PRICING GUIDE
Color Grading Cost Per Minute: Full Pricing Breakdown
Three tiers of color grading pricing with exact rates, what each tier includes (primary correction, secondary, skin tone matching, LUT creation, delivery formats), turnaround times, revision limits, and what affects the final cost. Specific numbers, not vague ranges. Based on market rates in Southeast Asia and international production standards.
$5-15
Per Minute (Basic)
$15-40
Per Minute (Creative)
$40-100
Per Minute (Cinema)
This page provides specific per-minute pricing for color grading services across three quality tiers. The rates reflect both the Southeast Asian market (where BLKRIP Studio is based) and international standards for professional color work. Every tier is explained line by line so you know exactly what you are paying for and what is not included.
Tier Comparison
| Basic Correction | Creative Grade | Cinema Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per minute of final content | $5-15/min | $15-40/min | $40-100/min |
| Primary correction (exposure, WB, contrast) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Shot matching (consistency across scenes) | Basic (exposure/WB only) | Full (exposure, color, contrast) | Full + scene-by-scene emotion matching |
| Secondary correction (isolated areas) | No | Yes (skin tone, sky, 2-3 windows) | Yes (unlimited qualifiers + power windows) |
| Custom creative look/LUT | No (rec.709 delivery only) | Yes (1 custom look) | Yes (multiple looks, scene-adaptive) |
| Skin tone matching across shots | Basic (global balance) | Yes (per-shot skin adjustment) | Yes (Face Refinement + skin qualification) |
| HDR grading | No | Optional (+$5-10/min) | Included if required |
| LUT creation and delivery | No | 1 LUT included | 3 LUTs included + custom monitoring LUT |
| RAW processing | Standard debayer | Full RAW controls | Full RAW + ACES color management |
| Revisions | 1 round | 2 rounds | 3 rounds |
| Turnaround | 2-3 business days | 4-7 business days | 7-14 business days |
| Colorist experience level | 1-3 years | 3-7 years | 7+ years |
| Delivery formats | Rec.709 (any codec) | Rec.709 + custom LUT | Rec.709, Rec.2020 HDR, DCP, IMF |
What Each Tier Includes
Basic Correction ($5-15/min)
Basic correction adjusts the image to a technically correct baseline. Exposure is balanced, white balance is corrected, contrast is set to a natural range, and saturation is normalized. This tier does not apply a creative look — the output is a clean Rec.709 image that accurately represents what was captured on camera.
What you get:
- Primary lift/gamma/gain correction on every shot
- White balance correction (temperature and tint)
- Basic shot-to-shot matching so cuts do not jump in brightness or color
- Output in your delivery format (H.264, ProRes, DNxHR)
- 1 revision round
What you do not get:
- Secondary corrections (no skin tone isolation, no sky adjustments, no window-based corrections)
- Creative looks or stylized grading
- Custom LUTs
- HDR delivery
- RAW-specific processing beyond standard debayer
Best for: corporate videos, talking-head content, social media clips, real estate tours, event recaps — any content where technical correctness matters more than artistic interpretation. If your footage was shot well and needs a clean, consistent look without creative stylization, this tier is the right choice.
Creative Grade ($15-40/min)
Creative grading adds artistic interpretation on top of technical correction. The colorist builds a custom look that supports the mood, tone, and visual language of the project. This involves secondary corrections, targeted adjustments to specific image regions, and a developed color aesthetic.
What you get:
- Everything in Basic Correction, plus:
- A custom creative look developed in consultation with you (reference images, mood boards, or sample frames welcome)
- Secondary corrections using power windows and HSL qualifiers (skin tone isolation, sky enhancement, background color adjustment)
- Per-shot skin tone matching across all shots — faces look consistent regardless of lighting changes between setups
- 1 custom LUT delivered for future use or for matching additional footage
- RAW processing with full camera controls (ISO, white balance, color space, highlight recovery)
- 2 revision rounds
What you do not get:
- HDR grading (available as add-on at $5-10/min extra)
- Multiple creative looks for different scenes (1 look across the project)
- DCP or IMF delivery
Best for: music videos, commercials, branded content, short films, wedding highlight films — any content where the color palette contributes to storytelling and brand identity. This is the tier most professional projects need.
Cinema Grade ($40-100/min)
Cinema grading is the highest tier of professional color work. Every shot receives individual attention with scene-specific treatment. The grade adapts to the emotional arc of the content — a warm, intimate look for close-ups, a cool, desaturated look for wide establishing shots, a high-contrast look for tension scenes. This is the tier used in feature films, high-end commercials, and premium streaming content.
What you get:
- Everything in Creative Grade, plus:
- Scene-by-scene emotional grading — the look changes to support the narrative arc
- Unlimited secondary corrections with complex node trees (multiple qualifiers, tracked power windows, layer nodes)
- Face Refinement using Resolve's neural engine for automatic skin treatment
- ACES or DaVinci Wide Gamut color management for pipeline consistency
- HDR grading (Rec.2020 PQ or HLG) if required by delivery spec
- 3 custom LUTs plus a monitoring LUT for on-set use on future shoots
- DCP or IMF delivery if required
- 3 revision rounds
- Direct collaboration with the colorist via live remote session (DaVinci Resolve color remote)
Best for: feature films, high-end commercials, music videos with significant VFX integration, premium documentary series, any project where color is a core part of the creative direction and budget allows for specialist-level color work.
