Do a lot of movies use this 3 color rule?

[Christopher Young]

In film processing, the start of the three-strip color process was Technicolor which actually used three black and white films that were subsequently colored. I won't explain the process as there is tons of info on the Technicolor process floating around the web. Once all that moved into the digital domain that's where the ability to really play with color 'artistically' in the three-color process really took off.

If you learn to work with the three-color strip process in say Resolve you can at various stages in the node flow create a massive amount of color tint influence individually in each of the R, G, and B channels when you separate them out from your image. At this point, you can also adjust the luminance levels of each channel. Then by using the Compositing Subtract mode in your first Mixer Layers you can then push those mixer layers into a second series of linking nodes and then onto the second series of Mixer Layers where you can use the Compositing Add function. The final output of the second of your Mixer Layers is then stripped of maintaining any luminance and run into a final Mixer Layer then output for final "tweaks".

Using the above process it's not too hard to emulate almost any of the popular three color film looks. Below are three images. #1 is of a full gamut 0-1023 RGB image, take note 8-bit image, that has been manipulated to a 64-960 broadcast video level image using the three-strip color process. Image #2 is a more muted 'older color film' look one might say. That's the result of processing in the three-color strip mode. This particular image has been graded lightly to favor the Brown/Green with Red as an accent color. Notice the red window ledges. The final image #3 is the node flow of how to work within the three-color strip process. To truly emulate the original Technicolor process you need to introduce the three complementary nodes with the colors of Cyan, Magenta and Yellow which these examples don't have.

How Technicolor changed movies - YouTube

When you are happy with your results it's then a simple matter of exporting a 3D LUT if you want a quick flow after that. An incredibly flexible powerful workflow as all your manipulation is done in each individual RGB channel without affecting other channels until you recombine with your Composite Add Mixer Layers. What I'm getting at is even if your image is 8-bit by working within the actual individual RGB channels you can output a pretty solid image. Finally same three-color Brown/Green Red but using the Fuji girls.

Chris Young

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay thank you very much. I tried what was done in that video and tried the 'feather' feature. The only thing is, is that it doesn't get rid of all the noise, and I need to feather further beyond what the program will do it seem. But I can keep trying.

As for creating a 3D lut, I could try to do that. I want my three colors to be brown, blue and red, but when it comes to luts, they suck out all the other color too. For example I tried a teal and orange lut on some footage as an expirment in a scene shot in a park, and all the green trees and grass goes brown, and you still want that natural green. So even if you want three colors, you don't want the natural colors taken out of things like that as well, do you?

[Paul R Johnson]

I'm not an expert by any means Ryan - but when you are experimenting with colour correction like this, if the source material doesn't have a full colour compliment, removing some of it leaves holes, doesn't it? Christopher's post was very informative.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, I just that most real locations would have a full color compliment, because real locations are not colored with all the colors, if that is what you mean?

[Josh Bass]

As we've said before...these looks you're after are the result of careful control of wardrobe, set dressing/design, lighting etc....basically any color that appears in the recorded image. They often do weeks of tests (wardrobe lighting etc) to find what will and won't work in camera for the desired final look. And yes, even the more uncontrolled locations (exteriors, places they can't paint etc., that you so often ask about) will be chosen because they know they can push this grey into blue or that red into orange, etc. in grading.

If you don't have all of that coordinated, you will not be able to get the looks you're after.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh well the locations will be uncontrolled, so those will have to changed in post, color wise. But I have control over wardrobe though. I would just have the actors not diverge from the 3 colors, or black, white, or grey.

[Brian Drysdale]

If you're doing heavy correction on your DSLR, it's 8 bit, using a compressed codec, also the level of noise will vary with the sensitivity settings. Plus your camera records 4.2.0. so it's dumping colour information. All this makes it less than ideal for heavy colour correction.

