Cinematic Color Grading (Movie Look Effect) in Photoshop – Video Tutorial

This video is a lot more than a tutorial on cinematic color grading in Photoshop.

We will dive deep and take a comprehensive look at what color grading is, and how it works. Then you will learn how you can apply it in Photoshop using several easy methods.

The Color Theory Behind Cinematic Color Grading (The Movie Look Effect)

The popular “teal-and-orange” film look effect is the main effect that we will recreate in this Cinematic Color Grading tutorial.

You often see this effect in summer blockbusters and action films. The dark shades of blue or teal, against the bright orange tones that are usually found in the skin.

This complementary color combination makes the actor stand out in the frame. Complementary colors pop when they are used side-by-side, so they are recommended when applying color grades.

Check out color.adobe.com to see an interactive color wheel and understand how complementary colors work.

But color Cinematic Color Grading is a lot more than making your actors pop. The Color grade should always enhance the story that your image (or video) is trying to convey.

Color Correction vs. Color Grading

In this tutorial, we discuss both color correction and color grading. A color correction removes color casts from neutral grays. While a color grade adds a creative color correction to tell a story.

It is critical that your images contain neutral grays and that they contain no color casts. If your image contains a color cast, you will not be able to accurately add the colors that you intend. Although this is not a color correction tutorial, we will learn how to do a quick color correction.

If you would like to find out more about color correction you could check out my tutorial on color correction or my course on mastering color in Photoshop.

Adjustment Layers That Can Apply a Movie Look Effect

We will look at all the different tools that you can use to apply the Cinematic Color Grading effect. I prefer to use the Curves Adjustment Layer since it gives you the most control. But you can use almost any adjustment layer that allows you to control color and tone.

If you have any questions, leave a message below!

Final Image

Drag The Slider To See Before & After