Color grading: a guide for pros

What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.

Offering color grading

Color grading clients want footage that looks consistent and carries the mood they intended. Show that you match shots carefully, keep skin tones natural, and agree the look before you grade the full video.

What customers ask

  • Will the shots match across the video?
  • Can you match footage from different cameras?
  • How do you keep skin tones natural?
  • Can you create a look we can reuse?
  • How many review rounds are included?
  • What format do you need from me?

How to win the job

  • On the first call, ask what the footage came from, the look the client wants and any reference they like, then say which shots will be hardest to match.
  • Ask for a reference still or film and grade one short sample scene, so the client approves the look before the full job.
  • Show a before and after of footage you graded, with a note on the look and how you matched the shots.
  • Put the length, the number of shots, the reference match, the review rounds and the delivery format into the quote, so the client knows what is covered.
  • Ask the client for the camera or format details of the footage, so you can plan the matching before grading.
  • Deliver a look file or grade notes with the final files, and say in writing that the client may reuse them.

What to put on your profile

  • Before and after samples, with the look and camera type noted, shared with permission.
  • Types of footage you grade, such as events, drama, commercial or documentary.
  • Your process: review, balance, look, refinement and delivery.
  • The software and monitoring setup you use, listed accurately.

Follow-up that helps the customer

  • Offer to apply the same look to the next video in a series.
  • Suggest a short look guide for the client's future shoots, so the camera setup supports the grade.
  • Offer to regrade a video when the client's brand look changes.

Licenses and permits

Color grading is not commonly licensed, so you usually do not need a license to offer it. Check with your state or local licensing agency for business registration, and keep a written agreement that names the look, the review rounds, the delivery files and the ownership of the look file.

Questions

How do I show I can match footage well?

Show a before and after of footage from more than one camera, with the match noted. Clients can see the consistency directly.

Should I keep a client's look for my own portfolio?

Only with permission, and only as the agreement allows. Ask the client before you show any grade publicly.

What if the footage is too poor for the look the client wants?

Tell the client early and explain what grading can and cannot do. Suggest a reshoot or a simpler look where the footage limits the result.

About this guide

This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.

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