Color Assist User Guide

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide
Table of Contents
About CineStyle Color Assist ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Installation............................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Color Assist License Validation ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Color Assist Plug-in Installation ............................................................................................................................................ 6 Color Assist Workflow and Editors ....................................................................................................................................... 8 Adobe Premiere Pro ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Apple Final Cut Pro 7 ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Color Assist File Types .......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Log Curve and Standard Picture Profile for Color Correction .............................................................................................. 9 Color Assist Application Toolbar ........................................................................................................................................ 11 File Menu........................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Edit Menu ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Bin Menu ........................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Windows Menu .............................................................................................................................................................. 12 Help Menu ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Color Assist Overview ......................................................................................................................................................... 14 File Browser ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 File Bin ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16 Viewer Window .................................................................................................................................................................. 17 STANDARD VIDEO PLAYBACK ......................................................................................................................................... 17 SPLIT SCREEN MODE ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Color Correction Tools........................................................................................................................................................ 19 Common Buttons in Color Tools .................................................................................................................................... 19 LOOKS TOOL ................................................................................................................................................................... 20 COLOR CONTROL TOOL .................................................................................................................................................. 20 KEY SELECTOR TOOL ....................................................................................................................................................... 22 CURVES TOOL ................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Color Scopes ....................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Color Scope Customization ............................................................................................................................................ 25 History Monitor .................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Metadata Monitor.............................................................................................................................................................. 26 Color Assist Technical Requirements ................................................................................................................................. 28 Fundamental Color Correction Tasks and Color Assist....................................................................................................... 29 Color Assist Glossary .......................................................................................................................................................... 31
2012 Proprietary and Confidential, Technicolor
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About CineStyle Color Assist
CineStyle Color Assist was designed by Technicolor color scientists as a color correction and preview tool for filmmakers and videographers of all skill levels, beginner to the professional. Leveraging over 95 years of color science experience, Color Assist allows you to speed up your production workflow by quickly and easily previewing, applying and modifying CineStyle Looks designed by Technicolors expert team of colorists. Color Assists plug-ins provide ultimate flexibility by working seamlessly with Final Cut Pro 7 and Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS6 to allow the color correction process to begin on-set while youre shooting or after editorial - the choice is yours! CineStyle Color Assists powerful features include:

Instant color correction & grading with render free playback 25 CineStyle Looks designed by Technicolor colorists for quick grading Ability to save up to 9 Color Compositions per video clip Non-destructive color correction & grading via MetaColor file User-friendly interface 3-Way Color Corrector, Key Selector & Curves Adjustments for advanced control Support for common video codecs in SD, HD & 2K resolutions Scopes to easily monitor color information in your footage Plugin support for Apple Final Cut Pro 7 & Adobe Premiere Pro Creative Suite 5.5 & CS6 Expandable library with additional premium CineStyle Looks packages Secondary monitor support for full screen playback based on Technicolors award-winning DP Lights System
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Installation
At the completion of your order on the Technicolor CineStyle website, you will be sent a Purchase Confirmation email from cinestyle@technicolor.com. This email contains your Color Assist License Key and a download link that will deliver a Zip file containing the: Color Assist installer Color Assist Plug-in folder(s) README file Color Assist User Guide Color Assist Quick Start Guide
PC Installer Package Before You Install Color Assist 1.
Mac Installer Package
Close other programs. This includes any host application you may be running and virus protection software. Applications or Virus protection software may prevent Color Assist from installing and registering correctly. Run the Color Assist installer by itself. To prevent installation issues, dont run more than one installer at the same time and make sure to close any completed installations or other products or software.
2.
Important Note: While you are able to choose the download destination for Color Assist, the 25 CineStyle Looks that are included will download to and create a folder (CineStyle Looks) in the top level of your My Documents directory. This folder must remain where it was created in order to enable Color Assist to locate and display the Looks. If you have accidentally deleted the CineStyle Looks folder, you can re-download it by holding down the Ctrl + Alt (Cmd+Alt on Macs) keys together and then launching the Color Assist application. The CineStyle Looks folder will be recreated together with its original files.
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Color Assist License Validation
Enter the name and the email address of the Color Assist purchaser. Select the number of Color Assist licenses you purchased. Enter the License Key. We highly suggest that you copy and paste the license key directly from the confirmation email to prevent typos. Click the OK button.
If you receive an Invalid License Information error, please check that: Youve entered your name and email address as shown in your Purchase Confirmation email. These fields are case sensitive. Youve selected the correct number of Color Assist licenses that have been purchased. If you select 2 in the Licenses Purchased field but youve purchased only 1 copy, this error will appear. Youve entered your License Key exactly as it is presented. The License key is case sensitive and does require the shown hyphenation.
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Color Assist Plug-in Installation

You will need to first download, install, and certify the Color Assist application before installing the Color Assist Plugins. The Color Assist Plug-ins can be found in the same zip file installer package that contained the Color Assist application.
Mac Users:
o Apple Final Cut Pro 7 Plug-in: Drag the CineStyle Color Assist.fxplug folder into the Macintosh HD > Library > Plug-Ins > FxPlug. If the Plug-Ins and FxPlug directories do not exist, create them (they are case-sensitive).
Adobe Premiere Pro: Drag the CineStyle Color Assist.plugin file into this directory: Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Adobe > Common > Plug-ins > CS5.5 (or CS6) > MediaCore.
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PC Users:
o
Adobe Premiere Pro Plug-in: Copy and paste the CineStyle Color Assist Plug-in folder into this directory: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\Plug-ins\CS5.5(or CS6)\MediaCore.
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Color Assist Workflow and Editors

