Adobe Photoshop: Professional Color Grading Tutorial 2025

Adobe Photoshop: Professional Color Grading Tutorial 2025,

Therefore, Professional color grading in Photoshop involves using a combination of adjustment layers, blending modes, masks, and tools to achieve a polished and cinematic look. In other words, Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:

📸 1. Prepare Your Image:

• Therefore, Open your image in Photoshop.
• In other words, Duplicate the background layer (Cmd/Ctrl + J) so you always have the original intact.

🎛️ 2. Adobe Photoshop: Professional Color Grading Tutorial 2025, Use Adjustment Layers:

Therefore, Adjustment layers are non-destructive and stackable. Some essential ones:

✅ Curves

• Therefore, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
• In other words, Adjust highlights, midtones, and shadows. Use the individual RGB channels to add color tints (e.g., teal shadows, orange highlights for a “cinematic” look).

✅ Color Balance

• Therefore, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance.
• In other words, Tweak shadows, midtones, and highlights separately.
• However, Push cool tones in shadows and warm tones in highlights for a filmic look.

✅ Selective Color

• Therefore, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Selective Color.
• In other words, Fine-tune specific color ranges (e.g., adjust Reds to make skin tones pop or control Greens in the background).

✅ Gradient Map

• However, Add a Gradient Map layer and set it to Soft Light or Overlay blending mode.
• Above all, Use custom gradients for cinematic grading.
• However, Reduce opacity to blend it subtly.

🌈 3. Use LUTs (Look-Up Tables)

• However, Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup.
• Above all, Choose a built-in LUT or load a custom .CUBE file for a fast, professional look.
• However, Experiment with LUTs and reduce the opacity if the effect is too strong.

✍️ 4. Adobe Photoshop: Professional Color Grading Tutorial 2025, Dodge and Burn:

• Above all, Create a new layer, set to Overlay, and fill with 50% gray.
• However, Use the Dodge Tool (O) for highlights and the Burn Tool (O) for shadows to enhance depth and guide the viewer’s eye.

🎨 5. Add a Vignette:

• Above all, Use Elliptical Marquee Tool to select the center.
• In addition, Inverse the selection (Shift + Cmd/Ctrl + I), feather it (Select > Modify > Feather), and darken it with Curves a Solid Color set to low opacity.

🧪 6. Final Touches:

• However, Use Camera Raw Filter (found under Filter > Camera Raw Filter) for overall fine-tuning. This includes clarity, vibrance, split toning, and more.
• In addition, Sharpen slightly using High Pass or Unsharp Mask.

🔁 7. Adobe Photoshop: Professional Color Grading Tutorial 2025, Organize & Compare:

• In addition, Group your grading layers.
• After that, Toggle visibility on/off to compare the before/after.
• In addition, Use Snapshots In the History panel for different grading versions.

If you’d like, I can walk you through how to replicate a specific style (e.g., cinematic teal & orange, vintage film, moody portrait) or grade a photo you provide. Want to go for a certain look?