Colour grading & HDR post-production
For production companies, agencies and post teams
Give your film a consistent look and prepare it for the formats you need to deliver. We work with your footage or finished edit, agree the colour treatment with you and create the specified HDR and SDR masters. Review versions let you assess the picture work before final delivery.
Prepare footage for publication
Your editing team can concentrate on the film while we handle the agreed picture finishing. We use a defined reference display and a test scene to establish the look and delivery requirements with you. This makes the main picture decisions reviewable before the complete material is processed.
Agree the film’s look
Review colour treatment and picture appearance with us on a test scene. The material is then processed for the agreed look and consistency between shots.
Create HDR and SDR versions
Your versions are finished for the intended release formats. We check the appearance and technical requirements of each output.
Define delivery requirements before mastering
Agree the colour space, file format and required metadata with us before final delivery. The requirements for creating your masters are explicit.
From FF Pictures’ practice
HDR masters for released films
FF Pictures’ work on “Benedetta” included the international Dolby Vision HDR master and German encoding with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. For “Triangle of Sadness”, the assignment covered the German HDR version, UHD Blu-ray encoding and HDR10+ metadata. We coordinate colour grading, metadata and encoding with your intended release formats.
Typical check: retain bright detail
Example investigation.
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Starting point
A window or lamp looks flat in the SDR version while the HDR image still contains detail.
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Investigation
We compare versions under appropriate reference conditions and investigate whether the SDR transform or grading limits the detail.
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Decision
The SDR trim is agreed on selected scenes. Simply lowering the whole image does not replace this check.
Deliverables for your project
What you receive
These deliverables are tailored to your task before work starts:
- An agreed look and a finished picture master.
- The commissioned HDR/SDR masters with clearly specified delivery formats.
- Recorded review versions and handover information for subsequent use.
Already shot? Define what remains
Bring camera originals, a rough cut or a finished edit. We agree the picture work you need: colour grading, conforming (reconnecting the edit to its source files), or picture finishing. Editing, sound and VFX have an explicitly agreed scope and named responsibility.
Specify the masters before delivery
We agree resolution, frame rate, codec, container, colour space and required HDR metadata. SDR versions, language versions and platform specifications belong in the brief as well. The agreed checks and handover follow this delivery specification.
How we work together
- Agree the source material and delivery
- Approve a test scene and look
- Grade and review the agreed corrections
- Check and hand over the masters
Questions before commissioning
Can we commission you specifically for colour grading?
Yes. We can handle colour grading alongside your existing editing and production team. We agree the look, reference scene and required masters together. You can commission individual steps or picture finishing to suit the current state of your film.
How do you choose between HDR and SDR?
We choose the versions for your footage, intended release and target devices. HDR can make deliberate use of bright detail, contrast and colour, while SDR remains the appropriate output for many channels. Where needed, we plan both versions and coordinate their appearance.
Project enquiry
Include the source material, editing status, intended look, delivery formats and deadline. We agree the scope and technical approach with you.