High Dynamic Range (HDR) color grading

Use the following workflow to adjust color grading in the Rec.2020/S-Log3 color space and then convert to high dynamic range (Rec.2020/S-Log3, Rec.2020/HLG, or Rec.2020/PQ) or standard dynamic range (Rec.2020 or Rec.709) color spaces for distribution.

You can use the Color Adjustments controls in the Inspector to perform color grading that is applied globally to all clips. If you want to save your color-correction settings, you can transcode clips to create new files. For more information, see "Saving and sharing clips."

  1. Adjust Catalyst Browse options for HDR color grading:

    1. Click the Options button .

    2. From the Working color space drop-down list, choose Rec.2020/S-Log3 (HDR).

      3. When you choose Rec.2020/S-Log3 from the Working color space drop-down list, you can enable the SDR gain switch to convert between standard- and high-dynamic-range content:

      SDR gain

      When the switch is enabled, you can drag the Gain slider to choose the gain that is applied when reading SDR content or when exporting to an SDR format or displaying on an SDR display.

      For example, if you set the slider to -6.0 dB, a linear gain of +6.0 dB (2.0x) is applied when reading SDR content, and a linear gain of -6.0 dB (0.5x) is applied when exporting to an SDR format or displaying on an SDR display.

    3. From the Preview color space drop-down list, choose the color space for the Catalyst Browse video preview window.

      In most cases, choose Rec.709 for your computer monitor, or you can choose other settings to check your video using scopes. For more information, see "Loading a clip/clip list for color adjustments and configuring the waveform, histogram, and vectorscope monitors."

    4. From the External monitor color space drop-down list, choose the setting that matches the EOTF (electro-optical transfer function) setting on your external monitor.

      You can use the AIR Matching (Artistic Intent Rendering) or bypass OOTF settings to achieve a consistent look between external-monitor previews and rendered clips.

      Using AIR Matching to monitor using the S-Log3 (Live HDR) EOTF

      Sony BVM-X300 version 2.0 monitor settings:

      • Color Space: ITU-R BT.2020

      • EOTF: S-Log3 (Live HDR)

      • Transfer Matrix: ITU-R BT.2020

      • In the Catalyst Browse Options menu, choose Rec.2020/S-Log3 from the External monitor color space drop-down list.

        Content mastered using these settings and rendered to HLG or PQ with AIR Matching should have the same look on HLG or PQ monitors or televisions.

      Using bypass OOTF to monitor using the S-Log3 (HDR) EOTF

      Sony BVM-X300 version 2.0 monitor settings:

      • Color Space: ITU-R BT.2020

      • EOTF: S-Log3 (HDR)

      • Transfer Matrix: ITU-R BT.2020

      • In the Catalyst Browse Options menu, choose Rec.2020/S-Log3 from the External monitor color space drop-down list.

        Content mastered using these settings and rendered to HLG or PQ with bypass OOTF should have the same look on HLG or PQ monitors or televisions.

      Converting HDR media to SDR color spaces

      When converting HDR media to standard dynamic range color spaces, use the following settings to preserve your Rec.2020/S-Log3 grading (the dynamic range of the HDR color space will be clamped to the BT.709 gamma curve):

      • In Options, set the Working color space to Rec.2020/S-Log3 (HDR).

      • In Options, enable the SDR gain switch and adjust the control to choose the gain curve that will be applied when exporting to an SDR format or displaying on an SDR display.

      • In Options, set the Preview color space for the video preview to Rec.709 or Rec.2020.

      When converting HDR media to standard dynamic range color spaces, use the following settings to preserve more of the dynamic range of the original HDR media:

      • In Options, set the Working color space to Rec.709.

      • In the Inspector, set the Convert to color space to 709(800), HG8009G33, or HG8009G40.

    5. From the External monitor device drop-down list, choose the device where you've connected a monitor that supports the Rec.2020 color gamut and an HDR luminance curve, such as the Sony BVM-X300.

    6. From the Monitor resolution drop-down list, choose the appropriate resolution for your external monitor.

  2. Click the Browse button at the top of the Catalyst Browse window to view the Media Browser.

  3. Double-click a clip in the Media Browser to load it.

    Color correction is available only in View mode.

  4. Click the Adjust Color button at the bottom of the Catalyst Browse window. In this mode, Catalyst Browse displays a waveform/histogram/vectorscope monitor, a video preview, and color controls that you can use to adjust the appearance of your video.

    The waveform/histogram/vectorscope monitor and video preview window allow you to monitor your progress as you adjust color values. For more information, see "Editing Color Adjustments controls."

  5. Click the Inspector button in the toolbar to display the Inspector pane if it isn't already visible. In the Adjust Color workspace, the Inspector pane provides controls that you will use to adjust color-grading settings.

  6. Use the color wheels and controls in the Inspector pane to adjust your colors as needed. For more information, see "Editing Color Adjustments controls."

  7. Click the Tools button at the bottom of the Catalyst Browse window and choose Export color settings from the menu if you want to export your settings as a 3D LUT file.

    For more information, see "Exporting color-correction settings."