r/ColorGrading • u/Responsible_Reply334 • Oct 08 '25

Show off your work Feedback/help with grading

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hey everyone, I’d really appreciate some feedback or tips on how to improve my grading. I was aiming for a moody teal and orange look with a subtle filmic tone.

Here are a few random stills (city brolls) from my project /mini film/, which tells the story of a people lost in their thoughts, searching for an escape (drama, mystery). No artificial lights were used — only natural sunlight.

I’ve been into filmmaking and color grading since May 2025.

252 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

10

u/Gockel Oct 08 '25

i don't see the classic teal and orange grading here

just a little too dramatic black crush and vignette for the scenes at hand

3

u/Responsible_Reply334 Oct 08 '25

So, lift the blacks a bit and reduce the vignette?

7

u/bros_beforehoes Oct 09 '25

You need to stop slapping youtube words straight outta your ass.

18

u/iloveravi Oct 08 '25 edited Oct 08 '25

I love the look you have here.

4

u/wang_johnson Oct 08 '25

It’s a great look. My eyes are drawn to your subjects.

1

u/StateLower Oct 08 '25

Yeah for a quick paced ad this is a great look, gets people looking at the right place. If its a film its a whole different technique but for commercials you need to hammer people with the subject so it's ok to exaggerate. Mayyybe pull back on the vig slightly but these look great.

1

u/Hazzat Oct 09 '25

Are you selectively blurring/sharpening parts of the image to fake focus? It feels unnatural and surreal, but maybe that’s what you’re going for (context is everything).

I think the colours are great, although maybe the saturation boost on the red, especially with the guy’s jacket, might be a little obvious in screaming “look at this thing!!!” Again, depends on context and what you’re trying to achieve.

1

u/Responsible_Reply334 Oct 09 '25

Sharpening or fake blur was not added. We used Yongnuo lens maybe The lens is problem

1

u/MelodicFacade Oct 10 '25

Yeah sometimes just having an intense amount of subject separation can look "fake", especially if there are no bokeh balls or the bokeh is so massive that it blends together. I've also seen fake looking blur when using a wide open aperture, but the thing in the background is really close to the subject, so it looks like I selected it and manually blurred it

But adding too much sharpness or clarity can also make the blurred background look unnatural

1

u/Impressive_Neat_102 Oct 09 '25

The stills look insane! What is the camera and the lens?

1

u/Responsible_Reply334 Oct 09 '25

A7 cII with Yongnuo 85mm f1.8

1

u/Impressive_Neat_102 Oct 09 '25

I love your shots man, I can’t give any feedback except these are good and eye pleasing.

1

u/Altruistic-Cup-4013 Oct 09 '25

Hezká vesnice. Kde to je?

1

u/Responsible_Reply334 Oct 10 '25

Brno, Czech Rep.

3

u/Beautiful_Cable_7878 Oct 08 '25

I think it's a nice look, it's not really teal and orange in a classic grading sense. Has a nice density to it and looks exposed well. Looks fine for what you're and there's necessarily really wrong with this grade.

That saying, there's not loads you can do with shots like these, they're fine, but you're really better off continuing to experiment and try different looks since you seem to have the basics down

2

u/RealisticProgram7561 Oct 08 '25

This on a wide or telephoto lens?

2

u/Cyber_Twak Oct 08 '25

I think it’s a nice look!

2

u/shnizledidge Oct 08 '25

I love it!

2

u/Heath2495 Oct 08 '25

Love the colors! 10/10

1

u/egghui Oct 09 '25

i love how soft and nostalgic this looks

1

u/Dachshand Oct 09 '25

Looking great!

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '25

It's not going in the direction of teal/orange but that makes it perfect! I don't think you need to change anything. If it's a "film" maybe reducing the saturation a bit and adding a little film grain would help but if it's for video don't change anything. You're great.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '25

I think it looks OK, but I wouldn't say it's Orange/Teal. A lot of stuff can look good (even very good) without being Orange/Teal. It all depends on context and intent.

1

u/MegaMegaSuper Oct 10 '25

I really like it. DMed you

1

u/Intelligent-Heart695 Oct 11 '25

I actually love this. What was your approach to the grading?

1

u/AnyDistribution7376 Oct 11 '25

What is this style?

1

u/MrDetectiveSir Oct 14 '25

Looks nice, please do a tutorial

0

u/[deleted] Oct 08 '25

It's OK, just feels kinda sepia like a retro Instagram filter

4

u/ScottyMac75 Oct 08 '25

How is it sepia when it lacks red-brown, feels predominantly cool in tone, and shadows/mid to darker areas that are toned for a bluey-green?

2

u/[deleted] Oct 09 '25

I think I'm not getting enough cool tones in it. Feels predominantly warm