color assist user guide

8/13/2019 Color Assist User Guide

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

2012 Proprietary and Confidential, Technicolor Page 2 of 35

Table of Contents

About CineStyle Color Assist ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Installation............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Color Assist License Validation ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Color Assist Plug-in Installation ............................................................................................................................................ 6

Color Assist Workflow and Editors ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Adobe Premiere Pro ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Apple Final Cut Pro 7 ........................................................................................................................................................ 8

Color Assist File Types .......................................................................................................................................................... 9

Log Curve and Standard Picture Profile for Color Correction .............................................................................................. 9

Color Assist Application Toolbar ........................................................................................................................................ 11

File Menu........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Edit Menu ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Bin Menu ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Windows Menu .............................................................................................................................................................. 12

Help Menu ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Color Assist Overview ......................................................................................................................................................... 14

File Browser ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15

File Bin ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16

Viewer Window .................................................................................................................................................................. 17

STANDARD VIDEO PLAYBACK ......................................................................................................................................... 17

SPLIT SCREEN MODE ...................................................................................................................................................... 18

Color Correction Tools........................................................................................................................................................ 19

Common Buttons in Color Tools .................................................................................................................................... 19

LOOKS TOOL ................................................................................................................................................................... 20

COLOR CONTROL TOOL .................................................................................................................................................. 20

KEY SELECTOR TOOL ....................................................................................................................................................... 22

CURVES TOOL ................................................................................................................................................................. 24

Color Scopes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Color Scope Customization ............................................................................................................................................ 25

History Monitor .................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Metadata Monitor.............................................................................................................................................................. 26

Color Assist Technical Requirements ................................................................................................................................. 28

Fundamental Color Correction Tasks and Color Assist....................................................................................................... 29

Color Assist Glossary .......................................................................................................................................................... 31


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About CineStyle Color AssistCineStyle Color Assist was designed by Technicolor color scientists as a color correction and preview tool for filmmakers

and videographers of all skill levels, beginner to the professional. Leveraging over 95 years of color science experience,

Color Assist allows you to speed up your production workflow by quickly and easily previewing, applying and modifying

CineStyle Looks designed by Technicolors expert team of colorists.

Color Assists plug-ins provide ultimate flexibility by working seamlessly with Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro

CS5.5 and CS6 to allow the color correction process to begin on-set while youre shooting or after editorial - the choiceis yours!

CineStyle Color Assists powerful features include:

Instant color correction & grading with render free playback 25 CineStyle Looks designed by Technicolor colorists for quick grading Ability to save up to 9 Color Compositions per video clip Non-destructive color correction & grading via MetaColor file User-friendly interface 3-Way Color Corrector, Key Selector & Curves Adjustments for advanced control Support for common video codecs in SD, HD & 2K resolutions Scopes to easily monitor color information in your footage Plugin support for Apple Final Cut Pro 7 & Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Suite 5.5 & CS6 Expandable library with additional premium CineStyle Looks packages Secondary monitor support for full screen playback based on Technicolors award-winning DP Lights System


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Installation

At the completion of your order on the Technicolor CineStyle website, you will be sent a Purchase Confirmation email

from [email protected]. This email contains your Color Assist License Key and a download link that will deliver

a Zip file containing the:

Color Assist installer Color Assist Plug-in folder(s) README file Color Assist User Guide Color Assist Quick Start Guide

PC Installer Package Mac Installer Package

Before You Install Color Assist

1. Close other programs.This includes any host application you may be running and virus protection software. Applications or

Virus protection software may prevent Color Assist from installing and registering correctly.

2. Run the Color Assist installer by itself.To prevent installation issues, dont run more than one installer at the same time and make sure to

close any completed installations or other products or software.

Important Note:While you are able to choose the download destination for Color Assist, the 25 CineStyle Looks that are

included will download to and create a folder (CineStyle Looks) in the top level of your My Documents directory. This

folder must remain where it was created in order to enable Color Assist to locate and display the Looks. If you have

accidentally deleted the CineStyle Looks folder, you can re-download it by holding down the Ctrl + Alt (Cmd+Alt on Macs)

keys together and then launching the Color Assist application. The CineStyle Looks folder will be recreated together with

its original files.


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Color Assist License Validation

Enter the name and the email address of the ColorAssist purchaser.

Select the number of Color Assist licenses youpurchased.

Enter the License Key. We highly suggest that youcopy and paste the license key directly from the

confirmation email to prevent typos.

Click the OKbutton.

If you receive an Invalid License Informationerror,

please check that:

Youve entered your name and email address asshown in your Purchase Confirmation email. These

fields are case sensitive.

Youve selected the correct number of Color Assistlicenses that have been purchased. If you select 2 in

the Licenses Purchased field but youve purchased

only 1 copy, this error will appear.

Youve entered your License Key exactly as it ispresented. The License key is case sensitive and

does require the shown hyphenation.


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Color Assist Plug-in Installation

You will need to first download, install, and certify the Color Assist application before installing the Color Assist Plug-

ins. The Color Assist Plug-ins can be found in the same zip file installer package that contained the Color Assist

application.

Mac Users:

o Apple Final Cut Pro 7 Plug-in: Drag the CineStyle Color Assist.fxplug folder into the Macintosh HD > Library > Plug-Ins > FxPlug. If the Plug-Ins and FxPlug directories do not exist, create them (they are case-sensitive).

oAdobe Premiere Pro:

Drag the CineStyle Color Assist.pluginfile into this directory: Macintosh HD > Library >Application Support > Adobe > Common > Plug-ins > CS5.5 (or CS6) > MediaCore.


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PC Users:

o Adobe Premiere Pro Plug-in: Copy and paste the CineStyle Color Assist Plug-in folder into this directory:C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\CS5.5(or CS6)\MediaCore.


