Secondary Correction

Secondary correction is any grade applied to a specific part of the picture rather than the entire frame, in contrast to a primary that shifts everything at once. Using a qualifier, a shape window, or a tracked mask, a colorist isolates a region and adjusts just that, like brightening a face, cooling a window, or pulling saturation out of a distracting object. This is where a grade gains intent and polish: after the primary sets overall balance and contrast, secondaries guide the viewer's eye and fix local problems. In practice colorists stack several, tracking windows to follow movement and feathering edges so the work stays invisible. Overdone secondaries look artificial, so the craft is making targeted fixes feel like they were always part of the shot.