Popular Trends in Color Grading
Complementary
Number one on our list is notorious teal and orange. I personally hate this trend with passion but I must give it the crown it deserves
in the most popular trends. Teal and orange is a complimentary style of color grading where primarily two major colors dominate
the spectrum. Orange, because it’s the closest to human skin, and teal because it’s the opposite color of orange on the color wheel.
Currently Teal and Orange dominate primarily in the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Action Genres of film and terribly overused. Despite an
appealing look, very often it feels like it’s being used for the sake of using it rather than actually supporting the story. Teal and orange
may vary and sometimes may include a greenish tint and orange.
Monochromatic (Analogous) Tones
The next one on the list is Color Grading Trends, Monochromatic Tones. What is it? From the word “mono” meaning single, we can guess that this style is not particularly vibrant, however, if used right can really make a difference and support the story. Monochromatic style can be dull or vibrant, depending on the story. In monochromatic style, one color primarily dominate the environment and cares throughout the story. With monochromatic styles, you can break out of it in the mid-film as long as you have a change of environment and keep carrying one, however, general saturation should be carried and respected throughout the film.
Split Complimentary / Triad / Tetradic
These color schemes are usually very vibrant and require set design and custom design to pull off the onset. Even though it is possible to adjust these in Color Grading, it would be very expensive and nonpractical to rely on such heavy work in post. We can observe these color schemes more often in fashion photography rather than film, however, there are few prominent movie directors that pull off these schemes, and it looks fantastic.
The triadic color scheme is a three-color combination consisting of a base color and two colors that are 120 degrees and 240 degrees apart from the base color. Triadic color schemes tend to be quite vibrant. Even when using pale or unsaturated versions of hues, it offers a higher degree of contrast while also retaining color harmony. This scheme is trendy among artists because it provides sharp visual contrast while maintaining balance, and color richness. The triadic scheme is not as contrasting as the complementary scheme, but it is easier to accomplish balance and harmony with these colors.
The tetradic (also called double complementary) color scheme is considered the richest because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize and requires a color to dominate or subdue the colors; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the color scheme may look unbalanced.
Popular Trends in Color Grading
The examples above are the most popular trends in color grading. Most of the time at least during the writing of this post, the Complimentary color scheme remains to be the winner of all. It is relatively easy to create and doesn’t require as much effort as Triad or Tetradic schemes. Depending on your country, styles and trends of color grading may be different as well as style of cinematography. For example, French cinema likes to use wider lenses on close up, while North America prefers longer focal lengths. We can observe and replicate color trends but in the end, just like everything else, it’s about being unique in the business and having a deep knowledge of what works and what isn’t. If you enjoyed this material please check for more in the Blog Section
