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Alexis Van Hurkman
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Color Correction Handbook: Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema First Edition

by Alexis Van Hurkman (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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Color Correction Handbook Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema by Van Hurkman, Alexis. Published by Peachpit Press,2010, Binding: Paperback
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  1. ISBN-10
    0321713117
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0321713117
  3. Edition
    First Edition
  4. Publisher
    Peachpit Pr
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 2010
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    8 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  8. Print length
    533 pages
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Peachpit Pr; First Edition (January 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 533 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0321713117
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0321713117
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.6 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

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Alexis Van Hurkman

Alexis Van Hurkman

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
94 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book provides excellent information and simple details on color correction. They find it easy to understand and follow along, with clear examples and video tutorials. The book covers all the general principles and background to get started in any of the major grading apps. Customers appreciate the author's straightforward explanations and concise writing style. Overall, it is a solid resource for learning the basics and intermediate skills of color correction.

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Information qualityEase of useColor correctionVisualsPacingValue for moneyContent
26 customers mention "Information quality"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides excellent information on color correction. They say it's well-researched and comprehensive, covering all the basic principles and background needed to get started. The book is described as a solid guide for learning the basics and intermediate skills. It includes an interesting project file and is useful for anyone interested in color correction.

"...who is going to be a pro colorist, the book itself if enormously useful to ANYONE who simply wants to take the next step in improving their video,..." Read more

"...some high level professional techniques, but he also includes LOTS of examples and samples to demonstrate some of the techniques...." Read more

"...so if you temper some of that, this is a very solid book to learn the basics and intermediate skills of correction." Read more

"...If anything, this is a great book for amateur and intermediate media creators because it essentially allows you to skip a few steps and come out..." Read more

19 customers mention "Ease of use"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to understand and follow. They appreciate the clear explanations of techniques without technical jargon. The studio setup is covered in detail, making it an excellent guide for video editors or post production specialists.

"...The format is extremely useful and learner-friendly, with a conversational tutoring style that walks you through a wide range of common problems..." Read more

"...There is a great level of discussion of the 3-way color wheels and levels, which actually serve a very important purpose...." Read more

"...newbie myself to color correction, Alexis made this topic not only understandable, but entertaining as well...." Read more

"...and intermediate media creators because it essentially allows you to skip a few steps and come out ahead...." Read more

18 customers mention "Color correction"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a comprehensive guide to color correction. They say it's one of the best resources for colorists, and a must-read for serious color grading. The book provides helpful ideas on getting skin tones correct, a hallmark of a good colorist.

"...Hurkman takes it from the basic basic, explaining how color works, both in the real world, and especially within the rhelm of video, how it depends..." Read more

"This is a well researched, comprehensive guide to color correction. The print quality is excellent, a must for this kind of book...." Read more

"Color Correction Handbook: Professional Techniques for Video and Cinema by Alexis Van Hurkman is an excellent guide for any serious video editor or..." Read more

"...Very interesting and informative, especially his ideas on getting skin tones correct, a hallmark of a good colorist. Highly recommended!" Read more

7 customers mention "Visuals"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's visuals. They find the examples clear and easy to follow along with. The book includes video examples on DVD and footage that readers can grade themselves.

"...There are plenty of pictures and clear examples to follow along with so you won't get lost...." Read more

"...Her writing style is very approachable and her use of visual examples is great...." Read more

"...the quantity and depth of provided material - in addition the book comes with footage that one can grade on his/her own preferred software. -..." Read more

"...how the author wrote this book because it is so full of information, examples and helpful ideas. Its an amazing book...." Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They say it's comprehensive, authoritative, and a joy to read.

"...correction, Alexis made this topic not only understandable, but entertaining as well...." Read more

"...in the basic of color correction, very good explained and a joy to read. Lot of examples and files for download and practice your skills. A must have." Read more

"Book is very goood and heplful.' learn about color correction from this book. and also dvd is include very interesting project file ." Read more

"comprehensive, authoritative, engaging..." Read more

4 customers mention "Value for money"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They say it's a great electronic purchase and worth the money.

