Learn the Benchmark of Color Grading; DaVinci Resolve 9

Grading describes the process of adjusting the color, contrast, and overall look of a film or video as part of the finishing process. It is during this stage that a colorist works his or her magic to create visual continuity throughout each scene, fixes or adjusts lighting and quality issues encountered during the shoot, and shapes the overall look and mood of a film by adding visual style. DaVinci Resolve 9 sets a new standard for color grading and digital mastering, and is used on many of the most popular feature films, television shows, commercials, music videos, and documentaries you watch every day.

With a running time of 11 hours, our goal is give you a complete picture of the color grading process, from project import and conform through final rendering and output. This tutorial is suitable for learning both the commercial version of Resolve 9, and the Lite version, which is available as a free download on the Blackmagic Design web site. To view the entire 64 lesson table of contents click here.

This tutorial is taught by colorist and filmmaker Alexis Van Hurkman. Alexis is an industry-recognized authority on the subject of color grading, having written numerous articles, blogs and books; the latest of which is the best-selling Color Grading Handbook available on Amazon.com.

Experience our Training on the iPad

The iPad is revolutionizing the way people access and interact with media. Video training is therefore a natural fit for people who want their training on the go or on a separate device from their main system. Because of the limited storage capacities of the iPad, we have labored to keep the movie sizes as small as possible while maintaining our high standards of image and sound quality. And perhaps best of all, you don't need to be connected to the internet to watch our tutorials on your iPad.

How Does it Work?

We realize you may have a question or two, so we created a short FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to answer them.

Click here for FAQ

Who is this Tutorial For?

Editors, directors of photography, producers and directors; anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how professional color grading and digital mastering is approached using DaVinci Resolve 8 or DaVinci Resolve Lite.

Table of Contents

Creating Users & Project Management

Opening, Importing & Modifying Projects

Setting Up Project Preferences

Exploring the Media Page

Exploring the Conform Page

Exploring the Color, Gallery & Deliver Pages

Preparing a Project for Media Import

Importing Media

Digital Dailies Workflow

Project Media Management

Importing XML Files

Importing Edit Decision Lists (EDLs)

More EDL Goodness

Additional Conform Tools

Automated Scene Detection

Working with Multiple Timelines

Preparing the Timeline for Editing

Replacing Clips in the Timeline

Basic Editing in the Timeline - Part One

Basic Editing in the Timeline - Part Two

Working with Effects

Customizing & Navigating the Color Page

The Color Page Timeline & Lightbox

Exploring the Video Scopes

Adjusting Contrast - Part One

Adjusting Contrast - Part Two

Primary Color Adjustments - Part One

Primary Color Adjustments - Part Two

Primary Color Adjustments - Part Three

Primary Color Adjustments - Part Four

Real-World Primary Grade Workflow

The RGB Mixer Palette

Working with Camera RAW

Grading with Curves - Part One

Grading with Curves - Part Two

Grading with Curves - Part Three

Secondary Color Adjustments Part One

Secondary Color Adjustments Part Two

Secondary Color Adjustments Part Three

Secondary Color Adjustments Part Four

Using Power Windows

Combining Window with Qualifications

Using the Tracker Palette

Making Convolution Adjustments

Skin Softening & Noise Reduction

Input & Output Sizing Part One

Input & Output Sizing Part Two

Using the Burn-In Palette

Using the Still Store Part One

Using the Still Store Part Two

Working with Nodes

Working with Complex Node Structures Part One

Working with Complex Node Structures Part Two

Working with Complex Node Structures Part Three

Grade Management Part One

Grade Management Part Two

Grade Management Part Three

Grade Management Part Four

Keyframing Part One

Keyframing Part Two

Keyframing Part Three

Delivering the Project Part One

Delivering the Project Part Two

Minimum System Requirements for Viewing Tutorials (Mac)

Minimum System Requirements for Viewing Tutorials (Win)