Color Correction Services for Honest, Matched, and Market-Ready Video
When your footage fights itself, the issue isn’t creativity—it’s consistency. Fix exposure, balance, and tone first. Then every grade, every look, and every launch runs smoother.
Correction before style
Our editors follow one directing rule: normalize and correct before you stylize. White balance, contrast, and exposure are stabilized across every shot. Only then do we layer in the look—so you don’t spend hours chasing problems that were avoidable.
“We thought color correction was just a box to tick. Then Start Motion Media adjusted to a typical scale three cameras from a live event, and suddenly everything matched. The grade we wanted evolved into serene.”
Creative Director, Event Production Company
**Caption:** A video editor works on his project in a cozy, dimly lit workspace.
Old world contra new reality
| Before | After Start Motion Media |
|---|---|
| Mismatched cameras under mixed light | Consistent Rec.709 baseline across all angles |
| Creative LUTs used as a “fix” | Neutral correction first, look applied second |
| Review cycles wasted on re-matching shots | 1-day turnaround corrections → faster grading & approvals |
When balance comes first, mood becomes optional, reversible, and testable—without wrecking your foundation.
Case notes from the bay
A wedding shot across Sony, Canon, and ARRI cameras: first attempt with a trendy teal-and-orange LUT pushed skin into neon. Reset, normalize, and correct—suddenly the couple looked like themselves again. Then a soft, warm grade delivered the romance. Order mattered.
In a corporate Zoom interview, cheap LEDs pushed green. Our correction neutralized skin tone first. Only then did we cool the mids for a crisp, on-brand corporate look. The audience saw fidelity, not flaws.
Why unlimited correction matters
When ads stall because skin tones are inconsistent, or your CEO’s keynote has one frame yellow and the next pink, you need iteration speed. Our model: one active project at a time, unlimited weekday corrections with one-day turnaround. Editors in New York, Austin, San Francisco, and San Diego carry the load—so your team doesn’t stall on fixes.
Proof in the portfolio
- Amazon Advertising for Fire TV campaigns polished for cross-platform consistency
- Broadcast pieces for The Smithsonian, Discovery Channel, and BET
- Corporate videos for Sutter Hospital, Stryker Medical, and AirBus where accuracy mattered as much as aesthetics
Each project proved the same principle: fix to neutral, then grade to intention.
Cost efficiency explicated
| Option | Monthly Cost | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Freelance colorists | $2,500–$4,500+ | Inconsistent; varying style, limited availability |
| In-house hire | $6,000–$8,000+ | Dedicated, but expensive and slow to scale |
| Start Motion Media Retainer | $1,800/mo | Unlimited 1-day turnaround, weekday edits, proven pipeline |
Deliverables customized for to color correction
- Shot matching across mixed camera systems and log formats
- White balance and exposure normalization for broadcast or web
- Skin-tone protection, highlight preservation, and scene consistency
- Camera space transforms (ACES or CST) for predictable workflows
- Base correction that makes creative grading fast and reversible
Quick inventory for handoff
- Upload camera sources and reference stills
- Note your intended platform (broadcast, social, web)
- Tell us if you want correction only, or correction + grade
Send today, get neutralized cuts tomorrow.
Video editing software interface showcasing editing tools and a video clip.
