Color Grading for film: my DaVinci Resolve workflow

Color isn't decoration

There's a widespread misconception about color grading: many consider it the last step, the "filter" to apply when everything else is done. It's not. Color is storytelling. It defines the emotional tone of every scene, guides the viewer's eye, separates time planes, distinguishes characters.

I've been working as a DaVinci Resolve certified colorist for several years, on films, documentaries and commercials. In this article I share the workflow I apply on a cinematic project — not theory, but what I actually do when a director delivers footage.

Phase 1: The initial dialogue

Before touching a single node, I talk to the director and the director of photography. The DP is the artist who imagined the film's atmosphere — I'm the technician who needs to pull it out of the footage and bring it where they see it. This dialogue is the most important and most undervalued step.

What I ask: what's the emotional tone of the film? Are there visual references (other films, photographers, painters)? Are there scenes that need to stand apart from the rest? Which photography choices need to be preserved and enhanced? Often it's with the DP that I get into more technical detail — we speak the same language when it comes to light, contrast, lens rendering.

From this conversation comes a shared reference document — a collection of frames, screenshots from other films, color palettes. It's the compass for all the work that follows.

Phase 2: Conform and timeline preparation

I receive the EDL or XML from editing and conform in DaVinci. I verify all media files are linked, camera metadata is correct and the timeline matches the approved edit exactly.

Cameras I encounter most: ARRI (LogC3 / LogC4), RED (IPP2 / Log3G10), Sony Venice (S-Log3), Blackmagic (BRAW / Film Gen 5). Each camera has its own color space and starting point — knowing them means not losing precious information in the first pass.

Phase 3: Primary correction (balance)

The first step is technical: bringing every shot to a neutral, balanced starting point. Exposure, white balance, base contrast. I'm not creating a "look" yet — I'm ensuring the material is clean and consistent.

On a film, this also means matching shots filmed on different days, with different light, sometimes with different cameras. Color continuity is invisible when done well — and disastrous when missing.

Tools I use in this phase: Lift/Gamma/Gain for balance, curves for contrast, qualifiers to isolate specific problems (skin too red, a blown sky).

Phase 4: The look — where the magic begins

This is the creative phase. On the neutral, balanced base, I build the film's look — the visual signature that will make it recognizable.

How I build a look in DaVinci:

I start from the key scene — the one the director considers most representative of the film's tone. I develop the look on that scene, then extend it to others, adapting scene by scene.

I work with serial and parallel nodes: one for creative contrast, one for the color palette (pushing certain tones, desaturating others), one for texture (grain, halation if needed), one for windows and masks that guide attention.

I don't use packaged LUTs as an endpoint. LUTs can be a starting point, but a film's look must be built custom for that film, that DP, those lighting conditions. A preset can't do this.

Phase 5: Secondaries and detail

After the general look, I work on details shot by shot. This is where time really gets invested.

HSL Qualifiers: I isolate skin tones to treat them separately (they often need warmer, more saturated tones than the rest of the scene). I isolate skies, vegetation, specific elements needing individual attention.

Power Windows: subtle vignettes to guide the eye, masks to correct on-set lighting issues (an overly bright window, a hard shadow on a face). I use DaVinci's tracking to follow moving subjects.

Face Refinement: DaVinci has dedicated facial recognition tools. I use them sparingly — not to "beautify" but to ensure skin tones remain natural and consistent across all lighting conditions.

Phase 6: Review and iteration

Here's where my integrated workflow advantage shows. When the director sees the grade and says "this scene should feel colder, more isolated" — I can also intervene on the edit if needed, shorten a shot, change a cut. I don't need to send notes to another professional and wait.

I typically do 2-3 review passes on a film. The first for overall look, the second for details, the third for final refinement and continuity check — watching the entire film start to finish verifying coherence.

Phase 7: Delivery

The final master depends on destination: DCP for cinema (P3 D65, gamma 2.6), Rec.709 for broadcast and streaming, HDR if required (PQ or HLG). DaVinci handles everything natively, including multiple versions for different platforms.

If the film has VFX, the grade and VFX are in constant conversation — and this is where managing both saves weeks. I don't need to export shots, send them to the VFX artist, wait for returns, redo the match. It's already aligned. Learn more about my post-production and visual effects services.