Colorist
The colorist's work determines the emotional temperature of the film — the difference between cold and clinical, warm and intimate, high-contrast thriller, or washed-out period drama. In ACT3 AI, color and visual tone are controlled through style presets, visual references, and shot-level parameters that feed directly into the AI render.
You're not grading footage after the fact. You're defining the look before the image is generated — which means you get it right from the first frame.
Your work in ACT3 AI
Visual style in ACT3 AI is set at the project level and can be overridden per scene or per shot. The AI uses your style settings to generate images that already have the color palette, contrast, and mood you specified. For final polish, export to DaVinci Resolve.
What you'll do here
Tasks are listed most common first.
Set the project's visual style
Choose the base visual style — Cinematic Realism, 3D Animated, Cartoon 2D, or Anime — and define the color palette, contrast level, and overall mood that runs through the whole film.
Upload a color reference image
A film still, a painting, or a color board that captures the exact look you want. Upload it as a style reference and the AI generates shots that match its color temperature, saturation, and contrast.
→ How to use visual reference images
Set a different look for a specific scene
Some scenes need a different color world — a flashback, a dream sequence, a scene that happens in a different location. Override the project style at the scene level.
→ How to set per-scene visual style
Define lighting mood per scene
Lighting is the biggest driver of color feel. Set the lighting mood — golden hour, overcast, interior tungsten, night exterior — and it changes the color temperature of everything in the scene.
→ How to set up scene lighting
Check visual consistency across scenes
Review scenes side by side to make sure the color world is visually consistent. Scenes from the same location should feel like they belong together.
→ How to review visual consistency
Export for grading in DaVinci Resolve
When you want to do a full professional grade after the AI renders are complete, export your cut as ProRes and bring it into DaVinci Resolve. The AI-rendered look is your starting point, not your ceiling.
→ How to export for DaVinci Resolve
Key tools you'll use
| Tool | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Visual style settings | Project Settings → Visual Style |
| Style reference images | Set or Shot panel → Style Images |
| Lighting mood | Scene panel → Lighting tab |
| Scene-level style override | Scene panel → Visual Style override |
| Export | Render Queue → Export → ProRes |