Here’s a question you may have asked yourself: why is Premiere Pro changing the color of my footage? The colors in videos you export might not match those you see inside Premiere Pro. This can be very frustrating. But fear not: there’s an easy fix.
Why Is Premiere Pro Changing the Color of My Footage?
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to correct the color of footage that you export in Premiere Pro. This way, each video that you export will look exactly how you want it to. The fix takes only a few clicks.
You’ve been there. You’re editing and color grading video footage in Premiere Pro. On your screen, it’s well-saturated with ample contrast. But when you export, they look washed out. Videos may seem too bright, with no contrast. You ask yourself: why is Premiere Pro changing the color of my footage?
The answer lies in how Premiere Pro treats color. By default, it’s built to use footage recorded in Gamma 2.4. Gamma 2.4 is the recording standard for TV broadcasts. In short, it’s a high-contrast capture. But many apps that you use to play back video don’t use Gamma 2.4. While they mirror how colors look to the human eye, they’ll reduce the contrast found in Gamma 2.4. Thus, what you see in Premiere Pro might not be what you see when you export.
Essentially, this is a software issue between Premiere Pro and video playback apps. Luckily, it’s simple to resolve. Let’s learn how.
How to Correct the Color of Premiere Pro Footage (Step by Step)
In our tutorial below, you’ll learn how to correct the color of Premiere Pro footage that the app has changed. As we work, you’ll see stock footage in use. This clip comes from Envato Elements.
Want to follow along? Click here to download the stock video clip.
1. Download Adobe’s Gamma Compensation LUT
Imagine that you’re working with footage in Premiere Pro. As you can see, the clip looks great inside the app. But imagine if you’re having trouble after exporting the video. The beautiful scenes of the Grand Canyon may appear washed out. It may be lower in contrast.
Adobe created a fix for this. Any time that you find yourself needing to change the color of footage before exporting in Premiere, you can use this repair. It comes in the form of a Premiere Pro Lookup Table, called a LUT.
A LUT is really an equation that changes the colors of a video. What this LUT will do is alter your Premiere Pro footage so that it exports to match what you actually see in Premiere Pro.
To download this LUT fix, click here. Click on the file labeled QT Gamma Compensation.cube. This is the LUT. Save it to a convenient location on your computer.
2. Prepare to Export Your Video
Let’s say now that you’ve edited a video in Adobe Premiere Pro. You’re ready to export it. But you want to be sure that the finished product looks just like it does in Premiere Pro. You’ll do that by launching the Export settings. Then, you can add the corrective LUT that you just downloaded.
To prepare to export in Premiere Pro, find the Export tab. Or, you can go to File > Export > Media. The Export panel will launch. Here, you have a wide array of options. For example, you can give your video a name. You can also choose the file location where it is saved.
Find the Effects button in the menu tree and click to open it. Here, we’ll add the LUT.
3. Apply the LUT
In the Effects menu on the Export panel, you’ll see a list of several checkboxes. Second from the top is Lumetri Look / LUT. To activate this setting and add the LUT, click on the checkbox to select it.
By default, you’ll see None listed in the Applied field. Click in the box. From the list of options, choose Select.
Browse to the downloaded LUT on your computer. Click to select it, then choose Open. As you do, watch the video preview on the right. Notice that it will get darker, with higher contrasts. Settings have been applied that will control your export.
Now, your finished video will look just as it did when you are editing. The preview may seem darker, but the original colors will be perfectly preserved in your export.
Ready? Go ahead and click Export. When the process finishes, you’ll have a video ready to share with the world. It’ll look perfect - just the way you saw it as you edited.
The Top Source for the Ultimate Adobe Premiere Pro Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)
Want to work more efficiently in Adobe Premiere Pro? Premium templates are the answer. The best source for these is Envato Elements. For a flat monthly rate, you can download and use as many premium Adobe Premiere Pro templates as you want!
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Correct Footage Colors in Adobe Premiere Pro Today
In this tutorial, we explored why Premiere Pro sometimes changes the color of your footage. And we outlined a quick and easy fix. With Adobe’s corrective LUT, you can ensure that your finished videos perfectly match your creative vision. It only takes a few clicks.
Be sure to use this LUT whenever you export colorful and high-contrast footage. No surprises will await, thanks to this fast correction. Try it today!
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