Color correction can be subtle or it can be bold. Either way, it will greatly affect the look and feel of your videos, and it will affect how people see and feel about them. In other words, color correction is vitally important to a good edit.
So, in case you are new to color correction, or you are just looking for some tips to get better, here are five Premiere Pro color correction tutorials worth checking out.
YouTube Color Correction Tutorials You Should Watch
1. Learn Adobe Premiere Color Correction Basics by Motion Array
Let’s start with this intro tutorial courtesy Jordan from Motion Array! This quick video gives you a great overview of basic color corrections such as how to adjust white balance, tone, and saturation from the Lumetri Color panel.
Jordan explores some preset looks from the Creative section, as well. If you get stuck when editing color, you can use these as a starting point and adjust based on your preferences. You’ll also get tips on how to color correct specific clips and how to apply your color correction across your whole timeline at once with an adjustment layer.
He’s able to get through a lot of basics in under 10 minutes, so it’s definitely a worthwhile watch for beginning color correctors!
2. Premiere Pro Tutorial – How to COLOR GRADING by Tara Arts
Here’s a fun tutorial from Tara Arts on color grading. After the first tutorial, you might be a little more interested in Lumetri Color. And Tara Arts is here to help with a slightly different approach.
In case you missed it, you’ll start with an adjustment layer. Then, you’ll learn more about the Lumetri Color effect that is built into Premiere Pro CC. You have to be using CC in order to have access to this effect.
The presenter starts with the basic color correction tools built into Lumetri. Things like shadows and highlights. He then moves onto more advanced features like the curves tool, color wheels, and even how to add a look.
This is a fast-paced tutorial with a lot of great information. Watch this one, and you’ll deepen your understanding of Premiere Pro CC’s Lumetri effect in no time. Boom!
3. How to Color Grade Video with Lumetri Color by Tutvid
Here’s another tutorial based around the Lumetri Color effect built into Premiere Pro CC. Here, we get into even more details on how Lumetri works.
For starters, there is a great tip here on setting up your workspace for color correction. The presenter then covers all of the in’s and out’s of the plugin like the built-in looks, and the various controls for levels and saturation.
He also shows how he uses the color scopes to help with his color correction process, which is an interesting technique worth exploring.
While there is some overlap between this tutorial and the ones above, there are plenty of unique tips here too. Plus, it’s worth going over some of the concepts a few times to really let them sink in.
4. Premiere Pro Advanced Colour Correction Tutorial by Surfaced Stuido
Now that you have a lot of the basics under your belt, why not try this advanced color, or “colour” correction tutorial from Surfaced Studio? Surfaced has a ton of great tutorials and we always recommend checking them out.
This one explains how to use a combination of color correction tools together, including the basic color correction tool and Lumetri. The presenter here also goes into great detail on some of the more “scientific” tools like the vectorscope and waveform monitor. These tools go beyond just what looks good to your eye and show you exactly what is happening with the color data in your video.
You can also learn more about details like how to properly white balance a shot, and how to adjust for skin tones.
It’s also nice that the presenter here explains the difference in color correction and color grading, although some people use the terms interchangeably.
5. Make Your Footage Look Cinematic FAST! by Peter McKinnon
This last tutorial is a little more specific, but it’s one that a lot of video editors will find useful because it deals with how to make your footage look more cinematic. This is something many people want to accomplish, and it’s not actually that hard to pull off.
Here, presenter Peter McKinnon shows off a bunch of tips using different clips for adding a cinematic feel. Think of these as tips and tricks that you can mix and match depending on your shot.
He covers saturation, curves, color temperature, levels, and other things that have been covered before. But here, they are specifically used to bring a more cinematic feel to the footage. This is one of those things that some would consider color grading versus correction, but it depends on who you’re asking. Either way, it’s quite useful and worth a watch.
Becoming a color correction master will take a lot of practice. Every piece of footage needs a different combination of tools and a different approach. That said, the more you learn, the better you’ll be prepared to make smart adjustments. These color correction tutorials will go a long way towards helping you get there!