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Color Assist Workflow and Editors

o Openthe CineStyle Color Assist applicationo Open Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Proo Create a project and add videos for editing

Adobe Premiere Pro

1. Select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then drag and drop the Color Assist filterfrom the Effects tab onto your clips.

2. Double-click a clip to view it in your Source Monitor.3. Send the clip to Color Assist by clicking the Send to Color Assistbutton in the Effect Controls tab of the

source monitor.

4. Once Color Compositions are saved in Color Assist, the clips in your sequence are instantly updated inAdobe Premiere Pro and ready for finishing.

Important Note:When new clips are added to your project, simply repeat steps 1 through 4 to color correct.

Apple Final Cut Pro 7

1. Select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then drag and drop the Color Assist filterfrom the Effects tab of the Browser window onto your video clip.o Alternatively you can select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then Navigate to

the Effects menu > Video Filters > Technicolor > CineStyle Color Assist.

2. Once the filter is applied, double-click on any clip with the filter and go to the viewer window.3. Click on the Link to MetaColorbutton and all selected clips are now ready for color correction.4. Click Send to Color Assistbutton.5. Once Color Compositions are saved in Color Assist, the clips in your sequence are instantly updated in

Final Cut Pro 7 for finishing.

Important Note:When new clips are added to your project, simply repeat steps 1 through 5 to color correct.


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Color Assist File Types

Color Assist will create a .XCSL (MetaColor) file for each video clip you save that has been color corrected

(a Color Composition). The .XCSL file will have the same name as your original video clip and must

remain in the same folder with the clip for your Color Compositions to be associated with it. If the

MetaColor file is deleted, all Color Composition work associated with the file will be lost.

Color Assist will create a .CSL file for each Custom CineStyle Look you create. The .CSL file will have the

name you give your Custom Look at the time you add it, and can be found in your CineStyle Looks folder in

the top level of your My Documents folder. This same icon will also represent the CineStyle Looks included

with Color Assist and those purchased separately. The CineStyle Looks folder must remain where it was

created in order to enable Color Assist to locate and display the Looks.

Log Curve and Standard Picture Profile for Color Correction

Technicolor recommends acquiring your video file clips in a Log Curve camera profile, such as the CineStyle Camera

Profile, to allow for the greatest latitude during the color correction process. To learn more about the advantages of

the CineStyle Profile, please visit:https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/

Log Curve Profile

o CineStyle Looks are designed to work with video file clips acquired with the CineStyle Profile or other LogCurve camera profile. To quickly and easily get a sense of the range of Color Composition possibilities offered

with Color Assist, simply put your Log Curve footage in a more cinematic color space by applying the S-Curve

Look. You can then modify your video using other COLOR CORRECTION tools or choose other more stylized

Looks as desired.

Standard Picture Profile

o When working with standard picture profile (ITU 709, SRGB) footage, select and apply a Preselected Log Curve(2.2 or 2.4 Gamma, or Inverse S-Curve) onto the video to bring your footage into a Log color space thats best

suited to your footage. This will simulate the look of the CineStyle Profile and put it in a space to best utilize

the CineStyle Looks provided with Color Assist or purchased separately as a package.

To apply the Log Curve profile to a Standard Picture Profile:

1. Select the Curves Tool from the COLOR CORRECTION tab.2. Select the Curve from the four options that you would like to apply.3. After applying the Log Curve, you can color correct as usual and all applied Looks and adjustments will be

made on top of the applied Curve.
https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/


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COLOR ASSIST TOOL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

PC Mac

Application Toolbar

File MenuCtrl + S= Save Look in Viewer Window Cmd + S= Save Look in Viewer Window

Ctrl + W= Close Media in Viewer Window Cmd + W= Close Media in Viewer Window

Edit MenuCtrl + Z= Undo most recent color correction step Cmd + Z = Undo most recent color correction step

Ctrl + Y= Redo most recent color correction step Cmd + Y = Redo most recent color correction step

Ctrl + C= Copy color correction of clip in Viewer WindowCmd + C= Copy color correction of clip in Viewer

Window

Ctrl + V= Paste color correction of clip copied Cmd + V= Paste color correction of clip copied

Bin MenuCtrl + T= Sends selected clip to editor Cmd + T= Sends selected clip to editor

Saved Color Compositions/Bin

Ctrl + (1-9) to switch between saved Looks of clip in ViewerWindow

Cmd + (1-9) to switch between saved Looks of clip inViewer Window

Ctrl + 0 to switch to Looks "in progress" and not yet saved Cmd + 0 to switch to Looks "in progress" and not yet

saved

Viewer WindowSpacebar= Play/pause clip

Z= Launch Zoom Imaging Tool

H= Launch Hand Imaging Tool

(Hold) Shift + Z= Reset Zoom

Looks ToolDirectionalto navigate between Look thumbnails

ENTER/RETURNto apply highlighted Look to clip in the Viewer Window

Color Control Tool(Hold) A+ mouse/trackpad adjusts Shadows Color Wheel

(Hold) S+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Midtones Color Wheel

(Hold) D+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Highlights Color Wheel

(Hold) Shift + A+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Shadows luminance slider

(Hold) Shift + S+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Midtones luminance slider

(Hold) Shift + D+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Highlights luminance slider

(Hold) Shift +Z+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Saturation slider

Key Selector Tool(Hold) A+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Color Wheel

(Hold) Shift + A+ mouse/trackpad adjusts the Hue/Saturation/Luminance sliders(Hold) Shift + Z + mouse/trackpad adjusts Color Wheel Saturation slider

File BrowserENTER/RETURNto send highlighted file to the Bin

Ctrl + Oto send highlighted file to the Bin Cmd + Oto send highlighted file to the Bin


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Color Assist Application Toolbar

Offering File, Edit,Bin,Windowsand Helpdrop down menus, the application toolbar, located in the upper-left of the

Color Assist application, offers access to application-specific functions, product support resources, information and

documentation.