"electronic purchase great book. Recomend for everyone intrested in the basic of color correction, very good explained and a joy to read...." Read more

"Very insightful and for a great price!" Read more

"Worth the money..." Read more

"Expensive but worth every penny..." Read more

3 customers mention "Content"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content comprehensive and authoritative. It covers most of the major grading apps and highlights their differences.

"...it does cover most of the major grading apps out there and shows you where they are different...." Read more

"...It is well illustrated and comprehensive, going through different systems." Read more

"comprehensive, authoritative, engaging..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Katherine Sierra
    5.0 out of 5 stars Instant confidence boost for video editors
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I am fairly new to video editing, and a one-woman production but striving for higher standards with each project, and now shooting with Canon DSLRs and high-quality prime lenses. It made no sense to take such care in capturing and editing video, then fail to properly color correct. I had been getting by with basic usage of (and much trial and error) Final Cut Pro two and three way color correctors, but did not truly understand what I was doing, how to properly use the Final Cut scopes, and was way too intimidated by Apple's Color. This book has not only given me a much richer understanding of how to use the tools for color correction and grading, but it has also given me a much better sense of what, why, and when to apply certain approaches to correct typical problems I was struggling with constantly including noise and underexposure.

    The format is extremely useful and learner-friendly, with a conversational tutoring style that walks you through a wide range of common problems then showing you not just the BEST adjustment, but also the other possible adjustments you might imagine trying, and then you can see the results with the waveform next to each image. Of course there is always the problem that many of the images showing subtle shifts from corrections simply do not come through well in the printed page. The color and paper quality of the book are good, but there are still some shots where the before and after are just too slight, especially when talking about noise/grain, but this book has done a better production job of this than some of the others I have tried.

    I was a little put off by the first part of the book where the author emphasized the importance of having the proper hardware for color correction and grading... I very nearly quit reading the book at chapter one! It gave me the impression that this book was not for me, at home, with my Mac and Final Cut Studio software, but no dedicated scopes, monitors, hardware controllers, or even a properly configured "room" (turns out my entire office is wrong... Eg. workstation faces a window, has way too much uncontrolled light and color surrounding it, etc.). While I recognize the importance of having the proper set-up for anyone who is going to be a pro colorist, the book itself if enormously useful to ANYONE who simply wants to take the next step in improving their video, and I would think especially all those new "digital cinema" folks moving from still photography to video thanks to Canon.

    I am so grateful for this book. This is a fairly complex topic, but once you begin to understand the use of the scopes, your confidence and skills will take a huge leap forward. Thank-you to Alexis for such a wonderful book.
    41 people found this helpful
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  • Chaz Turbino
    5.0 out of 5 stars A solid primer for video and photo enthusiasts to improve color correction techniques, LOTS of examples
    Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Color Correction Handbook

    I was afraid this book would delve too much into specific software programs, or be too detailed/in-depth for a beginner to follow. I just wanted to learn more about color correction techniques and how to use some of the tools found in more mainstream programs. This handbook did not disappoint me!

    The author does delve into some high level professional techniques, but he also includes LOTS of examples and samples to demonstrate some of the techniques.

    There is a great level of discussion of the 3-way color wheels and levels, which actually serve a very important purpose. I never became too involved with Photoshop, but applications like GIMP even include level adjustment, so this book is also somewhat applicable to photo editing. The author explains the differences between contrast, saturation, hue, etc... so the book is a solid primer for building up one's video editing skills pertaining to color correction.

    Overall: 5/5 stars, highly recommended for beginners and intermediate enthusiasts. It might be too "simple" for professionals. It does not rely on a single/sole software application, but does provide examples and theory that can be applied to other programs.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • steve o
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ok, about the only book out there
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I probably knew at least 1/2 the material in the book. I did pick up a few good things along the way I didn't know.

    if you are new to _correction_ this is a great starting point. if you've been doing basic stuff like FCP's 3 way CC, you'll step up into learning a real grading app. While you can use Color, its now EOL and its better to look at resolve which the book seems to use in more screen shots. it does cover most of the major grading apps out there and shows you where they are different.

    it also includes a DVD with a bunch of clips that are used through out the book so you can work along the with examples.

