From log to final look — colour spaces, node structure, and building your signature grade
Focus: colour space theory, scopes, and your 6-node grade structure. Learn to read the parade scope before touching any controls.
Colour spaces — what they defineS-Gamut3.Cine is Sony's wide-gamut colour space — it covers more colours than any display can show. Rec.709 is the standard for HD TV and web delivery. DCI-P3 is the cinema standard. When you grade, you transform from the capture space (S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3) to the delivery space (Rec.709) — either manually via a CST node or via Resolve's Colour Management system.
The scopes — waveform, parade, vectorscope, histogramThe waveform shows luminance across the width of the frame. Target: blacks at ~16 IRE, mid-tones around 50, highlights below 100 IRE. The parade shows red, green, and blue channels separately — when all three are equal, the image is neutral. The vectorscope shows colour saturation and hue — correctly white-balanced skin tones fall on the 'skin tone line' at approximately 1 o'clock. Use all four together — no single scope tells the whole story.
Node structure — the architecture of a gradeThe recommended structure for S-Log3 footage: Node 1 (Input Transform) — CST from S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3 to your working space. Node 2 (Exposure/Balance) — correct overall brightness and white balance. Node 3 (Contrast) — set lift, gamma, gain. Node 4 (Saturation/Colour) — colour toning and creative choices. Node 5 (Qualifier) — secondary corrections. Node 6 (Output Transform) — transform to Rec.709. Label every node (right-click → Node Label).
White balance correction in ResolveCorrecting white balance: use the Colour Wheels offset to shift toward neutral. Or use the Curves → Custom → Sat vs Sat to de-saturate a neutral grey element. The most objective method: on the parade scope, adjust the R/G/B gain until any neutral area shows equal R, G, B values. Always verify against the parade — not just by eye.
Matching FX30 and a6700 in ResolveThe FX30 uses Venice-derived colour science; the a6700 uses standard Sony colour science. In S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3 both look nearly identical ungraded but diverge slightly when transformed to Rec.709. To match: grade one camera to your target, grab a still, then on the second camera's clip apply a CST node and adjust until scopes approximately match. Fine-tune by eye. The key difference is in the skin tone hue angle — the FX30 tends slightly warmer in the reds.
Drill 1
Scope reading exercise
Import 10 clips with different lighting conditions into Resolve. For each clip (before grading), read all four scopes: waveform, parade, vectorscope, and histogram. Write a brief assessment of each: Is it overexposed? Underexposed? Is there a colour cast? What hue direction does the vectorscope show? This trains the habit of reading scopes before touching any controls.
Drill 2
Build and label a 6-node grade
On any S-Log3 FX30 clip, build the 6-node structure: '01_Input_CST', '02_Exposure', '03_Contrast', '04_Colour', '05_Qualifiers', '06_Output'. Apply basic corrections at each stage. Grab a still. Export the node structure as a .drx file. This becomes your starting grade template for all future S-Log3 work.
Drill 3
White balance correction — three methods
Take a clip shot under incorrect white balance. Correct it three ways: (1) Temperature/Tint sliders in the primary wheels. (2) Parade scope — manually adjust R/G/B gain until a neutral area shows equal values. (3) Auto White Balance eyedropper on a grey card if you placed one in the shot. Compare all three results.
Drill 4
FX30 vs a6700 camera match
Set up both cameras on the same scene in S-Log3 at identical settings. Import both to Resolve. Apply your base grade to the FX30 clip. Now try to match the a6700 clip to it using only scopes. When you think they match, compare visually. How close did the scope-based match get you before you needed visual judgement?
Week 1 Assignment
"Scope-based grade"
Grade a 5-clip sequence from S-Log3 using only scopes — no visual judgement until the grade is complete. Correct exposure, white balance, and basic contrast for all 5 clips using only the waveform and parade. When done, assess visually. Deliver the graded sequence and a written assessment of what the scopes told you vs what your eyes confirmed or contradicted.
Blacks at approximately 16 IRE, whites below 100 IRE on the waveform
Parade channels are balanced on neutral areas
Skin tones fall on or near the skin tone line on the vectorscope
Written assessment describes scope readings and what they revealed
DaVinci ResolveSony FX30
Focus: creative grading tools — curves, colour wheels, and qualifiers for secondary corrections.
Curves — the most powerful grading toolThe Custom Curves in Resolve plot input tonal values against output values. A straight diagonal = no change. Pull the midpoint up = brighter. Down = darker. An S-curve = more contrast. The Hue vs Saturation curve lets you reduce the saturation of a specific hue (desaturate an oversaturated sky). Hue vs Hue lets you shift a specific colour. These are essential for surgical, precise colour work.
