This course is designed to help you get the most out of SpeedGrade, both from a software application perspective as well as a craft and technical one. Taught by Robert Ruffo, this course will explore how and when to use the application effectively, by exploring some of its key tech and features.
This course is also about the philosophy of color one has to have to make the most out of using SpeedGrade. It is not about throwing 16 power windows onto every shot; it's about enhancing what is already there in a manner that is respectful to the DP and director who shot it. SpeedGrade is all about subtle enhancement and following a single, well thought out direction...and the tools for doing just that are more powerful, clean and precise than those found in other more complex software. But you might have to change your habits and philosophy a bit first. In the end, you need to truly understand the fundamentals of color and human perception to get a very pleasing result, which is also very much what the course is about.
Robert Ruffo works in tandem with his wife Amber Lomer. Together they form an award winning director and D.P. team, shooting commercials, music videos and feature films, with a specialization in fashion- comedy and glossy, visually meticulous projects. He uses his knowledge of post to help guide his decisions on set, and his work as a director and DP to better understand his post clients' needs, and better understand and respect the original story intent within their images.
Adding SpeedGrade to Your Color Arsenal
Watch our overview of the course
Class Listing
Class 1
When to use Speedgrade vs Resolve vs grading directly in Premiere. Including the advantages/caveats of each. What transmits between software and what doesn't.
Class 2
Mastering HSL Secondaries in Speedgrade (and any software). How our eyes and brains fool us into seeing single objects as being of a single color, and more different than they really are from other things in the scene. Quick tricks for finding HSL, problems with HSL, and comparing Speedgrade HSLwith Davinci and Colorista plugin. Achieving a better understanding of what LUTS are and how they work (will elaborate further in later chapters).
Class 3
Mastering the 9 way color corrector. Following up on class #2, HSL is hard - which is why the Speedgrade 9-way is so brilliant, and can do things not possible or very time consuming using other grading tools.
Class 4
Mastering Speedgrade's windows (and windows in any software) and layers. Understanding how windows flow through layers and why and when to split up grades into separate corrections. Using a layer to very slowly transition between moods, over many shots, in a manner that is almost subconscious
Class 5
Mastering Speedgrade's windows, part 2.
Class 6
Working with the automatic color match tool.
Class 7
It's all about story, and colors are all about what we make them mean. Understand the effect of color in your life, in art, how you feel about it. Skin tones, complimentary colors, the emotional meaning of various colors, and how they vary culturally. This class will discuss how various television shows (from "Lost" to "CSI") use color to drive the story.
Class 8
Continuing the discussion of color theory in grading and how certain palettes are used for specific effect.
Class 9
Making a really pushed grade work professionally, memory colors and Speedgrade's Plus menu.
Class 10
Grading in practice. Touching on screen calibration, setting up your suite and alternate tools. Parting words.