There are many factors that go into making a film look cinematic, like lighting, blocking, and camera settings, but creating a good color grade is certainly somewhere near the top. If you're completely new to color grading, but are looking for an opportunity to really get a firm grasp of it (or even if you just want to learn a few new techniques), this intensive DaVinci Resolve class, which will teach you everything from the basics of the interface to advanced color control, is now 75% off ($49) on the online learning platform Udemy.
I can certainly attest to the frustration of having to piece together a messy and incomplete understanding of post software from a salmagundi of random YouTube tutorials. (I may know the 87 steps it takes to create a realistic-ish explosion in After Effects, but I wouldn't know the first thing about what any of the settings actually do.) This course's curriculum seems quite exhaustive, offering over 70 lectures on topics like general project settings and export and delivery, which is good news for those who have never touched color grading software before and want a thorough comprehension of DaVinci Resolve. And not only that, but the course also teaches basic theories on color and grading, so you'll know the why behind the what.
The course is taught by Dubai-based cinematographer Alex Jordan, who founded Learn Color Grading to teach young filmmakers and colorists how to color grade. Here's a bit about what the course is all about:
This course is designed with the absolute beginner in mind. No prior knowledge of Davinci Resolve or color grading is required. The course will guide you from basic subjects, like what is saturation and reading the scopes, all the way to advanced subjects such as selective tracking and keying. Along with monitoring tools and techniques.
Once you pay your $49 (the regular price of the course is $199), you get unlimited lifetime access to over 70 lectures which totals out to about 3.5 hours of content. The course is designed to make the process of learning DaVinci Resolve as simple, straightforward, and quick as possible. The requirements for the course state that you'll only need DaVinci Resolve Lite, which means that certain features available in the full version, like a host of stereoscopic 3D features, collaborative workflow options, and certain noise reduction and motion blur effects, won't be addressed in the lectures. The course is consistently being updated to the latest version of the software, so as new features are added, you'll be able to learn all about them.
Here's an intro video to the course:
And here are a couple of sample videos that show you what the course will be like:
If you're interested, head on over to the course page, peruse the lectures, watch the previews, and see if it's worth your hard-earned cash. (We're not sure how much longer you can get it for 75% off, so the sooner the better!)
Link: Easy Color Grading Course with DaVinci Resolve -- Udemy
