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Don't spend money to build a room just yet, lets take this from the beginning. Having all the right tools in the world isn't going to help you from ground zero.

The software I use to do 85% of my professional work up to 4K/UHD is Blackmagic Resolve, and it is available for 0$. Totally free. Make sure you have a computer that can run it.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve
(Download link on page)

Read the resolve manual included in the installer package. Written by Alexis Van Hurkman http://www.alexisvanhurkman.com/wordpress/

It basically can teach you the fundamentals of color, through explaining features of the program.

His Ripple Training is also very comprehensive and something to look at. http://www.rippletraining.com/products/davinci-resolve/davinci-resolve-12-5-core-training-bundle/

That being said, you should also read the following books:

Begin with this:
Color Correction Handbook also by Van Hurkman
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929667/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QEGXRDSHFHYDDGD6QTX8

If you really want to go deep:
Color and Mastering for Digital Cinema
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Digital-Cinema-Industry-Handbook/dp/0240808746

All that being said, a basic foundation in color can also be gained through stills manipulation in lightroom or photoshop first. This is how I learned, and I feel like it really gave me a head start.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm
Read EVERY ONE OF THESE TUTORIALS. This site is an amazing resource for all levels of mastery, I find myself going back to it again and again to refresh and then reach deeper into the void.

(Disclaimer: I am NOT Alexis Van Hurkman, he's just a good dude, and kinda unavoidable when it comes to learning Resolve, since he literally was contracted to write the manual. Also hes good.)

Anyway. Once you've chewed through all that, youll either find its not for you, or youll be back for more, and youll have a much more targeted idea of what your first gear purchase should be to help you get the most milage.

You can do a lot of great work without any gear. Learn how to use the scopes, then a monitor can come later.

Hope this helps.

This is going to be very difficult to achieve with a T2i. Much of the detail is in the shadows, which the T2i doesn't capture very well.

Start with some ND on the windows. I'd start with knocking them back 2 stops, but you'll likely need more. After that add some fill light from something soft at camera right. Maybe 3x china balls in a line to keep the cost down. I'd love a 4-bank here, but the paper lanterns are a very affordable way to get some soft light. Since you're shooting agains the sun be sure to put daylight balanced lights in them. 2700-3200k warm lights are going to give you color balance woes.

The goal with the lighting is to try to bring the dynamic range into something a T2i can record. The difference from dark to light here is the problem. Cameras that shoot raw or log formats are more equipped for this shot.

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As for color, the people in this sub will have better advice. I'm not really a color person, but I'll take a crack and hopefully someone can tell you what I'm wrong about.

For starters desaturate the shit out of what you shot. This starts with art direction, continues into set design, and finally ends in post. You can only be as successful as what the camera is allowed to record.

Next you need to lift the pedestal. The blacks should be pretty milky. This is something the T2i will struggle to do elegantly as its encoder doesn't give you a lot of shadow detail. Pull up the bottom point of a curves layer up 15ish percent. After that add a point a little bit up the line and lift that even more. Work the curves after that to get toning that you like. It doesn't have to be final, but try to get it much of the way there. What you really need will vary based on your shot.

Next I believe (could be my laptop screen leading me astray) the shadows have a slight purple tint. Add that with a 3-way. Use the same 3-way to push your midtones towards green. Also push your highlights towards the same green. You might push the highlights slightly more towards yellow or orange than you did the mids. The midtones are pushing further on the color wheels, so make sure that point is further from the center of the wheel than the highlights point is. Note that you'll probably need to adjust the pivot point for the shadows-to-midtones transition and work the curves from above to get that changeover happening where you like it.

Add a soft dark correction to the room using some sort of soft mask to target that area more specifically. If the camera moves a lot your mask is going to need to change to compensate.

After that get some grain going on. Add a final curves to get the toning you want to finish with.

