Using colour in video is a skill.
Luckily, it’s one that we at Production Attic take very seriously!
We love making every video project the best it can possibly be, and colour grading makes all the difference.
If you’re wondering what colour grading is and how it can improve your video, read on for a beginners guide to why it’s so important.
What is colour grading?
Colour grading is when the colour artist or editor manipulates the colours in video footage to create a certain look or to ensure continuity between different clips.
It’s carried out post-production, using image editing software on a computer.
Once you know what story you want to tell, colour grading makes a lot more sense.
It is particularly effective for achieving a visual mood or tone.
Why is colour grading so important?
Colour grading is a tool that will help you deliver your brand’s message with a greater impact.
With a few tweaks, your video can go from average to inspirational.
The psychological impact of colour grading
It can be easy to sit back and watch a movie, getting sucked into the drama without realising how much the colour grading is affecting the way you feel about situations or even certain characters.
But good colour grading is doing a lot of the work to make you react to what you see on screen.
For example, some shades of bright red can actually raise your blood pressure.
Perfect if you want up the intensity in a horror flick.
Shades of blue, on the other hand, will make your viewer feel calm.
Potentially even lulling them into a false sense of security for the scenes that lie ahead.
Of course, colour grading isn’t reserved for the big screen – at Production Attic we use this skill subtly in a variety of ways for many of our brand projects.
Using colour grading in corporate video
Take a look at this promotional video we made with Powerjet.
The aim was to showcase the jet stream technology at work.
We used colour grading to make the colours pop, especially the orange overalls and bright blue sky.
Seemingly average clips (such as equipment warning labels) are brought to life, keeping the viewer engaged and alluding to the positive tone that Powerjet wanted to convey.
Another reason why colour grading is essential for professional video is that often, the shots are filmed in different locations.
This is a good thing — variety is key to creating engaging content — but it means that each piece of footage will have its own environment, lighting levels or weather conditions.
We may even be filming at different times of day.
This can affect the tone of the overall video or make it feel disjointed, but colour grading ties everything together in a way that makes it feel natural.
Colour grading really makes your footage look more visually appealing
It really is the icing on the cake when it comes to putting out video content that really captivates your viewer.
And with 87% of marketing professionals using video as a marketing tool, there’s evidence to suggest that consumers are now expecting a higher standard when it comes to branded content.
Why not up your game by hiring us to make your videos extra special? Find out more HERE.