File Menu

o SaveColor Composition Saves the ColorComposition work youve done to a video clip in

Color Assist as a MetaColor (.XCSL) file to the same

file folder the clip was originally accessed from. You

can save 9 Color Compositions per clip in the .XCSL

file.

o CloseMedia Closes the media being viewed in theViewer Window but leaves it in the Bin.

o Save Color Composition as 3D LUT Saves theColor Composition operations performed under the

COLOR CORRECTION tab as an 8-bit integer, 10-bit

integer, or Float Look Up Table.

o Save Color Composition as 1D LUT- Saves the ColorComposition operations performed under theCOLOR CORRECTION tab as an 8-bit or 10-bit

integer Look Up Table.

o Save Color Composition asCDL- Saves the Color Composition operations performed under the COLORCORRECTION tab as a Color Decision List.

o Save frame as- Saves the frame displayed in the Viewer Window as a Png, Dpx, Jpg or Tiff file.o Preferences- Offers access to settings that allow you to customize the way you use Color Assist.

o Fullscreen Expands theColor Assist tool so that it appears on your monitor without a frame.o Secondary Playback Window Check the box if you use a second monitor on which you would

like the Viewer Window to appear and play back on.

o Playback on Secondary Window Only Check the box if you want to view playback on yoursecondary monitor only (a still frame will appear on the primary monitor). Secondary Playback

Window must be enabled before this option will be offered.

o Disable Welcome Screen Disable the default welcome screen that appears in the ViewerWindow.

o Advanced Color Controls Enable/disablethe Offset/Lift, Power/Gamma and Slope/Gaincontrols that are available in the Color Control tool under the COLOR CORRECTION tab.

o Quit Color Assist Closes the Color Assist Tool.Important Note: Color Compositions saved as 3D LUT are saved in the following lattice resolutions:

8-bit integer (16*16*16) 10-bit integer (17*17*17) Float (33*33*33)


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Edit Menu

o Undo Reverses the most recent Color Compositionstep taken.

o Redo Appears in Edit menu only after an Undoaction and reapplies that Color Composition step.

o Copy Color Composition Copies the accumulatedColor Composition operations applied to the clipselected from the Bin.

o Paste Color Composition Appears in Edit menu onlyafter Copy Color Composition has been used and

applies those accumulated operations.

Bin Menu

o Expand/Collapse Stack If youve saved Color Compositions the Bin from the same original clip, you can expand or collaps

their arrangement in the Bin.

o Remove Clip Removes the selected clip from the Bin.o Clear Bin Removes all clips from the Bin.o Send to Editor Sends the selected clip to your video editing

software for editing or finishing.

Windows Menu

o Choose which Colorscopes - Histogram, Waveform Monitor,Vectorscope, which Panels - History orMetadata, and if theB

is displayed or hiddenin Color Assist. Your choice of what todisplay or hide can be easily changed at any time.


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Help Menu

Color Assist FAQs Answers to the mostcommon questions about the Color Assist tool.

Customer Support Access to CineStyleproducts FAQs, the Color Assist Quick Start

Guide & User Guide, and Video Tutorials. Still

cant find your answer? Contact a CineStyle

Support Specialist for assistance.

o Check For Updates Check for updates to the Color Assist application.o Purchase CineStyle Looks Purchase additional CineStyle Looks packages.o About Provides information about Color Assists version, license holder, and creators.


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Color Assist Overview

The Color Assist Viewer Window can be resized both vertically and horizontally to allow more or less space tothe COLOR CORRECTION and FILE BROWSER areas, as well as the COLOR SCOPES, HISTORY and METADATA

MONITOR Panels.

Each Panels top to bottom placement can be rearranged, expanded or minimized, resized in relation to theother panels, and be detached as a floating window.

All Scopes and Monitors that comprise the Panels, as well as the Bin area, can be individually displayed orhidden by (de)selection under the Windows menu in the Color Assist Application Toolbar.

BINVIEWER WINDOW COLOR SCOPES

COLOR LOOKS HISTORY METADATACOLOR TOOLS

WINDOW RESIZING POINTS


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File Browser

The File Browser allows you to navigate to the video files on your storage devices that you are ready to color correct.

o Click on the FILE BROWSERtab.o Navigate through your computers folders and locate the desired video files.o Select and double-click on a video thumbnail to import the clip into the Bin.

o Mac: You can also use the arrow keys to highlight a thumbnail, then press CMD+O to add the clip tothe Bin.

o PC: You can also use the arrow keys to highlight a thumbnail, then press Ctrl +O to add the clip to theBin.

o The clips you send to the Bin will also appear as thumbnails.o The Search Windowallows you to do a text search within a folder.o Use theZoom Barabove the File Bowser to resize the Looks thumbnails.o The Up Arrowbutton allows you to navigate back up through your directory structure.o Use the directory structure file breadcrumb in the lower-right of the File Browser to quickly navigate back to a

folder.

o Use the File View options to display your files in an icon view or in a list view.

ZOOM BAR UP ARROW SEARCH WINDOW

DIRECTORY BREADCRUMBPRIMARY/SECONDARYSTORAGE DEVICES

FILE VIEW


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File Bin

The Bin contains active files ready for color correction:

o You can add as many clips as you like to the Bin.o Scroll sideways to see all clips in the Bin by using the track pad or keyboard arrows.o Hover over a thumbnail to view the video file name.o Drag-and-drop or double-click a thumbnail to send the clip to Viewer Window.o You can apply up to 9 separate Color Compositions to a video file.o Click on the arrows in the upper right corner of a clip to expand (>>) or collapse (


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Viewer Window

STANDARD VIDEO PLAYBACK

To playback a single video, you can drag-and-drop a clip from the Bin onto the Viewer Window, or double-clickit to send it to the Viewer.

