Color Grading for a Hollywood Look: The Orange and Teal Technique

Color Grading for a Hollywood Look: The Orange and Teal Technique

Creating cinematic looks and styles using color grading is a popular technique in the film and video industry. One of the most well-known looks is the "orange and teal" look, which is characterized by warm orange tones in the skin and hair, and cool teal tones in the shadows and backgrounds. This look is often used in Hollywood films, particularly in action and adventure movies, to create a sense of contrast and drama.

To create the "orange and teal" look, colorists typically use color grading software, such as DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro, to adjust the color balance of the footage. This can include increasing the saturation of the orange tones in the skin and hair, and decreasing the saturation of the teal tones in the shadows and backgrounds. Additionally, colorists may use color correction tools such as curves, color wheels, and keyers to fine-tune the look.

Colorists may also use LUTs (lookup tables) to create the "orange and teal" look, which are pre-made color grading settings that can be applied to the footage. This can be useful for ensuring consistency across multiple shots or scenes.

It's worth noting that the "orange and teal" look is not always suitable for every project, and should be used with caution. It's also important to keep in mind that there are many other cinematic looks that can be created using color grading, such as the "bleach bypass" look, the "cross process" look, and the "noir" look.