Apps & Tools
Color Grading Palette
Upload a reference image to extract its dominant colors. Use the HEX values in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Photoshop to match the look.
Drop an image here
or click to browse from your files
Supports JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC
Tone Breakdown
Using These Colors
- In DaVinci Resolve: use the Custom Curves or Color Wheels to steer your shadows/mids/highlights toward these values.
- In Premiere Pro: use the Lumetri Color panel: Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights tint wheels accept HEX or RGB input.
- The shadow color is the mood-setter. Deep teals and blues feel cinematic. Amber shadows feel warm and retro.
- Complementary tones between highlights and shadows (e.g. orange highs + teal shadows) create the "Hollywood blockbuster" look.
- Click any swatch to copy its HEX value directly to your clipboard.
Knowledge Base
How to Use the Color Grading Palette
The Color Grading Palette tool helps you build cohesive color grades for video production. Input reference colors or adjust hue, saturation, and luminance to create complementary palettes that guide your color grading workflow. Export your palette and reference it while editing.
Color Theory for Video
Professional color grades use complementary (opposite on the color wheel) and analogous (adjacent colors) schemes. Skin tones typically sit in the orange-yellow range, shadows in the blue range. Balancing warm and cool tones creates visual interest without clashing.
Building a Grade
- Shadows: Cool (blue/cyan) shadows make footage look cinematic and push darkness to the background.
- Midtones: Where most of your color story happens. Often warm or neutral to support skin tones.
- Highlights: Often slightly warm (yellow/amber) or cool depending on mood. Never pure white.
Why Palettes Matter
Consistent color grading across all shots in a scene, or across an entire project, tells a visual story. Warm, golden grades feel optimistic. Cool, desaturated grades feel noir or melancholic. Random color shifts feel like mistakes.
FAQ
Q: Should I grade in Rec.709 or Log?
A: If your camera shot in Log, grade there first for maximum latitude. Then convert to Rec.709 for delivery.
Q: How do I ensure my grades translate to all screens?
A: Grade on a calibrated monitor. Reference on phone and laptop too. Avoid extreme saturation that crushes on consumer displays.
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