The Colorist digitally processes the final images of a project and typically works on a variety of media ranging from commercials to short films to features. At times the job of a Colorist is to correct poorly shot footage that may suffer from issues such as overexposure or poor lighting. This is called color correction. Other times, they deliberately alter otherwise normal footage to heighten elements like contrast, hue, or brightness to achieve a specific visual style. This is called color grading.

New to the world of color grading? This video offers a comprehensive breakdown of this essential filmmaking specialty.

Colorists generally work on multiple projects at any given time with their primary point of contact being the Director or Cinematographer on a project. They might at times have the Director or Cinematographer meet them in person to discuss the project and take notes. Other times, they can communicate via email or another remote method.

The amount of time that a Colorist will devote to a project depends on several factors, including the scope of it and attention required for its coloring needs.

To learn more about working as a Colorist, we spoke to:

• Peter Doyle (His Three Daughters, Creed III, Spirited)
• Tyler Roth (Take Care of Maya, Daisy Jones & The Six, The Terminal List)

Freelance Colorists set their own hourly, day, or per-project rate. However, Colorists can also have salaried positions in post-production houses that do color correction and color grading work as vendors.

Whether a freelancer or salaried employee, Colorists who are part of the Motion Picture Editors Guild have scale rates set for them.

If you’re a novice Colorist, check out this video to learn more about avoiding a common beginner’s mistake.

A freelance Colorist who sets their own rates can charge a day fee as high as $700 to $1,000.

That being said, what a Colorist makes as an annual salary can fluctuate greatly from year to year based on multiple factors. These factors include the number of projects a Colorist takes on in a given year, the workload required for each project, and the overall budget allotted for color correction and color grading services.

According to Salary.com, the current average annual salary for a Colorist is $48,123.

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The demand for a great Colorist can be high, as color correction and color grading are common necessities on projects. But it’s also a career that requires a fair amount of time juggling and client hustling.

Roth states that he works “70% commercial, 25% features, and 5% short films, but the ratio is different for each Colorist.”

When it comes to his commercial work, Roth has your average 9am to 6pm, Monday through Friday schedule. During that timeframe, he’ll usually work on a 30-second spot for two to three hours, which typically translates to three to five projects a day.

There are no shortcuts to becoming a great Colorist, but this video explains some hacks to speed up the process.

But then there’s the time he puts into his film work.

It’s not unusual for a Colorist to work evenings and weekends. For Roth, it’s when he devotes his time to features and short films.

Depending on how experienced a Colorist is, they might have Assistants to help with projects, as Roth does. One Assistant works alongside him from 9am to 5pm during the week. Another Assistant takes the night shift from 4pm to 12am to prep their various projects and handle exports.

While the workflow might vary throughout the week depending on the client load, Roth notes that it’s always busy.

But if a Colorist can demonstrate to clients that they can take their notes and apply them as needed, as well as deliver the project on time, they can build a notable reputation throughout the course of their career that results in consistent work.

There’s no one path that leads to becoming a Colorist.

Film school can be a great starting point for understanding what those elements of filmmaking entail and how coloring incorporates both via color theory. Whether or not an aspiring Colorist goes to film school, they will certainly need plenty of real-world experience before they reach a level where they are handling projects on their own.

That means entering the entertainment industry as an Intern or Production Assistant. And if possible, getting work in a post-production house where they offer color correction and color grading services.

Filmmakers often note that they want their projects to look “more cinematic.” What does that mean and how can a Colorist achieve it? This video explains.

That means entering the entertainment industry as an intern or Production Assistant. And if possible, getting work in a post-production house where they offer color correction and color grading services.

While the extent of an Intern or PA’s responsibilities may be running errands and getting coffee, these experiences can be hugely important to their future career as a Colorist.

It’s in these positions that an aspiring Colorist can meet established professionals and learn what it takes to be great at this job, which includes technical, artistic, and communication skills.

Often during a stint as an Intern or Production Assistant, an aspiring Colorist will begin to learn how to work with the most common software used for color correction and color grading.

These programs include:

• Baselight
• Chromatic
• Cinema Grade
• Color Fixer Pro
• DaVinci Resolve
• Filmcovert Nitrate
• Final Cut Pro
• HitFilm Pro
• Lightworks
• Red Giant Colorista
• VEGAS Pro

With this baseline knowledge, they might then get promoted to a Coloring Assistant or Assistant Colorist. In these roles, it becomes the aspiring Colorist’s job to prep projects and render out completed work. They may also do basic computer maintenance and file repair.

Should someone in this position get bumped to a Junior Colorist, it’s at this stage that they’ve gained enough experience to start finding their own work.

