In today’s professional post-production environment, remote collaboration is increasingly common. It reflects our increasingly connected and efficient technological advancements, as well as our progress as a society toward working in an interconnected and asynchronous manner. Since color grading is a crucial and highly influential step in achieving a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing look while setting the tone of the story, it is no exception. In this article, we discuss the latest approaches and highlight best practices and effective collaboration habits to ensure high-quality results.

Remote Color Grading vs.
Remote Monitoring

We start with the definition of Remote Color Grading as it is often confused with remote monitoring. In this article, we define both as follows:

• Remote Monitoring: This involves the colorist sending a video signal to a remote device for viewing. The colorist performs all grading locally on their hardware, while the client simply reviews the live color adjustments through a high-bitrate video stream on their local device. The client can view the video signal from any location with a stable internet connection.

• Remote Color Grading: In this setup, the colorist operates a grading workstation that is physically located in another location. Both the colorist and the client must have the project files, online footage (high-resolution data), and the necessary hardware and software licenses in both locations to enable synchronized playback and real-time adjustments. This setup often requires two colorists or one colorist and an operator, as the client (approver) side also needs to have a properly set up and operated machine. Typically, a high-grade (A-Class) monitor is used on both ends to ensure that approvers view an almost 100% accurate and calibrated image signal.

In this article, we’ll address both methods and their advantages during color correction separately, as their use cases, workflows, and technical demands differ. This distinction helps clarify the difference between the two. Feel free to start with the one you find most relevant by clicking on the corresponding section. We begin with Remote Monitoring, as it has a lower initial setup effort and is easier to use. If you’d like to jump directly to a structured comparison of advantages, you can click here.

Remote Color Correction
Strategies & Options

Options and Advantages of different Remote Monitoring strategies.

Option 01: Remote Grading with Client Review Platforms

One common approach to remote monitoring involves the colorist working at one location while the client reviews the progress on a platform such as Frame.io or Vimeo. In this workflow, the colorist uploads graded clips or sequences, allowing the client to provide feedback asynchronously. This is especially useful for collaborators looking for an efficient exchange to avoid scheduling conflicts due to limited availability or differences in time zones.

Some of the unique features are:

• Asynchronous Feedback: Multiple parties and clients in different locations at different times can leave notes or comments on specific frames or moments in the footage, facilitating seamless and straightforward collaboration.

• One Source of Truth: Especially in collaborative industries where multiple decision-makers need to approve, having a single source of truth helps avoid miscommunication and reduces time spent on extra rounds of revisions.

• Cost-Effective and Flexible: Remote grading solutions eliminate the need for extensive travel, expensive physical infrastructure, and dedicated on-site facilities. Clients and colorists can work from virtually anywhere, reducing overhead costs while maintaining professional-grade quality.

Option 02: Live Remote Monitoring via High-Bitrate Streaming or Screen Sharing

For real-time collaboration, colorists can use screen-sharing or specialized remote monitoring features to allow clients to view their grading sessions live. DaVinci Resolve, for instance, offers a built-in Remote Monitoring feature and corresponding App capable for streaming up to H.265 4:2:0 10-Bit with a customizable bitrate setting in high-resolution, ensuring color accuracy during the session. This setup requires a stable, high-bandwidth internet connection to maintain low latency and high-quality video streaming.

Some of the unique features are:

• Live Collaboration: Clients can view the session in real-time and provide immediate feedback for quick adjustments. Misinterpretations or issues can be resolved in real time. Personalized implementations are instantly available.

• Matching Playback: Both parties see the same image, ensuring accurate feedback and evaluation.

The market is growing and there are more and more solutions that offer this kind of remote live viewing experience for collaborative real time signal exchange. Evercast for example is one of the upcoming players in this space that even offers 4K streaming. As super low latency and high quality streaming is the key to a successful remote grading session the costs for services like this can be quite expensive. Therefore, trade-offs must be carefully considered to match client needs and expectations.

Option 03: Synchronized Remote Grading with Shared Footage

When both the colorist and the client have access to the same footage and Grading Software (DaVinci Resolve, Baselight etc.) project files, the Remote Grading feature can be employed. This allows the colorist to control the grading process on the client's system in real-time, ensuring both parties see identical results. To initiate a remote grading session, the client connects to the colorist's system using the IP address and a designated port, enabling synchronized control and playback. This is what we understand as a Remote Grading.

Some of the unique features are:

• Real-Time Synchronous Control: The colorist remotely adjusts color settings on the client’s workstation. Clients can view the grading session in real-time, providing immediate feedback and allowing for quick adjustments.

• Personal Guidance: Clients can view the grading session together with an expert in the same room, providing professional input and allowing for personal interaction and direct exchange. Opening the possibility to form a more personal connection and relationship.

• High-End Monitoring: Grading suits are usually equipped with high-end monitors and grading tools. This setup allows for a more accurate and consistent grading experience, ensuring that the colorist and client see the same image, which is crucial to make reliable color accurate approval decisions.

Advancements in technology have led to most professional software grading solutions to allow for remote grading:

• FilmLight Remote: Part of the Baselight 6.0 release, this solution offers high-quality, low-latency remote grading capabilities, allowing colorists to work with clients seamlessly across different locations.

• DaVinci Resolve Remote Grading: DaVinci Resolve also includes a built-in Remote Grading feature that allows for high-end, low-latency remote grading sessions across the globe.

Why choose Remote Color Grading?

To understand why remote workflows are becoming more and more popular let’s look and try to better understand what a traditional in-house grading setup involves.

