There have been many discussions about the color grading of the recently released Raiders of the Lost bluray. Although many liked the new colors, others complained about the orange and teal look of this classic film, and prefer the color grading used for the dvd’s (and used in a number of HD broadcasts), released in 2003. However, in my opinion neither is actually representative of the original 1981 color timing. For example, both versions have a very noticeable red shift in the bar fight scene, that is not in the release and re release trailers, or in the 1980s home video releases. This project is aimed at creating a version of Raiders of the Lost Ark closer to the original theatrical colors. Although an original unfaded 1981 35 mm print would be the ideal reference, sadly it is not available. As such I will use the 1984 laserdisc release as a reference for a shot by shot regrading:
Stay tuned for more information…
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Original start of the thread:
I used this 35 mm frame as a reference:
Calibrate a color correction model to match the bluray to this frame.
Bluray:
Bluray matched to 35 mm frame:
Here’s how the color correction model would color grade a number of other frames (bluray top, correction bottom):