o o o Open the CineStyle Color Assist application Open Adobe Premiere Pro or Apple Final Cut Pro Create a project and add videos for editing
Adobe Premiere Pro
1. 2. 3. 4.
Select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then drag and drop the Color Assist filter from the Effects tab onto your clips. Double-click a clip to view it in your Source Monitor. Send the clip to Color Assist by clicking the Send to Color Assist button in the Effect Controls tab of the source monitor. Once Color Compositions are saved in Color Assist, the clips in your sequence are instantly updated in Adobe Premiere Pro and ready for finishing.
Important Note: When new clips are added to your project, simply repeat steps 1 through 4 to color correct.
Apple Final Cut Pro 7
1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
Select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then drag and drop the Color Assist filter from the Effects tab of the Browser window onto your video clip. o Alternatively you can select the clips you want to color correct in your timeline and then Navigate to the Effects menu > Video Filters > Technicolor > CineStyle Color Assist. Once the filter is applied, double-click on any clip with the filter and go to the viewer window. Click on the Link to MetaColor button and all selected clips are now ready for color correction. Click Send to Color Assist button. Once Color Compositions are saved in Color Assist, the clips in your sequence are instantly updated in Final Cut Pro 7 for finishing.
Important Note: When new clips are added to your project, simply repeat steps 1 through 5 to color correct.
2012 Proprietary and Confidential, Technicolor Page 8 of 35
Color Assist File Types
Color Assist will create a .XCSL (MetaColor) file for each video clip you save that has been color corrected (a Color Composition). The .XCSL file will have the same name as your original video clip and must remain in the same folder with the clip for your Color Compositions to be associated with it. If the MetaColor file is deleted, all Color Composition work associated with the file will be lost. Color Assist will create a .CSL file for each Custom CineStyle Look you create. The .CSL file will have the name you give your Custom Look at the time you add it, and can be found in your CineStyle Looks folder in the top level of your My Documents folder. This same icon will also represent the CineStyle Looks included with Color Assist and those purchased separately. The CineStyle Looks folder must remain where it was created in order to enable Color Assist to locate and display the Looks.
Log Curve and Standard Picture Profile for Color Correction

Technicolor recommends acquiring your video file clips in a Log Curve camera profile, such as the CineStyle Camera Profile, to allow for the greatest latitude during the color correction process. To learn more about the advantages of the CineStyle Profile, please visit: https://technicolorcinestyle.com/download/ Log Curve Profile o CineStyle Looks are designed to work with video file clips acquired with the CineStyle Profile or other Log Curve camera profile. To quickly and easily get a sense of the range of Color Composition possibilities offered with Color Assist, simply put your Log Curve footage in a more cinematic color space by applying the S-Curve Look. You can then modify your video using other COLOR CORRECTION tools or choose other more stylized Looks as desired. When working with standard picture profile (ITU 709, SRGB) footage, select and apply a Preselected Log Curve (2.2 or 2.4 Gamma, or Inverse S-Curve) onto the video to bring your footage into a Log color space thats best suited to your footage. This will simulate the look of the CineStyle Profile and put it in a space to best utilize the CineStyle Looks provided with Color Assist or purchased separately as a package.
Standard Picture Profile o
To apply the Log Curve profile to a Standard Picture Profile: 1. 2. 3. Select the Curves Tool from the COLOR CORRECTION tab. Select the Curve from the four options that you would like to apply. After applying the Log Curve, you can color correct as usual and all applied Looks and adjustments will be made on top of the applied Curve.
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COLOR ASSIST TOOL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

PC Mac
Application Toolbar
File Menu
Ctrl + S = Save Look in Viewer Window Ctrl + W = Close Media in Viewer Window Cmd + S = Save Look in Viewer Window Cmd + W = Close Media in Viewer Window Cmd + Z = Undo most recent color correction step Cmd + Y = Redo most recent color correction step Cmd + C = Copy color correction of clip in Viewer Window Cmd + V = Paste color correction of clip copied Cmd + T = Sends selected clip to editor Cmd + (1-9) to switch between saved Looks of clip in Viewer Window Cmd + 0 to switch to Looks "in progress" and not yet saved
Edit Menu
Ctrl + Z = Undo most recent color correction step Ctrl + Y = Redo most recent color correction step Ctrl + C = Copy color correction of clip in Viewer Window Ctrl + V = Paste color correction of clip copied
Bin Menu
Ctrl + T = Sends selected clip to editor
Saved Color Compositions/Bin

Ctrl + (1-9) to switch between saved Looks of clip in Viewer Window Ctrl + 0 to switch to Looks "in progress" and not yet saved
Viewer Window
Spacebar = Play/pause clip Z = Launch Zoom Imaging Tool H = Launch Hand Imaging Tool (Hold) Shift + Z = Reset Zoom
Looks Tool
Directional to navigate between Look thumbnails ENTER/RETURN to apply highlighted Look to clip in the Viewer Window
Color Control Tool

(Hold) A + mouse/trackpad adjusts Shadows Color Wheel (Hold) S + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Midtones Color Wheel (Hold) D + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Highlights Color Wheel (Hold) Shift + A + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Shadows luminance slider (Hold) Shift + S + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Midtones luminance slider (Hold) Shift + D + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Highlights luminance slider (Hold) Shift +Z + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Saturation slider
Key Selector Tool

