Hello

Sorry if this is in the wrong section but was wondering if you all had any tips on where one can learn some colour theory and how to grade (in FCP/Color)

I know my way around the Final Cut three way color corrector and so on, but I feel as though every time I end up grading something I end up hurting it more than I help it

I think I need a course in the subject.

thanks!

The best place you can start is with the manual for Color. If you fail to understand something, look it up in wikipedia. By the end of this process you will have had a beginner's course in color theory. You will be better informed on which route to take from there on.

Hope this helps.

First balance things that you know should be grey (including appropriate bare metals), then work on making sure skin tones are correct. This will get you started.

Andrew

I appreciate your help guys, I'll get started with the two (now, painfully obvious) starting points that you guys mention and see where I land from there.
Thanks again

Is there any ttorial online?

If you locate a photography based "colour correction" tutorial, this will be just as good. The principles are the same.

Andrew

Video Color Correction Tutorials & Training: Tao of Color Grading (http://taoofcolor.com/) is a great place to start.

AppleShakeGuru on youtube has a ton of free tutorials. He's long winded, but very good if you have the time to "scrub" through with search and find what you're looking for. There's a few others out there, but it does take time to search out exactly what you need.

By far the best text I have found on the topic:

Amazon.com: Color Correction Handbook: Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema (9780321713117): Alexis Van Hurkman: Books



It's not specific to Apple Color although that is one of the coloring tools referenced in the book along with several professional coloring suites like Resolve, SpeedGrade, etc.