Start and stop video playback by clicking on the play/ pause button or by hitting the spacebar. A secondary playback window can be turned on through the Preferences setting (found under the File menu),

which will allow viewing on a separate monitor.

To view a different video from the Bin, just drag-and-drop the thumbnail onto the Viewer Window or double-click it.

Imaging Tools in Viewer Window

Zoom Zoom in and out of the clip in the Viewer Window by clicking and dragging up and down.

Hand(Pan) Move and reposition your clip in the Viewer when you are Zoomed in.

Zoom Reset Cancels out the effects of using the Zoom tool and takes your clip back to its original

position in the Viewer.

PLAYHEAD VOLUME CONTROL/MUTEIMAGING TOOLS


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SPLIT SCREEN MODE

To compare two clips in the Viewer Window, hold down the Alt button and simply drag a second clipthumbnail into the Viewer. Split screen mode will automatically activate.

The Split Screen divider bar allows you to determine how much of each videos frame to reveal between thetwo compared clips in the Viewer Window. By moving the divider bar to the left or the right, more or less of

the videos being compared will be revealed.

These clips will be represented in the Metadata panel by the Left and Right tabs. For editing purposes, you can switch between videos by clicking on the video itself in the Viewer Window or

by using the Left/Right tabs in the Metadata panel.

If you wish to work on only one video and discontinue the use of split screen mode, close one of the videos byclicking the Xin the top right corner to close the right video, or the top left X to close the left video.

Additional Imaging Tools are enabled in the Viewer when working in Split Screen mode:

Sync Timecode Synchronizes the Timecodes in left and right video playback, while allowing for

independent left and right video play/pause control and synchronized Playhead slider adjustment.

Sync Play One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes left and right

video playback using shared play/pause controls, while allowing for independent left and right videoPlayhead slider adjustment.

Butterfly Flip (on the y-axis) the left side video clip for easy comparison of color correction efforts.

Important Note: Sync Play is not available when a secondary monitor (Secondary Playback Window under the Preferences menu) is

activated. The combination of Sync Timecode and Sync Play provides for a synchronized playback and Playhead experience while

using shared controls to manage the left and right videos.

SPLIT SCREEN DIVIDER SPLIT SCREEN IMAGING TOOLS


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Color Correction Tools

The Color Assist tools are arranged in order of how adjustments are applied to video clips. Starting from the original

video, Curves are applied first, followed by Key Selector and Color Control adjustments, and finally CineStyle Looks.

You can compose your color in any order you like but each color change will be layered in this order.

If youd like a quick, effortless and dramatic color

correction effect, simply start your project by

applying a CineStyle Look to your video.

Common Buttons in Color Tools

Solo Effect:Shows only adjustments made in the selected Color Tool.

Bypass All:Temporarily turns off adjustments from all Color Tools.

Reset:Removes all parameters from the selected Color Tool.


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LOOKS TOOL

A collection of CineStyle Looks provided with Color Assist or purchased from the Technicolor CineStylewebsite, and

Custom CineStyle Looks created by you.

Double-click on a Look to apply it to the clip in the Viewer Window. You can also use your keyboards arrow keys to

select a Look and hit Enter to apply it.

Click on the Viewer Window play button to view the clip, or use your Space bar to play and pause it. Playback with

the new Look will appear in real-time without having to render the video first.

Use the Zoom Bar to resize Look thumbnails.

After applying a Look, you can still perform other color correction operations using any combination of the ColorControl, Key Selector and Curves tools.

COLOR CONTROL TOOL

A powerful tool with color wheels for detailed correction of hue, luminance and saturation in the Shadows, Midtones,

and Highlights of your image.

Advanced Color Controls Off

Click on the Color Wheel and move to adjust the color in the Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights. Double-clicking on the wheel will reset the color.

The Luminance slider above the Color Wheel will adjust the visual brightness of your image. Double-clicking onthe slider will reset the luminance. The Saturation slider adjusts the overall color saturation of

the entire image. A double-click on the slider will reset the saturation.


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RGB number pads allow for precise color adjustments.o Resets color adjustments.o Resets Luminance adjustments.

Advanced Color Controls On

Enabling Advanced Color Controls under the Preferences menu adds Offset/Lift, Power/Gamma, Slope/Gain

operations to the Color Control tools.

o Offset/Lift: Offset Adjusts the overall contrast in an image. Lift - Adjusts the images black level (dark tones or shadows).

o Power/Gamma: Power Similar, if not the same as Gamma when adjusting mid-tones. Gamma - Adjusts the image levels between the Shadows and the Highlights, commonly

known as the Mid-tones.

o Slope/Gain: Slope Adjust/raises the overall brightness of the RGB components either individually or

taken as a whole. Gain -Only adjusts the white level (also called the Highlights).

Important Note:Point your mouse over any slider in the Color Control tool and use its wheel to turn the mouse into a fine

tuning control for that slider.


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KEY SELECTOR TOOL

Use the Key Selector tab to quickly target a specific color or color range in your video.

Viewer Window

Color Selection

o Use the +button to select (key) specific color values.o Use thebutton to reduce (remove keys) color values.o Use the rectangle selector to choose an expanded range of colors to be keyed.o Select the Hue, Saturation or Luminance controls to fine tune your keyed color(s).o Use the slider bar to increase or decrease the range of your selection across the Hue, Saturation

and Luminance controls.

