Colour grading

Colour grading is the craft and tools of shaping a film's colour and tone — the technical execution of the look you designed. It's a powerful, precise stage that can transform footage. This lesson demystifies grading: the two stages (correction then creative grade), the tools, and good practice — so you can finish your picture well. (Assumes you shot with a gradeable image in mind.) Let's grade the picture. Let's finish the image.

The two stages and the tools

COLOUR GRADING HAS TWO STAGES (do them in order):

1. COLOUR CORRECTION (technical) — make each shot look CORRECT + CONSISTENT:
   - Set EXPOSURE/contrast (blacks, whites, mid-tones) + WHITE BALANCE (neutralise
     colour casts so whites are white + skin looks natural).
   - MATCH shots so they cut together (the last lesson's consistency job).
   This is the neutral, "correct" baseline.

2. CREATIVE GRADE (the "look") — push colour/contrast for MOOD + style (warm/cool,
   teal-orange, desaturated, film emulation) once shots are corrected + matched.

THE TOOLS (in software like DaVinci Resolve — free + industry-standard — or
Premiere/FCP):
- LIFT / GAMMA / GAIN (or shadows/mids/highlights) — adjust brightness + colour in
  the dark / mid / bright ranges separately. The core of grading.
- CURVES — precise control of tone + individual colour channels.
- SATURATION / VIBRANCE, HUE vs HUE/SAT/LUM — target + shift specific colours.
- SCOPES (waveform, vectorscope, parade, histogram) — READ the image objectively
  (exposure, colour balance, skin tone on the "skin line"). Grade by SCOPES, not
  just your eye/monitor (which lies).
- SECONDARIES / POWER WINDOWS / MASKS + TRACKING — grade PART of the image (just
  the sky, just a face) with a shape/qualifier that follows the subject.
- NODES/LAYERS — build the grade in stages.
- LOG + LUTs — if shot in LOG (flat, for max latitude), apply a LUT/transform to a
  normal image, then grade. Shooting log/raw gives more grading headroom.

Colour grading has two stages, done in order. First, colour correction (technical) makes each shot correct and consistent: set exposure/contrast (blacks, whites, mid-tones) and white balance (neutralise colour casts so whites are white and skin looks natural), and match shots so they cut together — the neutral, "correct" baseline. Second, the creative grade (the "look") pushes colour/contrast for mood and style (warm/cool, teal-orange, desaturated, film emulation) — once shots are corrected and matched. The tools (in DaVinci Resolve — free and industry-standard — or Premiere/FCP): lift/gamma/gain (adjust brightness and colour in the dark/mid/bright ranges separately — the core of grading); curves (precise tone and colour-channel control); saturation/vibrance and hue-vs-hue/sat/lum (target and shift specific colours); and — crucially — scopes (waveform, vectorscope, parade, histogram) to read the image objectively (exposure, colour balance, skin tone on the "skin line"), because you grade by scopes, not just your eye or monitor (which lies). You also use secondaries / power windows / masks + tracking to grade part of the image (just the sky, just a face) with a shape that follows the subject, nodes/layers to build the grade in stages, and log + LUTs — if shot in log (flat, for max latitude), apply a LUT/transform to a normal image then grade (shooting log/raw gives more grading headroom).

Grading well

GOOD GRADING PRACTICE:

- CORRECT, THEN CREATE — always balance + match first; then apply the look. Don't
  chase a style on an uncorrected image.
- PROTECT SKIN TONES — natural, healthy skin is the anchor of most grades. Use the
  vectorscope's skin line; don't let a stylised look turn faces green/orange/sickly
  (unless intended).
- USE SCOPES, GRADE ON A GOOD MONITOR — your laptop screen misrepresents colour.
  Trust scopes; grade on a calibrated display in a neutral (dim, grey) room; check
  on other screens.
- SHOOT FOR THE GRADE — expose well, shoot LOG/raw if you can (more latitude),
  nail white balance, protect highlights. A good grade needs good footage; you
  can't recover blown or crushed detail.
- SUBTLETY + CONSISTENCY — restraint reads as cinematic; heavy-handed grades look
  amateur. Apply the look CONSISTENTLY across the film (save + copy grades / use a
  base look; match every shot).
- WORK NON-DESTRUCTIVELY + to a LOCKED PICTURE — grade after picture lock; keep the
  original intact; render a high-quality master.
- SERVE THE STORY — the grade supports emotion + the look's intent; it's a
  storytelling tool, not a filter contest.

THE PRINCIPLE: correct + match first, then grade the creative look — using proper
tools + scopes, protecting skin tones, with restraint + consistency, on good
footage. Grading finishes the image + delivers the mood.