(Hold) A + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Color Wheel (Hold) Shift + A + mouse/trackpad adjusts the Hue/Saturation/Luminance sliders (Hold) Shift + Z + mouse/trackpad adjusts Color Wheel Saturation slider
File Browser
ENTER/RETURN to send highlighted file to the Bin Ctrl + O to send highlighted file to the Bin Cmd + O to send highlighted file to the Bin
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Color Assist Application Toolbar
Offering File, Edit, Bin, Windows and Help drop down menus, the application toolbar, located in the upper-left of the Color Assist application, offers access to application-specific functions, product support resources, information and documentation.
File Menu
o Save Color Composition Saves the Color Composition work youve done to a video clip in Color Assist as a MetaColor (.XCSL) file to the same file folder the clip was originally accessed from. You can save 9 Color Compositions per clip in the .XCSL file. Close Media Closes the media being viewed in the Viewer Window but leaves it in the Bin. Save Color Composition as 3D LUT Saves the Color Composition operations performed under the COLOR CORRECTION tab as an 8-bit integer, 10-bit integer, or Float Look Up Table. Save Color Composition as 1D LUT - Saves the Color Composition operations performed under the COLOR CORRECTION tab as an 8-bit or 10-bit integer Look Up Table.
o o
o o o
Save Color Composition as CDL - Saves the Color Composition operations performed under the COLOR CORRECTION tab as a Color Decision List. Save frame as - Saves the frame displayed in the Viewer Window as a Png, Dpx, Jpg or Tiff file. Preferences - Offers access to settings that allow you to customize the way you use Color Assist. o Fullscreen Expands the Color Assist tool so that it appears on your monitor without a frame. o Secondary Playback Window Check the box if you use a second monitor on which you would like the Viewer Window to appear and play back on. o Playback on Secondary Window Only Check the box if you want to view playback on your secondary monitor only (a still frame will appear on the primary monitor). Secondary Playback Window must be enabled before this option will be offered. o Disable Welcome Screen Disable the default welcome screen that appears in the Viewer Window. o Advanced Color Controls Enable/disable the Offset/Lift, Power/Gamma and Slope/Gain controls that are available in the Color Control tool under the COLOR CORRECTION tab. Quit Color Assist Closes the Color Assist Tool.
Important Note: Color Compositions saved as 3D LUT are saved in the following lattice resolutions: 8-bit integer (16*16*16) 10-bit integer (17*17*17) Float (33*33*33)
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Edit Menu
o o o
CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Undo Reverses the most recent Color Composition step taken. Redo Appears in Edit menu only after an Undo action and reapplies that Color Composition step. Copy Color Composition Copies the accumulated Color Composition operations applied to the clip selected from the Bin. Paste Color Composition Appears in Edit menu only after Copy Color Composition has been used and applies those accumulated operations.
Bin Menu
o Expand/Collapse Stack If youve saved Color Compositions in the Bin from the same original clip, you can expand or collapse their arrangement in the Bin. Remove Clip Removes the selected clip from the Bin. Clear Bin Removes all clips from the Bin. Send to Editor Sends the selected clip to your video editing software for editing or finishing.
o o o
Windows Menu
o Choose which Colorscopes - Histogram, Waveform Monitor, or Vectorscope, which Panels - History or Metadata, and if the Bin is displayed or hidden in Color Assist. Your choice of what to display or hide can be easily changed at any time.
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Help Menu

