Color Timing

Definition

Color Timing is the process of adjusting the color balance and density of a film print or digital video to achieve the desired look. In the era of photochemical film, color timing was performed by a skilled laboratory technician (called a "timer" or "colorist") who adjusted the exposure of the red, green, and blue channels of the film printer to control the color and density of each scene. In the digital era, color timing has been largely replaced by digital color grading, though the term is still used in some contexts to refer to the overall process of color correction and grading.