[In progress] "The Terminator" 35mm scan emulation regrade

[Beber]

Reel 1 is done, meaning 20 minutes and 28 seconds. I made an encode of it, it's up for review. Anybody willing to review, just PM me for the link. Newbies, that's a way to start to contribute to the site so that you can gain access to stuff later on.

[Stamper]

Wow looks neat!

[Bianjumu]

Hi Beber! This is a fantastic start that really brings the 1984 back to this movie. I just watched Trancers earlier in the day and this new color grading really scratched that same itch. I have a couple of suggestions and a proof of concept.

First of all, this may be up to personal taste but I find this reel 1 a bit too high contrast. I know it's emulating a 35mm scan, but I think it could be toned down for a better home video experience. The color balancing, however, is top notch.

Second, the reason I'm posting this is because the reveal of Arnold, that awesome low-angle shot, had a very strange color cast. I took it into DaVinci and fixed it, which I think really helps it blend in better with the surrounding shots. Lemme know what you think!

Beber Reel 1


My "Correction"

[Beber]

All right, I'll consider that. Please export your correction and send it to me by PM so that I can import it and see how it looks with the surrounding shots. For now, based on that isolated still, I think it looks too bland, but with a bit of saturation, it might be better indeed.
Regarding contrast, some shots are a bit exagerated, that's true. Off the top, I can think of one in the alley when Reese arrives that I could/should revisit. I'll see what I can do. But I do like a more contrasty look than the usual Blu-rays tend to have. I watch on a videoprojector, so I like to recapture the feel of a projected film.

That's how my reference looks like. It's in the middle ground of both our corrections, I'd say:

[Bianjumu]

All right, I'll consider that. Please export your correction and send it to me by PM so that I can import it and see how it looks with the surrounding shots. For now, based on that isolated still, I think it looks too bland, but with a bit of saturation, it might be better indeed.
Regarding contrast, some shots are a bit exagerated, that's true. Off the top, I can think of one in the alley when Reese arrives that I could/should revisit. I'll see what I can do. But I do like a more contrasty look than the usual Blu-rays tend to have. I watch on a videoprojector, so I like to recapture the feel of a projected film.

That's how my reference looks like. It's in the middle ground of both our corrections, I'd say:

Interesting! I might try another pass now that I have this reference.

[Bianjumu]

I noticed the yellow of the garbage truck was artificially pumped up (I think a result of the grading from the blu-ray?) so I dialed it back similarly to the level of the 35mm scan.

[thedullahan07]

All right, I'll consider that. Please export your correction and send it to me by PM so that I can import it and see how it looks with the surrounding shots. For now, based on that isolated still, I think it looks too bland, but with a bit of saturation, it might be better indeed.
Regarding contrast, some shots are a bit exagerated, that's true. Off the top, I can think of one in the alley when Reese arrives that I could/should revisit. I'll see what I can do. But I do like a more contrasty look than the usual Blu-rays tend to have. I watch on a videoprojector, so I like to recapture the feel of a projected film.

That's how my reference looks like. It's in the middle ground of both our corrections, I'd say:

Beber, I watched Reel 1 last night! I did three tests/comparisons: watched on my laptop, 4K TV, and then compared with the latest Blu-ray.

First, your color correction is so much better than what's on the latest Blu-ray. I loved that the teal is gone. Skin tones look wonderful. Excellent work. But I agree with what you said, I noticed that the contrast can be a bit much, especially when Reese arrives. Knowing that you watch through your projector, I'm sure it appears much better on your end. There's probably no need to change this unless you plan to watch on a TV.

I definitely thought my laptop crushed the blacks while my TV was a better viewing experience. My TV simply handled it better. I do think that the middle ground you posted above is a solid way to continue this project!

[Beber]

Thanks. Know that the teal, green, whatever, is actually more genuine as to what's on an actual print. The 35mm scan I'm using as reference was color shifted by the project maker to a bluer tone that I enjoy very much, as you do apparently. The idea is to have both T1 and T2 looking about the same for a double feature. When I'm done with T1, I plan to resume work on T2 for completion: https://fanrestore.com/thread-4175.html

[thedullahan07]

Interesting, I didn't realize that the teal/green is similar to what's on the actual print. Thank you for pointing this out. I haven't seen a 35mm scan yet, so I'll have to look into that. Now you've got me curious.

Yes, I really like the blue and I think it's going to make a great double feature experience. Looking forward in seeing your final results in the future!

[Beber]

Yes, on an actual 1984 print, you'd see just about this:



On remastered Blu-ray (2013) and UHD (tonemapped), you see that:



So with black levels adjusted, it's about the same as what the print was originally. The thing is T2, even though it's the same director of photography, looks very different and I very much like the blues, purples and cyans in T2. So I aim for an alternative version of T1 that looks on par with it. I think the night and cold steel blues fit better for the film's mood. Just a personal taste.