Color Grading with ColorDirector
Here I present my experimentation with color grading through the use of the trial version of CyberLink ColorDirector 4. I have PowerDirector 14 and PhotoDirector 7. PowerDirector is my main video editing software and I have experience using the color adjustment features in PhotoDirector. The learning curve for ColorDirector was near-zero since it has similar features as in PhotoDirector along with additional and enhanced color adjustment functionality for videos. My learning exercise for color grading will include exploring DaVinci Resolve 12.5 from Blackmagic Design where I expect a longer learning curve before I am able to design my color grading styles.
The Standard profile for photos and videos has a zero setting for the 4 user adjustable parameters for Contrast, Sharpness, Noise Reduction and Saturation. Settings values range from -5 to +5 in steps of 1. The user adjustments can be saved to a Custom profile. Additionally, there are 2 Cinelike video recording profiles for the Cinematic look aspiration. Cine D achieves a low-contrast result with high-dynamic range while Cine V is for high-contrast video recording.
The video footage was shot using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7 camera with my Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm lens.
The following reflects video footage recorded with the DMC-G7's Custom (all -5) profile. I state "all -5" to mean the value for all 4 parameters Contrast, Sharpness, Noise Reduction and Saturation. ColorDirector system presets were applied to the video footage along with my first attempt at color grading (a work-in-progress).
The following reflects video footage recorded with the DMC-G7's Standard, Cine V and Cine D profiles compared with my ColorDirector settings for my custom color grading preset.
As can be seen in the following video, ColorDirector does offer an improvement over PowerDirector's Video Enhancement and Color Adjustment features in addition to the color grading capability.
My color grading learning journey has only just begun ...
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