From Flat to FILMIC: Pre-Wedding Color Grade in DaVinci Resolve (Full Breakdown)

Looking to color grade your pre-wedding footage in DaVinci Resolve with a clean, cinematic, film-inspired look? In this tutorial, I break down my complete node-based workflow that I use for pre-wedding films, wedding highlights, and cinematic couple shoots. This is the same tried-and-tested system I’ve refined over years of grading in Resolve — and today, I’m breaking it down in a simple, step-by-step way. ✅ What You’ll Learn in This Video: 1. Correct Project Setup in Resolve We start by setting up the correct color management so the grading behaves consistently and naturally. 2. Log Conversion Using Color Space Transform (CST) Node 1 converts camera footage to DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate Node Last converts DWG → Rec.709 Gamma 2.4 This keeps skin tones clean, avoids color clipping, and gives a beautiful base for grading. 3. Exposure & Contrast (HDR Panel + Curves) In the Exposure node, I show how to adjust: Exposure using HDR Primaries Soft contrast and roll-off Editable spline curves for subtle tonal shaping These give your pre-wedding footage depth, richness, and a cinematic foundation. 4. Color Balance & Creative Contrast Next node covers: White balance correction using Primary Wheels Targeted saturation control Luma vs Sat adjustments Color contrast for skies, outfits, foliage & skin tones The result is a clean, dreamy, pre-wedding palette. 5. Depth Map for Isolation (Referenced Tutorial) I used the Depth Map to isolate foreground from background, but the detailed tutorial is linked separately for those who want to explore it. 6. Film Look Creator (Halation + Bloom + Grain) Resolve’s new Film Look Creator adds: Natural halation Soft bloom Organic texture with grain This step completes the signature cinematic pre-wedding vibe. 7. Final Matte & Sharpening Node After the final CST node, I build a matte and apply controlled sharpening to bring detail without adding noise. 🎥 This Workflow Works Perfect For: ✔ Pre-Wedding Shoots ✔ Outdoor Couple Films ✔ Golden Hour Sequences ✔ Slog, HLG, LogC, D-Log, V-Log, and Standard Profiles ✔ Cinematic Wedding Highlights If you’re a wedding filmmaker or editor looking to elevate your Resolve workflow, this method will instantly make your colors cleaner, deeper, and more professional. BEST Way to Use Depth Map in DaVinci Resolve Studio    • What's the BEST Way to Use Depth Map in Da...   🔖 Timestamps 0.00 - Intro 0.38 - Project Settings 1.27 - Color Space Transform 3.14 - Color Correction 6.15 - Depth Mask Basics 7.15 - Film Look Creator 9.08 - Output Sharpening 9.35 - Copy Grade To all Clips 10.22 - Final Thoughts 📸 Gear Used in This Video: 🎥 Camera: Sony A7S III https://amzn.to/4hbDBul 📷 Sigma 24mm f1.4 art https://amzn.to/4nNvjNE 📷 Lens: Sony 35mm f1.8 https://amzn.to/3DJ4nwq 💡 Lighting: Godox SL 150 https://amzn.to/4bD5c6y Godox Octa Softbox 90cm https://amzn.to/3XSeqpG 🎤 Microphone: Hollyland lark M2S https://amzn.to/4iuWbyw 🎬 Gimbal/Tripod: DJI Ronin Rs3 Mini https://amzn.to/4izvIQG 🔗 Some of these are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel! #DaVinciResolveColorGrading #PreWeddingEditing #CinematicColorGrade