---
title: "Color Grading Tutorial for Beginners | colorgrade.video"
description: "A free color grading tutorial from basics to advanced: scopes, white balance, wheels, curves, log, LUTs and looks, each lesson shown in a browser studio."
url: https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial
---

Free · 13 lessons · follow along in your browser

# Color Grading Tutorial: From Basics to Advanced

Thirteen lessons that teach you how to color grade video in the order colourists work, each one demonstrated in a free studio you can follow along in.

* Basics to advanced
* A short video for every lesson
* Nothing is uploaded

This color grading tutorial takes you from reading a scope for the first time to delivering a finished grade. It is arranged in three levels, Basics, Intermediate and Advanced, and every lesson is demonstrated in the free studio on this site, so you can open a clip of your own and follow along with exactly the controls and scopes you see in the lesson. (In British English it is colour grading; the craft is the same.)

It is written for beginners who already edit video and want their footage to look deliberate: editors, video makers, event filmmakers and students. The first lessons are easy color grading techniques for beginners that fix most footage on their own (read the scopes, set white balance, set contrast), and the later ones build on them. The ideas carry over to any grading application. Where DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro call a control something different, the lessons say so.

## Contents

1. [ What colour grading is ](#what-is-color-grading)
2. [ Why grading matters ](#why-it-matters)
3. [ How this tutorial works ](#how-this-tutorial-works)
4. [ The studio in two minutes ](#studio-basics)
5. [The 13 chapters](#chapters)  
   1. [ 1. Video scopes ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/video-scopes)  
   2. [ 2. Contrast and tonal range ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/contrast-and-tonal-range)  
   3. [ 3. White balance ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/white-balance)  
   4. [ 4. Colour wheels ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/color-wheels)  
   5. [ 5. Curves ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/curves)  
   6. [ 6. Secondary correction ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/secondary-color-correction)  
   7. [ 7. Skin tones ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/skin-tones)  
   8. [ 8. Log footage and LUTs ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/log-footage-and-luts)  
   9. [ 9. Creative looks ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/creative-looks)  
   10. [ 10. Shot matching ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/shot-matching)  
   11. [ 11. Delivery and export ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/delivery)  
   12. [ 12. Grading workflow ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/workflow)  
   13. [ 13. Common mistakes ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/mistakes)
6. [ The grading workflow at a glance ](#workflow-at-a-glance)
7. [ What you need ](#what-you-need)
8. [Questions](#faq)

## What colour grading is

Colour grading is shaping the colour and contrast of footage, and in practice it is two jobs. Correction makes the picture accurate: neutral white balance, sensible black and white levels, and shots that agree with each other. Grading, in the narrow sense, makes it expressive: the warm nostalgia of a flashback, the cold tension of a thriller, the clean brightness of a product video.

* **Correction** has a measurable target: whites read as white, skin sits on the skin tone line, nothing important is clipped.
* **Grading** has no single right answer: the same footage can be graded a dozen ways, each telling the story differently.

Correction comes first, because a look applied to an uncorrected shot carries its faults along with it. Our guide to [what colour grading is](https://colorgrade.video/what-is-color-grading) explains the difference, the vocabulary and the history in full; if you only need accurate colour today, the [colour correction tool](https://colorgrade.video/color-correct-video) does it in one step.

## Why grading matters

Audiences read colour before they think about it. Warmth suggests comfort or memory, cool desaturated tones suggest distance or threat, and contrast sets how hard or soft a world feels. A grade lets you choose those signals rather than accept whatever the camera produced.

It also makes footage look professional in quieter ways. Consistent colour from shot to shot is what makes an edit feel continuous; a face that changes hue on every cut feels cheap even when viewers can’t say why. And many cameras now record log, a deliberately flat signal that is designed to be graded and looks grey and lifeless until it is.

Finally, grading decides how your work survives the trip to the audience. A grade built with scopes and checked for delivery holds up on phones, laptops and televisions; one judged only by eye on one screen often does not.

[ ![A sunset portrait split down the middle by the Compare divider: the ungraded original on the left, flatter and less colourful, and the graded version on the right with richer contrast, warm skin and cooler shadows.](https://colorgrade.video/guides/color-grading-tutorial/pillar/pillar-before-after.webp)  (enlarge image) ](https://colorgrade.video/guides/color-grading-tutorial/pillar/pillar-before-after.webp) 

**Compare** on **Split**: the original on the left, the grade on the right.

## How this tutorial works

Each lesson explains one part of grading, why it works the way it does, and how to do it. Every lesson has a short video of the technique being done in the studio, screenshots of the important moments, a **Try it** procedure with the exact control names, and answers to the questions people most often ask about it.

### Follow along with your own clip

Open any clip with **Open video or photo** (or drag it onto the page) and the studio opens full screen, with your clip in the middle. The lessons use the same panels and the same labels you see there. Choosing **Back** in your browser returns you to the lesson, and **Forward** returns you to the studio with your work intact.

