Color Pipeline

he end-to-end system for managing color data from camera capture through final delivery. A color pipeline encompasses the camera's color science and recording format (log, RAW, Rec.709), the LUTs applied for on-set monitoring and dailies, the viewing transforms used during editorial, the color grading process itself, and the final output transforms for each deliverable format. In ACES (Academy Color Encoding System) workflows, a standardized color pipeline provides a scene-referred linear light working space that ensures consistency across cameras, VFX, and delivery formats. The pipeline must account for every point where color data is transformed, ensuring that creative intent is preserved from the cinematographer's vision through the colorist's grade to the audience's screen.