Color Grading for Film

Color correction is technical: matching exposure, white balance, and color consistency across shots so that a scene looks continuous. If Shot A was filmed at 3pm and Shot B at 5pm, correction makes them match. Color grading is creative: manipulating color to enhance mood, establish time period, or distinguish storylines. In DaVinci Resolve (the industry standard for color), correction happens in the first node chain: adjust lift/gamma/gain for exposure, white balance using the eyedropper on a neutral reference, and primary corrections using the parade scope to balance RGB channels. Only after the image is technically correct do you begin creative grading.