Once youve made your Color Selection choices, you can then apply Color Correction and Saturation adjustments to the

region or regions of the image that youve chosen to target for specific color enhancement.

Important Note:When selecting a color value, the Key Selector takes similar colors connected to the area keyed and adds them to

the selection. The more keys of a particular value selected, the more the color is represented. A maximum of 35,000 color keys can

be selected.


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o Change the hue of the selected range of color by moving the color wheel.o The Luminance slider above the Color Wheel will adjust the visual brightness of the selected color.o The Saturation slider adjusts the color saturation of the selected color.o The 3D cube shows the selected color inside a 3D color space.

LUMINANCE SLIDER


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CURVES TOOL

The Color Assist Curves Tool offers functionality similar to the Curves feature in popular photo editing

applications.

Use the Curves tab to:

o Manually set the black point in your image.o Manually set the grey point in your image.o Manually set the white point in your image.o Automatically adjusts the contrast of your image and resets all manual curve and

black/gray/white point adjustments. After Auto Contrast is chosen, all other operations performed in

the Curves tool are applied to the results of using Auto Contrast.

o Adjusts the gamma on your video by loading predefined curves: Linear, Inverse S-Curve, Gamma 2.2, or Gamma 2.4. If shooting video in a Standard Picture Profile (ITU 709) color

space (e.g. Canons Standard Picture Style), a gamma of 2.2 is recommended to accurately view your

footage. If shooting using the CineStyle Profile, using the Linear Curve to begin your color correction

project is recommended. The Linear Curve is Color Assists default curve and presents footage as it

was acquired when shooting.

o Select between editing all three RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colors at once or creating aseparate curve for each color.

o Click on the drawing tool icon to launch a new grid window that allows you to create/draw yourown custom color curve or modify an existing one. You can also automatically add a series of points

(or knots) to the curve by clicking next to the curve in the new grid window.

Important Note:Loading a predefined curve will add points (or knots) to the curve which can then be used to further

modify it by dragging the knots. You can also add knots to the RBG curves. On all of the curves, one or all of the knots can

be removed by dragging them out of the grid. To replace removed knots, use your keyboards Undo function (Ctrl + Z/Cmd

+ Z) or select a step in the History Panel that predated the knot removal. Removed knots can be added back to the curve

by clicking on it.

EYE DROPPERS/PIPETTES


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Color Scopes

Use the Histogram, Waveform Monitor, and Vectorscope to evaluate, assess and measure the colors in the video being

color corrected.

Color Scope Customization

o The arrangement of scopes from top to bottom can be changed by clicking and holding the scopes titlebar then moving it up or down.

o Click the icon in the upper right corner of a scope title bar to expand or minimize the scopes panel.o Each scopes panel can be resized by clicking and holding the bottom of its panel and moving it up or

down.

o Double-clicking a scopes title bar will detach it from the others and it will become a floating window thatcan be moved to where you prefer. Double-clicking the title bar when a scope is detached will reattach it.

You can also simply click and hold a scopes title bar and drag it to a preferred location.

o The Histogram displays histogram analyses for each RGB colorchannel. This is useful for comparing the relative distribution of each

color channel across the tonal range of the image.

o The Vectorscope offers a way to visualize chrominance signalsthrough a circular reference display.

o A Waveform monitor is a special type of scope useful for comparingthe relative levels of reds, greens, and blues between two video clips.


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History Monitor

Use the History panel to see all of the corrections that have been made to the clip currently in the Viewer Window.

o You can revert back to a previous correction at any time byclicking on a prior recorded step.

o The History of your Color Composition is maintained until youstart working on a different video clip, close the clip you are

working on (Close Media), or quit Color Assist. The History is

not stored in Color Assist or the clips metadata.

o If you select a previous step in the History panel and thenmake a color correction, your previous History (below that

point) will not be retained and the new changes you make will

appear in the History panel.

o You can revert back to a previous correction at any time byclicking on a prior recorded step.

Metadata Monitor

Use the Metadata panel to view and reset any embedded Metadata contained in the active video file.

1. Displays specific file information about the video in the Viewer Window - the clips name, duration,frames per second, resolution, and codec type.

2. Displays a numerical representation of the Color Compositions saved to a clip. The Composition with astar designates the Master Composition and will appear first in the Bin when the clip is in the Viewer

Window. The Master Composition may be changed at any time by selecting another numbered

Composition, then clicking the Master button. Selecting a number Look will automatically display it in the

Viewer. The symbol indicates a Color Composition that is a work in progress. If it is saved it

will become the next numbered Composition in the series.

3. Displays and allows the reset of color correction changes made to a clip by using the Curves, KeySelector, and Color Control tools.

4. Displays and allows the reset of the CineStyleor Custom Look if one has been applied to the clip.5. Allows you to make and save any comments you wish to make about a saved clip. Click on the button to save any changes and/or save a new Color Composition you have created. Click on the button to change the default Color Composition (i.e., move the star icon to another

Composition).

1

2

3

4

5


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Click on the button to create and save a new Custom CineStyle Look in your Look library.Custom Looks you create will be added in your CineStyle Looks folder as a .CSL file and appear in the Color

Assist Looks tab with all other Looks youve acquired.

When the Viewer Window is used in split screen mode, the Metadata Panel willdisplay a Left and Right tab allowing you to easily flip between the left and right clips. You can also switch

between clips by clicking on the left split or right split frames in the Viewer.

Note:If youve started to create a new Color Composition on a video clip and

move to another function in Color Assist without saving the Composition, you

will be prompted to save or discard it before continuing.

Note: A Color Composition can be used as a starting point for further color

correction. If you try to save a 10th Color Composition, you will be prompted

to discard and replace one of the existing 9 Color Compositions youve already

saved for a clip. If you wish to delete all Color Compositions associated with a

video file, delete the .XCSL (MetaColor) file for that clip.


