Are you a filmmaker, photographer, or designer looking for the best software for color grading? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve rounded up 11 of the best programs out there that can help you take your visuals to the next level. Read on to learn more about each one and find the perfect fit for your project!
Introduction
Color grading is an essential part of creating a professional-looking film or video. It's the process of enhancing and adjusting the colors in a project to create a desired look. Color grading can be used to make a scene look more vibrant, to give a scene a certain mood or atmosphere, or to ensure the colors are consistent throughout the project. With the right tools, you can take your color grading skills to the next level and create stunning visuals. In this blog post, we'll look at some of the best software for color grading.
What is color grading?
Color grading is a process of altering the color of a video to make it look more attractive or to match certain aesthetics. This process is often used in movies, television, and other broadcast media, as well as in advertising and more. Color grading encompasses a variety of techniques, from changing the hue, saturation, and brightness of each color to adjusting the overall color palette of the image. Color grading can also involve making adjustments to the contrast and sharpness of an image. Color grading is an important part of post-production and can be done in many different software programs. In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the best software for color grading available today.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is not to be left behind when it comes to color grading software. It also has an in-house color grading software that is quite effective. One of its best features is its compatibility with other Adobe products, such as After Effects and Photoshop, which makes it a great option for professional video editing. Adobe Premiere Pro is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 or later, Windows 7/8/10/11, and can be purchased for a one-time fee of $74.95.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
- Offers the ability to edit and work with virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video.
- Has advanced motion graphics capabilities, with the ability to create and edit motion graphics templates.
DaVinci Resolve 16
DaVinci Resolve 16 is the world's only all-in-one solution for editing, color, VFX, motion graphics, and audio! The free version works with virtually all cameras and is the perfect tool for both beginners and professionals. It features a powerful professional-grade color correction system, as well as a wide range of tools and features to help you get the most out of your footage. There’s a range of tutorials available to help you get started, and Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Training is one of the best courses if you are a beginner in video editing in DaVinci Resolve. You will quickly learn the fundamentals that are needed to quickly get up to speed with this powerful software.
- Has an advanced color correction and color grading interface that allows for a wide range of fine-tuning and adjustment options.
- Has built-in visual effect compositing and motion graphics capabilities.
- Offers a free and open-source version with advanced features for professional use.
Blackmagic Design DaVinci
Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve is one of the most popular color grading software available. It is the industry standard for color work and can solve many problems that an editing application cannot. DaVinci Resolve 16 is the latest version, which offers a wide range of features, from primary and secondary color correction to visual effects and audio post-production. It can render files from virtually any source, can be used in both Mac and Windows OS, and has a fully scalable resolution-independent interface. The latest driver for Blackmagic Design Desktop Video 10 is available for purchase with DaVinci Resolve 16. With its Hollywood-caliber capabilities, DaVinci Resolve 16 makes it easy to create professional-level videos quickly and efficiently.
- Has advanced multi-layer color correction and grading capabilities, allowing for a wide range of adjustments and effects.
- Has a wide range of advanced audio tools, including multi-channel audio editing, mixing, and metering.
- Has a wide range of professional video and film format support, including 4K and 8K resolution.
Final Cut Pro X
Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) is a powerful and sophisticated software for professional video editing. It also has some great tools for color grading, such as Color Wheels, Color Curves, and Color boards. Additionally, there are a variety of plugins that can extend the capabilities of FCP X even further. One such plugin is Chromatic, which adds mask tracking to color correction and grading tasks. With Chromatic, you can quickly and easily make adjustments to specific parts of your video clips. This makes it an invaluable tool when creating high-quality videos.
- Has a magnetic timeline feature that allows for intuitive and flexible video editing.
- Has advanced motion graphics capabilities, with the ability to create and edit motion graphics templates.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
Color Finale
Color Finale is a plugin that can be downloaded for color grading in Final Cut Pro X (this is our favorite color grading tool for FCPX). It offers an intuitive interface, and its advanced features include curve-based color correction, masking, and motion tracking. With Color Finale, you can adjust white balance, manipulate the brightness and contrast of your clips, and create looks with pre-built presets. It also offers a powerful chroma keyer for creating green screen effects. Color Finale is easy to use and provides an efficient workflow for all levels of color grading.