Good grading follows clear practice. Correct, then create — always balance and match first, then apply the look (don't chase a style on an uncorrected image). Protect skin tones — natural, healthy skin is the anchor of most grades, so use the vectorscope's skin line and don't let a stylised look turn faces green/orange/sickly (unless intended). Use scopes, grade on a good monitor — your laptop screen misrepresents colour, so trust scopes, grade on a calibrated display in a neutral (dim, grey) room, and check on other screens. Shoot for the grade — expose well, shoot log/raw if you can (more latitude), nail white balance, and protect highlights, because a good grade needs good footage (you can't recover blown or crushed detail). Subtlety + consistency — restraint reads as cinematic while heavy-handed grades look amateur, and you apply the look consistently (save and copy grades, use a base look, match every shot). Work non-destructively and to a locked picture — grade after picture lock, keep the original intact, and render a high-quality master. And serve the story — the grade supports emotion and the look's intent; it's a storytelling tool, not a filter contest. The principle: correct and match first, then grade the creative look — using proper tools and scopes, protecting skin tones, with restraint and consistency, on good footage — grading finishes the image and delivers the mood.

The mistake beginners make

The first mistake is grading by eye on a bad monitor — judging colour on an uncalibrated laptop in a bright room, so the grade is wrong on other screens; use scopes and grade on a good, calibrated monitor in a neutral room. The second mistake is skipping correction / grading an uncorrected image — slapping a look on unbalanced, unmatched footage; correct and match first, then create. The third mistake is wrecking skin tones / over-grading — heavy, crushed, over-saturated looks that turn faces unnatural; protect skin (vectorscope skin line) and use restraint. And expecting the grade to fix bad footage — relying on grading to recover blown/crushed/badly-white-balanced footage (it can't); shoot for the grade (expose well, log/raw). And inconsistent grading across shots/film. Grade with scopes on a good monitor, correct before creating, protect skin with restraint, shoot gradeable footage, and keep it consistent.

Your turn

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Your turn

1. Correct then create: in DaVinci Resolve (free), first colour-correct a clip (set exposure/contrast + white balance, match shots), THEN apply a creative look on top — never styling an uncorrected image.
2. Grade with lift/gamma/gain + curves: adjust the shadows, mids, and highlights separately (lift/gamma/gain) and use curves for finer tone/colour control on a shot.
3. Use scopes: read your image with the waveform and vectorscope (checking skin on the skin line) and grade by the scopes rather than trusting your laptop screen.
4. Protect skin + practise restraint: grade a face keeping the skin tone natural (vectorscope skin line), and compare a subtle grade to an over-saturated/crushed one — choosing the cinematic, restrained look.
5. Shoot + finish for the grade: expose well and (if you can) shoot log/raw for latitude, then grade after picture lock non-destructively, apply the look consistently across shots, and render a high-quality master.

Key points

• Colour grading has two stages IN ORDER: 1) COLOUR CORRECTION (technical — set exposure/contrast + white balance so whites are white + skin natural, and MATCH shots) = the correct baseline; 2) CREATIVE GRADE (push colour/contrast for MOOD/style — warm/cool, teal-orange, desaturated) once corrected + matched.
• Tools (DaVinci Resolve — free/industry-standard — or Premiere/FCP): LIFT/GAMMA/GAIN (brightness+colour in dark/mid/bright ranges — the core), CURVES (precise tone/channel), saturation + HUE vs HUE/SAT/LUM (target colours), SCOPES (waveform/vectorscope/parade/histogram — read the image objectively; grade by scopes not your eye/monitor), SECONDARIES/power windows/masks + tracking (grade part of the image), nodes/layers, and LOG + LUTs (log/raw gives grading headroom).
• Grade well: CORRECT then CREATE (don't style an uncorrected image), PROTECT SKIN TONES (vectorscope skin line — anchor of most grades), use SCOPES + a calibrated monitor in a neutral room (laptop screens lie; check other screens), and SHOOT FOR THE GRADE (expose well, log/raw, nail white balance, protect highlights — you can't recover blown/crushed detail).
• Subtlety + CONSISTENCY (restraint reads cinematic; heavy grades look amateur — apply the look consistently across the film), work NON-DESTRUCTIVELY to a LOCKED picture, render a high-quality master, and SERVE THE STORY (a storytelling tool, not a filter contest).
• The mistakes: grading by eye on a bad monitor (wrong on other screens — use scopes + calibration), skipping correction (styling an uncorrected image), wrecking skin tones / over-grading (unnatural faces — protect skin + restraint), expecting the grade to fix bad footage (shoot for it), and inconsistent grading.