What Affects the Final Cost
Cost Factors Beyond Per-Minute Rate
- Footage format: RAW footage (RED, ARRI, BRAW) costs 15-25% more to grade than ProRes or DNxHD because RAW requires additional processing time for debayering and color space management.
- Number of cameras/sources: multicam projects with 3+ cameras require matching across all angles, adding 20-30% to the base rate. Each additional camera angle is an additional color correction pass.
- Shot count: the per-minute rate assumes a reasonable shot density (10-30 cuts per minute). Fast-cut content (40+ cuts per minute, typical in music videos and action sequences) requires more individual shot corrections and may increase the rate by 15-25%.
- Lighting consistency: footage shot in controlled lighting (studio, staged setups) grades faster. Footage with inconsistent lighting (run-and-gun, natural light changing throughout the day) requires more correction time per shot.
- VFX integration: if VFX shots are present, the colorist must match VFX elements to the live-action plate. This adds $10-30 per VFX shot on top of the per-minute rate, depending on the complexity of the integration.
- Rush delivery: turnaround under 48 hours adds a 50-75% surcharge. The colorist must prioritize your project over scheduled work, which has a real operational cost.
Turnaround Times and Rush Options
| Tier | Standard Turnaround | Rush (48h) | Express (24h) | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Correction | 2-3 business days | +50% surcharge | +100% surcharge | Usually available |
| Creative Grade | 4-7 business days | +50% surcharge | +100% surcharge | Subject to schedule |
| Cinema Grade | 7-14 business days | +75% surcharge | Not always available | Requires booking in advance |
Revision Policy
Revisions are changes to the grade after the initial delivery. Each tier includes a specific number of revision rounds. A revision round covers adjustments to the existing grade — changing the warmth, adjusting contrast on specific scenes, fixing skin tone consistency. A revision round is not a complete re-grade from scratch.
If you need a complete change of direction (switching from a warm look to a cold look, or from desaturated to saturated), this counts as a new grade and is priced as a new project.
Additional revision rounds beyond the included amount:
- Basic Correction: $50 per additional round
- Creative Grade: $100 per additional round
- Cinema Grade: $200 per additional round
Most projects complete within the included revision rounds. The revision process works best when you provide specific feedback with timecoded references: "Scene at 01:23 — increase warmth on skin tones, reduce blue cast in shadows." Vague feedback ("make it pop more") leads to multiple rounds of revision.
Color Grading Cost Per Minute FAQ
How much does color grading cost per minute?
Three tiers: Basic Correction at $5-15/min (technical correction, no creative look), Creative Grade at $15-40/min (custom look, secondary corrections, skin tone matching), and Cinema Grade at $40-100/min (scene-by-scene emotional grading, HDR, unlimited secondaries, ACES pipeline). Rates vary based on footage format, shot count, and lighting consistency.
What is the difference between basic correction and creative grading?
Basic correction adjusts exposure, white balance, and contrast to a technically correct baseline without artistic interpretation. Creative grading builds a custom look on top of technical correction, adds secondary corrections (skin tone, sky, isolated areas), and matches skin tones across all shots. Creative grading costs 3-4x more because it requires significantly more colorist time per shot.
How long does color grading take?
Basic Correction: 2-3 business days for most projects. Creative Grade: 4-7 business days. Cinema Grade: 7-14 business days. Rush delivery (48 hours) adds 50-75% surcharge. Express (24 hours) adds 100% surcharge and is not always available for Cinema Grade.
Do I need to provide reference images for color grading?
For Basic Correction: no references needed. The colorist corrects to a technically neutral baseline. For Creative Grade and Cinema Grade: yes. Reference images, mood boards, sample frames, or links to videos with the look you want help the colorist understand your creative direction and reduce the number of revision rounds.
What format should I deliver footage in for color grading?
Best: original camera RAW files (R3D, ARRIRAW, BRAW) with an XML/AAF/EDL from the NLE. This gives the colorist full control over RAW parameters. Acceptable: ProRes 4444 or DNxHR HQ for a high-quality roundtrip. Avoid: H.264 or H.265 — these delivery codecs introduce compression artifacts that limit what the colorist can do. Always include handles (12-24 frames) on each clip.
What if I need more revisions than included?
Additional revision rounds cost $50 (Basic), $100 (Creative), or $200 (Cinema) per round. Most projects complete within the included rounds when feedback is specific and timecoded. A complete change of creative direction is priced as a new project, not a revision round.
Need Professional Color Grading?
Send us your footage (or a 30-second sample) and tell us which tier matches your project. We will confirm the exact per-minute rate based on your footage format, shot count, and delivery requirements. Quotes returned within 4 hours.
Get a Color Grading Quote