Lift, gamma, and gain — the colour wheelsLift affects the shadows. Gamma affects the midtones. Gain affects the highlights. Dragging the central point of a wheel toward a colour tints that tonal range. Pushing lift toward teal (a common cinema look) puts cool shadows in the image. Pushing gain toward amber gives warm highlights. The combination of cool shadows and warm highlights is a foundational cinematic look — complementary colour toning that creates depth and warmth simultaneously.
Qualifiers — isolating and grading specific elementsA qualifier selects a specific area of the image defined by hue, saturation, and luminance. Once selected, corrections apply only to that selection. Use cases: isolate sky and increase its saturation independently. Protect skin tones from oversaturation when pushing colour. Pull down the luminance of a blown highlight. The qualifier selection is displayed as a matte — use garbage matte and softness controls to refine selection edges.
The teal-and-orange look — how it worksThe teal-and-orange look exploits the complementary contrast between skin tone colours (orange) and almost everything else in typical outdoor environments (sky, foliage, shadows — which skew teal or green-blue). It works by pushing shadows cool (teal) and protecting or enhancing warm skin tones. Used subtly it is beautiful; used heavily it is a cliché. Use complementary colour toning as a foundational principle without producing the heavy-handed 'cinematic look preset' version of it.
Film emulation LUTsFilm emulation LUTs simulate the colour response, saturation characteristics, and tonal curve of specific film stocks — Kodak Vision 3, Fujifilm Provia, Kodak 2383 print stock. Applied subtly (40–70% opacity as a last node) they add organic warmth, reduced saturation in the highlights, and a specific colour character that purely digital grades often lack. Test extensively — LUTs behave differently on different log formats and exposures.
Drill 1
Tonal curve mastery
On a correctly exposed, neutrally balanced clip, build 5 different looks using only the custom curve — no wheels, no saturation controls. Look 1: lifted blacks, compressed highlights (faded/matte film look). Look 2: S-curve high contrast. Look 3: warm shadows, neutral highlights (R curve up in shadows). Look 4: cool highlights, neutral shadows. Look 5: your own design.
Drill 2
Colour wheel toning
Starting from a neutral balanced grade, create 3 distinct colour looks using only the lift/gamma/gain colour wheels: (1) Cool and clean — blue shadows, neutral highlights. (2) Warm and golden — amber gain, neutral lift. (3) Cross-processed — push shadows toward one colour family and highlights toward the complementary colour.
Drill 3
Sky qualifier
Find a clip with a clearly visible sky. Use the Qualifier eyedropper to select only the sky. Adjust the matte — use the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance range controls to get a clean sky selection that doesn't bleed into the ground. Apply: increase sky saturation by +30, push the sky hue slightly more blue. The result should show a richer sky with unchanged ground elements.
Drill 4
Film LUT opacity test
Take any well-graded, neutrally balanced clip. Add a film emulation LUT as a new node after your grade. Watch it at 100% opacity. Then use a Key node to reduce the LUT opacity to 70%, 50%, and 30%. Compare all four versions. Find the opacity where the LUT adds character without announcing itself — typically 40–60% for most film LUTs.
Week 2 Assignment
"Three signature looks"
Grade the same 60-second clip three ways: (1) Natural and cinematic — as close to a high-end documentary grade as you can achieve, (2) Cool and desaturated — minimalist and editorial, (3) Warm and contrasty — rich golden look. Each grade must use a different combination of curve, wheel, and qualifier tools. Deliver all three versions and a screenshot of each node structure.
Three versions are genuinely distinct in character
Each uses a different combination of tools
Skin tones remain natural and pleasing in all three versions
Node structure screenshots show clear labelled architecture
DaVinci ResolveSony FX30
Focus: LUTs — creation, management, and application. Load your creative LUT onto the Neewer F700 for on-set monitoring.
The Neewer F700 as a grading monitoring aidThe Neewer F700 accepts 3D LUTs loaded via SD card (up to 33-point .cube files). Load your S-Log3 → Rec.709 monitoring LUT onto the F700 — this shows you a correctly transformed image on the large 7" screen while still recording clean S-Log3 to the camera card. This is your on-set colour monitoring standard throughout all future shoots. In post, use the F700 connected to your Mac via HDMI for a secondary display reference, or use Resolve's built-in video output if you have a compatible device.
Exporting a grade as a LUT from ResolveOnce you've built a grade you're happy with, export it as a .cube LUT file: right-click the clip in the colour page → Generate LUT → 33-point cube. This creates a portable file that can be applied to any correctly-balanced S-Log3 footage. The exported LUT includes all colour wheel adjustments, curves, and saturation changes — but not qualifier nodes (those are selective, LUTs are global). Use exported LUTs to create a library of your favourite grades.
