What's the Difference Between a Colorist and a Video Editor?
What's the Difference Between a Colorist and a Video Editor?
A video editor assembles footage into a finished cut — selecting takes, building pacing, and structuring the story. A colorist takes that finished, locked edit and shapes its visual tone through color, contrast, and light. They're sequential, specialized roles, not two names for the same job.
Why Aren't These the Same Skill Set?
Editing is fundamentally about story structure, rhythm, and performance — deciding which take, which angle, and how long to hold a shot. Color grading is a technical and visual craft focused on light, contrast, and hue within shots that have already been chosen. Many editors have a good eye for color, but true color grading involves specialized tools, calibrated monitoring environments, and a level of technical color science that falls outside standard editing software and workflow.
Why Does Color Grading Happen After the Edit Is Locked?
Grading before a cut is finalized means redoing work every time an edit changes — a shot that gets trimmed, reordered, or removed entirely wastes any color work already done on it. Waiting until the edit is locked means every hour spent in the color suite goes toward the final version of the project, not a version that might not survive the next round of edits.
Can One Person Do Both Jobs?
On smaller projects, sometimes. But dedicated colorists bring calibrated suites, specialized software, and focused technical expertise that a general editing workflow usually isn't built for — particularly for delivery specs like HDR mastering or multi-format campaign deliverables, covered in what color space should you deliver in.
When Should a Colorist Get Involved in a Project?
Ideally during prep, not just at the end. Early conversations about an on-set LUT and overall look direction — described in what happens during a color session with a director — set up a smoother, more collaborative finishing process than bringing a colorist in cold once editing wraps.
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*Coloring Book is a Los Angeles–based color finishing studio founded by cinematographer and colorist Alexander Lakin. Learn more at wearecoloringbook.com.*