Color grading software are designed for people interested in video editing, who are trying to give their footage a professional look in order to display them on different devices.
Different parameters of a video, namely, saturation, white point, contrast, black level, detail, color can be changed and improved with the help of such programs.
In addition to the key task, these programs are also helpful if you need to perform basic video editing such as trimming, regulating the playback speed, applying green screen filters, etc.
If you are worried they you lack experience to use these color grading programs, calm down because they are absolutely intuitive to use.
In case you are pressed for time and need professional assistance with your video editing routine, opt for FixThePhoto video editing services. We accept different types of videos and can give them a required look in a quick way.
Verdict: Adobe Premiere Pro boasts state-of-the-art color grading tools allowing you to perform the most complicated manipulations with little effort on your part. All the changes are made on the video editing timeline.
This professional color grading software supports many different formats such as MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, etc.
If you are interested in altering the coloring of your footage, you primarily need to go to the Lumetri Color space containing all the purpose-made tools. Here you can improve colors, contrast and lighting in a more convenient way. If you perform video editing and color grading simultaneously, there are 2 separates tabs, and switching between them is a breeze.
Verdict: DaVinci Resolve is one of the best video editing software no watermark with the initial focus on top-notch color grading.
There are numerous tools specifically for this task – RBG Mixer, Color Match, Curves, Color Wheels, Windows, etc. The most frequently-used tool is the Color Match. It analyzes the color charts in order to match the environment where the footage was recorded. The process takes several seconds, but the outcome is always accurate.
Another handy feature of this video color grading software is called face-tracking (“face-refinement”). It allows locking on people’s faces in order to edit eyes, smooth out some areas, make some elements darker or brighter.
Verdict: Final Cut Pro X is the best color grading software for those favoring macOS. In general, it is included on the list of the best video editing software for Mac, so you can bring your footage to perfection using this program.
Final Cut Pro X comes with 4 wheels for controlling tint, brightness and saturation. You can also make changes only to midtones, glares, and shadows. Looking through the toolset, you will find instruments for changing the general temperature, hue, and tint.
Each wheel has 2 sliders. That located in the left is responsible for saturation, the one on the right – affects brightness. The central wheel helps select the necessary tone.
Verdict: This isn’t full-featured color correction software, but a pack of plug-ins for such programs as After Effects and Premiere Pro. Once you add the Colorista IV effects to the NLE timeline, you will see a 3-wheel color corrector, LUTs, RGB curves, skin overlays, and a hue control. This makes the color grading process less stressful. Besides, you can get access to Adobe’s tracking and masking features.
Since the pack allows working with Looks, you can immediately give your video the desired atmosphere. Examine the set of cinematic, sports, and fashion variants.
Verdict: If you have opted for the program described above and just want to slightly extend its functionality, you can try Color Finale, which is designed as a color grading plug-in.
It can be easily imported to Final Cut Pro and complement the program with 3-way color wheels, RGB curves, and more. Color Finale is a product by Color Grading Central, which means you get access to a huge community crammed with cool instruments for color grading.
After you have added this plug-in to FCPX color grading software Mac, there will appear Color Wheels, Auto WB settings, Color Sliders, and the Secondaries Vector tool. You can add all these elements as layers in the graphics editor.
The finished project can be saved in a convenient resolution or converted to the best video format, compatible with a mobile device.
Verdict: Lightworks is another free color grading and video editing software for Windows. Any video post-production is performed in real time in the background mode.
This color grading software for Windows offers intuitive tools to change shadows, highlights, mid-tones, gamma, contrast, saturation, etc. Besides, you get access to a huge base of color effects that allow modifying the color profile of a clip and bring sepia, night time and many other color tones.
The software is equally popular among newbies impressed with its simple and straightforward UI, and professional users fond of advanced features and tools, which were used while editing many world-known movies. You can use this program if you create videos for Facebook, YouTube or big 4K projects.
Verdict: HitFilm Express is a popular free video editing software that can also be used for color correction needs. It has all the necessary instruments for editing movies, short videos, vlogs, etc.
The instruments in this free color grading software are divided into 2 groups – color grading and color correction. They can be used in conjunction to achieve the most spectacular results. They allow improving color balance, hue, color temperature, and more. In addition to these categories, you should have a closer look at a separate collection of effects such as warp, blur, distort, sharpen, and more.
In addition to a very decent set of tools, this program also surpassed analogs for color grading with its rich format support, making it possible to work with such formats as AVI, WMV, MP4, MOV, etc. However, while exporting the result, you can choose either MP4 or AVI.
Verdict: Filmora is an easy-to-use video editor that has both beginner and professional modes. You can select the desired mode right on the start screen, where you also need to decide on the aspect ratio of the future video.
The integrated color grading instrument helps improve contrast, saturation, hue and other video parameters. You can also take advantage of such features as Color Cycle, Hue Colorize, Invert, Three Color Strip, Day for Night, which are all aimed at improving the colors in your clip so that they look eye-pleasing and balanced.
If you need some time to master the software but has to edit recordings within a short timeframe, you can delegate the task to a credible wedding video editing company.
Verdict: If you have previously searched for ShotCut Review, you know that this is free open source video editing software and color grading program for Windows. It is a reputable product, valued for its efficient features and tools for color correction.
The color grading feature here is realized in the form of filters, which you can find in the dedicated menu. Using the available features, you can adjust such color parameters as Shadows (lift), Midtones (gamma), and Highlights (gain). Each parameter is tied to a separate color wheel and color slider tools for fine-tuning. In addition to the color grading instruments, you gain access to many artistic filters.
Download this bundle of Color Grading LUTs in a .CUBE format and upload them to the color correction software you’ve chosen from this overview. They are well-designed by professionals and will simplify your color grading workflow. With this collection, you can easily transform footage and create visually stunning content for your projects, all without no cost.
