Color Grading in Premiere Pro — Achieve a Cinematic Look

Color grading is one of the fastest ways to transform your video’s mood and give it a cinematic finish. In Premiere Pro, the Lumetri Color panel provides everything you need for professional results. This guide walks through a practical workflow and shows where presets can help you move faster. For ready-made looks, explore our Premiere Color Presets.

Why Color Grading Matters

Even well-shot footage can look flat without grading. Thoughtful color work unifies shots, guides attention, and sets the emotional tone.

Understand Lumetri Color

• Basic Correction — balance exposure, contrast, and white balance.
• Creative — apply a LUT for a base look, then fine-tune intensity.
• Curves — refine contrast and color separation with RGB & Hue curves.
• Color Wheels & Match — adjust shadows, midtones, highlights precisely.
• Vignette — add a subtle edge darkening to focus the viewer’s eye.

Practical Workflow

• Correct exposure and white balance first to avoid fighting the grade.
• Apply a film-inspired LUT as a starting point; keep intensity moderate.
• Shape contrast with Curves; protect skin tones using Hue vs Hue/Sat.
• Match shots across scenes for consistency using Color Match and scopes.
• Finish with a soft vignette and subtle global adjustments on an adjustment layer.

Working Faster (Non-Destructive)

Place your grade on an adjustment layer above the sequence so you can tweak it once for multiple clips. To manage assets and presets more efficiently, use the free Premiere Studio Plugin as a central hub.

Popular Cinematic Styles

• Teal & Orange — cool shadows, warm skin; great separation.
• Muted Natural — restrained saturation for a grounded, realistic feel.
• High Contrast — punchy blacks and highlights for drama.
• Warm Golden — nostalgic glow for lifestyle and romance.

Pro Tips

• Keep Waveform and Vectorscope visible; judge with tools, not only by eye.
• Grade in a dim environment and calibrate your display when possible.
• Save frequently used looks as presets; start from Premiere Color Presets and customize.

Conclusion

With a clear workflow and the right tools, Premiere Pro grading can take your edits from flat to cinematic quickly. Build a solid base, refine with curves, match shots, and finish with subtle polish — then reuse what works via presets for speed and consistency.