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Halation effect: What is it and why is it important for the film emulation?

What halation is physically — light passing through the emulsion and reflecting back off the film base — and why reproducing it digitally is one of the largest single contributors to a convincing film look.

Dehancer · 13 min · Intermediate · COL · Color · 2021

What you take away

Halation is a physical artefact of how film is built, which is why adding it convincingly means matching the behaviour rather than adding a glow.

Watch it

Filed under

Films to study for colour

Books on colour

Kit for this lesson

Blackmagic UltraStudio Recorder 3G — SDI and HDMI into a laptop over Thunderbolt
Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor — A search dial, and Resolve Studio in the box
Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve Studio — The paid Resolve, bought once, kept for ever
Calibrite Display Pro HL — Calibrates the monitor you are trusting
Tangent Ripple — The cheapest set of real trackballs
Dell UltraSharp U2723QE — The sensible 4K second monitor

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Introduction to gamuts | Color science | Computer animation | Khan Academy — Khan Academy Labs · 2m · Intermediate
Masterclass in color grading with Mark Todd Osborne — Lowepost · 32m · Advanced
CIE chromaticity diagram | Color science | Computer Animation | Khan Academy — Khan Academy Labs · 2m · Intermediate
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