch this as a foundation for upcoming Insights.

After taking this stroll with me, in Part 4 I’ll explain why I’m not so haphazard with my node trees anymore – and share my current fixed node tree (the previous version is here). In Part 5, we will re-grade this same footage at full speed. And I hope you’ll find lots of value in seeing the progression of my grading style across a decade!

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should see how to:

• Analyze matching shots with different color temperatures
• Address skin tone discrepancies
• Apply a look without compromising the overall flow of the footage due to the initial shot-matching work