Skin tone test – Comparison of the Long Shot


In this lesson we’ll compare the correctly exposed long shots shown earlier. I’m not displaying which profile is which, because that would bias the results somewhat. Pick your favorite, then read on to find out which is which, and which one I prefer. Click to enlarge: Which ones do you like? Write them down first and ... Read more

In this lesson we’ll compare the correctly exposed long shots shown earlier. I’m not displaying which profile is which, because that would bias the results somewhat. Pick your favorite, then read on to find out which is which, and which one I prefer.

Click to enlarge:

Which ones do you like? Write them down first and make a decision.

Images in order: Standard, Neutral, Movie, Cine1, Cine2, Cine3, Cine4, Rec. 709

Which ones I like and why

The simplest and most pleasing colors would possibly be the default Movie picture profile, though at the expense of dynamic range and highlight clipping.

Cine4 seems to be good too, but also loses out on highlight clipping to Cine1. Cine1 is slightly more ‘washed out’, but it gives the best dynamic range. Cine2 is very close to Cine1, but like I’ve explained in an earlier lesson, Cine2 is for low light situations where Cine1 won’t work.

My pick? Cine1, because it offers the most neutral colors and the most dynamic range just in default mode. This is the picture profile I use when I’m too lazy to shoot S-Log2.

But let’s see how the profiles fare in the close ups.

Author Bio
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Sareesh Sudhakaran is a film director and award-winning cinematographer with over 24 years of experience. His second film, "Gin Ke Dus", was released in theaters in India in March 2024. As an educator, Sareesh walks the talk. His online courses help aspiring filmmakers realize their filmmaking dreams. Sareesh is also available for hire on your film!