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Color Assist FAQs Answers to the most common questions about the Color Assist tool. Customer Support Access to CineStyle products FAQs, the Color Assist Quick Start Guide & User Guide, and Video Tutorials. Still cant find your answer? Contact a CineStyle Support Specialist for assistance.
o o o
Check For Updates Check for updates to the Color Assist application. Purchase CineStyle Looks Purchase additional CineStyle Looks packages. About Provides information about Color Assists version, license holder, and creators.
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Color Assist Overview
BIN
VIEWER WINDOW
WINDOW RESIZING POINTS
COLOR SCOPES
COLOR TOOLS
COLOR LOOKS
HISTORY
METADATA
The Color Assist Viewer Window can be resized both vertically and horizontally to allow more or less space to the COLOR CORRECTION and FILE BROWSER areas, as well as the COLOR SCOPES, HISTORY and METADATA MONITOR Panels. Each Panels top to bottom placement can be rearranged, expanded or minimized, resized in relation to the other panels, and be detached as a floating window. All Scopes and Monitors that comprise the Panels, as well as the Bin area, can be individually displayed or hidden by (de)selection under the Windows menu in the Color Assist Application Toolbar.
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File Browser
The File Browser allows you to navigate to the video files on your storage devices that you are ready to color correct.
FILE VIEW
ZOOM BAR
UP ARROW
SEARCH WINDOW
PRIMARY/SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES
DIRECTORY BREADCRUMB
o o o
o o o o o o
Click on the FILE BROWSER tab. Navigate through your computers folders and locate the desired video files. Select and double-click on a video thumbnail to import the clip into the Bin. o Mac: You can also use the arrow keys to highlight a thumbnail, then press CMD+O to add the clip to the Bin. o PC: You can also use the arrow keys to highlight a thumbnail, then press Ctrl +O to add the clip to the Bin. The clips you send to the Bin will also appear as thumbnails. The Search Window allows you to do a text search within a folder. Use the Zoom Bar above the File Bowser to resize the Looks thumbnails. The Up Arrow button allows you to navigate back up through your directory structure. Use the directory structure file breadcrumb in the lower-right of the File Browser to quickly navigate back to a folder. Use the File View options to display your files in an icon view or in a list view.
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File Bin
The Bin contains active files ready for color correction:
o o o o o o o o o
You can add as many clips as you like to the Bin. Scroll sideways to see all clips in the Bin by using the track pad or keyboard arrows. Hover over a thumbnail to view the video file name. Drag-and-drop or double-click a thumbnail to send the clip to Viewer Window. You can apply up to 9 separate Color Compositions to a video file. Click on the arrows in the upper right corner of a clip to expand (>>) or collapse (<<) the clips Color Compositions. When a thumbnail is expanded, the number on the right side indicates the number of Color Compositions that have been added to the file. A star indicates the Master Color Composition, which is the default Look that will open when adding a file to the Viewer. The Master Look is selected with the Master button in the METADATA panel. Right-click on any clip in the Bin for quick access to frequently used Color Assist editing functions. o Expand/Collapse Stack If youve saved multiple Color Compositions in the Bin from the same original clip, you can expand or collapse their arrangement. Remove Clip Removes the selected clip from the Bin. Clear Bin Removes all clips from the Bin. Send to Editor Sends the selected clip to your video editing software for editing or finishing. You can also send to the editor by using your keyboards arrow keys to highlight a thumbnail and using Ctrl+T (CMD+T for Mac). Copy/Paste Color Composition Copies/pastes the accumulated color correction work applied to the clip selected from the Bin.
o o o
Important Note: Send to Editor does not open Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro. One of these editors must already be open and running on your computer along with the Color Assist plug-in in order to send videos from the Color Assist application.
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Viewer Window
STANDARD VIDEO PLAYBACK
IMAGING TOOLS
PLAYHEAD
VOLUME CONTROL/MUTE
To playback a single video, you can drag-and-drop a clip from the Bin onto the Viewer Window, or double-click it to send it to the Viewer. Start and stop video playback by clicking on the play/ pause button or by hitting the spacebar. A secondary playback window can be turned on through the Preferences setting (found under the File menu), which will allow viewing on a separate monitor. To view a different video from the Bin, just drag-and-drop the thumbnail onto the Viewer Window or doubleclick it.
Imaging Tools in Viewer Window Zoom Zoom in and out of the clip in the Viewer Window by clicking and dragging up and down.
Hand (Pan) Move and reposition your clip in the Viewer when you are Zoomed in. Zoom Reset Cancels out the effects of using the Zoom tool and takes your clip back to its original position in the Viewer.
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SPLIT SCREEN MODE
SPLIT SCREEN DIVIDER
SPLIT SCREEN IMAGING TOOLS
To compare two clips in the Viewer Window, hold down the Alt button and simply drag a second clip thumbnail into the Viewer. Split screen mode will automatically activate. The Split Screen divider bar allows you to determine how much of each videos frame to reveal between the two compared clips in the Viewer Window. By moving the divider bar to the left or the right, more or less of the videos being compared will be revealed. These clips will be represented in the Metadata panel by the Left and Right tabs. For editing purposes, you can switch between videos by clicking on the video itself in the Viewer Window or by using the Left/Right tabs in the Metadata panel. If you wish to work on only one video and discontinue the use of split screen mode, close one of the videos by clicking the X in the top right corner to close the right video, or the top left X to close the left video.
Additional Imaging Tools are enabled in the Viewer when working in Split Screen mode: Sync Timecode Synchronizes the Timecodes in left and right video playback, while allowing for independent left and right video play/pause control and synchronized Playhead slider adjustment. Sync Play One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes left and right video playback using shared play/pause controls, while allowing for independent left and right video Playhead slider adjustment. Butterfly Flip (on the y-axis) the left side video clip for easy comparison of color correction efforts.
Important Note: Sync Play is not available when a secondary monitor (Secondary Playback Window under the Preferences menu) is activated. The combination of Sync Timecode and Sync Play provides for a synchronized playback and Playhead experience while using shared controls to manage the left and right videos.
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Color Correction Tools
The Color Assist tools are arranged in order of how adjustments are applied to video clips. Starting from the original video, Curves are applied first, followed by Key Selector and Color Control adjustments, and finally CineStyle Looks. You can compose your color in any order you like but each color change will be layered in this order.
If youd like a quick, effortless and dramatic color correction effect, simply start your project by applying a CineStyle Look to your video.
Common Buttons in Color Tools Bypass All: Temporarily turns off adjustments from all Color Tools. Solo Effect: Shows only adjustments made in the selected Color Tool.
Reset: Removes all parameters from the selected Color Tool.
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LOOKS TOOL
A collection of CineStyle Looks provided with Color Assist or purchased from the Technicolor CineStyle website, and Custom CineStyle Looks created by you.
Double-click on a Look to apply it to the clip in the Viewer Window. You can also use your keyboards arrow keys to select a Look and hit Enter to apply it. Click on the Viewer Window play button to view the clip, or use your Space bar to play and pause it. Playback with the new Look will appear in real-time without having to render the video first. Use the Zoom Bar to resize Look thumbnails. After applying a Look, you can still perform other color correction operations using any combination of the Color Control, Key Selector and Curves tools.
COLOR CONTROL TOOL

