Primary adjustments

Primary grading establishes the overall image before selective corrections.

Wheels

Lift primarily affects darker values, Gamma targets midtones, Gain targets highlights, and Offset moves the image globally. Small changes are easier to evaluate than extreme corrections.

Basic controls

Exposure, contrast, saturation, temperature, and tint controls are available in the grading workflow. Their values are stored per grade and evaluated through the same preview and export path.

Order of work

1. Confirm the input color space.
2. Correct exposure and white balance.
3. Set contrast and saturation.
4. Add selective node corrections.
5. Check scopes and display transform.

Reset and compare

Reset individual controls when needed. Use before/after, split, wipe, or reference modes to judge the correction rather than relying on memory.

Use Primary Adjustments in a production project

1. Open Color workspace and select the intended explicitly selected clip or color source.
2. Establish the correct input state first—timing, media link, layer/node enable state, project settings, or source selection as relevant.
3. Apply or adjust Primary Adjustments with one clear goal. Change the smallest set of controls needed to reach that goal so the result remains understandable and reversible.
4. Review the complete affected range in context. Scrub difficult frames and also play at normal speed when motion or audio is involved.
5. Save a named milestone before moving into another major operation, especially after graph changes, tracking, AI processing, relinking, simulation, or delivery setup.

Practical guidance

Balance exposure, white balance, contrast, pivot, saturation, and channel relationships before secondary isolation or a heavy creative look.

A useful test is a short 5–10 second section containing both an easy case and a difficult case for this feature. Tune against the difficult moment without breaking the easy one. If two approaches are plausible, duplicate/version the project state and compare them rather than stacking both together blindly.

Verify the result

• Check scopes, normal viewer output, and a rendered review rather than trusting one still frame.
• Toggle/bypass the operation where possible and make sure the change you intended is actually responsible for the result.
• Check selection, visibility/mute/solo state, node connections, track locks, range, and source identity when the result appears missing.
• Save and reopen before treating a complex setup as reusable.
• If this feature changes final pixels or audio, render a short review and inspect the file outside Oraphim.

Related guides

• Color Management
• Color Wheels
• Curves
• Delivery Spaces