What is Colour Grade?

A colour grade is the pass in post-production where the colour of every shot is adjusted: first corrected so exposure and white balance match across the edit, then graded to a deliberate look. The grade is also where brand colours are made accurate and a product is kept the same shade in every scene.

Category
Creative & Video Production
Also called
Color grading, Colour grading, Grading, Colour correction
Related
Sound DesignB-RollReference-Driven GenerationHuman-in-the-Loop
In our work
AI video production

Grading happens in two stages that are often confused. Correction is remedial: matching exposure, white balance and contrast so shots recorded at different times of day, on different cameras, or generated in different batches look like they belong to one film. Grading is authorial: pushing the whole piece warm and bright, or cold and clean, so the look supports the story rather than merely being consistent from cut to cut.

Two details matter commercially. Brand colours have defined values, and a grade that flatters a scene can shift a logo or a packet away from the colour a brand book specifies, so those elements are usually protected separately from the overall look. Output matters too: a grade judged on a colour-managed monitor can read differently on a phone in daylight, which is where most of the audience will see it. Checking the graded master on an ordinary handset is a cheap last step.

Common questions.

Do AI-generated shots need grading?

Generally yes, and often more than filmed material. Shots generated in separate batches drift in exposure, contrast and colour temperature, so a grading pass across the whole edit is what makes them read as one piece rather than as a collection of clips assembled in a hurry.

Related terms.

  • Sound Design

    Sound design is the construction of everything an audience hears other than dialogue: music, room tone, effects, transitions and the mix that balances them against the voice.

    Creative & Video Production

  • B-Roll

    B-roll is supporting footage cut around the main subject: the product in use, hands at work, the room, the street outside.

    Creative & Video Production

  • Reference-Driven Generation

    Reference-driven generation is the practice of conditioning an AI image or video model on supplied images rather than on words alone, so a real product, face or set appears the same in every generated shot.

    Creative & Video Production

  • Human-in-the-Loop

    Human-in-the-loop is a design pattern where an AI system prepares work and a person approves, edits or rejects it before it takes effect: drafted replies queued for a one-click send, extracted invoice fields shown for confirmation.

    AI & Automation

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