After Effects Guru: Color Grading Footage

Course details

Adobe After Effects offers a wealth of tools for making both technical and artistic color changes to footage. Whether color correcting footage for consistency or color grading to create mood, adjusting color is a critical phase of post-production. Instructor Rich Harrington introduces a basic workflow for getting a shot back to its best natural state and shares advanced techniques to push footage further, such as converting it to black and white or adding creative color.

Topics include:
- Evaluating the shot
- Fixing white balance
- Fixing exposure and tone
- Adjusting color
- Converting to black and white
- Reading scopes
- Using adjustment layers
- Creating a film look
- Adding texture
- Working with third-party tools

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Color grading footage in After Effects
02 - Exercise files
03 - Moving from Final Cut Pro X to After Effects
04 - Moving from Premiere Pro to After Effects
05 - Using the Media Browser
06 - Strategies to improve file naming and timecode

1. The Color Grading Workflow

07 - Evaluating the shot
08 - Fixing white balance
09 - Fixing exposure and tone
10 - Adjusting color
11 - Applying enhancements
12 - Reusing adjustments

2. Essential Techniques

13 - Using adjustment layers
14 - Applying LUTs with the Lumetri effect
15 - Saving animation presets
16 - Strategies for tough white balance - Levels and curves
17 - Strategies for tough white balance - Neutralizing, part 1
18 - Strategies for tough white balance - Neutralizing, part 2
19 - Comparing effects

3. Fixing Exposure and Tone

20 - Fixing tone with the Lumetri effect
21 - Fixing exposure and tone with Curves
22 - Using auto adjustments
23 - The Shadow or Highlights adjustment
24 - Using the Black & White effect for contrast
25 - Using the Equalize command

4. Primary Color Correction

26 - Fixing color cast with tint and white balance
27 - Using the color stabilizer effect
28 - Fixing color with primary color correction
29 - Adding vibrance
30 - Using photo filters
31 - Using a reference color checker
32 - Using blending modes

5. Secondary Color Correction

33 - Creating spot colors with the Black & White effect
34 - Using the Leave Color effect
35 - Adjusting a single color with the Change Color effect
36 - Adding masks and mattes to adjustment layers
37 - Secondary color correction with Curves

6. Black and White and Color Toning

38 - Black and white conversion method 1
39 - Black and white conversion method 2
40 - Black and white conversion method 3
41 - Creating duotone, tritone, and pentone effects
42 - Enhancing with the Colorama effect
43 - Creating custom gradients

7. Finishing Touches

44 - Creating a film look
45 - Adding a power window
46 - Adding texture
47 - Using the creative controls in the Lumetri Color effect

8. Working with Third-Party Tools

48 - Creating a LUT with Photoshop
49 - Creating a LUT with IWLTBAP
50 - Creating a LUT with 3D LUT Creator

Conclusion

51 - Conclusion