### Choosing where to start

* **New to grading?** Start at lesson 1 and work through the Basics in order; each one builds on the last.
* **Already use Lumetri or Resolve’s wheels?** Skim the Basics for the scope habits, then start at the Intermediate lessons.
* **Shooting log?** Do the Basics, then go straight to the log footage lesson before anything creative, because every other control depends on the conversion.
* **Grading a multi-camera edit?** The shot matching and workflow lessons are the ones that save the most time.

Most lessons take ten to twenty minutes with your own clip open. Doing the **Try it** steps matters more than reading every paragraph: grading is learned by moving controls and watching what the scopes do.

### Everything stays on your device

The studio runs in your browser. Your footage is read and graded on your own computer or phone and is never uploaded, so you can practise on private or client material. There is no account, no watermark and nothing to install.

Choose a practice clip with a face and something neutral

A clip with a person and a white or grey surface, such as a wall or a shirt, makes every lesson easier to see: skin shows colour mistakes first, and neutrals show casts on the scopes.

## The studio in two minutes

The studio has two modes. **Simple** shows **Looks**, **Adjust** and **Creative**, which is enough for quick work. **Pro** (P) adds **Wheels**, **Curves**, **Secondary**, **Layers**, **Footage** and **Match**, and shows the scopes column. Most lessons use **Pro**.

* The **Scopes** column shows up to two of **Waveform**, **Parade**, **Vectorscope** and **Histogram**: the measurements that keep your grade honest.
* **Compare** (**Split** or **Side by side**) and **Bypass** (Shift+D) show the original next to your grade.
* **View** switches to **False colour** or **Clipping** to check levels at a glance.
* Every slider resets with a double-click, and **Undo** and **Redo** cover everything.
* **Export** (Ctrl/Cmd+Enter) saves a video, a still image or your grade as a .cube LUT.

[ ![The colorgrade.video studio in Pro mode: the left rail of panels with Wheels open showing Lift, Gamma, Gain and Offset, the graded picture in the centre, the Waveform and Vectorscope in the scopes column on the right, and the timeline along the bottom.](https://colorgrade.video/guides/color-grading-tutorial/pillar/pillar-pro-studio.webp)  (enlarge image) ](https://colorgrade.video/guides/color-grading-tutorial/pillar/pillar-pro-studio.webp) 

The studio in **Pro** mode, with **Wheels** open and the **Waveform** and **Vectorscope** on the right.

The lessons

## The 13 chapters

### Basics

Start here: read the scopes, set contrast and fix white balance, the foundations every later lesson builds on, plus the mistakes to avoid.

1. [ Chapter 1 · 10 min read · 0:44 video How to Read Video Scopes Read the waveform, RGB parade, vectorscope and histogram, and check levels with false colour and clipping views. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/video-scopes)
2. [ Chapter 2 · 9 min read · 0:41 video Contrast and Tonal Range in Color Grading Set black and white points, place mid grey, and shape contrast without clipping either end, using the waveform and false colour. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/contrast-and-tonal-range)
3. [ Chapter 3 · 8 min read · 0:39 video White Balance and Color Temperature Why casts happen, how Temperature and Tint work, how to neutralise a shot on the parade, and how to add warmth on purpose. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/white-balance)
4. [ Chapter 13 · 8 min read · 0:44 video Color Grading Mistakes and How to Fix Them Ten mistakes that spoil most amateur grades, each with what it looks like, how to spot it on a scope and how to fix it in the studio. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/mistakes)

### Intermediate

Shape the picture with wheels, curves and secondary corrections, keep skin tones natural, and learn the order a grade is built in.

1. [ Chapter 4 · 7 min read · 0:44 video Lift, Gamma, Gain and Offset: The Color Wheels What each colour wheel does in plain maths, how the master ring and puck differ, when to use log wheels, and what the primary bars add. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/color-wheels)
2. [ Chapter 5 · 8 min read · 0:44 video Curves in Color Grading Shape contrast with RGB and luma curves, fix or create casts with channel curves, and change single colours with the hue curves and HSL. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/curves)
3. [ Chapter 6 · 9 min read · 0:44 video Secondary Color Correction: Qualifiers and Power Windows Isolate one colour or one area of the frame with a qualifier or a power window, check the matte, and grade that part alone. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/secondary-color-correction)
4. [ Chapter 7 · 8 min read · 0:44 video How to Grade Skin Tones with the Vectorscope Use the vectorscope skin tone line and the waveform to keep faces natural, fix colour casts on skin, and keep skin out of a creative look. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/skin-tones)
5. [ Chapter 12 · 8 min read · 0:44 video Color Grading Workflow: The Order That Works The order colourists work in, from colour management to export, and how it maps to the studio’s Layers, Resolve’s nodes and Premiere’s Lumetri sections. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/workflow)

### Advanced

Convert log footage and use LUTs, build creative looks, match shots across a scene and deliver a grade that holds up on every screen.

