Video Review: Color Grading Central cineLook Final Cut Pro Plug-in
Here's a look at two workflows for applying film grain to your footage in FCP X using cineLook (with and without Gorilla Grain), first with 4k footage shot with the Blackmagic Production Camera, and then with Cinestyle-flattened DSLR footage.
In this review we'll look at cineLook, a color grading plug-in from Color Grading Central. To locate and download cineLook, you go to ColorGradingCentral.com, click the Products tab, and scroll down to cineLook. There are a slew of FCP plug-ins available at the site, ranging in price from $49-$99, but in this article we'll focus on cineLook for HDSLRs, which is available in a $69 standard version and a $99 version with "Gorilla Grain." Both versions provide a look to simulate the look of film; Gorilla Grain provides a much more organic-looking grain than you get in the $69 standard version. I'll be reviewing both versions in this review, but I'd like to note up front that the $99 version is well worth the extra $30, because if you buy Gorilla Grain by itself--without cineLook--it costs $69.
In the Final Cut Pro X project we'll use in this review, I have two events, one with 4K footage from the Blackmagic Production Camera, and the other with a DSLR using Cinestyle (Figure 1, below).
Figure 1. The 4k footage we'll use to test cineLook. Click the image to see it at full size.
Applying ine Effect
When you install the cineLook program and run FCP X, you'll see a cineLook header in your Effects tab; you can see in Figure 2 (below) that I have both plug-ins installed. When you click on the cineLook header, you'll see that there are two effects included, cineLook and S Curve. cineLook is where it applies all the color, the effects, the white balance adjustments, and so forth. S Curve is designed to bring the contrast back from shooting flat. Say, for example, if you shoot DSLR and use the Cinestyle preset, which is very flat, S Curve will bring some contrast back into the image prior to adding the cineLook filter. That's actually the preferred workflow for cineLook--to get your contrast and exposure set right, then add the cineLook plug-in.
Figure 2. The cineLook + GORILLA GRAIN plug-in, plus S-Curve in my Effects tab.
To apply cineLook to a clip, drag it from the Effects tab onto the clip as you would any other effect. Right away, you'll see that the clip now has a 2.35:1 crop, some grain, hair, dust and scratches. Figure 3 (below) shows a 4k clip with the effect applied at the default settings.
Figure 3. A 4k clip with cineLook applied at the default settings. Click the image to see it at full size.
Related Articles
In our first tutorial on the recently released FCP 10.1, we look at the new Libraries feature, which enhances project and media organization and eases the adjustment for editors transitioning from FCP 7.
This tutorial on Apple Final Cut Pro X takes a closer look at color correction in the Inspector, exploring the Balance Color, Match Color, and Color Mask and Shape Mask features.
This tutorial on Apple Final Cut Pro X inspects the Video Inspector, a context-sensitive area of the FCP X interface that allows you to change settings of various filters and settings, and focuses on making basic but effective color adjustments.
In this video tutorial Glen Elliott of Cord3Films looks at FCP X's Timeline Index which provides innovative options for viewing, navigating, and searching your projects, including three different types of timeline markers and the ability to create a navigable To Do list of editing notes that's indispensable for collaborative workflows.
In this tutorial, Cord3Films' Glen Elliott demonstrates how to mix audio from multiple off-camera sources in a multicam edit in Apple Final Cut Pro X.
In part 2 of our series on multicam editing in Final Cut Pro X, Glen Elliott explains how you can accelerate and streamline the multicam-syncing process in Red Giant's PluralEyes 3.
Our Final Cut Pro X tutorial series continues with the first installment of a 3-part series on multicam editing in FCP X, addressing the basics like creating a multicam clip and cutting and switching audio and video using the Angle Editor.
Working with compound clips in FCP X is similar to nesting sequences in Final Cut Pro 7. Once you understand how it works, and how changes to compound clips can ripple across projects, it's a powerful feature that you'll find yourself using more and more.
In this tutorial, we'll look at several ways you can use connected storylines to enhance your FCP X edits and mix in cutaways and creative shots in a quick and efficient way.
This tutorial explores advanced editing techniques in FCP X including back-timing your edits, replacing edits and auditioning, top-and-tail editing, extend edits, trim-to-selection edits, keyboard trimming, and the Precision Editor.
The magnetic timeline is one of the major revolutionary changes in Apple Final Cut Pro X, and one of the areas editors struggle with when they're coming from track-based NLEs. In this tutorial we'll break it down and show you how to make it work for you.
In this first installment of our new tutorial series, Glen Elliott demystifies Final Cut Pro X, illustrates its core functions, and focuses on one of the most powerful new features for organizing, accelerating, and streamlining your edits: metadata keyword tagging.