Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of Grade School, I'm going to show you how high-end colorists use middle gray as a secret key for better understanding and working with motion images. If you want to deliver better grades, create better looks, make better decisions, solve problems easily, and become a better collaborator, you'll need to know middle gray like this.
•••••••••
Grab my exposure chart DCTL here (free): https://procolor.ist/exposure-dctl
Get the full mindset of a colorist by reading my ebook, "The Colorist's Ten Commandments": https://procolor.ist/ebook
Ready to move from grading shots to creating looks? Get a free trial of Contour, my look design plugin for Resolve that uses battle-tested, Hollywood color science: https://procolor.ist/contour-official
•••••••••
You can also grab my free Kodak 2383 film LUT for free: https://procolor.ist/freelut
Check out my Voyager LUT pack here: https://procolor.ist/voyager-lut-pack
0:00 Introduction
2:49 What is middle grey?
8:00 Why do we care about middle grey?
25:03 Correct contrast using the 18% grey rule
27:55 Midgrey cheatsheet explained
29:15 Mid grey in REC709
42:30 When should we move middle grey?
44:06 Do you target darker or brighter zones to get 18% grey?
46:35 What is the difference between normalized and 10 bit in the midgrey cheatsheet?
48:00 Do you have to set the timeline settings to the space you're working in even if you color manage to another color space to make the tools behave properly?
49:01 Using midgrey in a real grade scenario
58:48 Why is linear gamma exponential in a ramp?
1:01:00 Convert log to Rec. 709 with contrast and correct midgrey
1:02:45 Biasing color in mid grey
In this episode of Grade School, I'm going to show you how high-end colorists use middle gray as a secret key for better understanding and working with motion images. If you want to deliver better grades, create better looks, make better decisions, solve problems easily, and become a better collaborator, you'll need to know middle gray like this.
•••••••••
Grab my exposure chart DCTL here (free): https://procolor.ist/exposure-dctl
Get the full mindset of a colorist by reading my ebook, "The Colorist's Ten Commandments": https://procolor.ist/ebook
Ready to move from grading shots to creating looks? Get a free trial of Contour, my look design plugin for Resolve that uses battle-tested, Hollywood color science: https://procolor.ist/contour-official
•••••••••
You can also grab my free Kodak 2383 film LUT for free: https://procolor.ist/freelut
Check out my Voyager LUT pack here: https://procolor.ist/voyager-lut-pack
0:00 Introduction
2:49 What is middle grey?
8:00 Why do we care about middle grey?
25:03 Correct contrast using the 18% grey rule
27:55 Midgrey cheatsheet explained
29:15 Mid grey in REC709
42:30 When should we move middle grey?
44:06 Do you target darker or brighter zones to get 18% grey?
46:35 What is the difference between normalized and 10 bit in the midgrey cheatsheet?
48:00 Do you have to set the timeline settings to the space you're working in even if you color manage to another color space to make the tools behave properly?
49:01 Using midgrey in a real grade scenario
58:48 Why is linear gamma exponential in a ramp?
1:01:00 Convert log to Rec. 709 with contrast and correct midgrey
1:02:45 Biasing color in mid grey
