Who this is for
You've outgrown free tutorials.
The Master's Program is built for colorists who already know enough to know what they're missing — and want a year of structure, mentorship, and accountability to fix it.
- Self-taught coloristswho've hit a ceiling on what tutorials can give.
- DITs and assistants ready to make the move into the chair.
- Working colorists in commercial spaces who want to break into long-form.
- Career-changers from related crafts — DPs, editors, retouchers, VFX comp.
Curriculum · 48 weeks · 4 phases
Built like an apprenticeship, paced like a degree.
Science Foundation
Technical Mastery
Creative Excellence
Professional Leadership
How you're evaluated
Three checkpoints. No theatre.
Every credible colorist program has the same problem: it's easy to grade privately and never get told what isn't working. The Master's solves that three different ways.
Practical assignments, reviewed live.
Every week of the first six months you turn in a graded project — and every week, Dado walks your work in a live feedback session, on the panel, in front of the cohort. You'll watch your grade picked apart shot-by-shot. Praise when it's earned. Notes when it isn't.
No other program in the world ships this much one-on-one critique with a working colorist of Dado's level. We've checked.
26+ WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS · LIVE CRITIQUEKnowledge tests that aren't busywork.
At the end of each masterclass — color management, CDL/ShowLUT, look design, the rest — there's a written test. Not multiple-choice trivia: practical scenarios where you defend a decision and explain why an alternative would have been wrong.
The point isn't to gate your progress. It's to make sure that when you walk into a session and a DP asks "why are we in DaVinci YRGB and not ACES", you have the answer at panel speed.
~12 MASTERCLASSES · OPEN-BOOK, DEFENDEDFinal Look Design assignment.
Your last practical: a complete look design on footage you choose, defended in front of Dado and the cohort. Bring your own short, your own commercial, your own narrative scene — anything you want on your reel.
Technical execution is table stakes by this point. We're judging editorial intent. Does the look serve a story? Can you say why? Is the choice yours, or a copy of a reference? The capstone separates competent colorists from working ones.
DEFENDED · ADDED TO YOUR REEL
The Master's Thesis
Make the field smarter for having had you in it.
After the practical work, every student writes a Master's Thesis — a personal research project on a topic of your choosing within color science, the history of cinema, image processing, or cinematography. Roughly 8,000 to 12,000 words, plus the supporting visual work it deserves.
A thesis isn't a school assignment. It's the first time most colorists are asked to think out loud about what they actually believe.
We publish strong theses in the academy library. Several have been cited in industry papers. A handful have become the technical foundation for our own teaching.
Schedule · 12 months
A working colorist's calendar.
Six months of intensive practical training. Six months of self-directed thesis work with monthly check-ins. Paced for working professionals — most of you will keep your day jobs and grade evenings and weekends.
Holiday breaks
Three one-week breaks during the first six months — paced to keep the cohort fresh through the practical work.
Lecture, demo, live grading, and assignment critique — your work, on the panel. Recorded and posted within 24 hours.
Working colorists, supervisors, and DPs in conversation.
Self-directed thesis work, the Final Look Design assignment, and one-on-one mentorship.
What's in the kit
The same tools we use on shipping projects.
Every accepted student gets unlimited access to the full ColourLab AI tool suite for the duration of the program.
ColourLab AI Pro
AI-driven color grading and look development. The base layer of every assignment from Phase 02 onward.
LookDesigner
Cinematic look creation and film emulation. Where the creative work in Phase 03 lives.
GrainLab
Precision grain management for authentic film texture. The detail that separates a good grade from a great one.
FilmLab AI Suite
The full plugin suite — the same kit used on top-tier industry projects. Yours for the program duration.
The Diploma
A credential the rooms that hire you actually recognize.
The Color Grading Master's Diploma is more than an academic line on a CV — it's a working-industry signal. Our graduates are in colorist rooms at Company 3, Harbor, Picture Shop, and a long list of independent studios.
When you graduate, you join a small, specific community of colorists who came through the same crucible. You'll have classmates at every level of the industry within five years.
How you learn
Every assignment reviewed by Dado. Every single one.
No teaching assistants. No automated feedback. Every piece of work you submit gets personally reviewed by the same instructor who trains Hollywood's top studios. That's the commitment — and it's why enrollment is limited.
Your instructors
Learn from working colorists.
Dado Valentic
Twenty years in the chair. Feature films, prestige series, global commercials. The Master's Program is the curriculum he wishes he'd had — built from every drill he ran in his own room and every note he gave a junior.
Luis Hernandez
Luis Hernández de la Peña is a Supervising Colorist, Filmmaker, and VFX Supervisor based in Mexico City, working across feature films, documentaries, and high-end advertising. With over 20 years of experience in audiovisual storytelling, his work combines refined visual taste with deep technical expertise in color grading, look development, and color-managed workflows. He is Co-Founder and Supervising Colorist at CAMARENA Color & Motion, delivering premium finishing services internationally.
Investment
Paid in full, or six monthly installments of $600. Stipends available for accepted students from underrepresented backgrounds in post-production.
Limited to 30 seats per cohort. Summer intake closes May 28.
FAQ
The questions every applicant asks.
How much time per week does this require?
Plan for four to eight hours weekly. The program is paced for working professionals: most students are juniors, DITs, or assistants who keep their day work and grade evenings and weekends.
When are the live sessions?
Weekly classes are Tuesdays at 9am Pacific. Occasional review sessions land on Mondays or Thursdays at the same hour. Bi-monthly seminars run on Thursdays at 10am Pacific. Recordings are posted within 24 hours.
How are practical assignments reviewed?
Every weekly assignment is critiqued by Dado in a live feedback session. You'll watch your grade walked through on the panel, decision by decision, with the room of fellow students.
Do I need my own panel or grading suite?
No. A calibrated display is required by Phase 02; a panel is recommended by Phase 03. We help you spec a setup at every budget — and there's a stipend for accepted students at the highest tier.
What software does the program teach in?
The eye is the curriculum. We teach in DaVinci Resolve as a default, with Baselight modules in Phase 03. Lustre and Filmlight users have transitioned without issue — the technique transfers.
What software comes with the program?
Unlimited access to ColourLab AI Pro, LookDesigner, GrainLab, and the full FilmLab AI plugin suite for the duration of the program — about $1,000 in tools.
What is the Master's Thesis?
A written research project on a topic of your choosing — color science, film history, image processing, cinematography. Roughly 8,000–12,000 words plus supporting visual work.
What's the Final Look Design assignment?
Your capstone: a complete look design on footage you choose, defended in front of Dado and the cohort. Technical execution is table stakes; we're judging editorial intent.
Is the certificate recognized?
By the colorist rooms that hire our graduates — yes. We don't pretend to be an accredited institution. We pretend to send you to work, and so far we have.
What is the feedback loop?
Weekly live session with Dado. Every assignment reviewed live, on the panel. You see your work critiqued — and learn just as much watching your cohort's work reviewed. One session, dozens of lessons.
Refund policy?
Full refund through Week 4. Pro-rated through Week 12. After that, the seat is yours — and so is the work.