Traditional color grading typically occurs in a dedicated suite equipped with high-performance hardware and specialized tools that need to be maintained and calibrated like the following:

• High-Speed Storage: Fast storage solutions, such as NVMEs, SSDs or RAID arrays, to ensure smooth playback and real-time editing of high-resolution footage uncompressed.

• Professional Grading Monitor: A high-end reference monitor with accurate color reproduction is crucial for evaluating and adjusting the image. These monitors need to be calibrated and maintained regularly and have a high price tag of around $30,000.

• Control Surface: Hardware panels provide tactile control over grading parameters, allowing for more intuitive and efficient adjustments.

• Processing Power: As realtime playback is crucial, state of the art GPU and CPU processing power to ensure smooth and fast grading and editing. These usually need to be specifically matched toward the used software packages to be able to utilize the full potential of the hardware.

• Calibration Tools: Regular calibration of monitors and equipment ensures consistent color accuracy across different devices and viewing environments. Alternatively, specialized staff is needed to maintain and calibrate the equipment.

The more advanced the setup, the higher the chance that it is a stationary setup, as it involves systems that can't be easily moved around. Therefore, the colorist is usually working in the same location as the grading suite. However, scheduling constraints, geographic separation, and tight deadlines often make fully in-person sessions impossible. Remote grading addresses these challenges by enabling real-time or near-real-time collaboration without sacrificing the creative control and color accuracy needed for professional results. Rapidly advancing display technologies, better bandwidth, network protocols and software helps to get closer to a more accurate and reliable grading preview on the client side.

When Live Remote Grading
may not be ideal?

• High bandwidth internet can not be guaranteed: If internet connectivity is inconsistent, live sessions can become frustrating and unproductive.

• Tight budgets: Live collaboration may interrupt the colorist’s workflow if frequent direct feedback is required. Which makes the sessions more expensive as colorists are usually paid by the hour. Therefore in the interest of the clients budget it usually carefully schedule feedback sessions with the colorist.

• Highly technical requirements: Special use cases like Cinema color correction requires projectors to evaluate the final luminance values and aesthetics of the client’s viewing experience. Highest-end projects and clients who seek the most neutral, standardized grading preview possible or require specialized software or hardware to accurately view the grade in real time should consider scheduling a dedicated in-person grading session.

Why we only use live grading
with special requests

• Less responsibility on the client side: The client needs to have more technical knowledge. Special app needs to be downloaded and set up by the client to be used with an IPad or similar device. Your client need to be aware of the internet connection bottlenecks.

• Less dependencies: An internet connection is less critical since files are downloaded into a cache rather than streamed, ensuring real-time playback. Grading versions can be easily switched to compare previous versions. All of this streamlines the workflow, allowing costs to be focused on the craft itself rather than infrastructure. Additionally, if the connection is lost, the process remains uninterrupted, reducing frustration.

• Saves valuable time: Platforms like Frame.io solve this by letting the colorist work in parallel while the client reviews the grade. It's also bringing all collaborators, clients and decision-makers into one place. Regardless of when they join, everyone can see all existing feedback, avoid redundant comments, and easily catch up on the discussion.

As you can see review platforms solve many of these issues by allowing collaborators to access files on their own schedule, reducing the pressure on internet speed. Feedback is consolidated in a single location, so everyone can see past comments and stay updated. This streamlines the workflow, allowing costs to be focused on the craft itself and therefore having spending more time on enhancing the product rather than infrastructure.

Best Practices for Remote Grading

To ensure successful remote grading sessions, consider the following tips:

• Ensure Sufficient Bandwidth: Consider both the upload speed of the signal sender and the download speed of the receiver. Even if the internet speed is adequate, ensure that the Wi-Fi network is not overloaded. Wired connections are generally more reliable for ensuring consistent video streaming. You should aim for at least 20 Mbit/s upload speed for the sender for the coloring stream only, if you have an additional Video-Call to communicate you need to double it. For the viewer at least 20 Mbit/s download speed is required. If a stable connection is not guaranteed, consider cached solutions like Frame.io, which are less dependent on a consistently reliable internet connection.

• Ensure Color-Accurate Monitoring: Both parties should use calibrated monitors to maintain consistent color representation and prevent discrepancies. If you have Apple Devices you should set them to Reference Mode in the Display settings.

• Employ Low-Latency Collaboration Tools: Use platforms designed for real-time collaboration with minimal latency to ensure seamless synchronization between the colorist and the client. In most cases, the native tools within your grading software offer the best integration and reliability. However, keep an eye on emerging solutions, as new players in the industry often provide niche features for high-end collaborations, potentially addressing limitations in your current software.

• Consider the signal bit depth and bit rate: A signal bit depth of 8-bit (16.7 million shades) and the compression used by platforms like Google Meet, TeamViewer, and similar streaming protocols are not sufficient for a reliable high-end preview. This also applies to the latency of those services. To ensure accurate color reproduction, choose a streaming protocol that supports 10-bit (1.07 billion shades) and a sufficiently high and stable bit rate.

• Have a Backup Plan: In case of network issues, rely on asynchronous review platforms for review.

Conclusion

Remote color correction and grading have become essential in today’s global post-production landscape. It is a powerful tool for achieving high-quality color correction and grading remotely. It offers flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to collaborate from anywhere. However, it requires careful planning, reliable internet connections, and a thoughtful communication with the client. By understanding the strengths and limitations of each approach, you can choose the right method for your specific project needs. Whether it’s through client review platforms, live streaming, or synchronized remote grading, remote collaboration can enhance your workflow and deliver exceptional results.

Comparison Table

Author: Benjamin Kratzin