If you're not using this camera on the film, it's a waste of time doing serious tests, unless you're just wanting to play with resolve.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay yes I am going to be using a DP's camera. I thought tests wouldn't work on my camera, but it was said on here before that it's not the camera that's the problem, and that it's a lighting a problem, and with good lighting no camera will make a difference in terms of pulling out colors?

[Brian Drysdale]

It's a combination of a number of factors. As usual, you pick things up incorrectly.

High end feature films usually shoot using RAW or on film, while high end TV dramas commonly use log onto ProRes 4444. they also have serious lighting rigs.

It was mentioned before, since we're going over old ground, that if you wish to use your old DSLR camera for personal grading tests, shoot stills using TIFF or RAW files. That's unless, you're planning to shoot your feature film using a DSLR with similar limitations..

[Paul R Johnson]

When you went to film school they probably never even thought grading worth covering, I expect because when people invent new tools people go mad and use them. In your production, at your level with your budget I can’t believe you are using locations that NEED recolouring? Why do you make it so hard. Until your acting and script are top notch, grading is rather pointless tess. It wont improve things and makes your multi role nightmare worse. You KNOW how difficult it is, so why do it? The judo thing for example, the two people in it were so awkward and impossible to work with that if those walls had remained whatever they were it would have made no difference. The tint of a scene is immaterial if the content and key features are bad. Remember the old phrase, you can’t polish a turd, and I think we have done this multiple times now.

[Brian Drysdale]

Interestingly, you can polish a turd, but it takes a lot of work.

Mythbusters Polishing a Turd - YouTube

With Ryan's project that level of work is probably also required, but on the fundamental aspects, rather than the equivalent of using polish.

[Paul R Johnson]

Brian, I've been told by my environmental experts that I need to determine the composition before sources the correct varnish - or should I just buy polyurethane from the local store. I've also been told that it's very simple to do if you have the correct tools, but I only have a coffee spoon and artiste's paint brush. Do you think it will be possible to get the correct colour. I don't have time to collect more than a few samples, but I have been watching youtube videos where the colours are fairly constant.

[Brian Drysdale]

Indeed, you'd need to test such factors as species, diet, state of health etc before achieving constancy in the polished objects.

[Christopher Young]

Just thought I have a look at the RGB 3 Color Strip with the correct Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow strip added. I quite like the results. It gives you an impressive amount of control over your final look. Not saying this is a definitive look but it gives the following image that came from a show, can't remember the show's name a totally different look. Quite different when applied to the general run of SOOC images. Much more of that saturated Technicolor POP! What I love about the process is it doesn't affect the Black and White content of your images. They constantly remain B & W regardless of any color manipulations.

Also played around with S-LOG3 using Resolve's Color Transform and then applying this 3 Color + C, M, Y node tree.

My pointers came from an old page that no longer has its frame grabs. The process was well documented thought so wasn't too hard to follow if anyone is interested.

https://sites.google.com/site/intert...-strip-process.

Before and after samples plus the node tree below:

Chris Young

[Pete Cofrancesco]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

Interestingly, you can polish a turd, but it takes a lot of work.

Mythbusters Polishing a Turd - YouTube

With Ryan's project that level of work is probably also required, but on the fundamental aspects, rather than the equivalent of using polish.

While I enjoyed the color grading tutorials this actually seemed more relevant to the topic. Btw at 1:03 what is that camera? It looks like a consumer camcorder but I can’t imagine that they would use some low quality on a televised show.

Jokes aside, I once pressed him on why doesn’t he concentrate on getting the basics right. He said he’d rather spend time on areas he enjoys (color grading, sound effects, movie theory). I understand if you don’t have the money, ability or interest to get the fundamentals right the appeal of focusing your efforts elsewhere. This reminds me when I see old, beat up, inexpensive cars that have been modified with expensive low profile rims and a performance exhaust system. The owner of these cars can’t afford sports cars so this is the next best thing.

Maybe Ryan should have his actors put on orange makeup and wear teal outfits?