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Now hopefully I've said something wrong along the way. Nothing brings out good advice like giving bad advice. :-)

Yes, It's a lovely 8 bit monitor. ruxxS said he(?) wants to learn colour grading. You simply can not grade with an 8 bit monitor.

I did recommend a monitor that is actually not that far off his budget - compared to what colour grading monitors usually cost. Yes it's almost double what he wants to pay but it will support him in his goal of learning.

I remember when I set out to learn the flute. I borrowed one from the school and shot ahead of everyone else. So, I was asked to teach the other wannabe flutists. They could barely make a note on their instruments. So I tried to play their instruments and I could barely make a sound either. That's when I learned that giving a student a 'student grade' instrument is a very bad idea. If ruxxS wants to learn, I want him to at least not be sabotaged by an inadequate instrument.

ruxxS, while you are at it, you may want to see if you can find a copy of this book. It is basically THE textbook for colourists. Good luck.

$170 will not get you a colour accurate monitor the cheapest you can get would be around $450. For [$320] (https://www.amazon.com/Asus-ProArt-PA248Q-24-1-Monitor/dp/B00877ZOYK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1479170951&sr=8-4&keywords=adobe+rgb+monitor) you can get an adobe rgp acurate monitor (for print). Or if you are going really cheap but want something that you can kind of trust then your best bet will be a dell ultrasharp, but that will still be a bit over $200.

I'm sorry if this comes across as rude, but why did you volunteer/get hired to color correct an entire feature film if you had zero experience, and extremely little knowledge about the subject matter, and more importantly, who agreed to let someone with zero experience color correct their film?

Anyways, the answer to your questions fill an entire book.

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321713117

I recommend buying this and reading the whole thing, cover to cover.

> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EJ9J14I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That looks neat. What are the cons? It would be awesome to have something double as a directors monitor.

Another question for you: how do you feel about BenQ displays? Reading posts around and about there seems to be an emerging consensus that they’re the best bet in terms of offering something approaching pro quality at a sub-$1K price point. Or at least that’s what my not-utterly-exhaustive meander through these forms suggests.

This one looks promising, for instance:


https://www.amazon.com/BenQ-PD2700U-Monitor-Accurate-Reproduction/dp/B07H9XP92N/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Thoughts? I’m assuming I’d still have to use a calibration tool with some regularity...

Everything is a question of Luma or Chroma. That's it. All else derives from that.

> I know practice is important (I have all my flat footage I can practice on), but are there any recommend tutorials, courses, etc?

Nope. Flat is irrlevant.

You'll want to start with with the Color Correction Handbook

And then you'll probably go to Lynda.com - and depending, if you need more, Mixinglight.com. Your local library probably has a lynda account.

Lynda is the 900lb gorilla in the video training space. ML is three colorists who have created the "next" level after you're a novice.

so I just ordered this as an on set monitor, but I've been pleasantly surprised. 10 bit, 4K. it has drawbacks but that 28" though... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EJ9J14I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Alexis Van Hurkman:

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321929667

And yeah, great book to walk you through the fundamentals of the craft, and a little of the science.

I would absorb everything you can as far as tutorials go. Try to also watch some on the scopes because those are very important. I know there are some on mixinglight and Lynda.

This is also a great resource.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321713117/ref=nodl_

I use Quasar Science A Series LED's in my room. They have a phenomenal CRI/TLCI/CCT measurement. Measurements can be found here: http://indiecinemaacademy.com/complete-led-color-database-cri-tlci-cqs-tm30-15/

Bulbs: https://www.quasarscience.com/collections/a-series-led/products/a-series-medium-base-household-bulbs?variant=3582653571

My walls are also painted with spectrally neutral paint: http://www.rpimaging.com/munsell-neutral-gray-paint.html

