What do you think about this colorgrading?

[midloch]

Hi guys,

I shot promo video for my client. I used GH5 Vlog + Voigtlander 17.5mm f0,95. My client told me that my colorgrading is awful and I had to send him my raw vlog files and he colorgraded them himself. Now I saw what he did and I am a little bit disgusted...

Please, is it just only me who do not like this orange and too much blue oversatured image?

I will be so glad for your oppinions!

I attach 2 screen photos. The 1st pics is my colorgrading and bellow is cliens colorgrading:

 

 

[webrunner5]

I like your grade on the top pictures, and their grade on the bottom pictures. Yeah they pushed up the colors a Lot. Their models face looks goofy on the top, but the Tomato Juice looks right on theirs. I have never seen pure red tomato juice. Your foliage was pretty flat on your grade on the bottom one.

It is hard to tell with out more footage though, which I am sure you can't show probably. And yeah I can see that might be a pretty big letdown for you. This stuff isn't easy that's for sure.

[heart0less]

I wouldn't say your color grading skills are awful.

Your client should have provided you with some sample shots / videos, just to give you something you can rely on when creating a look.

Turns out you went for a subtle GHAlex look, which may not appeal to everyone, whereas they wanted simple, oversaturated, lively grade.

[midloch]

I think that colorgrading is like music so it means very very subjective ? I personaly do not like oversaturated colors as it looks very cheap and not "filmic". No I did not used GHAlex I just used LUT vLog to REC709  from Joo Works + LUT from zack Cravitz "Okay Fine cube" + color corrections with AAV Color lab + some brightnes adjusts ?

[webrunner5]

The Olympus look is going to win over GHAlex look with clients most of the time. It is mostly us and a very few other are into the flatter look. They both have their place.

I found years ago a lot of the clients I had used their own daughter, or daughters for a lot of ads. They wanted to see them standout big time. It is what it is. A hell of a lot more men than you think are color blind, and they are the ones on average that are paying the bills. Few women are Color Blind.

[kye]

Managing client expectations is potentially harder than actually doing the work, at least that's what I've heard from the professional colourists.

It's good practice to get clients to send examples of grades they like to give you a starting point to work from.  Another strategy is to do a few rough grades straight away and have the client choose which one they like for you to refine, that way it's not that you got it 'wrong' it's just options.

The ideal grade for my tastes is somewhere in between the two grades, but that's taste as well.

I know professional photo retouchers are constantly battling the clients about how much thinner/poutier/etc to make the models, with the client wanting to push the images completely off the deep end, and it's not uncommon to go back and forth a dozen (or more) times with the client saying 'more more more' the whole way.

Remember that you're an artist, and often the client is trying to sell things.  They're very different jobs with very different mindsets.

[midloch]

Yes managing the client's expectations is sometimes very hard and I belive that the same colored shots some client likes meanwhile another client dislikes. I attach what I shot (it is without graphic) and thank you for your comments:

 

[The ghost of squig]

Your grade is dull and lifeless. The clients grade is what you'd expect to see from a sunny day albeit a little oversaturated and the skin tone needs some work.

[Adam Kuźniar]

So I see the story continues with this client ? 

[Jonesy Jones]

This is a promo. Not a film.

More than not commercial stuff is going to be more saturated and brighter than you’d prefer. 

That said the first one is too much. 

If I were you I would crush my ego and say, “Oh. That’s great. I totally see what you want here. You’re definitely going in the right direction. However, there are a couple shots where it may be too much. Now that I know exactly what you want, would you mind if we dial those few shots back a touch. I think we’ll end up with exactly what you’re looking for and appeal to a wider range of preferences.”

[midloch]

You are right, I graded it like film but promos are more artificial so I changed it.

I think that now it looks like it could match the clients needs but I still think that his grade is too orange and too saturated what do you think (my grade is the upper pic):

 

 

[The ghost of squig]

Better. It looks more pink than orange.

[kye]

Have you studied the ads of competing products?  and the ads that are regularly screened in the target market?

One thing we can't know is what the client is used to seeing or what their environment looks like.  Also, they might have an instagram full of oversaturated HDR pics and we wouldn't know.

[aaa123jc]

IMO, the first shot you grade is quite good. The one graded by your client is warm and saturated so I can see what he wants, but it is a little bit too orange. The sky is great but the skin tone is quite unnatural. 

The second shot is too dull and dark. You can just up the mid tone a bit and it will look so much better. The one by your client is again too orange. 

Sometimes it is best ask for what the client wants at first. Some people have strong opinion on this matter. If your client wants to have this kind of color grade, just give it to him, unless it just look too awful that it will damage your reputation. 

[Jonesy Jones]

2 hours ago, midloch said:

You are right, I graded it like film but promos are more artificial so I changed it.

I think that now it looks like it could match the clients needs but I still think that his grade is too orange and too saturated what do you think (my grade is the upper pic):

 

 

I wouldn’t want to judge until I saw in the context of moving images. But based only on those screenshots I’d probably still meet them halfway with more saturation. Maybe not half but closer.

At the end of the day, what does it matter to you? They’re paying for it. If they want fake tan skin, give it to them. Perhaps you could respectfully share your concerns, but if they want what they want, gladly give it to them.

You can always create a version for your reel colored exactly the way you like it.

[Shell64]

Your grade had awesome skin tone while his grade has worse skin than an over saturated Sony nex 5. 

[The ghost of squig]

1 hour ago, Jonesy Jones said:

I wouldn’t want to judge until I saw in the context of moving images. But based only on those screenshots I’d probably still meet them halfway with more saturation. Maybe not half but closer.

At the end of the day, what does it matter to you? They’re paying for it. If they want fake tan skin, give it to them. Perhaps you could respectfully share your concerns, but if they want what they want, gladly give it to them.

You can always create a version for your reel colored exactly the way you like it.

What Jonesy said. The bluer sky looks good, I'd just tone down the orange a bit.

 

[midloch]

I have come across Film Convert and this is a game changer for me. I think that it helps so much to easy and fast to make colors look nice ?

 

 

[heart0less]

Well, it does look more vibrant and energetic, but, unfortunately, it also caused some issues - overall the grade feels quite imbalanced to me.
 

I hope you don't mind me listing all the things I noticed.
 

Shadows throughout 0:04 - 0:11 seem purplish and a bit too saturated.

Then, 0:14 - 0:15 looks properly white-balanced, but 0:16 - 0:20 appears too pinky and 0:20 - 0:22 too yellowish-greenish.

0:24 - 0:27 shot is low-contrast and slightly muted, whereas the next one is really punchy. 

Later on: some white balance problems, again.
 

Just sharing my observations.

( :

[midloch]

Yes you right thank you I will try to repait it!