Grading workflow

When you ask an agent to make a shot “look like film,” it doesn’t apply a preset and stop. Through the /hance refine command it works the way a colorist does: render, look, adjust, repeat. It judges its own output against your intent. This page explains what’s happening so you know what to ask for.

The loop

The agent renders a still preview (never a full video while iterating), reads the result, names what’s wrong, changes a knob or two, and re-renders. Suspected artifacts get inspected at 1:1. It stops when the frame reads as film, then offers to apply the look to the whole file and save it as a reusable preset.

What “film” usually means

A preset applied raw can look punchy and digital. A convincing film look usually adds:

• Lifted blacks so shadows aren’t pure digital black.
• Highlight rolloff for a gentle shoulder instead of clipped whites.
• Restrained saturation. Oversaturation is the most common digital tell.
• Grain for texture.
• Halation, a soft glow bleeding from highlights.
• A subtle vignette to frame the subject.

Split tone, and matching mood

A complementary split tone (warm highlights, cool teal shadows, the classic “teal-orange”) gives action, landscape, and city shots cinematic separation. But it fights warm, intimate scenes like a sunset portrait, which want consistent warmth instead. Part of refining is matching the toning to the mood rather than applying it everywhere.

What to ask for

Be specific about the direction and let the agent handle the knobs:

> /hance refine portra-400 on sunset.jpg, classic film but less punchy
> /hance refine the surf shot, warmer, more grain, slightly stronger vignette
> /hance refine match the look of this reference.jpg

When the agent has tuned a preset rather than used it stock, it will say so. The look is “portra-400, tuned,” and it can save your tuned version under its own name.