Color Grading: Add Emotion, Mood, and Impact with Color!
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Color Grading: Add Emotion, Mood, and Impact with Color!
This course is part of Creative Photography: Weddings, Film, and Color Specialization
Instructor: Skillshare
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April 2026
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There are 3 modules in this course
By the end of this course, you will be able to use color grading to shape mood, enhance emotion, and bring cinematic impact to your photos by working with highlights, midtones, and shadows. In Color Grading: Add Emotion, Mood, and Impact with Color!, Rob Davidson introduces you to the powerful Color Grading panel in Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Camera Raw, helping you unlock a whole new level of creative control.
What makes this course unique is its focus on cinematic storytelling through color—drawing inspiration from professional film colorists and translating those techniques into a practical, step-by-step workflow for photographers. You’ll move beyond basic edits and learn how to intentionally craft the look and feel of your images. This course is ideal for photographers, creatives, and visual storytellers who want to elevate their editing style and explore more artistic expression. To be successful, you should have a basic understanding of the Develop panel in Lightroom or Camera Raw. If you’re ready to see your photos in a completely new light, this course will open up exciting creative possibilities.
This module introduces the essential foundations of color grading, helping you clearly distinguish it from color correction and understand its role in visual storytelling. You’ll explore the color grading panel in detail and learn how to set up an efficient workflow that supports consistent, professional results. By the end, you’ll be ready to confidently begin applying creative color treatments to your images.
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 assignment
4 videos•Total 25 minutes
- Class Introduction•3 minutes
- Your Class Project•1 minute
- Color Grading vs Color Correction•8 minutes
- The Color Grading Panel•13 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Project Instructions•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 1 Quiz•30 minutes
In this module, you’ll move from theory into hands-on color grading techniques used by professionals. You’ll learn how to apply popular cinematic styles like orange and teal, adapt your edits across multiple images, and build a consistent visual mood. These practical skills will help you develop efficiency and creative control in your editing process.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt
3 videos•Total 21 minutes
- Color Grading with Orange Teal•10 minutes
- Apply Your Grading to a Different Photo•4 minutes
- Create a Cold Winter Feel•7 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 2 Quiz•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- New Discussion Prompt•10 minutes
This final module focuses on creative exploration and workflow refinement. You’ll create a retro vintage look, expand your toolkit with Camera Raw, and bring everything together into a polished editing process. By the end, you’ll be able to confidently craft stylized color grades and finalize your images with a professional finish.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment1 peer review1 discussion prompt
3 videos•Total 13 minutes
- Create a Retro Vintage Look•8 minutes
- Using Camera Raw•3 minutes
- Class Wrap Up•2 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Untitled•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
- Course Project•60 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
- New Discussion Prompt•10 minutes
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.
