The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction

The only guide to the art and technique of color correction based on the invaluable knowledge of more than a dozen of the top colorists in the world. This book allows you unprecedented access to the way the masters of the craft approach their work. Containing decades of industry experience and professional colorist know-how, this book provides an understanding of what top-tier colorists look for in an image and how they know what to do to make it great. Featuring techniques performed in a variety of color correction software applications (DaVinci Resolve, Apple Color, Synthetic Aperture's Color Finesse, and more), this book turns what has long been a misunderstood "black art" into a set of skills that any colorist, editor, independent filmmaker, or motion graphics artist can begin to master. Packed with explanations, tips, and concepts that build on each other, you will learn how to: * fix poorly exposed shots and shots with color casts * create looks * match shots * master primary and secondary color correction techniques * use color correction to advance a story This edition includes * Downloadable resources containing two hours of video tutorials using DaVinci Resolve, extended interview transcripts and color correction sessions with the professional colorists featured in the book * A brand new tutorial-based chapter, with companion project files on the downloadable resources, so you can work along with the text * New insight from additional professional colorists, including legendary colorists, Bob Festa, Stefan Sonnenfeld, and Pankaj Baipai, showing you the 'hows' and 'whys' of each grade

Table of Contents:
Tonal Range Primer; Tonal Range Tools; Tonal Range Workshop; Color primer; Color Tools; Color Workshop; Using secondary color correction; Spot color correction ? windows and vignettes; Matching shots in sequence; Telling the story; Creating special looks; Saving bad footage

About the Author :
Steve Hullfish produces and edits trailers, TV spots, promos and DVDs through his company, Verascope Pictures, which serves high-end clients: Universal Studios, NBC Television, HIT Entertainment, Jim Henson Entertainment, VeggieTales and others. His 22 years of producing and editing TV shows and spots have garnered many national awards, including a national Emmy as part of the editing team of the Oprah Winfrey Show. He has co-written three other books including "Color Correction for Digital Video," "Avid XpressPro On the Spot," and "The Avid XpressPro Editing Workshop." He has also written for DV magazine.

Review :
"How to" books are a dime a dozen. What makes this book special is that it is also a "Why" book. Hullfish sits down with world-class colorists and records not only what they do but why they do it. That's where the magic lies. "How" is the question to ask if you want to become a craftsman. "Why" is the question that creates artists. I bought the first edition for "How" and came away with a lot of "Why." This edition has lots more of both, with material from several additional world class colorists. If you want an inside look into the art and craft of the professional colorist there's no better way to do it in book form. Whether you're learning to be a colorist or just want to understand what really happens when you decide something can be "fixed in post," you need to read this book. -Art Adams, cinematographer/educator, ProVideoCoalition.com. This book just keeps getting better with each new edition. Steve Hullfish's approach is designed to teach techniques that transfer to a wide range of popular and accessible color correction tools. The intent is to demystify the process, so readers can learn the concepts and apply them, regardless of whether the software has sliders, wheels or curves. Best of all, Hullfish features extensive tips and tricks from some of the premier colorists in the country, so you can learn from the masters. If you only purchase one book on color correction, this is the essential guide to include in your library. - Oliver Peters, Oliver Peters Peters Post Production Services, LLC A terrific and much-needed book for anybody serious about digital color correction. Starting with the basics, it helps the reader work through a series of specific, well-illustrated examples, covering all the major software applications, and supports the text with insightful comments from prominent working colorists. All in all, it's essential reading for anyone who wants to improve their skills in this rapidly changing field. - Steve Cohen, editor, Emmy and ACE Eddie winner, author of "Avid Agility."