The Offset Podcast EP017: Tips For New Colorists

We get asked for advice by new colorists and those looking to do more color (editors,DPs, etc) all the time.

It’s easy to get into the technical weeds very quickly. In our opinion, a super technical deep dive into modern coloring is not the place to start - it can be overwhelming and turn off a lot of people who are looking for a creative outlet.

So instead of debating the merits of specific workflows and tools, in this episode, we jump into a handful of high-level tips geared to help the new colorist or those working in other disciplines get their feet under them in the world of color.

Some of the things we’ll explore in this episode include:

• The power of a less is more approach and following your instincts on overdoing grades
• Learning how to respect the photography of a project and not reinvent it
• Work in passes, focusing on big moves first and working to not get caught up in tiny details right away
• When it comes time to massaging details learning how to focus on the ones that really matter
• Understanding and learning how to fight visual adaptation
• A good-looking scope doesn’t always equal a great-looking shot
• Learning to understand visual intent and why neutral is not always the goal
• Why reference monitoring is and always will be important & why calibration/environment is more important than a specific display technology.
• Not overcomplicating color management & believing everything the internet has to say on color pipelines
• The importance of allowing time for experimenting & learning not to feel pressured to use new tools just because they’re there
• Shaping your best characteristics - confidence & communication

Thanks for watching/listening! If you liked this episode please be sure to like the show and follow us wherever you found the show.

Big thanks to our friend and fantastic colorist Josh Petok for the show concept. Follow Josh on Instagram @joshpetok

Thanks as always to our sponsor Flanders Scientific for the support and to our editor Stella.