Cinematic Color Grading: Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial,
Therefore, that’s a fantastic request! Cinematic color grading is one of the most popular and impactful styles in Lightroom. It often involves creating a moody atmosphere, high contrast, and a distinct color palette, most famously the Teal and Orange look.
In other words, here is a step-by-step guide on how to achieve a cinematic color grade in Lightroom:
Cinematic Color Grading: Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial,
🎬 Step 1: Basic Adjustments (Foundation)
Therefore, before diving into color, you need to set the tone and contrast.
- Exposure: Adjust to be balanced, sometimes slightly underexposed for a moodier feel.
- Contrast: Increase the contrast slider significantly to add drama.
- Highlights: Reduce highlights to recover detail in bright areas, creating a more dynamic range similar to film.
- Shadows: Increase shadows to bring back detail in dark areas, or reduce them for an even moodier, deeper black look.
- Blacks & Whites: Fine-tune for clipping. For a slightly “matte” film look, you can raise the Blacks slightly.
🎨 Method 2: Fine-Tune Contrast with the Tone Curve:
Therefore, The Tone Curve is crucial for the cinematic look.
- In other words, switch to the Point Curve (the circular icon at the bottom of the curve).
- However, create a subtle ‘S’ Curve for more contrast:
- Place a point in the shadows (lower-left quadrant) and pull it down slightly to deepen the blacks.
- Place a point in the highlights (upper-right quadrant) and pull it up slightly to brighten the lights.
- Optional Cinematic Trick (The Matte Look): Pull the bottom-left point (Blacks) slightly upwards on the curve. This prevents the darkest parts of your photo from being pure black, giving it a soft, film-like, “matte” appearance.
Cinematic Color Grading: Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial,
🌈 Step 3: The Cinematic Color Grade (Teal & Orange)
However, this is where the magic happens, using the Color Grading panel (which replaced the old Split Toning). The goal is often to use complementary colors—warm tones for light areas (highlights) and cool tones for dark areas (shadows).
- Shadows Wheel:
- However, Select a Cool Tone (Teal, Blue, or Cyan). Aim for a Hue between 200 and 240.
- Above all, increase the Saturation slightly (start with 10-25).
- Highlights Wheel:
- Above all, Select a Warm Tone (Orange, Amber, or Yellow). Aim for a Hue between 30 and 60.
- However, increase the Saturation slightly (start with 10-25).
- Blending and Balance:
- Blending: Adjust this slider (higher value for smoother transitions) to control how the shadow and highlight colors mix together.
- Balance: However, shift the balance between the shadows and highlights to fine-tune the overall color dominance.
Cinematic Color Grading: Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial,
⚙️ Method 4: Refine Individual Colors (HSL Panel)
In other words, use the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) panel to control colors that might look unnatural.
- Orange (Skin Tones): If you have people in the shot, carefully adjust the Hue of Orange to flatter skin tones. Reduce the Luminance of Orange slightly to deepen skin shadows for a dramatic look.
- Greens/Blues: To enhance the teal-and-orange effect, you often want to desaturate or shift the Hue of other colors like Green, Blue, or Aqua to align with your chosen palette (e.g., shifting greens toward a more cyan/blue hue).
Cinematic Color Grading: Lightroom Photo Editing Tutorial,
✨ Step 5: Effects and Detail:
However, finish the look with details.
- Clarity: A slight increase in clarity (5-15) can add sharpness and punch.
- Dehaze: Can be used sparingly to increase contrast, especially in landscapes.
- Vignette: Darken the corners slightly to draw the viewer’s eye toward the center of the image, mimicking a film lens effect.
- Grain: In the Effects panel, add a subtle amount of Grain (around 20-35) to emulate the texture of analog film.
By mastering these steps, particularly the Tone Curve and the Color Grading panel, you can consistently achieve a beautiful, moody, cinematic look in your photography!
Would you like me to find a specific video tutorial on YouTube for a visual guide on the Teal and Orange effect in Lightroom?
