Overview

Colour grading is the difference between footage that looks recorded and footage that looks made. This guide walks through the three-step workflow used on professional productions — and it's all free.

What You Need

DaVinci Resolve (free version covers everything here)
Your edited timeline
Ideally: LOG or flat-colour footage (though it works on standard footage too)

Steps

1

Primary correction — fix exposure

In the Colour page, use the Lift/Gamma/Gain wheels. Lift = blacks, Gamma = midtones, Gain = highlights. Open the Parade scope (Cmd+W): you want the waveforms sitting between 0 and 100, not clipping at either end.

2

Correct white balance

Use the Temperature and Tint sliders in the Primaries panel. Skin tones are your reference point. Open the Vectorscope and check that skin tones fall along the skin tone indicator line. If they don't, adjust Tint until they do.

3

Match your shots

Use Resolve's Auto Match or manually correct each clip so all footage looks like it was shot in the same light. Select a reference clip → right-click in the Viewer → Grab Still. Apply it to similar shots as a starting point, then fine-tune.

4

Apply a creative look with secondaries

Add a new serial node (Alt+S). This is your creative layer — primary correction is never touched again. Pull shadows toward teal or blue, push highlights toward orange for a cinematic look. Keep it subtle: one notch on the colour wheel is often enough.

5

Refine with Curves

The Custom Curves panel gives the most precise control. Try: lift the low end of the Red channel slightly for warm shadows; pull down the high end of the Blue channel for warm highlights. Small S-curves in the Luma channel add contrast without clipping.

6

Export from the Deliver page

Choose a preset (YouTube 1080p or H.264 Master) → Add to Render Queue → Start Render. DaVinci burns your grade into the export automatically. For archival, use ProRes 422 HQ and keep a graded master.

Pro Tips

Grade in a dark room or on a calibrated monitor — your eyes adapt to ambient light and you'll make decisions you'll regret.
Less is more. A grade that takes 2 minutes and looks natural beats a heavy-handed look every time.
Save your grade as a PowerGrade (right-click the still → Export) and reuse it across projects.

Color Grading in DaVinci Resolve