When you should color grade in log vs. linear | DaVinci Resolve

Grading in linear is a key piece in getting better grades — but knowing when to grade in log instead will take your results even further. Let's take a deep dive what linear and log spaces how, and what tools work best in each.

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[Mionwang]

Would you ever consider a series where you critique your audience's grades? That's something I personally feel would help me immensely. Perhaps in a grade school session?

[pdou]

Again, Cullen, fabulous job with this explanation. Thank you. The point about using the HDR tool for linear exposure adjustment helped me greatly. The other takeaway for me was your point about not chasing adjustments back and forth. Both tips helped me understand the source of some frustrations here at the very start of my journey to improve my color work.

[mcneilbelle]

Yea i definitely need to see more linear vs log videos I find it so fascinating and I would love to have an even better understanding on when and where to use both of them

[jamied]

I think some of this is misleading... At around 8:45 you say you're getting a faster response from the offset in the shadows than in the midtones and highlights. In log that isn't really true for offset, the midtones are affected more than the shadows or highlights. Hence why printer lights are nice to use in log.
You're comparing the offset (an add operation) to linear gain (a multiply operation). The effect of offset will add to the whole tonal range but actually less in the shadows when in log than when in straight unmanaged 709 for example.

First time I've ever felt I disagree with anything you've said, your tutorials are superb and your eloquent delivery is always excellent! Thanks for the sharing the knowledge!

[geilin]

Fantastic seeing the difference controlling exposure linearly with HDR tools

[taylor]

Very helpful.
I'd like to see a technical breakdown of where and how damage is done when using Slog-3 in 8-bit.
Also a comparison between Slog2/Slog3/HLG/709/etc. Maybe trade-offs, use-cases, etc.

[swolodkin]

Cullen, please help me understand this video. You first said that more looky-feely adjustments are better done in a Log space and I get that. Next you said that Exposure and Balance adjustments are better done in a Linear space; however, your default node graph that we've always used has Exposure and Balance being adjusted in DaVinci Wide Gamut / Intermediate - a Log space. You went on to say that using the HDR wheels you can adjust exposure Linearly using photometric stops; however, photometric stops are exponential, not linear - but we perceive them as linear. Please explain how I've gotten this wrong. Thanks and thank you for being my mentor in all things color!

[josh_around]

Thanks for sharing this video! I'm early in my color grading journey and this explanation helped me out a lot, it's the exact challenge I was running into.

Just throwing this out there--if you sold a video course on color grading I would buy it. The way you teach is so clear and approachable, this stuff is gold. ✨

[cinema]

Been waiting for this powerful option to be discussed! So helpful in for than a few circumstances. Thanks!

[equisetuminc]

first, thank you for reintroducing the grading dctl - I use it all the time. this is a subtly excellent explanation of something that has been puzzling me forever (log v linear). Many thanks.

[maybepranav]

You dropped this at the perfect time haha. I just finished the first pass of a grade where I was using HDR wheels for Balance adjustments instead of Primaries just because I thought it might give me a better rendition because of it being color space aware. Thank you for explaining in such great detail about this!

[nitromusik]

6:27 Burning question about the wheels. Is there a way to change sensibility of the wheels? You changed the image significantly yet the wheels look almost untouched. This finiky behavior drives me nuts when im grading, there is no fine tuning possible when 1mm movement of the dot is already a change like day and night.

[jannasc]

I was in need to this video! Now I really understook the linear vs log concepts and applications!

[bigsnap]

I've been waiting for this topic. Please expand on this in the future.

[krischanrudolph]

Thanks for the Video. What about the link to the Gray patch DCTL ?

[jhonastt]

I was using linear gain instead of offset as you said is better in one of your videos from last year. Now I now why

[EzraaaDave]

Hey Cullen, can you please drop a download link for the DWG gray. Thank you

[acoast]

Fantastic knowledge! Thank you, Cullen! Do you also use Linear Gamma and Lift for your Exposure adjustments?

[CineAmaniacs]

Ive been waiting on this video for a long time thanks so much cullen if you ever get some time id love to see a video on look dev using Arri log3 with the mid grey dctl

[spartanstanley]

I’ve been doing this wrong since…always. Great video! Thanks!