Colour grading is the difference between a competent wedding video and a cinematic film. DaVinci Resolve is the industry-leading colour grading tool — and it is completely free. Here is how to use it for Kerala wedding films.
Understanding the Node System
DaVinci uses a node-based workflow rather than a layer-based one. Each node applies a specific colour operation. A basic wedding grade uses three nodes: Node 1 (technical correction — fix exposure, white balance), Node 2 (look/creative grade), Node 3 (qualifications — separate skin from rest of image).
Correcting Kerala Skin Tones
South Indian skin tones span a wide range. In the Vectorscope, skin tones should land on the skin tone indicator line. Use the Hue vs Saturation curve to reduce oversaturation in orange-red ranges without affecting other colours. Avoid pushing shadows too cool — it makes warm skin tones look grey.
Creating a Kerala Wedding Look
A popular style: warm shadows (lift the red/orange channel slightly), cool highlights (slight blue in the upper range), and high-contrast midtones. This creates the romantic, golden feel common in Kerala wedding films on Instagram.
Using LUTs as a Starting Point
Purchase or download film-emulation LUTs (Kodak Portra, Fuji 400H). Apply at 40–60% strength, then grade on top. This speeds up workflow dramatically.
CIMT's Video Editing Master Program includes dedicated DaVinci Resolve colour grading modules with real footage.