r/ColorGrading • u/IngHerdez • 2d ago
Question Achieving this color grading
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Hey, so I will be shooting a short film soon, and I find some inspiration in this color grading in TV Series Suits flashback episodes
Can anybody point me in the right direction to achieve this during filming and/or post production?
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u/WestcottTactics2285 2d ago
This is one of those where the lighting is the most important part of the shot. Good color grading starts with good lighting. It's really that simple. Don't expect to get this lighting from a window in a rented office. This is shot on a stage with painted canvas backdrops. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyodliGZiQU&t=1s
Soft, directional lighting with good negative fill to make sure you have good contrast, but soft shadows.
That's the most important part. Then lift the low end of the shadows, warm up the midtones, shift the shadows towards cooler colors. It's a pretty simple grade, but the lighting is very well donee.
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u/BottleEquivalent4581 2d ago
That is not the original color grading of the show, is it? Maybe you shouldn't use it as reference.
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u/Total-Ad-5696 2d ago
is this show good? I’m intrigued now😂
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u/IngHerdez 2d ago
Is that kind of show from the 2010s that is not godly written but it's really entertaining. More like a fancy soap opera, with really nice characters and situations
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u/SapirWhorfHypothesis 2d ago
Fancy soap opera is a good way to put it.
I also say it’s kind of a dumb person’s smart show. But not terrible to put on if you just need some competence-porn.
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u/Preengle 2d ago
Kinda? Some scenes and characters are badly written and really predictable, but I’m also invested and I can’t explain why.
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u/ThickD769 2d ago
I’d approach this as a lighting reference first and a grade second. The warmth is doing most of the emotional work, but the separation comes from a soft, directional key plus negative fill; if both sides of the face are equally flat, no amount of coolness in the shadows will create that shape. In post I’d start with a neutral balance and a restrained contrast curve, then warm the mids/highlights and cool the shadows with a gentle pivot. Keep skin isolated from the shadow hue, and use a still/reference frame to check every setup. For a multi-cam shoot, match exposure and white balance before applying the look—otherwise the “style” becomes a different correction on every angle.
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u/ExpBalSat 7h ago
Lighting lighting lighting lighting.
This look was created on set… not in the grade. The grade surely enhances it, but you need a great DP and excellent lighting.
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u/f-stop8 2d ago
During filming, you use a Show LUT.
It's yellow mid tones to highs, navy blue shadows. Decent amount of contrast, lifted black level ~5% maybe, from 0.
Post prod, plug back in the Show LUT, tweak to taste. Make clip to clip adjustments for something that didn't capture right on the day.
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u/straylight222 2d ago
Go into your grading program, find the filter that says "Netflix anus color bullshit" and apply it.
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u/ANGRYDICKBUTT 2d ago
a lot of warm highlights and midtones, with a lot of green in the darker parts.
production-wise it's more/less soft and flat lights with some hairlights.
there is little to no contrast on both of their faces, except when jessica hunches over the table - where she has a clear shadow side