10 Essential Colour Grading Skills and Trends for Video Editors

Design 1 year ago

Colour grading is the process of enhancing or altering the colours of a video footage to create a desired mood, tone, or style. Colour grading can make a huge difference in the quality, impact, and appeal of your videos, whether they are for personal, professional, or commercial purposes. Colour grading can also help you tell a story, convey a message, or express a vision through your videos.

However, colour grading is not a simple or easy task. It requires a lot of skills, knowledge, tools, and creativity to master. It also requires you to keep up with the latest trends and techniques in the industry, as colour grading is constantly evolving and changing.

In this blog post, we will share with you 10 essential colour grading skills and trends that every video editor should know and follow. These skills and trends will help you improve your colour grading abilities and create stunning videos that stand out from the crowd.

1. Understand the basics of colour theory and psychology

The first skill that you need to have as a video editor is to understand the basics of colour theory and psychology. Colour theory is the study of how colours interact, contrast, and harmonize with each other. Colour psychology is the study of how colours affect human emotions, perceptions, and behaviors.

By understanding the basics of colour theory and psychology, you can choose the right colours for your videos that match your goals, themes, and audiences. You can also use colours to create different effects, such as:

Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) can create a sense of energy, excitement, passion, or danger.

Cool colours (blue, green, purple) can create a sense of calm, relaxation, mystery, or sadness.

Neutral colours (black, white, gray) can create a sense of balance, elegance, simplicity, or professionalism.

Complementary colours (opposite colours on the colour wheel) can create a sense of contrast, tension, or drama.

Analogous colours (adjacent colours on the colour wheel) can create a sense of harmony, unity, or continuity.

Monochromatic colours (variations of the same colour) can create a sense of depth, focus, or mood.

2. Learn how to use colour grading tools and software

The second skill that you need to have as a video editor is to learn how to use colour grading tools and software. Colour grading tools and software are the applications or programs that allow you to manipulate the colours of your video footage. There are many colour grading tools and software available in the market, such as:

Adobe Premiere Pro: This is a popular and powerful video editing software that also has colour grading features, such as Lumetri Color panel, Curves, Vectorscope, and Color Wheels.

DaVinci Resolve: This is a professional and advanced colour grading software that also has video editing features, such as Timeline, Media Pool, and Fusion. DaVinci Resolve has a dedicated Colour page that offers a wide range of colour grading tools, such as Nodes, Scopes, Qualifiers, and Power Windows.

Final Cut Pro: This is a user-friendly and intuitive video editing software that also has colour grading features, such as Color Board, Color Wheels, Color Curves, and Hue/Saturation Curves.

Filmora: This is a simple and easy-to-use video editing software that also has colour grading features, such as Presets, Adjustments, and 3D LUTs.

To learn how to use colour grading tools and software, you need to:

Familiarize yourself with the interface, functions, and settings of your chosen colour grading tool or software.

Watch tutorials, guides, or courses that teach you how to use your chosen colour grading tool or software effectively and efficiently.

Practice and experiment with different colour grading tools, techniques, and effects on your video footage.

3. Know how to use colour correction and colour grading

The third skill that you need to have as a video editor is to know how to use colour correction and colour grading. Colour correction and colour grading are two different but related processes that are often confused or used interchangeably.

Colour correction is the process of fixing or adjusting the colours of your video footage to make them look natural, accurate, and consistent. Colour correction aims to remove any colour casts, exposure issues, white balance problems, or noise from your video footage.

Colour grading is the process of enhancing or altering the colours of your video footage to create a desired mood, tone, or style. Colour grading aims to add or change the colour palette, contrast, saturation, or temperature of your video footage.

To use colour correction and colour grading, you need to:

Apply colour correction before colour grading, as colour correction provides a clean and neutral base for colour grading.

Use colour correction tools, such as Scopes, Waveforms, Vectorscopes, or Histograms, to measure and adjust the colours of your video footage objectively and accurately.

Use colour grading tools, such as Curves, Wheels, LUTs, or Presets, to manipulate and enhance the colours of your video footage creatively and artistically.

4. Follow the colour grading workflow and best practices

The fourth skill that you need to have as a video editor is to follow the colour grading workflow and best practices. Colour grading workflow and best practices are the steps and guidelines that help you achieve a consistent, efficient, and effective colour grading process. Colour grading workflow and best practices may vary depending on your preferences, goals, and tools, but generally, they include:

Organize and backup your video footage and project files before colour grading.

Calibrate and adjust your monitor and viewing environment to ensure optimal colour accuracy and visibility.

Grade your video footage in a logical and systematic order, such as by scenes, shots, or clips.

Use adjustment layers, masks, or nodes to isolate and grade different parts of your video footage separately.

Use reference images, videos, or scopes to compare and match the colours of your video footage.

Review and revise your colour grading results and make sure they meet your expectations and standards.

5. Master the basic colour grading techniques and effects

The fifth skill that you need to have as a video editor is to master the basic colour grading techniques and effects. Colour grading techniques and effects are the methods and outcomes that you can use and achieve with colour grading tools and software. There are many colour grading techniques and effects that you can learn and apply, but some of the most common and essential ones are:

Exposure: This is the technique of adjusting the brightness or darkness of your video footage. You can use exposure to correct any overexposed or underexposed areas of your video footage, or to create a dramatic or cinematic look for your video footage.

Contrast: This is the technique of adjusting the difference between the lightest and darkest areas of your video footage. You can use contrast to enhance or reduce the details, depth, or dimension of your video footage, or to create a realistic or stylized look for your video footage.

Saturation: This is the technique of adjusting the intensity or purity of the colours of your video footage. You can use saturation to increase or decrease the vibrancy, richness, or dullness of your video footage, or to create a colourful or monochromatic look for your video footage.

Temperature: This is the technique of adjusting the warmth or coolness of the colours of your video footage. You can use temperature to correct any colour casts, white balance problems, or skin tones of your video footage, or to create a warm or cool look for your video footage.

Tint: This is the technique of adjusting the hue or shade of the colours of your video footage. You can use tint to correct any colour shifts, colour balance issues, or colour dominance of your video footage, or to create a tinted or filtered look for your video footage.

6. Explore the advanced colour grading techniques and effects

The sixth skill that you need to have as a video editor is to explore the advanced colour grading techniques and effects. Advanced colour grading techniques and effects are the methods and outcomes that you can use and achieve with more complex and sophisticated colour grading tools and software. There are many advanced colour grading techniques and effects that you can explore and apply, but some of the most popular and impressive ones are:

LUTs: LUTs, or Look Up Tables, are files that contain predefined colour values that can be applied to your video footage. You can use LUTs to quickly and easily change the colour scheme, mood, or style of your video footage, or to emulate the look of a film, camera, or genre.

Curves: Curves are graphs that allow you to adjust the tonal range, contrast, and colour balance of your video footage. You can use curves to fine-tune and customize the colours of your video footage, or to create specific effects, such as cross-processing, bleach bypass, or teal and orange.

Qualifiers: Qualifiers are tools that allow you to select and isolate specific colours or areas of your video footage. You can use qualifiers to grade only the parts