Your Work on the Big Screen: An Updated Look at Cosmic's Color Suite

When you step into Cosmic’s downtown Salt Lake City headquarters, you may be surprised to find a 30-seat theater in the back. Boasting 4K digital cinema projection on a 40 ft screen and accompanied by immersive Dolby surround sound, Cosmic’s Color Suite provides color correction for TV shows, feature films, and commercials. Cosmic’s Color Suite is our secret weapon, and an essential part of bringing our projects to life.

The Color Suite's most distinctive feature is its size, offering a broader perspective on the overall look of a project. The Color Suite allows colorists and clients to concentrate on the visuals in a collaborative, creative space. 

Using dedicated software, colorists ensure each shot within a project is consistent no matter the camera angle, lens, lighting, or location. Colorists manipulate the footage to match the style and palette requested by the client. 

Color correction refers to the colorist adjusting footage with technical errors or inconsistencies, such as overexposure. Often, color correction is used to match footage from different cameras, aspect ratios, or lighting and weather conditions. This digital process ensures all footage has a consistent base, so the colorist can really work their magic in color grading. 

Color grading refers to when the colorist is aiming for a specific visual style, through altering elements like contrast, white balance, or brightness. But color grading isn’t just adjusting hues or saturation; colorists use the power of color to tell a cohesive story. Color grading ensures footage has the right look and feel throughout the entirety of a project.

Colorists require an understanding of color theory, equipment, and software; they must be fully knowledgeable about color trends and styles, and the appropriate tools to utilize with them. When colorists process footage, they’re enhancing visual storytelling by creating mood, tone, and atmosphere. Through these precise color grading techniques, and close collaboration with directors and cinematographers, colorists are able to evoke specific emotions from audiences and boost the aesthetic of the project. 

In Cosmic’s Color Suite, creativity knows no bounds, and every project is an opportunity. Our team of colorists' dedication to their craft make them indispensable allies in the world of visual storytelling.

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For more information on Cosmic’s Color Suite, check out a Q&A with Cosmic’s Senior Colorist Russ Lasson. 

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