[Tig] Curves for serious Color Correction

[Adam Inglis]

i have recently started using eworks lustre after a few years on baselight (back when it didnt have curves,which it does now i think). At first i was somewhat suspicious of curve based grading, particularly for film DI. But as i have got more familiar with the tools i have realised that certain looks that may have once taken me ages pulling keys and rotoing shapes, can now be done with curves much quicker. They should still be used with caution, and the temptation to open up the box of tricks does nothing for one's grading discipline, but yes, curves are useful albeit not a primary grading tool, and i managed absolutely fine without them. Furthermore, other functions are (or at least were) more important, features like real time playback, printer light grading, a sensible workflow etc. So, in my opinion at least, curves are fun but not essential. But be that as it may, i use them a lot now, and i'd expect them to become part of the standard toolset on virtually all future software grading systems.
 
adam inglis
senior digital intermediate colourist
capital-fx, london
 
 

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I understand that correcting with Curves can be fairly disastrous if 
left to inexperienced hands, but could anyone explain why a colorist 
would NOT want this tool in his color correction palette? It seems 
like a very intuitive way to make very specific adjustments in 
tonality and even color, when used with an RGB parade scope and 
individual RGB Curves.

Is it a case that practically every colorist in the world has been 
trained on da Vinci and da Vinci doesn't have Photoshop-like Curves, 
therefor they can't be useful?