A powerful tool with color wheels for detailed correction of hue, luminance and saturation in the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights of your image. Advanced Color Controls Off
Click on the Color Wheel and move to adjust the color in the Shadows, Midtones, or Highlights. Doubleclicking on the wheel will reset the color. The Luminance slider above the Color Wheel will adjust the visual brightness of your image. Double-clicking on the slider will reset the luminance. The Saturation slider adjusts the overall color saturation of the entire image. A double-click on the slider will reset the saturation.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide RGB number pads allow for precise color adjustments. o o Resets color adjustments. Resets Luminance adjustments.
Advanced Color Controls On
Enabling Advanced Color Controls under the Preferences menu adds Offset/Lift, Power/Gamma, Slope/Gain operations to the Color Control tools. o Offset/Lift: Offset Adjusts the overall contrast in an image. Lift - Adjusts the images black level (dark tones or shadows). Power/Gamma: Power Similar, if not the same as Gamma when adjusting mid-tones. Gamma - Adjusts the image levels between the Shadows and the Highlights, commonly known as the Mid-tones. Slope/Gain: Slope Adjust/raises the overall brightness of the RGB components either individually or taken as a whole. Gain - Only adjusts the white level (also called the Highlights).
Important Note: Point your mouse over any slider in the Color Control tool and use its wheel to turn the mouse into a fine tuning control for that slider.
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KEY SELECTOR TOOL
Use the Key Selector tab to quickly target a specific color or color range in your video.
Viewer Window
Color Selection
o o o o o
Use the + button to select (key) specific color values. Use the button to reduce (remove keys) color values. Use the rectangle selector to choose an expanded range of colors to be keyed. Select the Hue, Saturation or Luminance controls to fine tune your keyed color(s). Use the slider bar to increase or decrease the range of your selection across the Hue, Saturation and Luminance controls.
Once youve made your Color Selection choices, you can then apply Color Correction and Saturation adjustments to the region or regions of the image that youve chosen to target for specific color enhancement.
Important Note: When selecting a color value, the Key Selector takes similar colors connected to the area keyed and adds them to the selection. The more keys of a particular value selected, the more the color is represented. A maximum of 35,000 color keys can be selected.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide LUMINANCE SLIDER
o o o o
Change the hue of the selected range of color by moving the color wheel. The Luminance slider above the Color Wheel will adjust the visual brightness of the selected color. The Saturation slider adjusts the color saturation of the selected color. The 3D cube shows the selected color inside a 3D color space.
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CURVES TOOL
The Color Assist Curves Tool offers functionality similar to the Curves feature in popular photo editing applications. EYE DROPPERS/PIPETTES
Use the Curves tab to: o o o o Manually set the black point in your image. Manually set the grey point in your image. Manually set the white point in your image. Automatically adjusts the contrast of your image and resets all manual curve and black/gray/white point adjustments. After Auto Contrast is chosen, all other operations performed in the Curves tool are applied to the results of using Auto Contrast. Adjusts the gamma on your video by loading predefined curves: Linear, Inverse SCurve, Gamma 2.2, or Gamma 2.4. If shooting video in a Standard Picture Profile (ITU 709) color space (e.g. Canons Standard Picture Style), a gamma of 2.2 is recommended to accurately view your footage. If shooting using the CineStyle Profile, using the Linear Curve to begin your color correction project is recommended. The Linear Curve is Color Assists default curve and presents footage as it was acquired when shooting. Select between editing all three RGB (Red, Green, Blue) colors at once or creating a separate curve for each color. Click on the drawing tool icon to launch a new grid window that allows you to create/draw your own custom color curve or modify an existing one. You can also automatically add a series of points (or knots) to the curve by clicking next to the curve in the new grid window.
Important Note: Loading a predefined curve will add points (or knots) to the curve which can then be used to further modify it by dragging the knots. You can also add knots to the RBG curves. On all of the curves, one or all of the knots can be removed by dragging them out of the grid. To replace removed knots, use your keyboards Undo function (Ctrl + Z/Cmd + Z) or select a step in the History Panel that predated the knot removal. Removed knots can be added back to the curve by clicking on it.
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Color Scopes
Use the Histogram, Waveform Monitor, and Vectorscope to evaluate, assess and measure the colors in the video being color corrected. o The Histogram displays histogram analyses for each RGB color channel. This is useful for comparing the relative distribution of each color channel across the tonal range of the image.
o The Vectorscope offers a way to visualize chrominance signals through a circular reference display.
o A Waveform monitor is a special type of scope useful for comparing the relative levels of reds, greens, and blues between two video clips.
Color Scope Customization

o The arrangement of scopes from top to bottom can be changed by clicking and holding the scopes title bar then moving it up or down. Click the icon in the upper right corner of a scope title bar to expand or minimize the scopes panel. Each scopes panel can be resized by clicking and holding the bottom of its panel and moving it up or down. Double-clicking a scopes title bar will detach it from the others and it will become a floating window that can be moved to where you prefer. Double-clicking the title bar when a scope is detached will reattach it. You can also simply click and hold a scopes title bar and drag it to a preferred location.
o o
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History Monitor
o o
Use the History panel to see all of the corrections that have been made to the clip currently in the Viewer Window. You can revert back to a previous correction at any time by clicking on a prior recorded step. The History of your Color Composition is maintained until you start working on a different video clip, close the clip you are working on (Close Media), or quit Color Assist. The History is not stored in Color Assist or the clips metadata. If you select a previous step in the History panel and then make a color correction, your previous History (below that point) will not be retained and the new changes you make will appear in the History panel. You can revert back to a previous correction at any time by clicking on a prior recorded step.
Metadata Monitor
Use the Metadata panel to view and reset any embedded Metadata contained in the active video file.
1 2 3 4 5
1. 2.
Displays specific file information about the video in the Viewer Window - the clips name, duration, frames per second, resolution, and codec type. Displays a numerical representation of the Color Compositions saved to a clip. The Composition with a star designates the Master Composition and will appear first in the Bin when the clip is in the Viewer Window. The Master Composition may be changed at any time by selecting another numbered Composition, then clicking the Master button. Selecting a number Look will automatically display it in the Viewer. The symbol indicates a Color Composition that is a work in progress. If it is saved will become the next numbered Composition in the series. Displays and allows the reset of color correction changes made to a clip by using the Curves, Key Selector, and Color Control tools. Displays and allows the reset of the CineStyle or Custom Look if one has been applied to the clip. Allows you to make and save any comments you wish to make about a saved clip. Click on the Click on the Composition). it
3. 4. 5.
button to save any changes and/or save a new Color Composition you have created. button to change the default Color Composition (i.e., move the star icon to another
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Click on the button to create and save a new Custom CineStyle Look in your Look library. Custom Looks you create will be added in your CineStyle Looks folder as a .CSL file and appear in the Color Assist Looks tab with all other Looks youve acquired.
When the Viewer Window is used in split screen mode, the Metadata Panel will display a Left and Right tab allowing you to easily flip between the left and right clips. You can also switch between clips by clicking on the left split or right split frames in the Viewer.
Note: If youve started to create a new Color Composition on a video clip and move to another function in Color Assist without saving the Composition, you will be prompted to save or discard it before continuing.
Note: A Color Composition can be used as a starting point for further color correction. If you try to save a 10th Color Composition, you will be prompted to discard and replace one of the existing 9 Color Compositions youve already saved for a clip. If you wish to delete all Color Compositions associated with a video file, delete the .XCSL (MetaColor) file for that clip.
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Color Assist Technical Requirements System Requirements

o Mac o PC Mac OS X 10.6 and later Intel i3 processor or faster 4GB RAM (8GB preferred) Graphics Card (GPU) with minimum of 1GB VRAM Windows 7: 64 bit Intel i3 processor or faster (or AMD equivalent) 4GB RAM (8GB preferred) Graphics Card (GPU) with minimum of 1GB VRAM
Monitor Display
Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 900
Software Requirements
Apple Final Cut Pro 7 or Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS6
Supported Video File Formats

