WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE ORANGE & TEAL COLOUR GRADE?

One of the most popular colour grades ever is without a doubt the orange & teal look which has been used in blockbuster movies for decades already and still is loved by many photographers, videographers and colourists today, but what makes it so popular and what purpose does it serve?

The orange & teal colour grade is created by having your subject warmer in colour appearance and the background in a cooler teal colour appearance, but what is the purpose of it?

Well, this creates contrast, not necessarily in the exposure sense, but rather in terms of colour. In video and photography composition, most directors and photographers would prefer to draw the viewers eye to the centre of interest within the frame and there are many ways of doing this, but what can definitely help accentuate this effect would be to have your subject stand out from its background by being in a different colour, and in the orange & teal case it would mean that your subject is graded in an opposite colour to its background in terms of colours on the colour wheel which in return creates contrast.

Take a look at the video below by the YouTube channel: Parker Walbeck on Colour Grading With LUTs - Orange & Teal Look Explained...