Grade in the colorist's order, scopes-first — never skip to a look, since a look on top of a cast just bakes it in. One apply_color call merges onto the current grade (only the params you pass change), so build up across calls and verify with inspect_color between stages. Ranges live in the reference tables below; prose names the knob, not the number.

Workflow

- [ ] 1. inspect_color — read scopes BEFORE touching anything
- [ ] 2. Normalize — exposure + white balance to neutral
- [ ] 3. Primary — black/white points, contrast, saturation
- [ ] 4. Match — pull each shot toward the reference (if matching)
- [ ] 5. Secondary — hue curves for skin/sky/foliage
- [ ] 6. Look — wheels split-tone and/or LUT
- [ ] 7. inspect_color again — confirm scopes moved as intended

1. Read first. inspect_color(clipId). Check luma.black/luma.white (near 0/1? clipLowPct/clipHighPct flag crush/clip), balance.warmCool + balance.greenMagenta (nonzero = a cast to neutralize), zones (where the cast lives), and hueHistogram12 (orange bins 1–2 = skin, cyan/blue bins 6–8 = sky).

2. Normalize. exposure for global brightness (prefer it over gamma). temperature to correct warmCool — higher = warmer, so lower it if too warm. tint to correct greenMagenta, pushing opposite the cast. Re-inspect: both balances near 0 before moving on.

3. Primary. blacks/whites to set the points, contrast + highlights/shadows to shape roll-off, saturation for overall sat — reach for vibrance instead when you want to boost muted color without clobbering skin.

color-grading

Workflow