.MOV .AVI .FLV .MP4
Supported Video Codec Formats

PRORES* Quicktime for PC required. PRORES4444 not supported. H.264 DV WMV
Free Disk Space

200MB of available disk space for installation
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Fundamental Color Correction Tasks and Color Assist
In most post-production workflows, color correction is commonly one of the last steps in finishing an edited program. CineStyle Color Assist was created to give you complete control over the look and feel of your project by providing a flexible toolset to transform the contrast and color of each shot in your video. When color correcting a video, many of the tasks described in the color correcting stages below will be required of you. Color Assist provides a range of features to quickly and easily undertake these tasks. Stage 1: Correcting Color Balance and Exposure Because color balance and exposure accidents can happen during filming, and because images acquired digitally frequently dont get recorded with an optimal exposure or color balance to begin with, a tool like Color Assist is needed to address the less than ideal effects of these circumstances. Stage 2: Assuring That Key Elements Look the Way They Should There are key elements of every scene that become the main focus of the viewer, such as the lead character in a story or the product in a commercial. Depending on the type of project, there will be expectations from the director, cinematographer and even the audience as to what those key elements should look like and it will be your task to ensure the colors in your video match those expectations. Color Assist gives you the tools to make whatever adjustments are necessary to ensure that important components in your video look the way they should. Stage 3: Matching a Scene by Balancing All Shots Since a completed film can be composed of footage acquired from a variety of sources and/or shot over a prolonged period of time or at multiple locations, differences in color and exposure are almost inevitable results. These visual inconsistencies can make individual shots stand out, which in turn can cause editing efforts to appear uneven. With a robust set of color correct tools, balance can be restored to the different shots making up a scene by evening out differences in time, place and lighting. This effort is commonly referred to as scene-to-scene color correction. Stage 4: Contrast Creation To provoke a particular reaction and create an unsettling effect, color correction can be used between two scenes. Envision quickly transitioning from a wheat field to a verdant, tropical rain forest with endless greens. Using color correction, you can subtly bring out and draw attention to these differences. Stage 5: Realizing a Look The color correction process goes beyond the task of simply making all the scenes in a video match some unbiased model of exposure. When delicately and cleverly mixed, color, as a property, can result in a heightened level of dramatic control over a video. With the help of a color correction tool like Color Assist, you can determine if your finished video is one that is steeped in color or one with a more muted look. Push tones into the yellows to make your scenes look warmer or make them look cooler by moving them into the blues. Bring up the blacks and pull details out of the shadows, or de-saturate them for a flatter look. Whatever you decide, subtle modifications can change an audiences emotional response to a scene and change the videos mood. Once you pick a Look for your video, or even for an individual clip, you can use Color Assist to assure that all the scenes needing consistency match the same Look you wish to achieve to make them flow together smoothly. Stage 6: Broadcast Legality Guideline Adherence A video presentation destined for television broadcast usually must adhere to a set of quality control (QC) guidelines, whose standards vary, that specify the legal limits for minimum black levels, maximum white levels, minimum and maximum chrominance saturation, and composite RGB limits. To avoid illegal values which may cause problems when the video is encoded for transmission, it is important to know QC values in advance. Color Assist provides users with a Waveform scope to monitor QC values.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Stage 7: Altering Distinct Elements Separately At times it is essential to selectively target a narrow range of colors and alter or substitute just the value of those colors to turn a blue house green or to soften the over-the-top colors of a Christmas sweater. Such color correction tasks are referred to as secondary or targeted color correction. Targeted correction can be accomplished using the Key Selector tool in Color Assist. Stage 8: Special Effects Creation For scenes that call for more extreme effects, such as creating the illusion of darkness or moonlight by a concerted effort in color and exposure manipulation, creating a stylized altered state for a nightmare sequence, or just creating something visually unusual for a short story film, Color Assist offers Looks that can be easily applied as packaged and further customized by using a variety of color correction tools.
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Color Assist Glossary
1D LUT: A 1-D Look-Up Table is used to adjust the additive primary colors (RGB) of an image by referencing separate 1-D tables for the red, green, and blue components. It can be used to calculate preview colors for a monitor, digital projector, or apply a creative look. 3D LUT: A 3-D Look-Up Table is used to adjust the colors of an image by referencing a single, mixed-color-cube table. It differs from a 1-D LUT in that each of the red, green, and blue channels can influence the other color channels. A 3-D LUT adjusts an images color information to properly display on a monitor, digital projector, or apply a creative look. A 3-D LUT can also be used to give an image a film-look on a digital projector. 8 Bit Integer (16*16*16): In the save Color Composition file feature in Color Assist, this indicates the resolution (8 bit) of the RGB components of the LUT. Saving as 8 Bit Int. will allow up to 256 levels per component. The greater the bit depth, the greater the number of colors stored, and therefore a more accurate representation of the original images. The 16x16x16 represents the number of entries in the associated 3-D look-up table. 10 Bit Integer (17*17*17): In the save Color Composition file feature in Color Assist, this indicates the resolution (10 bit) of the RGB components of the LUT. Saving as 10 Bit Int. will allow up to 1,024 levels per component. The greater the bit depth, the greater the number of colors stored, and therefore a more accurate representation of the original images. The 17x17x17 represents the number of entries in the associated 3-D look-up table. Additive Primary Colors: The three additive primary colors are red, green, and blue. These colors are called additives because you must add the colors together to create white. Additive primary colors are used and applied to different systems that we see on computer screens, and video. Auto Contrast: As the name implies, this feature in Color Assist automatically calculates and applies the optimal contrast on a video when activated, resetting all manual curve and black/white/gray point adjustments. (File) BIN: Contains the video files ready to be worked on in Color Assist. Bit Depth: The number of bits used to represent a single color component of a pixel. A color depth of 24-bits refers to the number of bits representing all three color components (RGB) of a pixel. Color depth can also be referred to bits-per-pixel (bpp). 