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Color Assist Technical Requirements

System Requirements

o Mac Mac OS X 10.6 and later Intel i3 processor or faster 4GB RAM (8GB preferred) Graphics Card (GPU) with minimum of 1GB VRAM

o PC Windows 7: 64 bit Intel i3 processor or faster (or AMD equivalent) 4GB RAM (8GB preferred) Graphics Card (GPU) with minimum of 1GB VRAM

Monitor Display

Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 900

Software Requirements Apple Final Cut Pro 7 or Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS6

Supported Video File Formats .MOV .AVI .FLV .MP4

Supported Video Codec Formats PRORES* Quicktime for PC required. PRORES4444 not supported. H.264 DV WMV

Free Disk Space

200MB of available disk space for installation


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Fundamental Color Correction Tasks and Color Assist

In most post-production workflows, color correction is commonly one of the last steps in finishing an edited program.

CineStyle Color Assist was created to give you complete control over the look and feel of your project by providing a

flexible toolset to transform the contrast and color of each shot in your video.

When color correcting a video, many of the tasks described in the color correcting stages below will be required of you.

Color Assist provides a range of features to quickly and easily undertake these tasks.

Stage 1: Correcting Color Balance and ExposureBecause color balance and exposure accidents can happen during filming, and because images acquired digitally

frequently dont get recorded with an optimal exposure or color balance to begin with, a tool like Color Assist is

needed to address the less than ideal effects of these circumstances.

Stage 2: Assuring That Key Elements Look the Way They Should

There are key elements of every scene that become the main focus of the viewer, such as the lead character in a

story or the product in a commercial. Depending on the type of project, there will be expectations from the director,

cinematographer and even the audience as to what those key elements should look like and it will be your task to

ensure the colors in your video match those expectations. Color Assist gives you the tools to make whatever

adjustments are necessary to ensure that important components in your video look the way they should.

Stage 3: Matching a Scene by Balancing All ShotsSince a completed film can be composed of footage acquired from a variety of sources and/or shot over a prolonged

period of time or at multiple locations, differences in color and exposure are almost inevitable results. These visual

inconsistencies can make individual shots stand out, which in turn can cause editing efforts to appear uneven. With a

robust set of color correct tools, balance can be restored to the different shots making up a scene by evening out

differences in time, place and lighting. This effort is commonly referred to as scene-to-scene color correction.

Stage 4: Contrast Creation

To provoke a particular reaction and create an unsettling effect, color correction can be used between two scenes.

Envision quickly transitioning from a wheat field to a verdant, tropical rain forest with endless greens. Using color

correction, you can subtly bring out and draw attention to these differences.

Stage 5: Realizing a Look

The color correction process goes beyond the task of simply making all the scenes in a video match some unbiased

model of exposure. When delicately and cleverly mixed, color, as a property, can result in a heightened level of

dramatic control over a video. With the help of a color correction tool like Color Assist, you can determine if your

finished video is one that is steeped in color or one with a more muted look. Push tones into the yellows to make

your scenes look warmer or make them look cooler by moving them into the blues. Bring up the blacks and pull

details out of the shadows, or de-saturate them for a flatter look. Whatever you decide, subtle modifications can

change an audiences emotional response to a scene and change the videos mood. Once you pick a Look for your

video, or even for an individual clip, you can use Color Assist to assure that all the scenes needing consistency match

the same Look you wish to achieve to make them flow together smoothly.

Stage 6: Broadcast Legality Guideline Adherence

A video presentation destined for television broadcast usually must adhere to a set of quality control (QC) guidelines,

whose standards vary, that specify the legal limits for minimum black levels, maximum white levels, minimum andmaximum chrominance saturation, and composite RGB limits. To avoid illegal values which may cause problems

when the video is encoded for transmission, it is important to know QC values in advance. Color Assist provides users

with a Waveform scope to monitor QC values.


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Stage 7: Altering Distinct Elements SeparatelyAt times it is essential to selectively target a narrow range of colors and alter or substitute just the value of those

colors to turn a blue house green or to soften the over-the-top colors of a Christmas sweater. Such color correction

tasks are referred to as secondary or targeted color correction. Targeted correction can be accomplished using the

Key Selector tool in Color Assist.

Stage 8: Special Effects Creation

For scenes that call for more extreme effects, such as creating the illusion of darkness or moonlight by a concertedeffort in color and exposure manipulation, creating a stylized altered state for a nightmare sequence, or just creating

something visually unusual for a short story film, Color Assist offers Looks that can be easily applied as packaged and

further customized by using a variety of color correction tools.


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Color Assist Glossary

1D LUT: A 1-D Look-Up Table is used to adjust the additive primary colors (RGB) of an image by referencingseparate 1-D tables for the red, green, and blue components. It can be used to calculate preview colors for a

monitor, digital projector, or apply a creative look.

3D LUT: A 3-D Look-Up Table is used to adjust the colors of an image by referencing a single, mixed-color-cubetable. It differs from a 1-D LUT in that each of the red, green, and blue channels can influence the other color

channels. A 3-D LUT adjusts an images color information to properly display on a monitor, digital projector, orapply a creative look. A 3-D LUT can also be used to give an image a film-look on a digital projector.

8 Bit Integer (16*16*16): In the save Color Compositionfile feature in Color Assist, thisindicates the resolution(8 bit) of the RGB components of the LUT. Saving as 8 Bit Int. will allow up to 256 levels per component. The

greater the bit depth, the greater the number of colors stored, and therefore a more accurate representation

of the original images. The 16x16x16 represents the number of entries in the associated 3-D look-up table.

