Footage straight from a camera or phone often looks dull, or changes colour from shot to shot. Colour work fixes this in two steps.
Step one: correction
Correction makes the footage look natural.
- Exposure: adjust brightness so details in shadows and highlights are visible.
- White balance: fix colour casts so whites look white, not yellow or blue.
- Contrast: add depth so the image does not look foggy.
Step two: grading
Grading gives a style: warm and golden for a cosy cafe, cool and clean for a tech product, rich and saturated for a festival. Choose one look for the whole video.
Match your shots
The most common problem is clips shot at different times or on different phones that do not match. Correct each one to the same base before you apply any style.
Skin tones matter
Whatever look you choose, faces should still look natural. If skin turns orange or grey, you have gone too far.
Shoot with grading in mind
- Use good light and keep your settings fixed during a shot.
- Lock exposure and white balance on a phone, so it does not drift.
Do not overdo it
Strong filters can hide the product you are trying to show. If a customer will receive that product, the colour should look like the real thing.
See our Colour Grading service.