Colour Managed Workflow — Resolve Colour Management (RCM)Resolve Colour Management (enabled in Project Settings → Colour Management) automatically handles input and output transforms without requiring you to manually add CST nodes to every clip. Set: Input = S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3, Timeline = DaVinci Wide Gamut/Intermediate, Output = Rec.709. RCM then manages all transforms transparently. The advantage: you grade in a consistent well-defined working space. The disadvantage: slightly more complex to set up initially.
Building your stills libraryEvery grade you're proud of should be saved as a still in Resolve's Gallery: right-click the viewer → Grab Still. Export stills as .drx files (right-click in Gallery → Export). Build a stills library organised by: look name, project it came from, and the source camera. Over time this becomes an invaluable reference library of your own creative output — a living record of your visual development.
Vignettes and power windowsA power window is a shape-based selection that allows corrections within or outside a defined area. The most common use: a vignette — a gradual darkening of the edges of the frame. A subtle vignette (15–25% darkening, very soft edges, slightly elliptical) adds a sense of cinematic depth that is imperceptible as an effect but creates visual cohesion. Add as a new serial node with a circle power window, invert the selection, lower the gain.
Drill 1
Export a creative LUT from Resolve
Take the best grade from Week 2. Remove any qualifier nodes. Right-click → Generate LUT → 33-point cube. Save the .cube file. Apply it to a different project's S-Log3 footage. Assess: how well does the LUT hold up on different footage? Does exposure or white balance of new footage affect the LUT's result?
Drill 2
Load your LUT onto the Neewer F700
Copy your best creative .cube LUT to an SD card. Insert into the Neewer F700's card slot. Navigate: Menu → LUT → Load LUT. Apply to the HDMI input signal. Connect the FX30 via HDMI and toggle the LUT on/off using the F700's LUT button. Shoot a scene in S-Log3 and see your creative grade previewed in real time on the 7" screen. This is your on-set monitoring standard for all future shoots.
Drill 3
Set up Resolve Colour Management
Create a new Resolve project. Enable Colour Management (Project Settings → Colour Management → DaVinci YRGB Colour Managed). Set: Input = S-Gamut3.Cine/S-Log3, Timeline = DaVinci Wide Gamut/Intermediate, Output = Rec.709. Import FX30 and a6700 footage. Observe how Resolve automatically transforms the footage without any CST nodes. Grade using only creative adjustments — no transform work required.
Drill 4
Build your stills library
Go back through all the grades you've created in Modules 1–7. For each grade you're proud of, grab a still in Resolve's Gallery. Organise into albums: Natural/Documentary, Warm/Golden, Cool/Minimal, Experimental. Export all stills as .drx files and save in a folder called 'Grade_Library' on your primary drive.
Week 3 Assignment
"Build your first original LUT"
Create an original creative LUT from a grade you design from scratch — not based on a reference or existing LUT. The LUT must have a clear, describable aesthetic character that you can articulate in writing. Export as a .cube file. Apply it to 5 different clips from different shooting situations and assess how it holds up. Deliver the .cube file, 5 graded clips, and a written description of the LUT's character and ideal use case.
LUT has a clear describable character
Written description articulates the look and ideal use case accurately
LUT performs acceptably across at least 3 of the 5 test clips
Where the LUT fails, the assessment explains why
DaVinci Resolve
Focus: grading a complete film — shot matching, continuity, and delivering a polished colour pass.
Shot matching — maintaining continuity across a cutTwo adjacent shots in a sequence must match in colour temperature, exposure, and contrast or the cut will feel jarring. Use the Gallery still from one shot as a reference when grading the next. Resolve's Shot Match feature (right-click a clip → Shot Match) provides an automated starting point. Key checks: do blacks sit at the same level? Do highlights match? Is the colour temperature the same across a neutral area? Are skin tones consistent?
Remote grades for efficiencyWhen you have a complex timeline with many clips, grading each one individually is impractical. Remote Grades link multiple clips to a single grade (any change updates all linked clips simultaneously). Groups in Resolve allow pre-clip and post-clip nodes that apply to all clips in the group — ideal for applying a consistent film LUT as the last stage of a grade across an entire project.
HDR delivery — HLG basicsHLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) is the simpler HDR standard: footage shot in HLG from the a6700 or FX30 can be delivered to YouTube as HLG and will display in HDR on capable devices while looking acceptable on standard displays. PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) is more complex but supports higher peak brightness values. For most deliverables in Phase 2, SDR Rec.709 is appropriate. Plan HLG or PQ delivery from Phase 3 onwards.
The final colour reviewAfter completing the colour grade, leave it for at least several hours before the final review. When you return: watch the entire piece without stopping. Note any clips that jump out as wrong — either too bright, too dark, or inconsistent in colour character. Then address only those clips. Repeat this 'watch without interruption, then fix' cycle until you can watch the entire piece without anything catching your eye.
