Color grading used to be the part I obsessed over the most. I’d spend hours tweaking curves, layering LUTs, chasing that perfect mix between warmth and contrast, film softness and digital clarity. I wanted my work to look “cinematic.” But over time, I realized I was overcomplicating what was always meant to be simple: feeling.

Now, grading is less about technique, and more about how I feel.

From what I felt in the moment to what someone else might feel, just by looking at it.

When I shot in Rio, I didn’t go there for the colors. I went there to feel something. The light there was wild and warm I wanted to translate that. Some mornings were soft and golden. Some afternoons felt electric. I didn’t force a look onto the footage. I let the mood decide. I barely touched the shadows. I just brought the warmth up to match the stillness I felt when I was sitting alone above the city.

Tokyo was different. It felt distant, structured, like a rhythm I didn’t know yet and I didn’t want to romanticize it. I kept the tones cold. I leaned into the blue shadows, the neon spill. The images weren’t meant to feel warm or nostalgic. They were meant to feel like a memory I hadn’t processed yet. That’s how Tokyo felt to me beautiful, but far away. So the grade stayed honest to that.

I’ve stopped trying to impress with color.

Now I just try to stay close to the moment even in post.

The Tools I Use And Why I Give Them Away

I used to think giving away my LUTs would make my work less valuable.

Now I think the opposite. If my tools can help someone else get closer to their vision, why should I gatekeep it?

That’s why I’ve decided to share the exact LUT I use for my work. Whether you’re grading on DaVinci or Lightroom, on a photo from your phone or a short film I want it to help you find clarity, not control you.

I believe art should be passed on. Not just as inspiration, but as tools. And if something I created can be part of someone else’s growth, then that’s more meaningful than a perfect feed or a polished highlight reel.

In the End

Grading isn’t magic.

It’s not about hiding flaws or creating a fake version of what happened.

It’s about feeling, and making space for that feeling to come through.

I share my tools freely now, because I know the real value isn’t in the preset. It’s in what you do with it.

The frame. The light. The story only you can tell.

So if anything here helps you get closer to that then it’s already worth it.