{"id":98632,"date":"2018-01-25T07:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T13:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/?p=98632"},"modified":"2018-01-24T15:23:52","modified_gmt":"2018-01-24T21:23:52","slug":"digitally-add-shadows-davinci-resolve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premiumbeat.com\/blog\/digitally-add-shadows-davinci-resolve\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Replicate Cast Shadows In DaVinci Resolve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even the most organized lighting setups can need tweaking in post. Find out how you can add (realistic) shadows to a composition using DaVinci Resolve.<\/h2>\n

I know. We\u2019re about to discuss\u00a0creating something digitally\u00a0that we should have just captured with the\u00a0camera. But, we don\u2019t live in a perfect world, and mistakes happen. So let\u2019s\u00a0take a look at creating a cast shadow inside of DaVinci Resolve.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a common misconception about recreating shadows, and it’s that you simply make the area darker. And while, to some extent, that is what we are going to do, it wouldn\u2019t be correct to say that’s it.<\/em> When we think about an area of the room that is darker, it\u2019s because there\u2019s less light, or no light, reaching that area. When we\u00a0see a shadow\u00a0spread across a wall, it\u2019s because there is an object between it and a light source.<\/p>\n

In the example below, I had a 650w Fresnel diffused through a 3\/4 stop diffusion sheet, which\u00a0I then cut with a 10″x12″ scrim\/flag to divide the light on the background \u2014 as if the half-open window shutters were obstructing the sunlight.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Leaving the scene with no illumination at all was dull, and simply lighting the background with the 650w was too excessive \u2014 diffused or not. With the light divided by the flag, it gives the background contrast, which adds an exciting dynamic to the composition.<\/p>\n

This still below takes place in the same location but at a later time\u00a0in the story.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

It was a creative choice not to replicate the exact lighting setup, but, for the sake of the tutorial, let\u2019s say that the director now wants\u00a0those window\u00a0shutter shadows back in to add some interest to the background (not that it\u2019s a stretch to consider such a\u00a0request from a director).<\/p>\n

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In Resolve, import your footage, and head to the color page. It would be best to implement the shadows before grading.<\/p>\n

First, create a new node, mask around your subject and hit the invert mask option. Here, you want to increase the midtones slightly. We’re going to lower the overall exposure later, so it doesn’t need to be too drastic \u2014 just a few increments. This\u00a0will slightly increase the brightness of the background to make our shadows stand out a little more.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Create a second node, and here you want to create another mask based on the shape you want your shadow to take.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The only adjustment we are going to make is to lower the midtones very slightly. I’ve decreased the gamma -0.04. As I mentioned earlier, creating a shadow isn\u2019t necessarily about creating a mask and lowering the shadow settings; in fact, that would look horrible. One of the key features is saturation. In low light, there\u2019s less light to reflect,\u00a0so objects\u00a0get desaturated. Therefore, the key isn\u2019t to lower the shadows\/lift but to decrease the saturation. The exact setting will differ from shot to shot, but I\u2019ve reduced mine -12.0.<\/p>\n

One thing to note about real shadows is that the strength or density of the shadow\u00a0is more substantial\u00a0if it’s closer or parallel to the obstruction. We can see this in the example still. Looking at the furnace pipe on the right-hand side of the composition, we can see the shadow is darker at the bottom, which is parallel to the 1k Fresnel outside \u2014 and as we travel up the pipe, away from the fallout area of the light, the shadow\u2019s density weakens.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Initially, I thought I might have to use a gradient to replicate the effect\u00a0for the digital shadow. However, if you lower the opacity to 75, you\u2019ll find that the mask naturally conforms to the luminance of that area. While shadows aren\u2019t extremely feathered, at a distance, they are not sharp either. Therefore, I would suggest implementing a small feather \u2014 no more than 1.5, or it will look unnatural.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

In the completed (but ungraded) still above, I\u2019ve moved my digital shadow across and also expanded the real shadow in the corner\u00a0because\u00a0the background looked uneven.\u00a0The new digital shadow in the corner perfectly blends in with the actual shadow, which tells me the mask has worked. I’ve also angled the top of the mask to spill onto the roof, making the shadow look more natural. There are some discrepancies between digital and real, and I would, of course, prefer the real deal,\u00a0 but to conclude, when recreating cast shadows, it’s not so much about darkening an area; rather, it’s about the saturation and intensity of a mask.<\/p>\n

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Lewis McGregor is a certified BlackMagic Design DaVinci Resolve Trainer.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Looking for more info on DaVinci Resolve? Check out these articles.<\/p>\n