What is the difference between color grading and color correction?

• A. Color grading adds intentional color tones to convey mood; color correction aims to achieve neutral, accurate colors.
• B. Color grading fixes white balance; color correction adds mood.
• C. Color grading involves converting to black and white.
• D. Color correction changes camera firmware.

Answer: (C)

Color correction is about making colors look neutral and accurate. It fixes white balance, exposure, and any color casts so skin tones read naturally and the image matches reality. Color grading is the creative step that follows, where you adjust color relationships, contrast, and saturation to establish a particular mood or style—like warmer tones for a cinematic feel or cooler tones for a modern, moody look. In a typical workflow, you correct first to a clean baseline, then grade to achieve the desired artistic effect. Converting to black and white is a separate creative choice and not the defining difference between grading and correction; and changing camera firmware isn’t related to postproduction color work.