Teal and orange color grading. 2000s–2010s: widespread cinema and video look
Typeface · Bebas Neue
Exposure Software: Orange and Teal Grading, 2017.Exposure Software / Jimmy Beech, official tutorial example.View source ↗
Prompt
Apply a teal and orange color grading effect, shifting shadows toward deep cyan and teal while warming skin, highlights, and practical lights toward amber and orange. Maintain natural facial detail, controlled saturation, rich blacks, and smooth tonal separation without coloring every surface equally. Keep the original subject and composition.
Complementary grading in cinema, advertising and travel videos.
Try it out
Show the same scene subtly and exaggeratedly; compare skin tones.
Background
Orange and teal formed acommon contrast in digital color grading of the early 21st century. Adobe explicitly describes this look as apopular video aesthetic of that time. Its effect is based on separating warm skin tones or light colors from acooler background. This can be achieved by shifting shadows towards blue-green and highlights towards orange. This isn't auniversal rule for all people or lighting conditions. For this learning exercise, keep the same recording: First, change only the shadows, then the highlights. Afterward, check neutral objects and faces. This will help you recognize when color separation enhances readability and when it appears unnatural.
Distinction
Skin tone and lighting logic require more attention than ageneral LUT.
Further examples · 9 images
02Teal and orange cityA heavy industrial scene features a crane and motorcycles under a teal sky. The grading pushes highlights on the ground and machinery into warm orange tones while keeping the sky cyan.AshokVijaya · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons03Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami 06Skin tones are preserved in warm orange hues while the surrounding background and shadows are pushed into teal. This provides high color contrast and subject separation characteristic of the effect.ShuvoShadow00 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons04Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami 02The image displays a cyan-teal wash in the midtones and shadows. The highlights on the fabric and bandages retain a warmer, orange-leaning cast, creating a strong complementary color palette.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons05Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami featuring Fazlur Rahman Babu 03This frame illustrates the effect on human subjects. Warm facial skin tones are clearly separated from the teal-tinted background environment and shadow regions, emphasizing the actor's features through color opposition.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons06Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami featuring Fazlur Rahman BabuThe lighting setup and post-processing push the shadows towards teal while the lamp and skin highlights appear orange. This is a functional example of the digital grading style used for visual impact.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons07Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei AmiStrong teal tones occupy the background and shadowed areas of the street. The subjects' clothing and skin tones provide the necessary orange/warm counterpoint to complete the complementary color grade.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons08Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami 03The image shows a distinct split between cool teal shadows and warm highlights. Even the highlights on the skin and hair are shifted towards orange to create the popular cinematic look.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons09Bangla Eid Natok 2026 Still frame from Sei Ami Nei Ami featuring Fazlur Rahman Babu 02The background greenery and building shadows are heavily tinted teal. The warm skin tones of the central figure stand out due to the intentional shift toward the opposite side of the color wheel.ShuvoShadow00 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Question
Why can a LUT have a very different effect on two recordings?
Show possible answer +Hide answer −
It reacts to existing tone and color values; therefore, different lighting and exposure will change the result.
