How to Colour Grade Black Skin Without Looking Yellow or Purple

It begins before the grade

Colour grading cannot fully replace thoughtful light. I start by looking at the key light's direction and quality, unwanted colour casts, and the difference between skin and background. Good exposure also matters: lifting deeply underexposed faces can reveal noise and uneven colour.

Record a more reliable image

I pay close attention to Canon R5 settings, false-colour monitoring, log exposure and the colour gamut used in the pipeline. The monitoring image must be configured correctly if I want to trust what I see.

Build the image in Resolve

First I establish accurate colour management and a balanced image. Then I set overall exposure and contrast before refining skin locally. I use scopes alongside the image, checking whether warm highlights, mixed lighting or strong saturation are pushing skin towards orange or yellow, or magenta or purple.

Refine, don't flatten

DaVinci Resolve's Hue vs Hue and Hue vs Sat curves and ColorSlice controls can help make controlled refinements in skin-associated hues. Sample the footage and adjust gently; there is no universal correct orange for Black skin, and different people should still look different.

Film character comes last

Dehancer adds film-inspired colour and texture when the underlying image is already balanced. It should serve the look rather than disguise errors in lighting or exposure.

Show the process end to end

The most useful comparison follows the image from capture through balance, skin refinement and the finished treatment. Repeated testing has made the workflow more deliberate: light and expose carefully, establish a reliable colour-managed base, refine skin gently, and add film character last.