8-bit color (24-bpp) represents 16,777,216 colors and 10-bit color (30-bpp) represents 1,073,741,824 colors. Thus, higher bit depth provides greater color resolution. Butterfly: One of the split screen imaging tools in Color Assist. The tool mirrors (on the y-axis) the left side video clip for easy comparison of color grading efforts. CDL: Full name American Society of Cinematographers Color Decision List (Also known by ASC CDL), is a format for the exchange of basic primary color grading information between equipment and software from different manufacturers. The values that are transferred are Slope, Offset, Power, and Saturation. o Slope: A color grading parameter similar to gain. o Offset: A color grading parameter similar to lift. o Power: A color grading parameter similar to gamma. Codec: Is a term derived from combining the words coder-decoder. A Codec refers to a matched set of coding and decoding algorithms. It is used for compressing / decompressing images. Color Assist supports the following codecs H.264, DV, WMV and PRORES. Color Composition: The accumulated artistic color correction work applied to a video and composed through a blend of CineStyle Looks, Custom CineStyle Looks, and the effects of Color Assists Color Correction tools.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Color Control: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist, use it with color wheels for detailed correction of hue, luminance and saturation in the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights of your video. Color Correction: Refers to any manipulation of color done in post-production, whether corrective or creative. Color Correction (Tab): The module in the Color Assist tool containing the Color Tools Looks, Color Control, Key Selector and Curves. Color Grading: This term is synonymous with Color Correction. Color Keying: Selecting a particular color or luminance range in an image, typically for manipulating the color within that range. When you key a value, you select all pixels that have colors or luminance values similar to that value. Color Scopes: In Color Assist, these include the Histogram, Vectorscope and Waveform monitor. Color Tools: In Color Assist, these include the Color Control, Key Selector, Curves, and Looks tools. Color Wheel: A Color Control tool under the Color Correction tab in Color Assist, click and drag on the Color Wheel to adjust colors in either the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights in your video. .CSL File: The file extension of CineStyle Looks, whether created by you, the ones included with Color Assist, or those purchased from separately. All Looks can be found in the CineStyle Looks folder in the top level of your My Documents folder. The CineStyle Looks folder must remain where it was created in order to enable Color Assist to locate and display the Looks. File Browser (Tab): The module in the Color Assist tool used to locate and display video files on the colorists computer. Floating Point/Float (33*33*33): In the save Color Composition file feature in Color Assist, this indicates the values in the 3-D look-up table are saved in floating point allowing for more precision than in either 8-bit or 10-bit integer representations. The advantage of floating-point representation over fixed-point and integer representation is that it can support a much wider range of values. The 33x33x33 represents the number of entries in the associated 3-D look-up table. Frames Per Second (FPS): A measure of how many image frames are displayed per second. The term applies equally to film projection and digital video. Each frame is a still image. Gain: Primarily adjusts the white level (highlights). Gamma: Primarily adjusts the image levels between the shadows and the highlights, commonly known as the mid-tones. Hand (Pan): One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, the tool pans the clip for targeted viewing when the Zoom tool has been employed. Histogram: A graphical representation showing distribution of pixel values. In Color Assist, the Histogram displays how often pixel values appear in an image, with dark tones represented on the left and light tones represented on the right. History Panel: Tracks and displays the changes that have been made to video clip currently in the Viewer Window. The History is automatically deleted at the end of a color correction session. Hue: Refers to the angle of a color on the color wheel. Varying saturation levels of the same hue are distinguished with adjectives - such as with "light blue," "medium blue," and "bright blue".
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Imaging Tools: The tools that are enabled in Color Assist when working with the Viewer Window and in split screen mode in the Viewer Window. These include the Sync Timecode, Sync Play, Butterfly, Zoom, Hand, and Reset Zoom tools. Inverse S- Curve: The inverse s-curve is often applied to video material before color correction to put it in a proper color grading space. ITU 601: International Telecommunications Union Recommendation 601 was published in 1982. ITU 601 defines a standard for encoding analog video signal as digital video. It includes definitions for 525-line 60 Hz video and 625-line video encoding with an image aspect ratio of 4:3. Color encoding is defined as YCbCr 4:2:2. Video recorded in ITU 601 will be properly displayed on standard definition monitors. ITU 709: International Telecommunications Union Recommendation 709 was approved in 1990. ITU 709 defines a standard for encoding High-Definition Video. The standard includes definitions for several image resolutions and frame/field rates. One of the most popular versions is referred to as 1080i (1920 x 1080 at 60/50 fields per second). The color encoding is defined as YCrCb 4:2:2. The image has an aspect ratio of 16:9 and the pixels are square. Video recorded in ITU 709 will be correctly displayed on High-Definition monitors. Key Selector: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist, use the Key Selector to quickly target, or key, a specific color or color range in the clip for adjustment or manipulation. Lattice Resolution: The lattice resolution of 3-D Look-Up Tables is the number of entries for each axis of the RGB cube. The three axis of the cube represent red, green and blue. A common size is 17x17x17 which defines 4913 RGB triplets. RGB input values which fall in-between lattice points are interpolated. Lift: Primarily adjusts the images black level (dark tones or shadows). Log Curve Profile: A technique that uses specialized color encoding when an image is recorded in order to make optimum use of the bit depth available during image acquisition. An example of this technique is found in the CineStyle Profile. Log Footage: Moving images shot with a logarithmic profile, as offered with the CineStyle Profile mode. Look Up Table (LUT): A LUT is essentially a system to map colors in images, taking input color data and transforming it to output color data. (CineStyle) Looks: One of the four Color Tools in Color Assist offering CineStyle Looks designed by Technicolors expert colorists for quick and easy color grading, as well as customer created Custom Looks. Luminance: A quantity representing the measured brightness of a pixel as defined by a specific mathematical formula. MetaColor (file): The name of the file created and referenced in CineStyle Color Assist and Looks that contains information of the color correction performed and applied to an original video file. These files, identified by a .XCSL extension, will have the same name as the original video clip and must remain in the same folder with the clip for the Color Composition to be associated with it. Metadata: In relation to the Color Assist tool, descriptive data, or information about, the details of the image file being worked on in addition to the effects applied by the users in the Color Assist color correction process. Offset: Adds or subtracts a code-value offset to the RGB components of an image either individually or together.