Color Grading Workflow Step by Step: Balance to Look

A colour grading workflow in the free colorgrade.video studio on a sunset clip: balance on the Correction layer, a circle window on the face, a look, grain and vignette, the Layers stack with Opacity, then keyframes for the changing light.

Color grading tutorial · chapter 12 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. Read the chapter →

Key moments

1. 1 Balance and secondary , starts at 0:00
2. 2 Look and finishing , starts at 0:16
3. 3 Layers and keyframes , starts at 0:27
4. 4 Try it yourself , starts at 0:42

Transcript

Balance and secondary 0:00

1. 0:01 A sunset clip in standard video, so the input needs no conversion.
2. 0:03 Balance first: Contrast and Temperature on the Correction layer.
3. 0:08 A secondary layer with a circle window lifts the face a little.

Look and finishing 0:16

1. 0:16 The creative look goes on the Look layer, after the corrections.
2. 0:22 Finishing comes last: a touch of grain and a gentle vignette.

Layers and keyframes 0:27

1. 0:27 Layers shows the order, and Opacity eases the look back.
2. 0:30 Animate the grade adds an end grade for light that changes during the shot.
3. 0:38 Played back, the grade dissolves from the start to the end.