Teal and orange is the most recognizable look in modern film: cool teal shadows against warm orange skin. Done carelessly it looks cheap; done with restraint it looks like a blockbuster. Here is the clean way to build it in DaVinci Resolve.
The look only works on a balanced base. Correct exposure and white balance and convert log to Rec.709 first.
On a new node, tint the shadows toward teal with Lift or Offset, and warm the highlights toward orange with Gain. This complementary split is the whole idea.
Warm highlights can push skin into sunburn territory. Add a skin qualifier or Hue vs Hue node to hold faces on the natural skin-tone line while the rest of the frame stays stylized.
Reduce the look node with its Key Output gain until it reads as mood, not filter. Try it on a free teal-and-orange LUT from the directory to compare against your manual version.
Skin tones are warm/orange, and teal is the complementary opposite on the color wheel. Placing subjects against a cool background makes them pop, which is why it became the default look for so many films.
Protect skin with a qualifier or the Hue vs Hue curve so faces stay on the vectorscope skin-tone line, even while you push the shadows teal and the highlights warm.
Yes — a teal-and-orange LUT applies the split instantly. Put it on its own node so you can dial the strength back, and still add skin protection on top.