yeah thats what I was talking about. its called color sanding.
you block down the color coats so that if there is a slight “orange peel” in the base coat(s) if doesnt get multiplyed when the clear coat is laid.
its alot of work, and you have to be VARY carefull color sanding edges and angles on the panels because the base coats are rather thin and you will easily cut right through them into the primer. picture a 90 deg curve, gravity will take the paint off the face of the edge and pull it down each side, so if the paint is say 3 mills thick on the flat surfaces the edges are only 1 mill thick. follow?
Many shops dont color sand becasue of the time envolved, and the risk of cuttinginto the primer and having to spot the basecoat back in to fix the mistake. If they tell you, “oohhh color sanding is only for people who cant paint” is BS.
look at any $20k+ paint job on a show car. they are color sanded between all the coats and effect paints used. then cleared, cut and buffed.