Colors and lighting create a very specific mood and tell a story of their own.
Artists around the world have been using the power of color for centuries to give their work a specific emotional impact. We do the same with our in-house color grading.
Color Grading is an essential part of every professional film production — whether it’s a commercial, music video, or feature film. In smaller productions, it is often neglected or dismissed as unimportant. However, this has consequences. If the finished film doesn’t feel harmonious, or if the colors fail to convey the intended emotion, it directly impacts the effectiveness and message of the film.
What exactly happens during Color Grading? In the first step, the Color Correction, the individual shots are visually balanced: contrast, saturation, and color temperature are normalized to achieve the most neutral and natural image possible. Brightness and hue are adjusted to create a harmonious overall look.
The second step is called Color Grading. During the Grading, a specific look is created to support the storytelling emotionally. For example, in a horror film, it’s common to use a darker, bluish color grade to create a cold, eerie atmosphere. Colors are desaturated, and actors’ skin tones may be adjusted to look pale or unhealthy. In contrast, a commercial often features a bright and vibrant color scheme. Whites shine, and the actors’ skin tones convey health, energy, and vitality.
Our perception is especially sensitive to the subtle color nuances of human skin. We immediately notice if a face, for example, looks too red or too orange. However, knowing how to adjust the color to achieve a natural tone is a skill that only the trained eye of a colorist can provide. It often comes down to the finest nuances. For this reason, we strongly advise against quick fixes like preset LUTs.
