--- title: Color Grading description: Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or video. You will understand how to balance exposure, correct color imbalances, match footage from different cameras, and apply creative color palettes to evoke specific moods. category: arts-design subcategory: video-production difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/color-grading --- # Color Grading Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or video. You will understand how to balance exposure, correct color imbalances, match footage from different cameras, and apply creative color palettes to evoke specific moods. ## Where to start Start with DaVinci Resolve Official Training, the free, beginner-level official course for the grading software. If you only use one resource, make it Alexis Van Hurkman's Color Correction Handbook, a reference organised by task, from contrast and colour balance to shot matching, that explains the image science so techniques transfer across systems. Then read Steve Hullfish's The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction for professional case studies. ## Available Resources 3 Books • 1 Courses • 3 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Mixing Light A subscription library of short color-grading tutorials from working colorists, covering DaVinci Resolve node structures, scene matching, look design, and client workflow. Members can follow a grade decision by decision rather than copying preset recipes. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://mixinglight.com/ **Tags:** color-grading, davinci-resolve, post-production, colorist, tutorials ### 2. Lift Gamma Gain A long-running discussion forum where professional colorists trade advice on grading tools, monitor calibration, color management, and job workflow. Reading active threads shows how practitioners diagnose real shots and which hardware and software choices hold up in production. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://liftgammagain.com/ **Tags:** color-grading, colorist, forum, post-production, color-management ### 3. Lowepost A colorist training site combining a paid course library with a free forum. Courses cover DaVinci Resolve grading, look development, print film emulation, and Baselight, taught by working Hollywood colorists, so you can build a professional finishing workflow. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://lowepost.com/ **Tags:** color-grading, davinci-resolve, baselight, post-production, courses ## Courses ### 1. DaVinci Resolve Official Training Master color-grading in DaVinci Resolve with this official training course. Learn professional techniques from the source! **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/training **Tags:** davinci-resolve, color-grading, blackmagic-design, post-production, certification ## Podcasts ### 1. The Colorist Podcast **Author:** The Colorist Society The Colorist Society International (CSI) strives to advance the craft, education, and awareness of the art and science of color grading and color correction. The Colorist Society is the first professional society devoted exclusively to furthering and honoring the professional achievements of the colorist community. It is not a labor union or a guild; it is an educational and cultural resource. Membership is open to professional colorists, editor/colorists, DITs, telecine operators, color timers, finishers, restoration artists, and color scientists. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://sites.libsyn.com/456327/site **Tags:** color-grading, colorist, podcast, post-production, career ### 2. No Film School **Author:** No Film School Podcast from the No Film School website featuring interviews with screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, editors and producers, plus news on cameras, lighting and filmmaking apps, helping independent filmmakers understand craft decisions and build careers in film and television. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://nofilmschool.com **Tags:** filmmaking, cinematography, screenwriting, independent-film, film-industry ## Books ### 1. Color Correction Handbook **Author:** Alexis Van Hurkman A reference on grading technique organized by task: setting contrast, balancing color, matching shots, keying skin tones, and shaping looks. Each chapter explains the underlying image science, so decisions transfer across DaVinci Resolve, Baselight, and other systems. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321713117?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, arts-design, video-production ### 2. The Art and Technique of Digital Color Correction **Author:** Steve Hullfish Built around annotated case studies, this book walks through real grades on features, commercials, and documentaries, with practicing colorists explaining each move. Reading it teaches how professionals reason about mood, skin tone, and shot continuity under deadline. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0240809904?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, arts-design, video-production ### 3. Color Grading 101 **Author:** Charles Haine An entry point for editors, cinematographers, and directors who grade their own work, pairing technical chapters on color matching, mastering, and compression with artistic ones on contrast, aesthetic trends, and building a color plan for a project. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143106627?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, arts-design, video-production --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/color-grading