Drill 1
Shot matching drill
Take 5 clips from the same scene shot at different times or with slightly different exposure. Grade the first clip to your target look. Then match every subsequent clip to the first using only scopes — compare waveform levels and parade balance. No visual comparison until the scope match is done. Then compare visually. Note how close the scope match got before visual refinement was needed.
Drill 2
Remote grades practice
Build a timeline with 10 clips from the same scene. Apply a grade to clip 1 and set it as a Remote Grade. Apply that Remote Grade to clips 2–5. Apply a different grade to clip 6, set Remote. Apply to clips 7–10. Now modify the first Remote Grade — change the saturation by +20. Observe how all clips 1–5 update simultaneously.
Drill 3
Complete short film grade
Take the Phase 1 short film from Module 6 Week 4. Build a complete colour grade from start to finish: correct all clips for exposure and white balance, match all clips within each scene, apply a consistent creative look across the whole film, add vignettes where needed, and apply your best film LUT at 40–60% opacity as a finishing stage.
Drill 4
Before/after review
Watch the Phase 1 short film before the grade (raw S-Log3 with only the input transform applied) and after the full creative grade. Note every shot where the grade made a significant improvement. Note any shot where the grade felt unnecessary or slightly overcorrected. This honest assessment of your own grading work is how your instincts develop.
Week 4 Assignment
"Fully graded film"
Take your Phase 1 short film and produce a fully graded complete version. Every clip must be matched and consistent. Your creative look must be intentional and describable. Deliver: the graded film at −14 LUFS / −1 TP, a PDF or screenshot of your node structure, a written grade rationale (200 words), and your exported creative LUT as a .cube file.
No shot jumps in colour, exposure, or contrast
Creative look is consistent and intentional throughout
Grade rationale accurately describes the decisions made
LUT exports correctly and applies to test footage
DaVinci ResolveSony FX30 / a6700
Grading by eye without checking scopes
Your eyes adapt to whatever you're looking at — after 20 minutes staring at a grade you cannot objectively evaluate it. Grades built by eye alone drift toward oversaturation, excessive contrast, or incorrect white balance.
Fix: Check scopes after every significant adjustment. A correctly graded clip should have balanced parade channels on any neutral area, blacks near 16 IRE, and whites below 100 IRE. Use scopes to achieve technical correctness, then use your eyes to refine for creative intent.
Applying creative LUTs to unbalanced S-Log3 footage
A creative LUT is designed to receive correctly exposed and white-balanced footage before it is applied. Applied to underexposed, overexposed, or off-white-balance footage it produces muddy shadows, blown highlights, or wrong skin tones.
Fix: Always neutralise before LUTing. Nodes 1 and 2 (input transform and balance/exposure) must be correct before a creative LUT is applied at Node 4 or later. Think of the LUT as a finishing coat of paint — it requires the surface to be properly prepared first.
Over-saturating — the beginner's colour cliché
The most common beginner grading error is pushing saturation far too high — producing unnaturally vivid colours. Skin tones in particular suffer badly from over-saturation.
Fix: Use the vectorscope as a saturation limit: skin tones should not exceed approximately 30–35% of the way to the edge of the vectorscope. Reference professional films and documentaries — most are far less saturated than beginners assume. When in doubt, reduce saturation by 10–15% from where you think it looks right.
Use Resolve's Gallery to build a personal grade reference library
Every grade you're proud of should be saved as a still in the Gallery. Organise by look type: Natural, Warm, Cool, High Contrast, Documentary, Commercial. Over time this library becomes your most valuable professional asset — a collection of proven looks you can apply, adapt, and build from, rather than starting from scratch on every project.
DaVinci Resolve
Grade the highlights and shadows separately, not together
When using the colour wheels, resist pushing all three wheels simultaneously in the same direction. Instead: decide what the shadows should feel like (cool, warm, neutral?) and set the lift wheel. Then decide what the highlights should feel like and set the gain wheel. The gamma/midtones will follow naturally. This sequential approach produces more coherent, intentional grades.
DaVinci Resolve
Load your creative LUT onto the Neewer F700 for every shoot
Once you have a creative LUT you're happy with, load it onto the Neewer F700 via SD card for every future shoot. Toggle it on to preview your creative grade in real time on the 7" screen, and toggle it off to see the clean S-Log3 signal. This closes the gap between what you shoot and what you intend to deliver — you can make creative decisions on set rather than only discovering the result in post.
Copy .cube file to SD card → insert into Neewer F700 → Menu → LUT → Load LUT. Apply to HDMI input. Toggle on/off with LUT button. Shoot in S-Log3, monitor in Rec.709.