Edit: Also if you get those bulbs and want to turn them into dimmable "smart bulbs". Take a look at getting one of these. https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-P-BDG-PKG2P-Wireless-Lighting-Kit-Enabled/dp/B011PHGURS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460642331&sr=8-1&keywords=B011PHGURS or if you just want a cheap LED dimmer look at this https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-TTCL-100H-BL-Credenza-Dimmable-Dimmer/dp/B004DZONXI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1506395376&sr=8-9&keywords=lutron+led+dimmer

Lutron CL dimmers have no issues with Quasar Science LEDs and are recommended by them as well. You can even swap out your existing wall dimmers with them: https://www.amazon.com/Lutron-DVWCL-153PH-WH-Dimmable-Dimmer-Wallplate/dp/B004C2WTLU/ref=sr_1_3?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1506395557&sr=1-3&keywords=lutron+cl

I just picked up one of these guys for half that and love it. NEC PA272W-BK-SV

However, I am on a budget. For $3500 you should check out a Flanders Scientific monitor

i1Display Pro is one of the best, and almost all calibration software will work on it.

For starters, I think this book has helped me a lot:
Color Correction Handbook: Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema (2nd Edition) (Digital Video & Audio Editing Courses) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321929667/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RYrXCbSPFBN3C

... And I found this book super helpful as well, it's less about grading and look development and more about the technical bits: (full disclaimer, I haven't finished it, it was at my school's library so I was reading it in bursts)

Real World Color Management (2nd Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321267222/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_u0rXCbKEE8JQE

It depends on your grading space, but I would go with one of the LG OLED tv’s. I use a 55” C9. The B8 can be picked up for about $1200, depending on where you are.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRRYS1W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fLNNDb9M0TZ9J

You would need a some kind of Decklink and an SDI to HDMI converter. You would also need to calibrate it. Again, depending on where you are, you should hire someone to do this. It’s not an unreasonable cost and you only need to do it once or twice a year. It’s better to hire someone who knows what they’re doing rather than to spend a lot of money on equipment and attempt to figure it out yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Technique-Digital-Color-Correction/dp/0240809904 This book does a good job breaking the essentials down across the whole spectrum(maybe pun intended) of color including scopes. There is a second edition that's worth noting I just realized.

A great book on this topic that I consider essential for every colorist is Digital Video and HD by Charles Poynton. It's pretty dense, but extensively covers every bit of technical material related to digital video.

That isn’t a bad option.

I do recommend budget a little more to also get yourself an X-Rite i1Display Pro.

You’ll need it to keep the display calibrated (no the factory calibration isn’t good enough, and yes this is a thing you need to do routinely). Otherwise all the cash spent on a nice display will mostly be a waste.

I haven't used an intensity or what I am about to link, but they are the exact same thing as the PCIe card, but for USB and Thunderbolt.

I would recommend this if you dont need the extra connections of the Intensity.

This seems to be the minimum entry if you’re offering remote grading to Company 3 and the likes: Sony PVM

Sure thing. You can also go back over the timeline and adjust the grade for a different deliverable in a different color space. This is called a “trim pass.”

Consider reading the Color Correction Handbook. It will answer a lot of your questions.

Color Correction Handbook: Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema (2nd Edition) (Digital Video & Audio Editing Courses) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321929667/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_29tYBbHNJV4VG

This is your bible. Read it. Know it. Embrace it.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321929667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519583420&sr=8-1&keywords=color+correction+handbook+2nd+edition

I forgot to mention you'll also need this: http://www.amazon.com/Blackmagic-Design-UltraStudio-Mini-Recorder/dp/B009D91314

To convert to a more proper rec709 in the monitor.

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Correction-Handbook-Professional-Techniques/dp/0321713117

The folks on liftgammagain talk about this quite a bit. You'd obviously need a lut box. Panasonic OLED That's the one they use.

I think they means one of these

https://www.amazon.com/GermGuardian-AC4825-Sanitizer-Allergens-Guardian/dp/B004VGIGVY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=3K85BO4LL66B&keywords=air+purifier&qid=1555425059&s=gateway&sprefix=air+p&sr=8-3