Great color grading isn't magic — it's a series of repeatable decisions. In this breakdown we'll demystify five of the most-loved cinematic looks and give you a starting recipe for each. Drop these into DaVinci Resolve or your editor of choice and adjust to taste.
1. Teal & Orange
The workhorse of blockbuster cinema. Push skin tones toward warm orange and shadows toward teal to create separation between subject and background.
Contrast in color is just as powerful as contrast in light. Teal & orange works because it splits the color wheel.
2. Bleach Bypass
A gritty, desaturated, high-contrast look made famous by war and thriller films. Lower saturation, crush the blacks slightly, and lift mid-contrast.
- Reduce saturation to ~40-60%
- Increase contrast and clarity
- Add a subtle cool tint to shadows
3. Moody Film
Soft, faded blacks with muted greens — perfect for emotional storytelling and music videos. Lift the shadows and roll off the highlights for that filmic curve.
Pro tip: build it on nodes
Keep correction and creative looks on separate nodes so you can tweak one without breaking the other. Your future self will thank you.
4. Warm Vintage
Golden-hour warmth with gentle grain. Add a touch of halation around highlights to sell the analog feel.
5. Clean Commercial
Bright, punchy and true-to-life — ideal for product and brand work. Prioritize accurate skin tones and clean whites, then add just enough saturation to pop.
Want these as ready-to-use LUTs? Grab our Cinematic LUT Pack in the store, or learn the full workflow in NextGen Academy.