You can spend an agonizing amount of time fine-tuning the look of your film during pre-production. Filmmakers pore over dozes of references, anything from Renaissance-era paintings, photos from a time past, aesthetically similar films, and even the random postcard that captures the right hue.

The look of your project can speak volumes to the story and immerse viewers in a subliminal way.

When it comes to skin tones, what look is right? Well, that too, can be subjective.

The Matrix trilogy leaned on green. Daybreakers with Ethan Hawke went with a more blueish warm. Amelie, red and green. Her, more muted with less saturation. 

But how do you know if your skin tones are at standard color levels?

Mark Boone walks you through a simple trick to get you to square one. Check it out below. 

Firing up Premiere Pro, Boone dives into the "blood line" on the Lumetri scopes, which is one of the most important tools when it comes to color correcting footage.

By selecting a portion of the skin using a mask, you can see where the color falls on the scope. Then by simply adjusting the tint, mid-tones, or secondary colors, you can set the scope so that it aligns to the blood line of the scope. Once set, your skin tones will have a natural look to them. 

Have any tips on perfecting skin tones? Let us know in the comments below.

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Editing & Post-Production