Color grading: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What color grading is

A colorist adjusts the color and contrast of video footage to create a consistent look, match shots and set the mood. Good grading makes footage from different cameras or different days look like it belongs to one film or one brand.

Signs you need it

  • Your footage came from several cameras or days, and the shots do not match in color or brightness.
  • You want a specific mood, such as warm, cool or muted, and the footage does not yet show it.
  • Your video looks flat or dull after an edit, and you want more contrast and life in the picture.
  • You have a brand look you want applied to every video in a series.
  • Skin tones shift from shot to shot, and the people look different in each scene.
  • You need the footage to match a reference shot or a previous film in the series.

What the pro does

  • Reviews the footage and the look you want, using a reference image or a film you like.
  • Balances the shots so exposure and white balance match across the cuts.
  • Adjusts the color and contrast for the look, keeping skin tones natural and consistent.
  • Applies the same grade across the scenes, then refines the key shots one by one.
  • Shares the graded version for review and delivers the final files, with the grade notes if you need them later.

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • Length of the video and the number of shots that need work.
  • Number of cameras and formats the footage came from.
  • Complexity of the look, such as a stylized grade or a simple matching job.
  • Whether the grade must match a reference or a previous project.
  • Number of review rounds.
  • Turnaround time for delivery.

What a written quote should spell out

  • The length of the video and the number of shots covered.
  • The look or reference agreed, and how it will be matched.
  • The number of review rounds and the delivery format.
  • Whether grade notes or a look file are delivered for future use.
  • Who owns the graded files and the look file.

Questions to ask before you hire

  • Can you show a before and after of footage you graded?
  • How do you keep skin tones natural across the shots?
  • What reference image or film should I send you?
  • How many review rounds are included?
  • Can you deliver a look file so the grade can be reused?
  • Will you match footage from different cameras?

Red flags

  • Makes skin tones orange, grey or unnatural and calls it a style.
  • Will not show before and after examples of its work.
  • Applies heavy effects without agreeing the look first.
  • Cannot explain how it matches shots from different cameras.
  • Asks for full payment before the look and the review rounds are agreed.

What you can do yourself

You can correct basic exposure and white balance in a free or built-in editing tool, and match the shots by eye on a calibrated screen where possible. Hire a colorist when the look needs to be consistent across a long video or a series, when the footage came from several cameras, or when the grade has to match a specific reference.

Licenses and permits

Color grading is not commonly licensed, so a license is usually not required for this work. Check with your state or local licensing agency about business rules that apply to you, and ask the colorist for before and after samples of footage they have graded as proof of skill.

Color grading questions

What is the difference between color correction and color grading?

Color correction fixes the footage so it looks accurate, such as balancing white and exposure. Color grading sets the look, such as mood and style. Many projects need both, and the colorist should explain which one they are doing.

Will grading fix bad footage?

It can improve footage, but it cannot repair blur, heavy noise or badly lit shots fully. Ask the colorist to tell you early if a shot is beyond what grading can fix.

Can I reuse the look on future videos?

Ask whether the colorist will deliver a look file or notes. Those let you or another colorist apply the same look to later footage.

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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