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Color Grading

Commercial Retouching Workflow: Adv Color Grading

The best portrait retouching and commercial photography training for any skill level.

Sef McCullough Taught by Sef McCullough

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$ 149

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$199/year

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  • 34 lessons
  • 3h 35m runtime
  • 30 assets included
  • EN closed captions
  • ES subtitles
  • Photoshop

Overview

LEARN WHY TO USE A COLOR GRADE

In this tutorial, Sef McCullough will show you the ins and outs of commercial color grading with techniques used at the top level. You'll learn how to audit and grade colors, create cohesive image families using color palettes, and more.
commercial color grading sef mccullough erik almas PRO EDU photoshop learn tutorials

STOP RELYING ON FILTERS FOR COLOR

When it comes to color grading, Adobe Photoshop is a powerhouse. But the process can be tough and figuring out where to start could leave even the most seasoned pros feeling lost! Sef McCullough will show how audit your image with just about any color palette imaginable and build cohesion in your imagery.
commercial color grading sef mccullough erik almas PRO EDU photoshop learn tutorials red grade
Trailer 2:05
Trailer
Meet the instructor 3:58
Meet the instructor

What you’ll learn

  1. 01 Open a colour workspace and unpack any image's palette
  2. 02 Use hue maps and Adobe Color themes in a commercial workflow
  3. 03 Grade with analogous, complementary and split-complementary harmonies
  4. 04 Build, apply and recreate LUTs from scratch
  5. 05 Match image families so a campaign holds together

Curriculum

34 lessons · 3h 35m·3 chapters

01 Trailers & Extras 4 lessons · 7m
  1. 01 Advanced Color Grading Trailer 2m

    Retoucher Sef tells you about his interest in imagery and what made him gain a better understanding of production workflow.

  2. 02 Meet Commercial Retoucher Sef McCullough 4m

    Sef McCullough, a professional high-end retoucher and skilled color grader, shares his way to a greater level of art and imagery.

  3. 03 Develop Your Own Color Grading Looks 1m

    The appeal of an image is substantially influenced by color grading. Uncover what Sef has brought in his color grading course for you.

  4. 04 Commercial Color Grading Unveiled 27s

    Develop your workflow by learning how Sef McCullough approaches commercial color grading jobs and turns any photo beautiful.

02 1 - Getting Started 6 lessons · 30m
  1. 01 Adv Color Grading Introduction 2m

    Observe how instead of relying on color filter packs, you use native tools and a focused, informed approach when grading images.

  2. 02 Opening a Color Workspace 3m

    Watch this video to learn how to set up a colour workspace, unpack a colour grade, and use Adobe Color CC or Adobe Color Themes integration.

  3. 03 How to Unpack Color 9m

    In the retouch, understand the range of colors in an image and the effects of different color combinations on perception.

  4. 04 Using Hue Maps 4m

    Learn how to separate color from luminosity using native Photoshop features to understand the colors an image contains by default.

  5. 05 Adobe Color CC Online 6m

    Unpack color in an image with a more automated workflow using Adobe CC Online. Create and discover unique, accessible colors

  6. 06 Adobe Color Themes 6m

    Watch the tutorial to learn from Sef how you can easily improve an image’s aesthetics by employing Adobe Color Themes within Photoshop.

03 2 - Color Grading Workflow 24 lessons · 2h 58m
  1. 01 Unpacking Image I 6m

    Watch how Sef McCullough uses ACR and Photoshop to illustrate his method for balancing the image and emphasizing its beauty.

  2. 02 Adv Color Grading Image I Edit 12m

    In this tutorial, Sef McCullough employs his techniques and color scheme game to enhance the beauty of the image.

  3. 03 Adv Color Grading Unpacking Image II 3m

    Sef McCullough chooses the shot and examines it more closely. He runs a color audit and uses Photoshop and Color CC to fix the damaged shot.

  4. 04 Adv Color Grading Image II Edit 11m

    You will discover how to use the auditing color principles on the same image to create three different grades of it in this video.

  5. 05 Adv Color Grading Unpacking Image III 3m

    Unpack color from an image that is flooded with atmospheric light in bright outdoor conditions, and recover lost highlights.