It’s important to understand that to build these skillsets and client relationships, it might mean years of working pro bono or for a very low fee on projects. To help sell their skills and expertise, emerging Colorists should always have a 60-second reel ready to show their most impressive and/or recent work.

As they continue to develop their technical and artistic skills, it’s just as important for an aspiring Colorist to work on building relationships and having great communication skills that make clients want to come back to them for the next project.

While the turnaround for commercial work can be quick, films can take months or even years to reach completion. Because of this, Colorists must always be developing their professional network, as it may be a significant amount of time between projects for any single client.

With ample experience under their belt and advanced expertise, they then can jump into the role of Colorist. But even once someone gains that title, they can still expect to be continually reaching out to make and maintain the professional relationships that will translate into future work.

The skillsets required to be a Colorist in demand fall into multiple categories.

For one, you need to understand the technical side of this career.

That means knowing your way around a computer, as well as learning about different file types and codecs. These skills will help you develop your knowledge of how color edits and computers interact. Keeping up with the technological developments of the equipment you use is likewise critical to a Colorist’s career.

Two, you must have an artistic sensibility that can help in guiding your color grading choices.

For instance, understanding that greater saturation might invoke a sense of heightened reality or that blue tones can indicate a feeling of sadness or isolation.

And three, you must be extremely comfortable taking notes from others in this industry (like Directors and Cinematographers) and be able to communicate with them.

Why does color even matter in film? This video provides a comprehensive overview of color theory and how it factors into the way audiences respond to the visuals of a movie.

There will likely be times when people in these positions struggle to explain exactly what they want, and it’s the Colorist’s job to decipher their feedback and make adjustments accordingly.

All of these skillsets considered, there’s a good reason why many aspiring Colorists first develop their craft in college. A solid background in understanding the filmmaking process–especially the cinematography and visual effects disciplines–can greatly help someone looking to enter this field.

Whether or not college is part of someone’s plan in learning these skills, they should always be studying films, television shows, and commercials to become more aware of the possible techniques used to create the images they see. Even veteran Colorists continually analyze what they watch to learn from other professionals in the business.

The most successful Colorists have this unique balance of technical, artistic, and communication skills.

But they’re also business savvy. Look at it from the client’s perspective. They’re paying for a costly room and the Colorist’s rate, so time is of the essence. Therefore, they need to believe they’ll receive a certain quality of work without any problems. For the Colorist, that means being able to work quickly and effectively to keep the client happy and hopefully have them return for future work.

If a person aspires to be a Colorist, they likely have a general interest in movies and entertainment as well, which is another reason film school is such a popular choice among those seeking this career.

Depending on the program, they might even get early practice familiarizing themselves with the software needed to color, which they can then use on student films. College also offers the chance to better understand how coloring combines the worlds of cinematography and visual effects.

Some aspiring Colorists might also study general art and color theory while in school to better understand how color plays a role in telling a story and evoking specific emotions and reactions.

Watch in real time as Hollywood Colorist Chris Jacobson color grades the show Suits on DaVinci Resolve.

While in college or at the outset of their career, aspiring Colorists should look for every entry-level opportunity that presents itself such as an internship or PA role at a post-production house to start gaining that experience as soon as possible.

These types of jobs can provide a sense of how the post-production process works and where color correction and color grading fit into it. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity for aspiring Colorists to meet others who work in this specific niche of the industry and make the connections necessary to keep working their way up the career ladder.

Spending a few years in a post-production house or two can prove vital to getting the training necessary to become a successful Colorist. Once they move into the role of lead Colorist, they then can decide if they’d rather work on their own as a freelancer or stay with a company as part of a larger post-production facility.

Roth notes, “It’s difficult to find good online forums or resources for coloring because many of them are run by inexperienced people fresh out of college. However, the Lowepost Colorist Community (run by Stig Olsen) is an amazing resource. It has some free content but there is also a section to pay for premium material. The best Colorists in the world submit project breakdowns and stills and discuss their work.”

He adds, “Check out YouTube for technical tutorials. It’s easy to find a myriad of videos on coloring software, color grading, using color space, and working with HDR footage. Online materials can be great but they aren’t a substitute for practice or experience.”

Additional online resources include the forum Lift Gamma Gain, Colorist Alexis Van Hurkman’s blog, and Premium Beat. Premium Beat is a general filmmaking resource, but it has key articles relating to the color grading process.

Remember, to find work as a Colorist, networking is key. Always stay in touch with your professional colleagues and find opportunities to meet Directors and Cinematographers who may one day be in a position to hire you.

Entertainment-specific sites such as Mandy.com and EntertainmentCareers.net are good resources for coloring gigs. You can search more broad resources like Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com for job openings as well.