Lift Gamma Gain

Lift, gamma, and gain are the classic three-way controls that split the tonal range so a colorist can push shadows, midtones, and highlights separately. Lift raises or lowers the blacks, gamma bends the midtones without moving the endpoints much, and gain scales the highlights. Each can also carry color, so you might cool the lift, warm the gamma, and neutralize the gain to shape a look. In practice this is the backbone of primary grading: set black and white points with lift and gain on a parade scope, then taste the mids with gamma. Because the three regions overlap rather than cut hard, adjustments blend smoothly. Mastering how they interact, especially how gain changes overall contrast, is fundamental to building a clean, controlled grade.