Workflow for using VKDT in tandem with other editors

[Thomsen]

@hanatos

good old darktable colour zones or what was it called.

Yes reading up on color zones this is exactly the functionality. Coming from color grading video-material in Davinci Resolve, this is one of the most powerful tools there is - not usually found in photo editing software.

@hanatos

Lab is not an acceptable colour space to do anything with (hue preservation is terrible, some saturated blues give negative L etc)

I don’t think Lab is a prerequisite to make it work. In Davinci Resolve, the 9 curve combinations are usually done in Davinci Wide Gamut or Aces. Even works in Rec. 709 although more prone to artifacts with the limited color range.

@hanatos

does rawtherapee do the full matrix? i.e. L is affected by L/L, L/C and L/h at the same time?

Yes it is possible to have all three curves affecting the same value - this is what makes it so powerful.

E.g. using C/C to desaturate only the oversaturated colors. – Then using C/L to desaturate the highlights – Then using C/h to boost greens and reds, making skintones and foliage pop.

Using h/h and h/L would also make it easier to achieve things like the dark blueish green tones that Nosle was describing in the Spectral film simulation thread:

@nosle

My greens are basically brown/yellow with portra and from my film experience I expect a different look where greens turn rather dark and kind of blueish?