How To Apply Color Grading Presets In Adobe Premiere Pro

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Introduction to Color Grading in Premiere Pro

Color grading is an essential part of professional video editing. It allows you to enhance your footage, create a consistent color scheme, and set the right mood for your video. Adobe Premiere Pro provides a powerful tool for this—the Lumetri Color panel—where you can apply color grading presets and adjust your footage with LUTs (Look-Up Tables), exposure, contrast, saturation, and more.

If you’re looking for quick and effective ways to apply color grading presets, this guide will cover everything you need to know, from importing and applying LUTs to fine-tuning your color grading to match your video’s aesthetic.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding Color Grading Presets and LUTs
  2. How to Apply Built-In Lumetri Presets in Premiere Pro
  3. How to Import and Use LUTs for Color Grading
  4. Customizing Color Presets to Fit Your Video
  5. Creating and Saving Your Own Color Grading Presets
  6. Using Adjustment Layers for Color Grading
  7. Best Practices for Professional Color Grading
  8. Common Issues and How to Fix Them
  9. Exporting Your Video with Proper Color Grading
  10. Conclusion

1. Understanding Color Grading Presets and LUTs

Before jumping into applying presets, it’s important to understand the difference between presets and LUTs.

What Are Color Grading Presets?

A color grading preset in Premiere Pro is a saved collection of color correction adjustments. These presets allow you to apply the same look to different clips with a single click. Premiere Pro includes built-in Lumetri presets, but you can also create or import custom presets.

What Are LUTs (Look-Up Tables)?

A LUT (Look-Up Table) is a color transformation file that maps one color space to another. LUTs are widely used in film production to achieve cinematic looks and to convert log footage into standard color spaces.

Types of LUTs:

  • Technical LUTs – Used to convert log footage (flat, dull color) to a standard color space (Rec. 709).
  • Creative LUTs – Used to apply artistic or cinematic color styles.
  • Camera-Specific LUTs – Designed for specific cameras like RED, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, etc.

2. How to Apply Built-In Lumetri Presets in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro includes several pre-installed Lumetri color presets that you can apply directly to your footage.

Steps to Apply a Built-In Lumetri Preset:

  1. Open Adobe Premiere Pro and load your project.
  2. Select the clip you want to color grade in the Timeline.
  3. Go to Window > Lumetri Color to open the Lumetri Color panel.
  4. Click on the Creative tab.
  5. Under Look, click the drop-down menu to access the list of Premiere Pro’s built-in presets.
  6. Hover over each preset to preview how it will affect your video.
  7. Click on the preset you like to apply it.

Tip: If the preset is too strong, adjust the Intensity slider to reduce its effect.

3. How to Import and Use LUTs for Color Grading

If you want to use external LUTs (such as cinematic LUT packs), you need to import and apply them in Premiere Pro.

Method 1: Applying LUTs via Basic Correction

  1. Select the clip you want to grade.
  2. Open the Lumetri Color panel.
  3. Click on the Basic Correction tab.
  4. Under Input LUT, click Browse.
  5. Locate and select your .CUBE or .3DL LUT file.
  6. Click Open, and the LUT will apply to your footage.

Method 2: Applying LUTs via Creative Tab

  1. Open Lumetri Color panel.
  2. Click on the Creative tab.
  3. Under Look, click Browse.
  4. Select a LUT file from your computer.
  5. Adjust the Intensity slider to fine-tune the effect.

Difference Between These Methods:

  • Basic Correction LUTs are used for technical color conversion (e.g., Log to Rec. 709).
  • Creative LUTs are used for stylized looks (e.g., cinematic color tones).

4. Customizing Color Presets to Fit Your Video

After applying a color preset or LUT, you may need to adjust the settings to make it fit your footage.

Key Adjustments in the Lumetri Color Panel:

  • Exposure – Adjust brightness.
  • Contrast – Increase or decrease the difference between light and dark.
  • Saturation – Enhance or reduce colors.
  • Shadows & Highlights – Balance the light and dark areas of the video.
  • Vibrance – Boosts muted colors without affecting skin tones.

Tip: Use RGB Scopes and Waveform Monitors to ensure balanced colors.

5. Creating and Saving Your Own Color Grading Presets

If you’ve spent time tweaking colors and want to reuse your settings, you can save them as a preset.

How to Save a Custom Color Grading Preset:

  1. Open Lumetri Color Panel.
  2. Adjust your settings to achieve your desired look.
  3. Click on the Lumetri Color menu (three horizontal lines).
  4. Select Save Preset.
  5. Name your preset and save it.

Your preset will now be available in Effects > Presets, and you can apply it to future projects.

6. Using Adjustment Layers for Color Grading

Instead of applying color grading to individual clips, you can use an Adjustment Layer to apply it to multiple clips at once.

How to Use Adjustment Layers for Color Grading:

  1. Go to File > New > Adjustment Layer.
  2. Drag the Adjustment Layer above your clips in the Timeline.
  3. Apply your LUT or preset to the Adjustment Layer.
  4. Adjust the opacity or intensity if needed.
  • This method is ideal for applying consistent color grading to entire sequences.

7. Best Practices for Professional Color Grading

  1. Use High-Quality Footage – Higher bit-depth files allow for better color correction.
  2. Match Skin Tones – Ensure skin tones look natural after applying presets.
  3. Use Color Scopes – RGB Parade, Waveform, and Vectorscope help balance colors.
  4. Work in the Right Color Space – Use Rec. 709 for standard video and HDR settings for high dynamic range footage.

8. Common Issues and How to Fix Them

Issue 1: LUT Looks Too Strong

Solution: Lower the Intensity slider in the Creative Tab.

Issue 2: Skin Tones Look Unnatural

Solution: Use HSL Secondary to isolate and correct skin tones.

Issue 3: LUTs Are Not Showing in Premiere Pro

Solution: Restart Premiere Pro and place LUTs in the correct folder:
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative (Windows)
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/LUTs (Mac)

9. Exporting Your Video with Proper Color Grading

  1. Go to File > Export > Media.
  2. Choose H.264 (for web) or ProRes (for high-quality exports).
  3. Select Render at Maximum Depth.
  4. Check Use Maximum Render Quality.
  5. Click Export.

Conclusion

Applying color grading presets in Adobe Premiere Pro can transform your videos into cinematic masterpieces. By using LUTs, custom presets, and fine-tuning color adjustments, you can create a unique and professional look for any project.

Categories: Education