View Full Version : color correction - low contrast on female faces


Denez McAdoo
January 31st, 2013, 11:06 AM
sorry, this isn't specific to Adobe, I just can't find a general color correction forum...

So one trick I use in making basic color adjustments to interview footage is to lower the contrast on faces, especially female faces. Poor lighting can have a way of emphasizing and creating flaws and imperfections in a face, harsh freckles and dark spots, eye and neck shadows, wrinkles, and blown out highlights make a person look a bit sweaty and shiny.

Lowering the contrast, especially bringing down highlights drastically, then boosting the mids to bring the over all level back to normal has the magic effect of applying a layer of foundation in post. A slight drop in the shadows restores the blacks from becoming milky (but hopefully don't darken face blemishes, etc.)

The only problem is this often make the hair look dull and often to dark. Does any one else have any different tricks that they use to improve the look of faces in post?

Sanjin Svajger
February 4th, 2013, 05:48 AM
Why not just mask out the hair?

Panagiotis Raris
February 4th, 2013, 01:55 PM
makeup. seriously. nothing worse than a shiny face.

Sanjin Svajger
February 5th, 2013, 10:01 AM
makeup. seriously. nothing worse than a shiny face.

Makeup? If you're referring to my post I was talking about masking the hair out in the grade not about makeup.