{"id":71031,"date":"2016-02-29T09:54:54","date_gmt":"2016-02-29T15:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=71031"},"modified":"2016-09-13T10:54:41","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T15:54:41","slug":"the-basics-of-building-a-color-correction-suite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/the-basics-of-building-a-color-correction-suite\/","title":{"rendered":"The Basics of Building a Color Correction Suite"},"content":{"rendered":"

Color correction tools like DaVinci Resolve are more affordable and accessible than ever, but working with color takes more than just the right software.\u00a0Here are three tips for building a color correction suite that will improve your output.<\/h2>\n

Top image via Digital Production<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Much like editing bays, color<\/strong> correction<\/strong> suites<\/strong> come in all shapes and sizes. On the top level, a color room at a high-end facility might have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment in it, while an at-home setup will naturally be more modest. With that said, just because you might be working from home or from a small facility doesn\u2019t mean that you shouldn\u2019t follow the same principles as the larger color suites.<\/p>\n

You may not need a $30,000 color board or a 4K projector, but what you do<\/em> need are a number of basic components that will make or break the quality of your work. Let\u2019s take a look at three of the most important aspects of any color suite.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Light Control<\/h3>\n

\"The
\nImage of The Vanity VFX color grading station in Toronto via BTL News<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

If you come from an offline editing<\/strong> background, then you might be used to editing on your laptop on set, in a coffee shop, at the kitchen table, or anywhere else you can find space to set up shop. Unfortunately, things aren\u2019t as simple when working with color, as ambient room light<\/strong> can pose big challenges when handling color work.<\/p>\n

Imagine attempting to color<\/strong> correct<\/strong> a photo<\/strong> on your iPhone in a dark room. Now imagine trying to color the same photo on your iPhone in broad daylight. Obviously you\u2019ll have a much tougher time working outside, since the glare from the sun makes a perfectly clear view of your screen nearly impossible. The same principle applies inside your color room.<\/p>\n

Any little bit of light that seeps into your room through a window, door, or elsewhere will negatively impact your color session. Not only does ambient light make it more difficult to view your monitor properly, but it\u2019s inconsistent nature will also throw off your results. For instance, you might start your session in the morning while the sun isn\u2019t yet overhead \u2014 but by noon, it\u2019s shining straight through the window. Whether you realize it or not, you\u2019ll be compensating for this extra light in the room by making color<\/strong> adjustments<\/strong> in your footage.<\/p>\n

For these reasons and more, the first thing you need to do when setting up your color suite<\/strong> is control the light. Buy blackout blinds and install them on every window in your suite to block any and all uncontrolled light. With the house lights off, your room should be pitch black inside, so make whatever changes you need to ensure that your space achieves this.<\/p>\n

2. Room Color<\/h3>\n

\"The
\n<\/a>Image via the Toast Agency<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Ambient light isn\u2019t the only variable that can affect your ability to see color objectively \u2014 the colors in your room can pose just as many challenges.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever worked in a professional<\/strong> color<\/strong> suite<\/strong>, you know that almost all of them have walls that are painted grey. The reason for this is quite simple: if your room is any color other than a neutral grey, your eyes will adjust to the ambient color of the room. <\/strong>Therefore, you\u2019ll be making inaccurate judgements when it comes to coloring your footage.<\/p>\n

Think of what happens when you wear blue sunglasses for more than a few minutes and then take them off \u2014 everything now appears yellow, or warm. This is because your eyes have an ability to \u201cwhite balance,\u201d so to speak, and this phenomenon can occur just as obviously when you\u2019re inside your color<\/strong> suite<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If you were to attempt to color a project in a room that\u2019s painted a bright vivid color (let\u2019s say cherry red), there\u2019s no question that your images would all have a very distinct color cast to them. Your eyes would adjust to the red in the room pretty quickly. In an unconscious attempt to balance the color of the image to your eyes, you\u2019d be inadvertently adding more red to your images<\/strong> than called for.<\/p>\n

So, if you plan on doing professional<\/strong> color<\/strong> work<\/strong>, be sure to paint your room neutral grey to avoid headaches and technical issues with your projects. It\u2019s also ideal to use light fixtures that have a color temperature of 6500K for greater consistency and accuracy.<\/p>\n

3. Calibrated\u00a0Monitor<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Even if your room is light controlled and painted neutral grey, you aren\u2019t quite out of the woods yet. The other huge variable to consider when working on color projects your monitoring system set up \u2014 more specifically, how it\u2019s calibrated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Regular computer monitors are not designed for critical<\/strong> color<\/strong> work<\/strong>. Some monitors are warmer than others, some have too much contrast, others are oversaturated, and so on. The bottom line is that a $150 monitor from Best Buy is never going to display colors to meet a professional standard<\/strong>, and attempting to use monitors like this to color with is ill-advised.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re serious about color, you really need to invest in a proper broadcast monitor that can take an SDI video signal<\/strong> and be calibrated professionally. You may not need to invest in a color board right away, or a huge office space to work in, but investing in a monitor is an absolute must<\/strong>. In many ways, your monitor is the heart of your color operation \u2014 so if there\u2019s one area you\u2019re going to want to invest your money, it\u2019s here.<\/p>\n

Interested in learning more about color grading?<\/strong> Check out the color grading section of the PremiumBeat Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Working with color takes more than just the right software. Here are three tips for building a color correction suite that will improve your output.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":71987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5339,1085,3843,39,583],"tags":[597,5385,51],"class_list":["post-class-post-71031","post-class-post","post-class-type-post","post-class-status-publish","post-class-format-standard","post-class-has-post-thumbnail","post-class-hentry","post-class-category-color-grading","post-class-category-davinci-resolve","post-class-category-filmmaking-2","post-class-category-video-editing","post-class-category-video-production-2","post-class-tag-color-grading-2","post-class-tag-davinci-resolve","post-class-tag-post-production"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Basics of Building a Color Correction Suite<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Working with color takes more than just the right software. 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