Colour grading & look development · Specialist
Printer lights
ELI5
Colour-balancing controls derived from film-lab timing, adjusting red, green and blue exposure in printer-light steps.
Used in conversation
“The printer lights changes the audience’s experience, so judge it against the whole scene.”
Pitch context
You may encounter “Printer lights” in editing, colour, post & delivery conversations or materials.
Why it matters: Explains how recorded material becomes a finished, approved and technically deliverable work.
Caution
This usage is established in practice but is not fully standardised. A domain specialist should review it before release as canon.
Sources & evidence · 4
Supporting source families. This entry is an editorial synthesis rather than a quotation from one canonical glossary.
- Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve Reference ManualSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences / ACES — ACES Glossary and User GuidesSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- Netflix — Partner Help Center Delivery SpecificationsSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14
- European Broadcasting Union — EBU R 128 Loudness Normalisation and Permitted Maximum Level of Audio SignalsSupporting source family · primary · checked 2026-08-14