FILMIC POWERGRADE

As a professional colorist, I understand the frustration you may have experienced in your quest to achieve that elusive film look. Many of us have invested in expensive LUTs, only to fall short of our desired cinematic aesthetic. But fear not, after dedicating the past three years to studying and meticulously recreating film looks in DaVinci Resolve, I'm thrilled to unveil my brand new Filmic Powergrade, designed to emulate the captivating appearance of 16mm film.


What sets this Powergrade apart from traditional LUTs is its unprecedented level of control. Instead of having all the effects baked into your footage, the Powergrade allows you to manipulate each element individually, ensuring you attain the precise look you envision while avoiding artifacts in your image.


So, let's delve into the Powergrade, where I'll guide you through each node and demonstrate how to use it step by step.


**STEP 1 - Setting Your Camera Profile**


As you probably know, many movies were shot on the Arri Alexa camera due to its exceptional dynamic range and color science. What if I told you that we can transform your footage into this color space to achieve outstanding skin tones and dynamic range?


To properly prepare your footage for grading and mimic the ARRI look, you need to inform DaVinci Resolve about the camera you shot with. Navigate to the 8th node, where you'll find the Color Space Transform OFX (CST). Here, adjust your input color space and input gamma settings to match your camera's specifications. Please note that nodes 9 and 10 should remain untouched.


**STEP 2 - Balancing Your Image**


Once you've applied your camera settings, your image may appear too warm or cool. Don't worry; this can be corrected with just a few clicks. Head to NODE 05, and use the offset wheel to balance the image. It's advisable to ensure that your skin tones are correct. If your skin doesn't align with the skin tone line, use the hue vs. hue curve to adjust it until it falls in line with the desired skin tones on your vectorscope.


**STEP 3 - Protecting Highlights**


One characteristic of film is its ability to preserve details in the highlights. If you love the overall exposure of your image but are losing highlight details, you can select the sky in node 3 and recover those highlights. Be sure to apply some denoising to your selection to minimize artifacts.


**STEP 4 - Introducing Bloom and Halation**


Film often features a soft rolloff and a bloom effect, which results from the film stock and vintage lenses. In NODE 11, you can control the level of glow by adjusting the Shine threshold slider and spread to achieve the desired effect. If you find the glow too intense, you can tone it down using the global blend slider. Additionally, you can customize the color of the glow for a warmer or cooler look.


Node 12 introduces halation, which adds a unique character to your image. Please note that this effect is only available in the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve. If you're using the free version, consider purchasing the halation plugin by Film Convert for more control.


**STEP 5 - Adding Texture with Grain**


Grain is essential when emulating a film look. DaVinci Resolve offers grain as an OFX, but it's exclusively available in the Studio version. If you're using the free version, you can overlay high-resolution film grain textures on your footage or invest in Film Convert Nitrate for a wide range of grain options, including Super 8, Super 16, Super 35mm, and more.


**STEP 6 - Emphasizing Your Subject**


To draw attention to the center of your frame, consider adding a subtle vignette in NODE 13. You can achieve this by adjusting the midtones using curves. In NODE 14, you have the option to fine-tune the vignette to make your subject stand out even more.


**STEP 7 - Noise Reduction (For Noisy Footage)**


If your footage is noisy, especially when shooting in RAW on cameras like Blackmagic, you can utilize this node for noise reduction. However, keep in mind that this process can be GPU-intensive, so apply it only when necessary.


I hope these steps help you achieve that authentic film look you've been striving for in your projects. Emulating the visual charm of film can be an art form in itself, and with this Filmic Powergrade, you're well on your way to mastering it. Happy grading!