Colors in movies allow filmmakers to set the tone and mood of their films, with each one representing a unique feeling or emotion. While there’s nothing stopping you from producing a monochrome film, the lack of color isn’t the problem. Instead, it’s the color grading.
They are called color grading software. They can help you find the right shade for the right color, letting you set the right mood for your film. Strangely enough, color grading is also important in Monochrome films since they want to make sure that just the right shade of black or gray appears in the movie.
But with all of the different types of color grading software that you can find online, it can be a little difficult trying to find the right one. You need to consider plenty of factors like its features and accessibility, least of all its actual price. Luckily, this guide will go over some of the best color grading software available online, letting you see the right one for you.
But before you can even start the list, it’s important that you first understand the difference between color grading and color correction. While both of them are an important part of the filmmaking process, they are very different.
Difference Between Color Grading and Color Correction:
Even though some people will use color grading and color correction synonymously, that is technically not correct. They relate to different stages of recording videos.
Color correction refers to the process of tuning or “correcting” the colors of the picture to make it look more accurate. It involves fine-tuning aspects such as contrast, exposure, and white balance, which ensures that colors look true to life.
On the other hand, color grading implies creative adjustments of the colors. In your video or film, adjust the colors to achieve a certain mood or point. It boils down to bringing out artistic colors to make for better visual storytelling. But whether it’s color correcting or grading, you can do both of them with the following list of software.
A Guide to the Top Color Grading Software in 2024:
Regardless of the look and feel that you’re going for in the video you’re producing, you want your colors to reflect your vision accurately. So, here are some of the top color grading software that you should use in 2024.
Sohonet Clearview Pivot:
Built with ultra-low latency, make sure directors or DPs never lose a pixel of your picture, ClearView Pivot offers 4K high dynamic range (HDR) with 12-bit colour depth and 4:4:4 chroma sampling for full-colour quality video streaming with ultra-low latency, which is perfect for the colour suite experience while collaborating at a post-production facility.
DaVinci Resolve:
DaVinci Resolve is one of the most well-known color-grading software available online, and it is a popular choice among Hollywood productions. So you know you’re getting professional-level color grading features right off the bat.
DaVinci Resolve works by a layered node-based system, which means that your color grading is both precise and accurate. It also has a vast library offering FX plugins of various types. You can easily organize all of the layers by going back and making changes to whichever ones you like. It also comes with a unique feature called face tracking, which can track various facial features.
That can range from a whole portion of your face to just another eye. So you just have to use color effects only for certain areas. The auto-balancing effect can also work very well at balancing the colors in your film.
Adobe Premiere Pro:
Adobe Premiere Pro is possibly one of the most popular and universal video editors on the market. Along with helping you create professional-looking videos, it also offers easy-to-understand color grading options.
Its features, like the Lumetri Color panel, let you actively set the white balance, skin tones, and other rudimentary settings, which become simple too. This tool further makes editing easier through one-click correction. Premiere Pro also includes presets for coloring your videos. Giving you the ability to apply uniform color effects over your entire video footage.
Final Cut Pro X:
Developed by Apple, Final Cut Pro X is a popular video editing software in professional studios. It offers various color correction effects and easy-to-use color grading tools. With Final Cut Pro X, you can now adjust hues in your videos by using its built-in color correction effects.
To perfect the colors in your video. Final Cut Pro X also provides a range of intuitive color-grading effects. This is alongside its color correction abilities. You can make adjustments to your videos in standard color spaces. Even HLG color space, according to what you want and need. Additionally, Final Cut Pro X has powerful color-grading features such as keying and masks. These tools help you upgrade your color effects, especially if you are skilled in advanced color editing techniques.
LightWork:
Digital Nonlinear Editing Software Lightworks was awarded the 2017 Engineering EMMY Award. It’s been a popular choice in Hollywood postproduction video editing for the last three decades. Movies like Pulp Fiction, Braveheart, and L.A Confidential is an iconic that used Lightworks Pro during production.
It offers professional-level color correction or grading while supporting 8K videos. One of its main functions is color correction and grading. Making adjustments to the HSL color wheels, shadow mid-tone, and highlights are all possible with the help of lightwork. You can also use the color figure graphs, as well as the RGB sliders, to adjust the contrast, gamma, and brightness.
Conclusion:
Good color grading software can help transform your video into something truly exceptional. The software mentioned above allows you to adjust your lighting, shading, and overall color in your videos. All these features ensure that you can set the right mood for your film. So, if you’re looking for color grading software in 2024, you really can’t go wrong with these options.