Color Science and Grading
Motion-picture grading craft: perception, primary and secondary correction, shot matching, skin tones, looks, HDR trims, calibrated suites and delivery.
CINE-310 Year 3 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 28 min
Offered by HSM University · Cinematography
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the colorist's role, the grading suite, grading software and the stages of a motion-picture grade
- Apply opponent color, luma weighting, adaptation, simultaneous contrast and memory colors to grading decisions
- Use lift, gamma, gain, offset, printer points, contrast and pivot, curves and saturation with correct maths
- Balance shots and match a scene to a hero shot using waveform, parade, vectorscope and probe values
- Isolate and refine image regions with qualifiers, windows, tracking and external mattes without artifacts
- Organize grades with node and layer structures, groups, timeline grades, templates and relative ripples
- Grade skin tones of every complexion accurately and respectfully using the skin tone line and gentle secondaries
- Design and build looks with palettes, split toning, film emulation, grain and halation that survive a whole film
- Grade HDR with correct tonal placement and create SDR trims that preserve creative intent
- Set up calibrated reference displays, projection and a grading suite that keeps perception stable
- Prepare and verify a conform and run productive grading sessions with cinematographers and directors
- Deliver legal, correctly tagged masters, pass quality control, archive the grade and complete a capstone scene
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h 28 min total · final exam
- 1 The colorist and the grading suite 25 min · quiz
- 2 Color science for grading: perception, contrast and color relationships 25 min · quiz
- 3 Primary correction tools: lift, gamma, gain, offset and curves 28 min · quiz
- 4 Balancing and matching shots across a scene 29 min · quiz
- 5 Secondary correction: qualifiers, windows, tracking and keys 28 min · quiz
- 6 Grade structure: nodes, layers, groups and order of operations 29 min · quiz
- 7 Grading skin tones 27 min · quiz
- 8 Building a look: palettes, film emulation and texture 27 min · quiz
- 9 Grading for HDR and creating SDR trims 27 min · quiz
- 10 Calibrated monitoring, projection and the grading suite 27 min · quiz
- 11 Conform, grading sessions and working with directors and cinematographers 27 min · quiz
- 12 Deliverables, quality control and the capstone grade 29 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Motion-picture grading craft: perception, primary and secondary correction, shot matching, skin tones, looks, HDR trims, calibrated suites and delivery.
Part of the Film & Photography stream, typically taken in year 3.