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Color Grading 101 BY
Film-riot
Have you ever noticed how certain movies
just feel a certain way visually? Like the
gritty greenish tones of The Matrix or Mad
Max: Fury Road, or the surreal, almost Today, we’ve got digital tools that make
pastel vibe of The Grand Budapest Hotel? color grading way more accessible and
That’s all thanks to color grading — the powerful. But first, there's a key distinction:
magic touch added in post-production to color correction vs. color grading. Correction
create a unique atmosphere and emotional comes first — it's about getting a clean,
tone. Even back in the black-and-white film neutral image by adjusting white balance,
days, filmmakers used chemical processes exposure, and matching shots. Once that's
to set a mood. And by the 1960s, genres done, grading is where the creative magic
like Italian Giallo were pushing the limits happens. You can tweak contrast, add glow,
with bright, flamboyant color schemes. play with colors, or even throw in some film
grain to give a specific texture or vibe.
Now, when working with color, we’re dealing
with different color spaces. The standard
one used to be Rec. 709 — it's what most
screens still default to. But newer formats
like Rec. 2020 and Rec. 2100 offer a
broader, richer HDR color space with
deeper blacks and brighter brights. These
are slowly replacing Rec. 709, especially for processing power. They’re also not images
cinema and streaming. yet — they need to be "developed" in post.
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b9ik4/edit?usp=drivesdk Then there’s a middle ground: Log (or
LOG). It’s like a lightweight version of RAW.
Cameras also record in different ways. You It uses a logarithmic curve to preserve more
can shoot in Rec. 709, which is fast and details in highlights and shadows, giving
easy but limits your grading flexibility. Or you lots of flexibility without the file bloat.
you can go RAW, which captures a massive The image looks washed out and gray at
amount of data (we're talking 12 to 14-bit first, but after conversion (usually to Rec.
depth — up to 69 billion colors vs. Rec. 709), it becomes vibrant and full of detail.
709’s 16 million). The downside? RAW files Different camera brands have their own log
are huge and require serious storage and formats like Sony’s S-Log, RED’s
REDlogFilm, or ARRI’s Log C.
To make things even smoother, there’s a
workflow called ACES (Academy Color
Encoding System). It lets you work with
footage in any color space — Rec. 709,
Log, RAW, whatever — and only convert to
your final output format (like HDR or
YouTube-ready Rec. 709) at the end. It’s a
great way to keep all that juicy color data
intact through the whole process.
Advantages of using ACES
Using ACES system will allow you to
And speaking of color workflows — let’s talk
design your output for different
about LUTs. You’ve probably heard of them.
devices/platforms like for YouTube
LUT stands for Lookup Table, and it’s
videos( REC.709), for commercial
basically a preset filter that shifts one color
purpose(REC.2020/2100)
value to another based on hue, brightness,
Log/raw footage >> editing time { can
and saturation. They're super useful for
work from All the color spaces } >> can
converting log footage to Rec. 709 or
optimise your output by selecting
creating a specific look, but keep in mind
through one of the color spaces for
they only affect color and contrast. They
different projects.
can't add effects like grain or fix lens issues
— that’s what plugins are for.
For example, a Rec. 709 LUT can be used
to convert LOG footage to a standard HD
color profile.
2. Creative Color Grading:
LUTs allow for easy application of
various color grades, creating different
visual styles and moods.
They can be used to achieve specific
looks like cinematic, vintage, or
high-contrast.
This saves time and effort compared to
manually adjusting color settings on
each frame.
3. Consistency and Efficiency:
LUTs help maintain a consistent look
across different shots, scenes, or
projects by applying the same color
settings.
They provide a one-click solution for
color grading, making post-production
more efficient.
4. Previewing on Different Devices:
LUTs can help preview how footage will
look on different devices or platforms by
LUTs (Look-Up Tables) are useful for simulating their color space and gamma.
color space manipulation because they This ensures that the final product looks
provide a quick and efficient way to as intended on various displays.
apply color grading effects and convert In essence, LUTs bridge the gap between
between different color profiles. They the raw footage and the desired visual
essentially act as a "mapping" that style, making them an invaluable tool for
translates color values from one space color grading and color space
to another, allowing for consistent color manipulation in video and film
reproduction across various devices and production.
platforms.
One favorite plugin among colorists is
Here's a more detailed explanation: FilmConvert Nitrate. It mimics actual film
1. Color Space Conversion: stocks (like Kodak or Fuji) and lets you
LUTs are commonly used to convert apply authentic film grain and fine-tune color
between color spaces like RAW, LOG, or and contrast. It’s kind of the cherry on top
Rec. 709. for giving your project that polished,
This is crucial for ensuring that colors cinematic feel.
appear accurately when footage shot in
one color space is displayed on a So, in a nutshell: color grading is both a
different device or software. technical and artistic step in filmmaking.
Whether you’re shooting quick-and-dirty
Rec. 709 or diving deep with RAW or Log,
the tools today make it easier than ever to
craft stunning, emotionally rich visuals.
