Your first color grade in DaVinci Resolve

1. Start with one clip.

If you already edit in Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, the unfamiliar part is the layout. For your first practice session, bring one original clip into a fresh Resolve project. Save moving an entire edit between applications for later.

Open the Edit page, import the clip into the Media Pool, and place it on a timeline. Use the Color page to work on that shot. Its viewer shows the result; the connected boxes in the node area hold processing steps. You can begin with a simple sequence instead of building a large node tree.

Choose footage you have permission to use, with a subject you can see clearly. A well-exposed daylight shot is a useful first exercise. Keep the camera original untouched and save your project before experimenting.

2. Prepare the image before you judge it.

Check the clip’s recording profile and your project’s color management. Log, HDR phone footage, and ordinary SDR video need different interpretation. A gray-looking image is not enough information to choose the right setting.

If this part is unfamiliar, read the guide to log footage and color management first. The important decision is where the input and output conversions happen. Do not add another camera conversion to footage that is already being converted by your project settings.

JuicyGrade Studio 🧃 expects a supported working space and a separate output transform. Follow the installation and workflow guide included with your download. The creative look does not replace the camera setup.

3. Balance before styling.

Temporarily leave the creative look neutral. Ask two simple questions: can I comfortably see the important part of this shot, and is an unwanted color cast distracting me?

• Exposure: make a small brightness change while watching the face or main subject. Also check whether bright areas are losing useful detail.
• White balance: reduce an unintended warm, cool, green, or magenta cast. Preserve lighting that belongs to the scene; an orange sunset does not need to become white.
• Comparison: toggle your correction off and on. If the adjustment only looks better because it is brighter, reduce it and look again.

The scopes can help you see the signal, but they do not choose the mood for you. Blackmagic Design’s official training is a useful next step for learning the waveform and parade.

4. Choose one creative direction.

Pick an intention before trying every control: a gentle everyday image, warmer late-afternoon feeling, or a more restrained palette. Compare examples in the JuicyGrade 🧃 look gallery to find a direction.

With JuicyGrade Studio 🧃, choose a Film Look and use Look Amount to blend that look. Make one change, compare, and then decide whether you need another. Leave controls you do not yet need at their defaults.

One test frame is not the whole shot. Play the clip and watch for a face turning, a bright object entering, or light changing. A look that works on one frame may need a gentler setting for the rest of the movement.

5. Check a short export.

Turn off any diagnostic overlay or built-in before/after preview, then export a short section from the Deliver page using settings appropriate for your intended destination. Open the rendered file and watch it all the way through.

If the exported result seems different, check the output color settings, player, and display before rebuilding the grade. For your first exercise, finishing and checking one short clip is more valuable than changing every advanced export option.

Keep a note of your camera profile, preparation method, and the changes you liked. That gives you a repeatable starting point for your next clip. Learn how DCTLs and LUTs fit into that workflow.