Definition
What is color grading?
Color grading is the creative process of adjusting a video’s color, contrast, saturation, and tonal balance to establish a visual style, reinforce mood, and keep the finished sequence coherent.
Color correction usually comes first and solves technical problems: balancing exposure, neutralizing color casts, and matching cameras or shots. Grading builds on that clean foundation to create a look, from natural commercial polish to a stylized cinematic palette.
A colorist may work with primary controls, curves, masks, tracked adjustments, and LUTs. A LUT can provide a starting transform or look, but it is not a substitute for shot-by-shot decisions made while monitoring skin tones, highlights, shadows, and delivery color space.
Example in the edit
After matching footage from two cameras, the editor cools the shadows, warms skin tones, softens highlight roll-off, and slightly lowers saturation to create a restrained winter mood.
Why editors use it
Color grading unifies footage and changes how a story feels. It can direct the eye, establish time and place, support a brand, and give a finished video a recognizable visual identity.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Color grading
What is the difference between color correction and color grading?
Color correction fixes and matches the image technically. Color grading makes creative choices about the final look and emotional tone.
Is a LUT the same as a color grade?
No. A LUT applies a predefined color transform. A complete grade adapts that starting point to the actual footage, shot matching, skin tones, and delivery requirements.
Should color grading happen before or after editing?
Detailed grading normally happens after the edit is close to picture lock, although a temporary viewing LUT or basic correction is often used while editing.