Both terms sound similar and are often used interchangeably – but they do completely different things. Confusing them may cause you to pay for something you don’t need or skip a stage that would turn your footage into a completely different film.
Colour correction - balancing the base image
Correction is a technical stage. The aim is for the footage to look 'neutrally correct': proper exposure, balanced whites, elimination of overexposure and underexposure. Shots from different cameras and times of day must 'talk' to each other – have the same reference point.
It is work that goes unnoticed. If the colour correction is good, the viewer will not notice that the footage was shot in three different locations in different lighting. They will notice only when it is missing.
Colour grading - mood and style
Grading starts where correction ends. It’s an artistic stage: you give the film a specific atmosphere. Cool blue tones for a thriller, warm palette for a family advert, subdued contrasty look for a documentary.
Grading also builds visual brand consistency. A good grader makes it so that after three seconds you recognise the video as 'from someone' – before you even see the logo. This is especially important for content series.
When do you need one or both?
- Correction only: footage from one camera in controlled conditions (studio, single light source) – technical correction is sufficient.
- Correction + grading: footage from a shoot, several locations, you need a specific mood or visual brand consistency.
- Grading only: footage already preliminarily normalised by the client, you want to give it a specific style.
What tools do we use?
We work in DaVinci Resolve - the industry standard for post-production, used in cinema productions and streaming series. We use scopes (waveform, vectorscope, parade) for colour correction, and nodes and PowerWindows for grading.
How do we price it?
Colour correction is part of the editing service - a standard element of the process. Extensive grading (a specific visual style, work with custom LUTs, complex node-based colour work) is priced as a separate stage. The best approach is to describe the visual result you want in the brief - we will provide a specific quote.
Do you need colour correction or extensive grading? Describe the expected effect without creating an account. We will agree on the scope and cost before starting work.
See the post-production offer →