Color grading — primary and secondary correction, LOG, LUTs, monitoring and look

1. 01TransformConvert LOG or RAW originals to the final display color space (usually Rec.709 for HD broadcast and online) so they show normal contrast.
2. 02Primary correctionSet exposure, contrast and white balance shot by shot to reach a natural baseline.
3. 03MatchingMatch brightness and color between shots in the same scene. Even when shots were filmed at different times of day, they should play as one scene.
4. 04Secondary correctionIsolate and refine only what needs fixing, such as skin tones, sky or a prop that draws the eye.
5. 05LookApply the color direction for the whole film. If scenes have different looks, set a hero shot for each and match to it.
6. 06Check the outputReopen the file exported to the delivery spec and confirm it looks the same as in the grading suite.

Primary tools usually let you adjust shadows, midtones and highlights separately. Lifting the shadows makes the image look washed out; lowering them makes it feel denser. Midtones shape how faces read, and highlights decide whether a window or sky blows out. Don’t rely on your eyes alone: check the brightness distribution on the waveform too.

The harder you push a secondary, the more likely its edges will show. The basic rule is to get as close as you can with the primary and use secondaries gently, only where needed. When you use a mask, play the shot to the end to make sure the edge follows the person as they move.

When matching shots, the first thing to look at is skin tone. Viewers forgive small differences in the background, but they notice right away when the same person’s face changes color from shot to shot. Vectorscopes, which show color on a circle, often have a line marking where skin tones fall, so use it as the starting point for matching. Finish one hero shot per scene first and match the rest to it, and you won’t go back and forth.

LOG records with compressed contrast to keep as much highlight and shadow information as possible, so it looks gray and flat as is. Grading starts by spreading that wide range out to fit the display color space. A LUT is a lookup table that says “when this color comes in, send that color out.”

• Technical LUT — A standard transform from LOG to a display color space, often supplied by the camera manufacturer.
• Creative LUT — A table that applies a particular mood. Use it only as a starting point and refine each shot.
• Monitoring LUT — Makes the picture look right on set. It isn’t baked into the originals and serves as a reference that communicates intent to post.

• Calibrated monitor — Calibrate regularly with a measuring probe so color and brightness match the standard.
• Dark, neutral room — Block daylight from windows and keep walls and surroundings a desaturated gray. Surrounding color and brightness change what your eyes judge.
• Consistent conditions — Keep monitor brightness and room lighting the same every session, and take breaks, since your eyes adapt over long sessions.
• Check on other screens — Make final calls on the reference monitor, but also look once on the TVs and phones viewers will use.
• HDR delivery — Requires an HDR-capable reference monitor and a separate grading and review pass. Check the delivery spec to see whether it’s required.

The look is the color character of the film, chosen to suit the story, like a warm flashback or a cold, high-contrast chase. Gather reference stills with the director and cinematographer before the shoot to agree on a direction, and build it into the on-set monitoring LUT so you don’t have to make the case from scratch in post. When the grade is finished, save stills of the hero shots as the reference for the next episode or a regrade.

It’s best if the director and cinematographer attend the grading sessions. When they can’t, send review files and take notes with timecode. Compression can make review files look slightly different, so make fine color decisions on the grading suite’s screen.