How is the color of advertisements post-produced?

The team of Pajama Studio, an audiovisual post-production studio in Barcelona that has worked for companies such as American Express, Apple, Audi, Google and Samsung, addresses the main technical considerations in the treatment of color in advertising.

When starting to work on color correction of an advertisement, there are some technical considerations that must be taken into account. And, unlike what you may believe, this process begins in pre-production. Aspects like the camera, lenses, format and resolution are key elements that will affect the color treatment in the post-production phase.

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Image quality

If we had to summarize in a single sentence what are the optimal conditions To work with color, we would say that the footage always need the highest quality available. The better the original image quality, the better the final result.

It is often confused resolution with image quality when, in reality, there are many other aspects that must be taken into account. One of these aspects is the codec. The difference between rolling in RAW, Log y lineal It can be abysmal. In ideal conditions, we would work on a RAW format, which would allow us to modify aspects of the original file, such as the exposure and/or color temperature, acting on the original filming material. Other times, we would have to work on the already encoded format and processed, such as a ProRes 4444 XQ in LOG. In that case, since it is a very high quality encoding and very little compression, added to the fact that the image curve is logarithmic, we would still have enough margin to work on the image.

The worst scenario to work with would be a highly compressed image, both by encoding and resolution. An example of this last scenario would be video files in .mp4 o similar, like stock images (stock footage) that have a very low sampling rate (4:2:0) in most cases, with a resolution below Full HD and linear video codec, that is, with very little dynamic range.

In post-production of content for advertising we usually work with very different projects and we are used to meeting filming material and files of all kinds, both of maximum quality and of very low quality, in which it is very little room for color correction. A post-production studio, and the colorist specifically, must know how to work with this entire range of materials and get the most out of each of them.

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color spaces

Related to different formats and origins of images, we find ourselves with the important task of good management of color spaces. A good understanding of this field is increasingly essential to obtain the best results.

Mostly, the color space on which we work in the telecine phase in advertising es Rec709, given that many of the pieces are going to be issued on the same platform (TV), but it is increasingly common for the same piece to be viewed on different media and platforms. Therefore, the percentage of advertisements intended only for viewing on TV has been decreasing, while hybrid parts (both for TV and digital) and those intended only for digital platforms have been increasing.

Every destination needs a own color space and this opens up a wide range to take into account. Computer screens, mobile phones, tablets and televisions are increasingly capable of reproducing wider color spaces, that is why doing a good job of “color management” is essential to face an advertising and/or fiction project.

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Workflow

As a consequence of the above, the workflow of the post production houses and of colorist is adapting to new needs, demanding from these some knowledge and a specific way of working. This, added to the large number of versions, last minute changes and the tight delivery times that we handle in the advertising environment, make good post-production design a key element to get the best results.

The post-production workflow in fiction and advertising has gone different paths for a long time, but recently we are seeing how it is starting to be used in advertising the workflow that until now had been mainly applied in fiction. That is, centralize the project in the work environment of color correction and finishing the piece (generate deliveries in all the necessary formats and resolutions) in this same environment.

This way of working gives the colorist more responsibility in the workflow and is essential for the project to meet certain highest quality standards. If carried out with the attention it deserves, this workflow helps reduce possible problems between different parties involved in the post-production phase and speeds up all processes.

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Grading in fiction and advertising

In addition to everything mentioned above, we must not forget the main function of the colorist: work on the piece and make it grow with the tools at your disposal.

When the colorist takes on a new project, he must understand what is the purpose of your work and, although in many aspects, the work of the colorist in fiction and advertising is very similar, we do find some differences. The main one is that, in fiction, color is totally subordinated to the story and is a fundamental tool that helps the narrative, while in advertising, the approach is a bit more abstract. When we work on a “TV spot” we can never forget that the objective of an advertising piece is emphasize a product and its corresponding message.

In advertising, although the look is still very important, It is no longer the main element that will drive the telecine, because the priority is highlight what we are announcing. It is for this reason that in advertising the attention to detail is even more relevant. The work with masks y secondary It is common to get the best result. The time and dedication required by each plane is greater and It is common to spend a whole day working to finish a 60-second ad..

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Conclusion

As we have seen, the technical considerations in the color treatment of an advertising piece do not They are only limited to the work done during a color session. There are many other aspects to take into account that, if not given the necessary attention, can cause a good color job to be marred by not having had a more complete vision of what it means to make the color of an advertising piece.

Pajama Studio

Audiovisual post-production studio in Barcelona, ​​specialized in the latest software platforms and new delivery channels.