ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL COLORIST TRAINING
COLOR MANAGED WORKFLOWS
May 23rd 2022
About this course
This is a SMPTE Certification course.
High impact techniques, taught in this course, have the potential to elevate image quality, accelerate post-production and enable productions to deliver simultaneously to SDR and HDR display devices. Participants will learn how to get the most out of modern digital cameras and be able to take full control over the image. Learn how to deploy various color management techniques to a whole spectrum of productions, from live transmissions to high-end feature film shows. As a bonus module, we focus on cinematographers and how they can best manage color-managed workflow and set the right level of expectation from their DITs, Dailies Colorist, Supervising Colorist, and Color Scientist.
What you will learn
At the end of this 5-week training program, participants will have full knowledge and gain practical experience of controlling and creating their looks using the latest tools and techniques available today.
- How color management works in practice
- How to link camera exposure to bit code values of captured files
- How to control and measure captured signal values
- How to calibrate camera using standard color checker card
- How to create standard display transforms
- How to add a creative look to display transform
- How to use primary color correction and CDL
- What is a 3D LUT and how to use it correctly
- Step by step process of color management from set to final grade
- Theory and practice of advanced color management
- The functionality of the Input and Output Device transforms
- How to work in SDR and HDR simultaneously
- How to emulate film stock looks
- A Step by step process of advanced color management from set to final grade
- What is ACES, and how it works
- What variants of ACES we have and when to use them
- What are the main elements of ACES color management
- How to use ACES on-set
- How to use ACES for final grading
- How to use ACES for VFX
- How to archive with ACES
- What are LMTs and how to create them
- What are common issues and how to avoid them
For whom is this course recommended to
We recommend it to Cinematographers wanting to explore the possibilities that digital cinematography opens and that go far beyond traditional techniques thought at film schools. DITs wanting to advance their careers beyond data management tasks. Filmmakers who want to learn all about color and the possibilities they have. Colorists wanting to advance their knowledge and learn how to expand their role beyond final color correction and get involved in the process of look creation early.
Modules

Digital Cinematography Fundamentals
Get a thorough understanding of the digital image processing path from the film set to final delivery.

Color Managed Workflow
Get to know the process of Color Management that automates digital image post-processing.

Advanced Color Managed Workflow
Gain theoretical and practical knowledge of advanced color management in film and tv productions.

ACES Color Managed Workflow
Learn how to use industry-standard color management pipeline based on multi-format, SDR/HDR, delivery requirements
Course Schedule
Five Week Schedule. A mix of live classes and pre-recorded tutorials
Week One
Digital Cinematography Fundamentals
In this module, we will learn the fundamentals of digital image processing used by modern digital cameras. We will cover the essential processing of RAW sensor data and the main elements of color processing, such as gamma and gamut. Further, we will see which parts of image processing significantly affect image quality and learn the fundamental concept of scene and display referred encoding. We will complete this module with an introduction to HDR standards.
Week Two
Color Managed Workflow
In this module, we will learn how color management works and how to deploy standard color management workflow from camera to final grade. Participants will start by analyzing test camera footage and establishing a reference between light meter value and bit code value of captured material. Further, participants will get familiar with the process of camera calibration using standard color checker cards. Once we have referenced the camera, we will build a standard display transform and further expand that process by creating a creative look transform. Participants will learn how to use CDL and LUT to manage the creative look creation process and manage those further down the post-production chain. We will learn how we deploy color management on set, during the dailies creation process, in editorial, and how to pass all metadata to the final grading process.
Week Three
Advanced Color Managed Workflow
In this module, we will take our knowledge of color management to the next level by learning advanced color management methods that are particularly important for productions that use various camera types and formats and other sources of images like archive footage or computer-generated images. We will also expand our knowledge of creative look creation by learning how to emulate film stocks. Participants will learn how to deploy this type of color management from set to final grade and how to deliver simultaneously to SDR and HDR devices.
Week Four
ACES Color Managed Workflow
In this Module, we are going to learn how to color manage using Academy Color Encoding System. ACES is an industry-standard, free, and open-sourced color management system that is device-independent. ACES addresses and solves several significant production, post-production, delivery, and archiving problems. We are going to learn how ACES works and what are the main components. We will see how ACES can be implemented on-set for final grading, how it assists visual effects workflows, and how it can be used for archiving. Further, we will learn about Look Modification Transforms and the most common issues, limitations, and workarounds.
Week Five
Remote Workflows
Bonus module – Collaborate remotely while preserving image consistency and creative intent.
Final Exam
Assignments Review and FinalCertification Exam
COURSE CONTENT
Digital Cinematography Fundamentals
- Digital camera sensors
- RAW processing pipeline
- Color spaces
- What is gamma, linear, log, PQ, EOTF
- The truth about resolution, bit depth, and compression
- How to get the most out of your digital camera
- Scene Referred vs. Display Referred workflow
- HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision
Color Managed Workflow
- Color Managed Workflow overview
- Color Measurement
- How to read Waveforms, Vectorscopes, and Histograms
- Camera Tests
- Calibrate Camera Using Color Checker Chart
- What is Look, and how to create it?
- Primary Color Correction and CDLs
- 3D LUT and Image DNA
- CMW Step 1: Color Management On-set
- CMW Step 2: Datalab, Dailies, and Transcoding
- CMW Step 3: Editorial, Avid, Premiere, FCP, and VFX
- CMW Step 4: Final Grade in Davinci Resolve and Baselight
Advanced Color Managed Workflow
- Advanced Color Managed Workflow overview
- Input Transforms
- Output Transforms
- SDR/HDR workflow
- Film Stock Emulation
- CMW Step 1: Color Management On-set
- CMW Step 2: Datalab, Dailies, and Transcoding
- CMW Step 3: Editorial, Avid, Premiere, FCP, and VFX
- CMW Step 3: Final Grade in Davinci Resolve and Baselight
ACES Color Managed Workflow
- Academy Color Encoding System Overview
- What is IDT, ODT, LMT, RRT
- Using ACES on-set
- Using ACES for Color Grading in Davinci Resolve
- Using ACES for Visual Effects
- Using ACES for Archiving
- Creating LMTs
- Common issues: Out of Gamut Errors
Practical Assignments
Create a custom monitoring LUT using a test camera shot to measure and calibrate its output to REC709 values
Create a look based on Kodak 5219 Vision 3 and deliver it ready-to-view on SDR and HDR display devices
- Develop a creative look as ACEScct LMT and VFX display LUT
All live classes will be recorded and can be replayed at your convenience
When and Where
May 23, 2022 – June 26, 2022
Live Classes Mondays
10 am – 12 pm PDT
Color Managed Workflows
MAY 2022-
Live Instructor led classes
-
Four practical assignments
-
Access to class recording
-
Access to Look Designer
-
Exclusive software discounts
