Balancing skin tones and depth across varied lighting in documentary footage

[Jeffrey.M]

I'm a freelance videographer working on a short documentary, and I'm struggling with the final color grading to achieve a consistent, cinematic look. I shot in a flat profile to preserve detail, but now my footage looks desaturated and lacks the emotional tone I'm aiming for. I've been experimenting with LUTs and manual adjustments in DaVinci Resolve, but my results either look over-processed or still flat. For other editors, what's your practical workflow for building a grade from scratch? How do you approach balancing shots from different lighting conditions within a scene, and what specific color grading techniques do you rely on for skin tones and creating depth? I'm looking to move beyond presets and develop a more intentional grading process.

[NathanUT]

Nice topic to tackle. Here’s a lean, repeatable workflow you can apply in DaVinci Resolve to move away from presets and toward a deliberate grade. Start by enabling consistent color management (ACES if you can) and decode your flat footage to a neutral baseline. Use a simple 1‑2 pass approach: first, a global correction to normalize exposure and color balance, then a shot-by-shot matching pass to bring lighting into line with a reference frame. Create a dedicated skin-tone node using a qualifier to isolate skin and adjust hue/saturation carefully, then build your global look with a subtle filmic curve and gentle saturation adjustments. Check skin tones on a reference frame with the vectorscope and compare a few other frames to ensure consistency across lighting changes. Finally, add local contrast, light diffusion or bloom as needed for depth, and verify the grade on different displays.