1. Reading Video Scopes with Certainty
Never trust an uncalibrated monitor. Press Alt+2 to open FilmCraft's Scopes dock:
Waveform (Luma)
Measures overall brightness from 0 (crushed black) to 100 IRE (blown-out specular highlights).
RGB Parade
Splits Red, Green, and Blue channels side-by-side to detect color casts and balance white points.
Vectorscope
Monitors hue saturation and features the critical 10 o'clock skin tone alignment line.
2. The 4-Step Practical Grading Pipeline
Step 1 Log Normalization (Rec.709 Transform)
If shooting Sony S-Log3, Canon C-Log, or Panasonic V-Log, add FilmCraft's Color Space Transform (CST) node or apply the manufacturer conversion LUT to expand the dynamic range into standard Rec.709.
Step 2 Primary Corrections (Lift, Gamma, Gain)
Use the Lift wheel to seat true blacks at 5-10 IRE on the Waveform. Push the Gain wheel until brightest highlights touch 90-95 IRE without clipping. Balance temperature and tint to neutralize shadows.
Step 3 Secondary Isolation & Skin Tones
Use the HSL Qualifier dropper on the subject's forehead or cheek. In the Vectorscope, ensure the skin tone energy sits directly along the 58-degree skin indicator axis, regardless of ethnicity.
Step 4 Stylized Look & 3D LUT Emulation
Apply a subtle teal-and-orange split tone or load Kodak 2383 / Fuji 3513 print film emulation .cube LUTs at 60-70% opacity for organic cinematic roll-off.