  6. 06 Adv Color Grading Image III Edit 10m

    Watch in this tutorial how Sef McCullough tries to give the image more punch by fiddling with the colors to make it more engaging.

  7. 07 Color Harmonies Unpacking Image IV 6m

    Sef McCullough explains in this video why color adjustments are necessary rather than image enhancement through color correction.

  8. 08 Color Harmonies Analogous Variant 9m

    Discern the line between using Adobe Camera RAW and Adobe Photoshop while editing RAW image files by creating an analogous color grade.

  9. 09 Color Harmonies Complementary Variant 6m

    Learn how to modify RAW image files so that you can combine similar and complementary color schemes to create a new variant.

  10. 10 Color Harmonies Split Complementary Variant 10m

    Create a very different look and feel for RAW image files by editing them with a split complimentary variation grade.

  11. 11 Recreating A Color Grade Unpacking Image V 10m

    In this tutorial, unpack color on flattened TIFF images with a completed grade to find the colors used to create a final image.

  12. 12 Recreating A Color Grade Creating Smart Filters 8m

    Here you learn to recreate a grade from an original image by Kate Woodman, use Adobe Camera RAW and a smart object workflow.

  13. 13 Recreating A Color Grade Adjusting Smart Filters 9m

    You have to push more targeted adjustments in Photoshop to create a new grade on an image, also use dodging and burning

  14. 14 Breaking Down LUTS: Applying LUTs 4m

    Now that nice grading has been completed, it is time to talk about LUTs in this tutorial, which are incredibly popular in the market.

  15. 15 Breaking Down LUTS: Recreating LUTs 6m

    Recreate the same appearance for one photographer, David Parrish’s photos, using a commercial quality LUT. Learn creative retouching

  16. 16 Image Families Unpacking Image VI 6m

    This video combine previous lesson concepts with Themes, Adobe Color CC, and unpacking color for 2 images with pallets.

  17. 17 Image Families Matching Image VI 7m

    Watch in this video what enables Sef McCullough to affect the change in the image without destroying any information.

  18. 18 Image Families Unpacking Image VII 6m

    To unite 2 distinct images into one family, match their colours. Recognize and differentiate between local and ambient colour identity.

  19. 19 Image Families Matching Image VII 9m

    Learn how to build a new grade from scratch to create a beautiful matching color grade using different elements from palettes.

  20. 20 Creative Color Grading Color Balance 5m

    Watch in this tutorial how the retoucher adjusts the image’s balance and brings it closer to a reliable starting point for grading.

  21. 21 Creative Color Grading Creating Depth 8m

    In this tutorial, you will learn how to use color to emphasize space and create depth within an image from Sef McCullough.

  22. 22 Creative Color Grading Color Variations 11m

    Examine how Sef McCullough switches back and forth between Photoshop and ACR to develop and enhance the image’s central color scheme.

  23. 23 Creative Color Grading Experimental Grade 12m

    Use an experimental grade that uses a gradient map and tie it in Adobe Color Themes. Build a split tone and a variable color grade.

  24. 24 Creative Color Grading Wrap Up 1m

    Sef McCullough reviews your work in this video in terms of editing, extracting image elements, and commercial colour grading.

Before & after

After
Before
Before After
Sef McCullough

Your instructor

Sef McCullough

Commercial Retoucher

For over 10 years, Sef McCullough has produced high-end retouching for global brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Under Armour. His work has been featured on the world’s largest billboards, top publications, and high-traffic digital spaces. He has mentored retouchers, designers, and photographers wanting to break into the field of retouching. To his credit, those artists now make a pretty nice living. Sef often collaborates to develop new workflows, and is passionate about teaching and making the commercial retouching process accessible.

Questions

How do I access the course after buying?
Every course streams in the PRO EDU app at learn.proedu.com. Use the email from your order; the ‘forgot password’ link on the login page sets your password the first time.
Is this course included in the Pro Plan?
Yes. Every course on this page with the Free for Members badge is included, along with every other course, plugin, and asset pack.
What software do I need?
The software for this course is listed above the lesson list; most courses use Photoshop or Lightroom, and the lessons show the exact version.

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