Finally Got My Color Settings Right

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Since I got my P3A I have not been happy with the color I've been getting out of the video. Since all the online "experts" say I MUST shoot in D-Log, I tried that first. I'm a photographer and always shoot in RAW so I figured it's pretty much the same.. But no matter how much (or little) color correction I do in Final Cut Pro X and no matter what LUTs or settings I use, the color/quality with D-LOG was junk. I've also tried "None", and all different Style settings - usually -1,-1,-1 or -2,-2,-2 (or some similar variation)..
Finally I decided, 'skrew it', i'll try a color preset and see how it turns out. According to the 'experts' it should be total junk with no dynamic range and zero shadow details but I wanted to see what that actually means..

I tested out "Vivid" with -1,-1,0 style settings and i love it! I only had to do minor color adjustments in post and it turned out looking pretty darn good. I know all the 'experts' will tell me i'm a fool for not using D-Log or "None" because I'll lose all of my shadow details and and dynamic range, blah blah.. But you know what? I dont care! For me, Vivid and -1,-1,0 gave me the quality and look that I want and I didnt have to spend hours in post to get it..
I did this video yesterday using Vivid -1,-1,0 .. Some of the shots were on manual exposure and some were on Auto.. You'll see in a couple of the shots that when in Auto, it was adjusting/changing exposure so I'll stick with manual.. Also had the white-balance set to Sunny.

Please let me know what you think and what color settings you use and how much/what kind of post processing you have to do.
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Last edited:
Since I got my P3A I have not been happy with the color I've been getting out of the video. Since all the online "experts" say I MUST shoot in D-Log, I tried that first. No matter how much (or little) color correction I do in Final Cut Pro X and no matter what LUTs or settings I use, the color/quality was junk. I've also tried "None", and all different Style settings - usually -1,-1,-1 or -2,-2,-2 (or some similar variation)..
Finally I decided, 'skrew it', i'll try a color preset and see how it turns out. According to the 'experts' it should be total junk with no dynamic range and zero shadow details but I wanted to see what that actually means..

I tested out "Vivid" with -1,-1,0 style settings and i love it! I only had to do minor color adjustments in post and it turned out looking pretty darn good. I know all the 'experts' will tell me i'm a fool for not using D-Log or "None" because I'll lose all of my shadow details and and dynamic range, blah blah.. But you know what? I dont care! For me, Vivid and -1,-1,0 gave me the quality and look that I want and I didnt have to spend hours in post to get it..
I did this video yesterday using Vivid -1,-1,0 .. Some of the shots were on manual exposure and some were on Auto.. You'll see in a couple of the shots that when in Auto, it was adjusting/changing exposure so I'll stick with manual.. Also had the white-balance set to Sunny.

Please let me know what you think and what color settings you use and how much/what kind of post processing you have to do.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
looks nice
 
Don't need to be an "expert" to know dlog will give the greatest flexibility and opportunity to pull off a good colour grade. You need to know what you are doing and it's a steep learning curve and time investment in post though. If you have found a preset you like and works for you awesome.
 
looks a little "hot". Looks good on the dull colors, but bright look over saturated. Flag pole looked fuzzy.
 
I take it all back..:(
..although the "Vivid" setting did work out good for the video above, where there is not a lot of color in the shots, shooting in the colorful deserts & canyons of Utah with "Vivid" came out as a red, oversaturated, mess..
I guess it's back to D-Log or "None" and more testing/practice for me. :mad:
 
I take it all back..:(
..although the "Vivid" setting did work out good for the video above, where there is not a lot of color in the shots, shooting in the colorful deserts & canyons of Utah with "Vivid" came out as a red, oversaturated, mess..
I guess it's back to D-Log or "None" and more testing/practice for me. :mad:
You obviously have skills in post, on that basis Log will give you the best starting point. It is closer to impossible than it is to difficult to undo the various settings applied by the camera. Not just the saturation and hue but also oreservation of detail, you cant bring back what has been blown out of the highlights or buried in the shadows.

Presets are awesome for those who dont have software or time to invest in post and grading footage.
 

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