COLOUR GRADING SKIN TONES


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ELLISDON PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE 2024

Colour Grading Skin Tones

There is no one-size-fits-all combination for skin tone adjustments; skin tone is influenced by lighting, environment, age, health, and natural pigmentation. It’s essential to adjust skin tones contextually rather than relying on a single preset.

1. Use vectorscope and waveform tools to maintain consistency. RGB number values will appear in your histogram and will help you analyze your skin tones:

  • The blue % value should be the lowest value.
  • The green % value should be higher than the blue value by at least one percentage point.
  • The red % value should be the highest value and at least two percentage points over the green.

2. Adjust the Exposure and White Balance

3. Adjust Skin Tones

  • Incorporate environmental color subtly into highlights while maintaining natural reds in mid-tones and shadows.
  • Make people look believably normal rather than perfectly realistic ensures a compelling and natural image.