    I will take challenge to some of the authors claims on white levels for broadcast, clearly he has never read NTSC spec, I have. He is at times just plain obsecessed with using lower white levels then what you can actually deliver. sure there are some networks that are picky, but thats what you ask for a spec before you go to work so you know expectations. he also fails to consider web delivery & codecs as well as workflow and output for film outs.

    so if you temper some of that, this is a very solid book to learn the basics and intermediate skills of correction.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • Taj Jackson
    5.0 out of 5 stars My Color Correction Bible
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    Wow, that's all I can say. I have never ever wrote a review before on Amazon or any other site for that matter. Partially because I am naturally lazy, and partially because I have never felt inclined to. However I will gladly make this book my first review. It truly is a must if you are interested in only dabbling into color correction, or if you want to do it professionally. As a complete newbie myself to color correction, Alexis made this topic not only understandable, but entertaining as well. There are plenty of pictures and clear examples to follow along with so you won't get lost. Color correction had always been a complete mystery to me in the past. Not anymore. I now feel like I have the tools and techniques to color correct my own projects with confidence. I know this review may sound like a sales pitch, but I really don't care, I can't recommend this book enough. Now with the Kindle format version, I can always have it by my side when color correcting and grading. Well done Alexis and thank you.
    15 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative
    Reviewed in India on March 24, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A book for every color grader
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  • Thomas B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb: expert insight translated into practical how-tos
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    It's a rare book that explains the why AND the how, without over-simplifying or becoming verbose. The writing tone is informal and yet professional, with commendably clear use of language for such a technical subject matter.

    If you want to improve your ability to analyse footage by eye and by the scopes, then this book will break down the best workflows to use, and clarify the decisions you need to make. And it will explain why and when your eyes should be trusted more than the scopes, and vice versa.

    It doesn't matter which software you use, or whether you use colour surfaces to grade or just a mouse and keyboard. The book covers the topic an a system-agnostic way, so that you can translate principles into practice using your own software. However, this is therefore NOT the book for learning your specific software package.

    I bought this book in order to accompany an online video-based learning course I had purchased. I found the video course was lacking in theory, and was more focused on the software package than the colouring concepts. So this book would be a great accompaniment to any video or physical learning you are engaged in.

    The level at which this book is pitched will suit anyone from the professional colorist or editor, to the casual grader or videographer editing his or her own footage and who just wants to improve the look. The book is full of references to further reading and resources for professionals that want/need to go deeper into topics like colour memory and perceptory system research, or hardware and software for managing the end to end colour workflow from capture to edit and beyond.
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  • LeBlind
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is the best!
    Reviewed in Canada on September 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Color correction Book, if you are really willing to learn the basics, color theory and how actually the entire color correction/grading workflow works. If you are looking for a tutorial that will guide you step by step on how to use a 3 way color correction board or something like that, you may find a tutorial like book instead. This is intended for a professional use, meaning someone with more understanding of terms.
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  • Florian Kouka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Written Book
    Reviewed in Italy on January 22, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I simply love the way this book is written and how it explains you every single thing you have to know about color correction (with a lot of images that explain and compare the "before" and "after" look of a correction). Prior to this book i red another book about color correction but this one definitely explains you all the technical aspects, terminology and issues you may go through when color correcting a video project. It is a must have book for anyone who is willing to take on color correction seriously and enhance his/her video production quality. I particularly love the way the teaching is organized taking you into a progressive awareness, chapter by chapter, of what, why and how to do or avoid to do things to get the best results you're trying to achieve. If you don't know much about color correction and would like to know what kind of plus value you can get thanks to it, this is definitely a book to read.
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  • DELFÍ
    5.0 out of 5 stars UNA PENA NO HABERLO COMPRADO ANTES
    Reviewed in Spain on May 6, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    La verdad es que este libro es extenso, hay mucha información pero muy bien organizada por capítulos, con ejemplos y expuestos al lector de una forma muy entendedora. Abarca todos los aspectos de la corrección, desde la configuración de tu sala de grading, a primarias, secundarias, continuidad, creación de un look etc. En resumen mucha información, de mucha calidad y de muy fácil lectura. Todo el mundo que quiera mejorar sus conocimientos / técnicas en corrección de color debería empezar por este libro. Si estais valorando comprarlo, no lo dudéis, compradlo ya!
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