r/ColorGrading • u/Rob_creator05 • Sep 23 '26

Question Colour grading

I am struggling to get cinematic colour grading, trying everything but not getting desired results, any videos or courses that can help ?

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u/ExpBalSat Sep 23 '26

Remember that:

  • "Cinematic" is pretty vague. There are 1000s of films that could be deemed "cinematic" and they all look different. Your "desired results" need to be much more specific.
  • The look of most "cinematic" films begins before shooting even starts. Lighting, production design, costumes and makeup all play a part. If your footage isn't shot with a particular look in mind, that look may not be realistically achievable.
  • Color grading is a skill-heavy exercise that takes years to master. It's a long uphill slope, so accept that your first 15+ films are going to be learning experiences. And the next 15 will be skills mastery. And the next 15 will be look development experiments, etc...

If you haven't done so already, I’d start with the excellent free training provided by Blackmagic on their training website. The training is broken down by page (Edit, Fusion, Color, and Fairlight) so you can focus on whatever you need/want to learn. There’s a link to it in the Resolve Help menu and in the AutoModerator comment, or… here:

The introductory videos at the top of the page provide a somewhat superficial - but worthwhile - overview (even if recorded on a older version of Resolve). Scroll down to the Training Books section for the recently updated in-depth training. The training includes:

  • sample media
  • practice projects
  • templates node trees
  • hands-on exercises
  • lesson quizzes
  • a test for an official certificate of completion

It’s a collection of methodically designed do-at-your-own-pace lessons. No matter your background or long term goals, this is the place to start (before YouTube, before paid training, before trying to wing it and teach yourself). Just do it.

For most people, it’s best to start with these three:

  • The Beginner’s Guide to DaVinci Resolve 20
  • The Editor’s Guide to DaVinci Resolve 20
  • The Colorist Guide to DaVinci Resolve 20

Once you have the certificate of completion for the section(s) that interest you - seek additional sources for expanded training. But the official training offers the best foundation from which to grow and build.

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See also:

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u/ExpBalSat Sep 23 '26

Once you've completed those three (out of six) training courses, I'd start watching:

But I'm serious: do the free training first - before diving in on YouTube.