Colour Grading Tests

Here’s an assortment of different colour grade tests I came up with while experimenting around with Premiere’s ‘3-Way Colour Corrector’ and ‘Lumetri Colour’ (a new addition) effects. I quite like how some of these turned out and while I went pretty extreme with some of the grades, it was a fun and interesting way to see how far I could stretch the light and colour captured by my camera.

Shot 1 [Raw = Left, Graded = Right]:

To achieve this look I darkened the whole image by lowering the levels of the shadows and midtones. I also turned up things like saturation and sharpness to give the shot a more hard-edged look. Lastly, I gave the shot more of an orange glow, slightly changing the original’s yellow hue. For this grade I didn’t want to push the image too far, I mainly just wanted to see how the shot would respond to being darkened.

I was going for more of a neo-noir-ish look while constructing this grade and I think it came out well. I didn’t darken the image that much this time but I did focus on giving the shot more of a blue/green tint. I gave the highlights a yellowy-green hue and also applied a fade effect to try and make the shot look more filmic.

Obviously to achieve this look I almost completely desaturated the image. I made the highlights more intense and also experimented with the colour wheels to see how changing colour values would affect the black & white image. In addition to this, I brightened the whites a little and gave the image a faded finish. I’m interested in how black & white video can be used in modern film and I think this is a shot that does look more dynamic and powerful with the removal of its colours.

For this final grade I wanted to try something really out of the ordinary. I guess what I ended up with was something with a 80s retro feel. I used the midtones and highlights colour wheels to give the yellow colours of the original shot that distinct neon-purple look. I also faded the image a little as I think doing this can often really improve the style of the image – of course this depends on the circumstances.

Shot 2 [Raw = Left, Graded = Right]:

I wanted to make the bokeh effects really stand out in this grade, so to do this I started by increasing the saturation and vibrance settings for the image’s highlights. I also boosted the intensity of the red colours in particular (this was also complimented by the increase in saturation/vibrance). I don’t recall darkening the shadows too much but I did also apply a fade effect.

I pushed this grade further than the previous one, and was aiming for more of a neon look in the final image. I again increased the saturation of the image, also using the colour wheels to make adjustments to the highlights. I sharpened the images as well, making the graded shot quite intense and harsh.

For this grade I wanted to flatten the image a little, and test out giving it a colder look. I desaturated the shot by a small amount and began adjusting the colour. I made the shadows bluer and also did this to the midtones and highlights to some degree. I really like how this grade turned out, oh yeah – I also faded the image.

For this grade I started by using the ‘3-way Colour Correction’ effect AND THEN continued grading using the ‘Lumetri Colour’ effect layered over the top. I again went in the direction of colder colours, trying to reach a neo-noir style. Using the colour wheels I pushed the shadows and midtones towards a blue look while I took the highlights in a more yellow direction – this is called ‘split-toning’. I then used a ‘Curves’ effect to further alter the image until i reached the final grade.