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Playhead: A graphic representation in a timeline that represents the position, or frame, of the video that is being viewed. Plug-in: A set of software components that adds specific capabilities to a larger software application. If supported, a plug-in enables customizing and/or enhancing the functionality of an application. Power: Primarily adjusts the image levels between the shadows and the highlights, commonly known as the mid-tones. (Same as Gamma) Reset Zoom: One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, Reset Zoom resets the effects in the Viewer Window of using Zoom. RGB: An additive color model in which red, green, and blue light are added together in various proportions to reproduce a broad array of colors. The name of the model comes from the initials of the three additive primary colors, red, green, and blue. Equal levels of red, green, and blue produce gray levels. S-Curve: Named for its resemblance to the letter S, the S-curve is most often used as an output or viewing LUT during the creative color grading process. It increases contrast while gently rolling off the highlights and shadows to avoid clipping artifacts. Saturation: Saturation is the colorfulness of a pixel relative to its own brightness. The saturation control on a color corrector typically adjusts the chrominance of an image. A totally de-saturated color would appear gray. Likewise, a totally de-saturated image would appear black and white. Slope: Multiplies a parameter to the RGB components of an image either individually or together. A parameter greater than 1.0 increases the slope and a parameter less than 1.0 decreases the slope. Split Screen Mode: A feature in Color Assist allowing side-by-side evaluation and comparison of two images. Sync Play: One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes left and right video playback using shared play/pause controls, while allowing for independent left and right video Playhead slider adjustment. Sync Timecode: One of the split screen Imaging Tools in Color Assist. The tool synchronizes the Timecodes in left and right video playback, while allowing for independent left and right video play/pause control and synchronized Playhead slider adjustment. Timecode: Time-code refers to the unique number assigned to each frame of video in a sequence. The number is comprised of the hour, minute, second and frame from an agreed upon initial starting point. The hours, minutes, and seconds fields may be the actual time of day or the elapsed time since the start of the roll of tape. The frames field contains the frame number during the current second being recorded. Logging the time-code for the start and end frames of each shot provides a reference for later synchronization efforts. Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a color. Adding more white to a color, the lighter the value. Vectorscope: A circular reference display for visualizing chrominance signals. The middle of the Vectorscope is neutral with the color Magenta registered near the top right of the scope followed by Blue, Cyan, Green, Yellow and Red in a clockwise direction. The points around the scale indicate color hue, while the distance from the center represents the color saturation. Video Gamma 2.2 to Log Curve: A curve conversion that takes video originally intended to be viewed on computers, cell phones, tablets or notebooks, and changes its characteristics in order to make CineStyle Looks and other work done in Color Assist better suited for ITU 709 and ITU 601 videos. Note applying the Inverse S-curve may offer a better result, depending on the scene in your video, than the Video Gamma 2.2 to Log Curve.
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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide Video Gamma 2.4 to Log Curve A curve conversion that takes video originally intended to be viewed on broadcast television and changes its characteristics in order to make CineStyle Looks and other work done in Color Assist better suited for Rec709 and Rec601 videos. Note applying the Inverse S-curve may offer a better result, depending on the scene in your video, than the Video Gamma 2.4 to Log Curve. Viewer Window: The window in Color Assist displaying the video file actively engaged in color correction and used for video playback. Waveform (Monitor): In the Color Assist tool, the waveform monitor measures and displays the RGB levels of a video signal in respect to RGB. .XCSL File: Or MetaColor file, is the file created and referenced in CineStyle Color Assist and Looks that contains information of the color correction performed on a video file. These files will have the same name as the original video clip and must remain in the same folder with the clip for the Color Composition to be associated with it. Zoom: One of the Viewer Window enhancement tools in Color Assist, the tool zooms in and out of the video by clicking and dragging up and down.
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Color Assist User Guide

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About CineStyle Color Assist

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

PC Installer Package Before You Install Color Assist 1.

Mac Installer Package

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Color Assist License Validation

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

Color Assist Plug-in Installation

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Color Assist Workflow and Editors

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

Adobe Premiere Pro

Apple Final Cut Pro 7

Color Assist File Types

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

Log Curve and Standard Picture Profile for Color Correction

Standard Picture Profile o

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

COLOR ASSIST TOOL KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

Ctrl + T = Sends selected clip to editor

Saved Color Compositions/Bin

Color Control Tool

Key Selector Tool

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Color Assist Application Toolbar

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

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Color Assist Overview

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

WINDOW RESIZING POINTS

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

PRIMARY/SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

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SPLIT SCREEN MODE

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

SPLIT SCREEN DIVIDER

SPLIT SCREEN IMAGING TOOLS

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Color Correction Tools

CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

Reset: Removes all parameters from the selected Color Tool.

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CineStyle Color Assist User Guide

COLOR CONTROL TOOL

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Advanced Color Controls On

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