Grade School: Pro Colorist talks client expectations

This week's live is covering questions around all my recent coloring topics.
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0:00 Introduction

4:30 Is using curves better to maintain the black point consistent and LGG to simply get your image on point quickly?

7:28 Do OLED displays affect our view on crushing blacks as they appear more pure rather than clipped data?

11:52 Do you have any instruction sheet that you send to clients to let them know what you need to set up the grading process?

14:10 Is REC709 different than REC709-A?

16:17 Using reference images for grading

20:36 What have you learned thanks to your color podcast?

23:09 How do you deal with underexposed non log footage?

28:52 How do you deal with clients that don't like compressed shadows and prefer digital looks?

34:10 Can you use a LUT in color composite mode to avoid modifying contrast?

37:23 How to deal with extremely punchy highlights?

44:37 How do you distinguish between overexposure and underexposure? How to deal with intentional missexposure?

49:10 How often the clients use a color palette?

51:25 How to use a color palette from an image to make a grade based on it?

54:25 Would you recommend a client using an iPad Pro for review?

56:50 Is there a solution for clipped material?

1:01:09 How to deal with compression in the shadows when creating moody images?

[equisetuminc]

Urge to bounce might be due to coffee and getting up every 2 hours with a new baby (and a toddler). Congratulations on your work-life balance. And for loving both 🎉

[vincentlomascolo]

Hi Cullen, around the 48 minute mark you discuss ways to objectively determine exposure from a technical standpoint. You recommend comparing the level of the subject's face to our 18% reflectance level. But I was wondering, aren't different faces going to reflect light differently? Wouldn't the 18% reflectance only apply to a grey card? I am by no means an expert, but I thought the point of a grey card or using an incident meter to expose for 18% grey was to ensure any tone under that light source is captured accurately whether the subject's complexion is darker or fairer. So it would make sense that lighter tones would come in slightly over 18% and darker tones would come in slightly under right? This is probably just a rabbit hole, I was just curious about trying to ascertain "proper" exposure when looking at an image that doesn't have a grey card or test chart in the image.

[DamianStefanov]

Didn't go through all coments and I apologize if it has been answered at some point but why Cullen uses a second point to lock the curve instead of turning on "use editable splines"? It seems easier to shape a curve with them on.

[musiconsortium]

Cullen your audio is too low and Gedaly is too loud.