10 Bit Integer (17*17*17): In the save Color Compositionfile feature in Color Assist, this indicates theresolution (10 bit) of the RGB components of the LUT. Saving as 10 Bit Int. will allow up to 1,024 levels per

component. The greater the bit depth, the greater the number of colors stored, and therefore a more

accurate representation of the original images. The 17x17x17 represents the number of entries in the

associated 3-D look-up table.

Additive Primary Colors:The three additive primary colors are red, green, and blue. These colors are calledadditives because you must add the colors together to create white. Additive primary colors are used and

applied to different systems that we see on computer screens, and video.

Auto Contrast: As the name implies, this feature in Color Assist automatically calculates and applies theoptimal contrast on a video when activated, resetting all manual curve and black/white/gray point

adjustments.

(File) BIN:Contains the video files ready to be worked on in Color Assist. Bit Depth:The number of bits used to represent a single color component of a pixel. A color depth of 24-bits

refers to the number of bits representing all three color components (RGB) of a pixel. Color depth can also bereferred to bits-per-pixel (bpp). 8-bit color (24-bpp) represents 16,777,216 colors and 10-bit color (30-bpp)

represents 1,073,741,824 colors. Thus, higher bit depth provides greater color resolution.

Butterfly: One of the split screen imaging tools in Color Assist. The tool mirrors (on the y-axis) the left sidevideo clip for easy comparison of color grading efforts.

CDL: Full name American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List(Also known by ASC CDL), is a formatfor the exchange of basic primary color grading information between equipment and software from different

manufacturers. The values that are transferred are Slope, Offset, Power, and Saturation.

o Slope: A color grading parameter similar to gain.o Offset: A color grading parameter similar to lift.o

Power: A color grading parameter similar to gamma.

Codec: Is a term derived from combining the words coder-decoder. A Codec refers to a matched set ofcoding and decoding algorithms. It is used for compressing / decompressing images. Color Assist supports the

following codecs H.264, DV, WMV and PRORES.

Color Composition: The accumulated artistic color correction work applied to a video and composed througha blend of CineStyle Looks, Custom CineStyle Looks, and the effects of Color Assists Color Correction tools.


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Color Control: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist, use it with color wheels for detailed correction ofhue, luminance and saturation in the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights of your video.

Color Correction: Refers to any manipulation of color done in post-production, whether corrective or creative. Color Correction (Tab):The module in the Color Assist tool containing the Color Tools Looks, Color Control,

Key Selector and Curves.

Color Grading:This term is synonymous with Color Correction. Color Keying: Selecting a particular color or luminance range in an image, typically for manipulating the color

within that range. When you key a value, you select all pixels that have colors or luminance values similar to

that value.

Color Scopes: In Color Assist, theseinclude theHistogram, Vectorscope and Waveform monitor. Color Tools: In Color Assist, theseinclude theColor Control, Key Selector, Curves, and Looks tools. Color Wheel:A Color Control tool under the Color Correction tab in Color Assist, click and drag on the Color

Wheel to adjust colors in either the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights in your video.

.CSL File: The file extensionof CineStyle Looks, whether created by you, the ones included with Color Assist, orthose purchased from separately. All Looks can be found in the CineStyle

Looks folder in the top level of your

My Documents folder. The CineStyle Looks folder must remain where it was created in order to enable Color

Assist to locate and display the Looks.

File Browser (Tab):The module in the Color Assist tool used to locate and display video files on the coloristscomputer.

Floating Point/Float (33*33*33): In the save Color Composition file feature in Color Assist, this indicates thevalues in the 3-D look-up table are saved in floating point allowing for more precision than in either 8-bit or

10-bit integer representations. The advantage of floating-point representation over fixed-point and integer

representation is that it can support a much wider range of values. The 33x33x33 represents the number of

entries in the associated 3-D look-up table.

Frames Per Second (FPS): Ameasure of how many image frames are displayed per second. The term appliesequally to film projection and digital video. Each frame is a still image.

Gain: Primarily adjusts the white level (highlights). Gamma: Primarily adjusts the image levels between the shadows and the highlights, commonly known as the

mid-tones.

Hand (Pan):One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, the tool pans the clip for targetedviewing when the Zoom tool has been employed.

Histogram: A graphical representation showing distribution of pixel values. In Color Assist, the Histogramdisplays how often pixel values appear in an image, with dark tones represented on the left and light tones

represented on the right.

History Panel:Tracks and displays the changes that have been made to video clip currently in the ViewerWindow. The History is automatically deleted at the end of a color correction session.

Hue:Refers to the angle of a color on the color wheel. Varying saturation levels of the same hue aredistinguished with adjectives - such as with "light blue," "medium blue," and "bright blue".


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Imaging Tools: The tools that are enabled in Color Assist when working with the Viewer Window and in splitscreen mode in the Viewer Window. These include the Sync Timecode, Sync Play, Butterfly, Zoom, Hand, and

Reset Zoom tools.

Inverse S- Curve:The inverse s-curve is often applied to video material before color correction to put it in aproper color grading space.

ITU 601:International Telecommunications Union Recommendation 601 was published in 1982. ITU 601defines a standard for encoding analog video signal as digital video. It includes definitions for 525-line 60 Hz

video and 625-line video encoding with an image aspect ratio of 4:3. Color encoding is defined as YCbCr 4:2:2.

Video recorded in ITU 601 will be properly displayed on standard definition monitors.

ITU 709:International Telecommunications Union Recommendation 709 was approved in 1990. ITU 709defines a standard for encoding High-Definition Video. The standard includes definitions for several image

resolutions and frame/field rates. One of the most popular versions is referred to as 1080i (1920 x 1080 at

60/50 fields per second). The color encoding is defined as YCrCb 4:2:2. The image has an aspect ratio of 16:9

and the pixels are square. Video recorded in ITU 709 will be correctly displayed on High-Definition monitors.

