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COLOR GRADING • EMF 378

Course
contents.

A growing field guide for the ideas, workflows, and visual language we will use throughout the semester.

WORKFLOW + CRAFTVISUAL INTENT
COMMON LANGUAGE01—07
TONECONTRASTCOLORSATURATIONTEXTUREMOODFOCUS

Before you say how to grade it, say how you want it to feel.

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Class guides.

Select an available class to open its full visual field guide.

01
AVAILABLE

Color Grading Intro & Workflow Foundations

Build a common language for visual intent, learn the Resolve workspace, and begin thinking like a colorist.

  • Visual intent
  • Correction vs. grading
  • Resolve pages
  • Order of operations
  • Perception
02
AVAILABLE

Project Setup, Editorial Import and The Color Page

Set up a portable Resolve project and learn the path from editorial import to the Color Page—while asking what the image should feel like.

  • Project Manager + Libraries/databases
  • Importing + exporting .drp files
  • Media import + organization
  • Media Storage vs. Media Pool
  • Bins
  • Basic timeline
  • Media / Edit / Color navigation
  • Backup + portability
  • Visual intent: image feeling
03
AVAILABLE

Scopes vs Perception

Connect Waveform, Parade, and Vectorscope readings to Lift, Gamma, Gain, Offset, and the emotional structure of contrast.

  • Luminance vs. chrominance
  • Waveform
  • RGB Parade
  • Vectorscope
  • Lift / Gamma / Gain / Offset
  • Contrast as emotional structure
04
AVAILABLE

Color Spaces and Color Space Management

Introduce RGB, Rec.709, display standards, and a manual CST workflow from camera space through DaVinci Wide Gamut/Intermediate to the display.

  • RGB vs. Rec.709
  • Display standards
  • CIE chromaticity
  • DaVinci YRGB vs. managed
  • Input + output CSTs
  • DWG/Intermediate working space
  • Neutral is a look
05
AVAILABLE

Primary Correction

Build a balanced base grade with exposure, white balance, contrast, saturation, and a clean node structure—then export an H.264 from the Deliver page.

  • Contrast + slope
  • Saturation methods
  • Linear exposure + white balance
  • Balanced base grade
  • Node-tree logic
  • H.264 delivery
06
AVAILABLE

Nodes, Order of Operations and Workflow Logic

Compare Log tools with Lift, Gamma, and Gain, then organize exposure, white balance, contrast, and saturation into a clean, repeatable grading structure.

  • Log tools vs. LGG
  • Linear exposure + white balance
  • Lum Mix
  • Order of operations
  • Balanced base grade
  • Node-tree workflow logic

COURSE MAP More class guides will be added here as the syllabus develops.