Color.io Photon for 3D Color Grading Released

[rand thompson]

Color.io Photon for 3D Color Grading Released


By CineD


Article
https://www.cined.com/color-io-photon-release-announcement/

Color.io website -with a link in the upper right corner for the trial version
https://www.color.io/photon

 

[rand thompson]

With Color.io

I think it would be better to get the Davinci Resolve OFX Plugin version so that you could use your Scopes for better grading accuracy.

Before

After

 

[jake blackstone]

Personally, I wouldn't want to grade images using this tool in Resolve. It's not unlike using 3D LUT Creator OFX, where you send the image to another app, Photon in this case, and then after you finished developing the look, you then render it in Resolve. Said that, the ability to open an existing LUT and to see it graphically displayed can be quite beneficial, especially if you needed to "repair" or modify it. So, let's see just how fast this new LUT feature makes a native appearance in Resolve. Version 18 perhaps?:001_rolleyes:

 

[rand thompson]

Jake,

I hardly ever use my 3D lut Creator OFX plugin in Resolve anymore except for making luts for other people. I got tired of going in and out of the 3Dlut Creator interface and Resolve. The only thing I really used it for was the Color Vector tool. And as you stated, once that showed up in Resolve as the Color Warper Tool, I really had little use for 3DLut Creator anymore. This 3D model tool might show up sooner than version 18.

I like the way this 3D model tool works. I can do in one instant with this 3D model tool what I would have used multiple tools in resolve to do. Editing Luts in this program is also what I like a lot also.

 

[rand thompson]

Another Photon Example


Before

After

More Contrast

 

[Marc Wielage]

Personally, I wouldn't want to grade images using this tool in Resolve. It's not unlike using 3D LUT Creator OFX, where you send the image to another app, Photon in this case, and then after you finished developing the look, you then render it in Resolve. Said that, the ability to open an existing LUT and to see it graphically displayed can be quite beneficial, especially if you needed to "repair" or modify it. So, let's see just how fast this new LUT feature makes a native appearance in Resolve. Version 18 perhaps?

I agree completely with Jake. I also think tools like this tend to slow down colorists trying to work quickly on a control surface. I get the value of precision adjustments with a mouse but it'd be slow working that way on dozens (if not hundreds) of shots.

And I think the tools to achieve the same results already exist within Resolve.

 

[rand thompson]

Marc,

As you started above, pretty much everything this color correcting 3D Modeling program does already exists inside of Resolve, plus the program has crashed on me a few times already. But I think that has more to do with my computer hardware than the program itself.

The program is fairly easy to learn. However I can see it not being all that intuitive to use when you are trying to accomplish certain complex grading tasks. I think, at least to me, it just gives you a new way of thinking about grading. It's less about sliders and curves and more about seeing and correcting your images color, contrast, hue and saturation in a 3D space.

And as Jake said, I'm sure Blackmagic Design will adopt some aspects of how this program works. They brought in the "Color Warper" tool into Resolve which is a similar Color Vector Tool from other grading programs. So I think they will find some way of integrating a similar tool as this so that it fits in more easily and more intuitively into the existing Resolve workflow.

 

[rand thompson]

Photon-Before and After


Before

After

 

[rand thompson]

Photon-Before and After

Image provided by Luigi Valtulini


Before

After

 

[jake blackstone]

Rand.
If you like the idea of on-screen color controls, again, this is not new idea in any way shape or form. This idea was already implemented a few years ago in "Cinema Grade" https://cinemagrade.com/ Unfortunately, at least according to the actual developer of the Cinema Grade software, it didn't get that much of traction in the marketplace. And that was because this type of "on-screen" color controls don't quite work if speed and precision is a consideration, especially for a professional colorist using a dedicated grading panel. So, I'd like to reiterate my original point- using Photon for actual color grading- no, using it for creating and manipulating LUTs, may be.

 

[rand thompson]

Jake,

Yeah I remember the guys name was Denver Rivers I think. From messing around with the program, I believe you are right about it being a much better tool for making and fixing luts than for everyday grading. Firstly, I miss being able to get accurate technical info from Scopes about "Out Of Gamut" colors, proper skintones(l'm just eyeballing it with this program),highlight clipping, crushed blacks...etc. Secondly, I like using "Spline" based curves, I don't really like only the "lightness" tool in this program. Lastly, I can better isolate the different properties I want to change with better tools in Resolve than I can with this program.

However, I still think its a great program to make Luts from. If you have certain lighting setups or if you shoot in certain outdoor or indoor environments on a regular basis, you can make a lut that would give you a good starting point from which to start grading from if you chose to use luts at all.

 

[rand thompson]

Photon Vs Resolve

Photon

Resolve-lPP2 Color Managed

 

[rand thompson]

With Color Warper Tool in Resolve

Original

Color Warper

 

[rand thompson]

Photon

Original

Photon

 

[rand thompson]

Color Warper

Original

Color Warper

 

[rand thompson]

Photon

Original

Photon

 

[rand thompson]

Color Warper

Original

Color Warper

 

[rand thompson]

Photon-Changed the Skintones along with the other colors but Color Warper didn't

Original

Photon

 

[rand thompson]

Color Warper

Original

Color Warper

 

[rand thompson]

Photon-Got it's ass handed to it by Color Warper in this example. Photon lacked the ability to get the the exact hue, saturation and luminance values of a color needed to completely change that color to another. It also dramatically altered the skintones as well.

Original

Photon- I didn't go any further than one example