What is Color Grading

Color grading is the process of improving the appearance of an image for presentation in different environments. Various attributes of an image such as contrast, color, saturation, detail, black level, and white point may be enhanced whether for motion pictures, videos, or still images.

In those images, shot by myself, you can see that the RAW image (left) has a cool (blue) feel to it, but I knew before I shot this, that I wanted a moody, old, grungy look. Older images are all have that warm (light orange) tone to them, so I knew that once I imported these images into Lightroom what sliders I needed to adjust.

Color grading enhances your images just like it does in movies. Check out this ‘Transformers’ trailer comparison. See how dramatic the bottom one looks compared to the top?

Now you’re gonna look at movies differently, LOL. It’s something about those green shadows and yellow highlights that make the scenes look SOOOOOOO much better than the flat, bland, natural colors.

But How Do I Know What Colors To Use?

That question is a little more difficult. You just have to play around with complimentary colors. Basically you’ll get better with time and practice. Here’s some of my favorite YouTube videos that will help you learn and train your eyes to know which colors to play with.

Learning is INFINITE so don’t think you HAVE to get this concept PERFECT today! Take your time to explore YouTube more, watch multiple videos from different creators in order to get well rounded.