Key Selector: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist, use the Key Selector to quickly target, orkey, a specific color or color range in the clip for adjustment or manipulation.

Lattice Resolution: The lattice resolution of 3-D Look-Up Tables is the number of entries for each axis of theRGB cube. The three axis of the cube represent red, green and blue. A common size is 17x17x17 which

defines 4913 RGB triplets. RGB input values which fall in-between lattice points are interpolated.

Lift:Primarily adjusts the images black level (dark tones or shadows). Log Curve Profile: A technique that uses specialized color encoding when an image is recorded in order to

make optimum use of the bit depth available during image acquisition. An example of this technique is found

in the CineStyle Profile.

Log Footage: Moving images shot with a logarithmic profile, as offered with the CineStyle Profile mode. Look Up Table (LUT): A LUT is essentially a system to map colors in images, taking input color data and

transforming it to output color data.

(CineStyle) Looks: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist offering CineStyle Looks designed byTechnicolors expert colorists for quick and easy color grading, as well as customer created Custom Looks.

Luminance: A quantity representing the measured brightness of a pixel as defined by a specific mathematicalformula.

MetaColor (file): The name of the file created and referenced in CineStyle Color Assist and Looks that containsinformation of the color correction performed and applied to an original video file. These files, identified by a

.XCSL extension, will have the same name as the original video clip and must remain in the same folder withthe clip for the Color Composition to be associated with it.

Metadata: In relation to the Color Assist tool, descriptive data, or information about,the details of the imagefile being worked on in addition to the effects applied by the users in the Color Assist color correction process.

Offset: Adds or subtracts a code-value offset to the RGB components of an image either individually ortogether.


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Playhead: A graphic representation in a timeline that represents the position, or frame, of the video that isbeing viewed.

Plug-in: Aset of software components that adds specific capabilities to a larger software application. Ifsupported, a plug-in enables customizing and/or enhancing the functionality of an application.

Power: Primarily adjusts the image levels between the shadows and the highlights, commonly known as themid-tones. (Same as Gamma)

Reset Zoom:One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, Reset Zoom resets the effects inthe Viewer Window of using Zoom.

RGB: Anadditivecolor model in whichred,green,andblue light are added together in various proportions toreproduce a broad array ofcolors.The name of the model comes from the initials of the threeadditive

primary colors,red, green, and blue. Equal levels of red, green, and blue produce gray levels.

S-Curve:Named for its resemblance to the letter S, the S-curve is most often used as an output or viewing LUTduring the creative color grading process. It increases contrast while gently rolling off the highlights and

shadows to avoid clipping artifacts.

Saturation: Saturation is the colorfulness of a pixel relative to its own brightness. The saturation control ona color corrector typically adjusts the chrominance of an image. A totally de-saturated color would appear

gray. Likewise, a totally de-saturated image would appear black and white.

Slope: Multiplies a parameter to the RGB components of an image either individually or together. Aparameter greater than 1.0 increases the slope and a parameter less than 1.0 decreases the slope.

Split Screen Mode: A feature in Color Assistallowing side-by-side evaluation and comparison of two images. Sync Play:One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes left and right video

playback using shared play/pause controls, while allowing for independent left and right video Playhead slider

adjustment.

Sync Timecode: One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes the Timecodes inleft and right video playback, while allowing for independent left and right video play/pause control and

synchronized Playhead slider adjustment.

Timecode: Time-code refers to the unique number assigned to each frame of video in a sequence. Thenumber is comprised of the hour, minute, second and frame from an agreed upon initial starting point. The

hours, minutes, and seconds fields may be the actual time of day or the elapsed time since the start of the roll

of tape. The frames field contains the frame number during the current second being recorded. Logging the

time-code for the start and end frames of each shot provides a reference for later synchronization efforts.

Value:The relative lightness or darkness of a color. Adding more white to a color, the lighter the value. Vectorscope: A circular reference display for visualizing chrominance signals. The middle of the Vectorscope is

neutral with the color Magenta registered near the top right of the scope followed by Blue, Cyan, Green,

Yellow and Red in a clockwise direction. The points around the scale indicate color hue, while the distance

from the center represents the color saturation.

Video Gamma 2.2 to Log Curve: A curve conversion that takes video originally intended to be viewed oncomputers, cell phones, tablets or notebooks, and changes its characteristics in order to make CineStyle Looks

and other work done in Color Assist better suited for ITU 709 and ITU 601 videos. Note applying the Inverse

S-curve may offer a better result, depending on the scene in your video, than the Video Gamma 2.2 to Log

Curve.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_colorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_modelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_primarieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_primarieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_primarieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_primarieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_modelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_color


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Video Gamma 2.4 to Log CurveA curve conversion that takes video originally intended to be viewed onbroadcast television and changes its characteristics in order to make CineStyle Looks and other work done in

Color Assist better suited for Rec709 and Rec601 videos. Note applying the Inverse S-curve may offer a

better result, depending on the scene in your video, than the Video Gamma 2.4 to Log Curve.

Viewer Window:The window in Color Assist displaying the video file actively engaged in color correction andused for video playback.

Waveform (Monitor): In the Color Assist tool, the waveform monitor measures and displays the RGB levels ofa video signal in respect to RGB.

.XCSL File: Or MetaColor file,is the file created and referenced in CineStyle Color Assist and Looks thatcontains information of the color correction performed on a video file. These files will have the same name as

the original video clip and must remain in the same folder with the clip for the Color Composition to be

associated with it.

Zoom:One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, the tool zooms in and out of the videoby clicking and dragging up and down.