1. [ Chapter 8 · 9 min read · 0:39 video Log Footage, Color Spaces and LUTs Explained What a log curve and a wide gamut do, how colour management turns them into normal video, and what a 3D LUT can and cannot carry. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/log-footage-and-luts)
2. [ Chapter 9 · 8 min read · 0:44 video Creative Color Grading: How to Build a Look Build a look on top of a correction: complementary colour, film-style contrast and texture, split toning, black and white, and the restraint that holds it together. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/creative-looks)
3. [ Chapter 10 · 10 min read · 0:43 video Shot Matching: Consistent Color Across Clips Make every shot in a scene look like it was filmed in the same light: by eye with the scopes, with a reference still, and with a shared grade plus trims. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/shot-matching)
4. [ Chapter 11 · 10 min read · 0:40 video Delivering a Grade: Rec.709, sRGB and Gamma 2.4 Why the same file looks different on a phone, a monitor and a TV, which output curve to choose, and how to export video, stills and LUTs without losing the grade. ](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/delivery)

## The grading workflow at a glance

The lessons are numbered in the order they are easiest to learn. When you grade a real project, you use them in this order instead:

1. Learn to measure the picture with [video scopes](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/video-scopes), so every later decision is checked, not guessed.
2. Convert camera log and set up colour management: [log footage and LUTs](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/log-footage-and-luts).
3. Set black and white levels and contrast: [contrast and tonal range](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/contrast-and-tonal-range).
4. Neutralise colour casts: [white balance](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/white-balance).
5. Balance shadows, midtones and whites with [colour wheels](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/color-wheels) and refine with [curves](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/curves).
6. Make the shots of a scene agree: [shot matching](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/shot-matching).
7. Fix specific colours and areas with [secondary colour correction](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/secondary-color-correction), and check faces with [skin tones](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/skin-tones).
8. Give the scene its mood with [creative looks](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/creative-looks).
9. Finish, check and keep it in order with the [grading workflow](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/workflow), and catch problems with [common mistakes](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/mistakes).
10. Export for the screens your audience uses: [delivery](https://colorgrade.video/color-grading-tutorial/delivery).

You don’t need every step on every clip. A well-shot phone video may need only levels, white balance and a gentle look; a two-camera interview shot in log uses the whole list. What stays the same is the order, because each step hands the next a predictable picture.

## What you need

* **A clip.** Any MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV video works, and photos (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC) open as stills. Phone footage is fine; log footage is better for the advanced lessons.
* **A modern browser.** A current version of any major browser on a computer is best. A phone works too, though the panels and scopes are smaller.
* **Ideally, a decent screen.** It doesn’t need to be calibrated, but turn off auto-brightness and warm night-time modes while you grade, and keep the room light steady.
* **The scopes.** They are the difference between a grade that looks right on your screen and one that is right. Every lesson uses them.

If you already work in an editor, our guides to grading in [DaVinci Resolve](https://colorgrade.video/how-to-color-grade-in-davinci-resolve) and [Premiere Pro](https://colorgrade.video/how-to-color-grade-in-premiere-pro) show where the same controls live there. For single jobs, the tools to [apply a LUT](https://colorgrade.video/apply-lut-to-video) and [convert log to Rec.709](https://colorgrade.video/log-to-rec709) open the studio ready for that task.

## Color grading tutorial: questions

### How long does it take to learn color grading?

You can learn the basics, scopes, contrast and white balance, in an afternoon, and work through this whole tutorial in a few days of practice. Getting good takes longer: most of the skill is in judgement, which comes from grading many different shots and comparing your work against references.

### What should I learn first in color grading?

Learn to read the scopes, then contrast and white balance. Those three underpin everything else, and they cover most of what correction needs. Creative looks are more fun but work far better once you can balance a shot reliably.

### Do I need DaVinci Resolve to learn color grading?

No. The principles, order of work and controls are the same in every grading application, and this tutorial teaches them in a free browser studio. Resolve is an excellent next step for long projects, and its wheels, curves, qualifiers and nodes will feel familiar after these lessons.

### What is the difference between color grading and using a LUT?

A LUT is a stored colour transform: it maps each input colour to an output colour. Grading is the whole process of deciding how footage should look, which may use a LUT for a camera conversion or a creative look but also needs per-shot balance, matching and secondaries that a LUT can’t do.

### Can I learn color grading on my phone?

Yes, the studio works on phones, with the panels in a bar at the bottom and the scopes in a collapsible strip. A larger screen makes it easier to see fine differences and to keep scopes and picture visible together, so use a computer when you can.

### Is this tutorial free, and is my footage uploaded?

The tutorial and the studio are free, with no account and no watermark. Your footage is processed in your browser on your own device and is never uploaded.