- Advanced color correction and color grading tools specifically designed for use with Final Cut Pro X.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
- Has a user-friendly interface, easy to use for beginners.
Vegas Pro
For those looking to take their Vegas Pro video editing and color grading up a notch, the Boris FX CONTINUUM COLOR AND TONE plugin is a perfect choice. It provides a wide range of color correction and grading tools, as well as motion tracking, color pickers, and cropping tools for a professional look. With the help of these powerful features, you can easily achieve a stunning cinematic look and feel for your videos.
- Has a wide range of advanced audio tools, including multi-channel audio editing, mixing, and metering.
- Offers advanced compositing capabilities, including motion tracking, masking, and keying.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
Apple Color
Apple Color is the ideal choice for users of Final Cut Pro and Motion. This color grading software allows you to adjust colors, levels, and curves directly from the Final Cut Pro interface. With a wide range of customizable tools, Apple Color helps you achieve the perfect look for your project. It also features an advanced color-matching tool that allows you to quickly and easily match colors between multiple clips. Apple Color is easy to use and provides a comprehensive set of tools for professional-level color grading.
- Advanced color correction and color grading tools specifically designed for use with Final Cut Pro X.
- Has a user-friendly interface, easy to use for beginners.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
Colorista
Colourist is a great option for those looking for an even more powerful and flexible color grading plugin. This plugin offers a wide range of color grading tools, from basic color adjustments to advanced settings like curves and LUTs. It also has a great library of presets that can help you get started with color grading quickly. With Colourist, you can easily adjust the look of your footage without any prior knowledge or experience in color grading.
- Has a wide range of third-party plugins and extensions available to enhance its capabilities.
- Advanced color correction and color grading tools specifically designed for use with Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X.
- Has a user-friendly interface, easy to use for beginners.
FilmConvert Pro
Next up is FilmConvert Pro, a powerful color-grading plugin that relies on filters and presets. It can be used with Adobe Premiere Pro, FCPX, Davinci Resolve, and other major NLEs and platforms. FilmConvert Pro offers the ability to achieve a film-like look with grain and color effects. With this plugin, you can adjust the color of your footage to create a cohesive look across your entire project.
- Advanced film emulation and color grading tools.
- Has a wide range of film stock emulations and creative color grading options.
- Good integration with other video editings software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X.
Magic Bullet Looks
Magic Bullet Looks is a great tool for color grading and provides users with over 200 fully-customizable Look presets, as well as over 40 Powerful Tools to customize or create new Looks. It's an ideal choice for those seeking an intuitive color correction tool that's both easy to use and incredibly powerful. The software is compatible with popular editing programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and Vegas Pro, allowing for quick and accurate color grading in a matter of seconds.
- Has a wide range of film stock emulations and creative color grading options.
- Advanced color correction and color grading tools.
- Good integration with other video editings software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X.
FilmLight Baselight
The next software on the list is FilmLight Baselight. Baselight is a comprehensive post-production software that offers high-end grading capabilities. It is widely used for color grading and correction and provides tools such as the ability to create mattes and Truelight color management. It also offers an array of features like 6 Months DI Colourist Training program, regular video tutorials, and live best-practice webinars for members of the Baselight Learning Programme. Additionally, it also has genderless workflows with Avid software and provides online training sessions to help users learn more about the software.
- Advanced color correction, color grading tools & color grading options.
- Widely used and recognized in the professional color grading industry.
- Has a powerful and robust feature set that allows for fine-tuning and adjustments of color and light.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have discussed the 11 best software for color grading, each with its unique features and abilities. Adobe Premiere Pro is a powerful choice for professionals, while EaseUS Video Editor is a good option for beginners who are just starting. DaVinci Resolve 16 is perfect for those who need more control over the color grading process, and Blackmagic Design DaVinci is a great choice for filmmakers looking to create stunning visuals. Final Cut Pro X is ideal for Mac users who want to apply stunning effects with ease. Color Finale is a great plugin for Final Cut Pro X that gives you more color-grading options. Vegas Pro, Apple Color, Colorista, FilmConvert Pro, Magic Bullet Looks, and FilmLight Baselight all offer excellent color-grading capabilities that can help you achieve professional results.