For two seasons, Company 3 Senior Colorist Siggy Ferstl helped define the look of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. Working alongside the show’s creative team, Ferstl leveraged emerging color-grading technologies to incorporate depth and realism, fully immersing audiences in the Four Nations. Based on the beloved animated phenomenon, the series follows Aang’s journey to master the four elements and restore balance to a world at war.

Using Blackmagic Resolve’s Depth Map tool, Ferstl quickly separated foreground and background elements to shape color, contrast, and lighting directly within the grade. “At times, my job as a colorist straddles the worlds of traditional color grading and VFX,” says Ferstl. By subtly warming foreground subjects and cooling backgrounds, creating a richer sense of dimension while maintaining a natural, cinematic look. 

Ferstl also used depth-driven haze, fog, smoke, and halation effects to add atmosphere and realism. “This is something we did a lot,” he explains, helping ensure visual effects didn’t feel “just plastered on top of the image.” The result was a seamless blend of color grading and VFX techniques that enhanced the scale and immersion frame by frame. 

Read more about Siggy’s workflow here. 

Seasons 1 & 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender are now streaming exclusively on Netflix.