What are the best practices for color grading in TV production?

1 Choose the right tools and formats

Before you start color grading, you need to make sure that you have the right tools and formats for your project. You will need a color grading software that allows you to adjust various parameters, such as exposure, saturation, hue, contrast, and curves. Some of the most popular options are DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Avid Media Composer. You will also need a calibrated monitor that can display accurate colors and a color checker that can help you match different shots. Additionally, you will need to choose the best format for your footage, depending on the resolution, bit depth, color space, and codec. Ideally, you want to work with raw or log files, as they have more dynamic range and color information than compressed or linear files.

2 Follow the basic workflow

Color grading is not a random or subjective process. It follows a basic workflow that consists of four main steps: balancing, matching, grading, and finishing. Balancing is the process of correcting the exposure, white balance, and contrast of each shot to make it look natural and consistent. Matching is the process of ensuring that the color and tone of different shots match each other, especially when they are part of the same scene or sequence. Grading is the process of applying a creative look or style to your footage, such as a warm or cool tone, a vintage or modern feel, or a specific genre or mood. Finishing is the process of refining and polishing your color grade, such as adding vignettes, noise reduction, sharpening, or grain.

3 Apply the basic principles

Color grading is not only a technical skill, but also an artistic one. It requires a good understanding of the basic principles of color theory, such as the color wheel, the color temperature, the color harmony, and the color psychology. The color wheel is a tool that shows the relationship between the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, as well as the complementary, analogous, and triadic color schemes. The color temperature is a measure of how warm or cool a color is, ranging from red to blue. The color harmony is a combination of colors that create a pleasing and balanced effect, such as monochromatic, complementary, or split-complementary. The color psychology is the study of how colors affect human emotions and behaviors, such as red for passion, blue for calmness, or yellow for happiness.

4 Use the basic techniques

Color grading is not only a matter of adjusting sliders and curves, but also of employing various techniques to enhance footage and create different effects. LUTs (look-up tables), for instance, are files that apply a predefined color transformation to your footage and can be used to emulate film stocks, camera profiles, or creative styles. Masks, on the other hand, enable you to isolate and modify specific areas of your footage such as a face, a sky, or an object. Moreover, keyframes are points that mark the beginning and end of a change in a parameter like color, brightness, or contrast. Therefore, you can use keyframes to animate your color grade or create transitions, fades, or flashes.

5 Experiment and learn

Color grading is not a fixed or rigid process. It is a creative and flexible one, that allows you to experiment and learn from your own experience and from other sources. You can try different tools, formats, workflows, principles, and techniques, and see what works best for your project and your vision. You can also watch and analyze how other TV productions use color grading to tell their stories, convey their emotions, and create their atmospheres. You can find inspiration from different genres, eras, cultures, and artists, and apply them to your own work. The more you practice and explore color grading, the more you will develop your own style and skills.