Color Grade Assistant

The Color Grade Assistant provides professional color correction analysis and generates custom LUT files for any look you can imagine.

What It Does

The Color Grade Assistant:

• Analyzes footage using technical scope data (luminance, color cast, saturation)

• Provides Lumetri corrections with one-click application

• Generates custom LUT files (.cube format) for creative looks

• Matches reference images with style transfer

• Protects skin tones while applying creative grades

• Emulates film stocks (Kodak, Fuji, CineStill, etc.)

How to Use

Step 1: Start the Assistant

1. Click the Color Grading Assistant conversation starter

2. Or start a new chat and type "help me with color grading"

Step 2: Export a Frame

Method 1: Frame Export Button (Recommended)

1. In Premiere Pro, position your playhead on the clip you want to grade

2. Click the Frame Export button (📷) in Chat Video Pro composer

3. The frame appears as an attachment

Method 2: Upload Screenshot

1. Take a screenshot of your footage in Premiere Pro

2. Drag & drop or upload the image file

3. Ensure it's a high-quality capture (not compressed)

Step 3: Get Technical Analysis

Ask one of these:

• "What's wrong with this shot?"

• "Analyze the color"

• "How can I improve this?"

• "What corrections does this need?"

You'll receive:

• Technical score (0-100) based on exposure, color balance, saturation

• Specific issues identified (underexposed, color cast, crushed shadows, etc.)

• Lumetri recommendations in a table format

• One-click Apply button to apply corrections directly

Example analysis:

📊 Technical Analysis: Score 72/100
- Underexposed (average luminance 28%)
- Cool color cast detected
- Shadows slightly crushed (8%)
- Highlights are safe (no clipping)

Recommended Corrections:
- Exposure: +0.5
- Temperature: +5 (warm up)
- Shadows: +12 (lift crushed areas)

Step 4: Apply Corrections

Option A: One-Click Apply

1. Review the recommendations

2. Click "Apply to current clip" button

3. Corrections are applied directly to your Premiere Pro clip

4. Adjust intensity in Lumetri panel if needed

Step 5: Request Creative Look (Optional)

Ask for a specific style:

• "Create a cinematic LUT"

• "Give me a Blade Runner look"

• "Make it look like film noir"

• "Vintage 16mm film look"

• "Teal and orange grade"

You'll receive:

• Downloadable .cube LUT file

• Explanation of the look created

• Instructions for applying in Premiere Pro

Style Transfer (Match Reference)

Match the color grade from a reference image to your footage.

Steps

1. Upload Two Images

   • Source (purple border): Your footage to be graded

   • Reference (green border): The look you want to match

2. Use Swap Button (if needed)

   • Click the ↔ button to switch source and reference positions

3. Request Style Transfer

   • Type: "Match the colors" or "Apply this look to my footage"

   • The AI analyzes both images and generates a matching LUT

4. Download and Apply

   • Download the .cube LUT file

   • Apply in Premiere: Lumetri → Creative → Look → Browse

LUT Generation

Available Looks

The Color Grade Assistant can create LUTs for any style. Here are some ideas:

Cinematic Styles:

• Blade Runner (teal shadows, warm highlights)

• Film Noir (high contrast, desaturated)

• Golden Hour (warm, soft, glowing)

• Cinematic (S-curve, teal & orange)

Film Stock Emulation:

• Kodak Vision3 500T

• Fuji Eterna 500

• CineStill 800T

• Kodak Portra 400

• Ilford HP5 (black & white)

Creative Looks:

• Vintage 16mm

• Horror/Thriller

• Documentary Natural

• Commercial Vibrant

• Desaturated Muted

How to Request a LUT

Be specific:

• ✅ "Create a cinematic LUT with teal shadows and warm highlights."

• ✅ "Give me a Blade Runner look"

• ✅ "Make a LUT that looks like Kodak Vision3"

• ✅ "Vintage film look with heavy grain simulation"

Less effective:

• ❌ "Make it better" (too vague)

• ❌ "Fix the colors" (use technical correction instead)

Skin Tone Protection

When grading footage with people, the Color Grade Assistant automatically enables skin tone protection.

Requesting Specific Levels

• "Heavy skin protection" (0.7-0.85) - For close-ups, portraits

• "Subtle skin protection" (0.3-0.5) - For wide shots with people

• "No skin protection" (0) - For scenes without people, full creative freedom

How It Works

Skin tone protection:

• Preserves natural skin colors while applying creative grades

• Adjustable intensity based on your needs

• Automatic detection when people are in the frame

Technical Analysis Details

The Color Grade Assistant uses real scope data, not visual guessing:

What Gets Analyzed

1. Luminance Distribution

   • Average brightness

   • Shadow/highlight clipping percentages

   • Tonal range assessment

2. Color Cast Detection

   • Warm/Cool bias

   • Green/Magenta tint

   • Neutral assessment

3. Saturation Levels

   • Overall saturation

   • Zone-specific saturation

   • Vibrancy assessment

4. Exposure Assessment

   • Underexposed/overexposed detection

   • Safe exposure range

   • Recovery recommendations

Score Interpretation

• 90-100: Technically excellent, minimal corrections needed

• 70-89: Moderate corrections recommended

• 50-69: Significant corrections needed

• Below 50: Major issues, extensive correction required

Applying LUTs in Premiere Pro

Method 1: Lumetri Creative Tab

1. Select your clip in Premiere Pro

2. Open Lumetri Color panel

3. Go to Creative → Look

4. Click Browse next to "Look"

5. Select your downloaded .cube file

6. Adjust Intensity slider (0-200%) to taste

Method 2: Lumetri Effect

1. Apply Lumetri Color effect to your clip

2. In the Effect Controls panel

3. Go to Creative → Look

4. Browse and select your .cube file

5. Adjust intensity

Tips for Best Results

1. Export high-quality frames - Use Frame Export button for best accuracy

2. Convert Log to Rec.709 first - If working with Log footage, normalize before grading

3. Apply Lumetri effect - Ensure clip has Lumetri Color effect applied

4. Be specific - "Cinematic" is better than "make it look good"

5. Iterate - Ask for adjustments: "Make it warmer" or "More contrast"

6. Combine corrections - Apply technical fixes first, then creative LUT

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Technical Correction → Creative Grade

1. Export frame → Get analysis → Apply corrections

2. Ask for creative LUT → Download → Apply on top

3. Result: Technically correct + stylistically graded

Workflow 2: Style Transfer

1. Upload source + reference images

2. Request style transfer

3. Download matching LUT

4. Apply to entire sequence

Workflow 3: Film Stock Emulation

1. Export frame

2. Request: "Make it look like Kodak Vision3"

3. Download film stock LUT

4. Apply and adjust intensity

Troubleshooting

"Apply button doesn't appear"

• Ensure you're in Color Grading Assistant conversation

• Check that frame is uploaded

• Verify Lumetri Color effect is applied to clip in Premiere

"LUT looks too strong/weak"

• Adjust Intensity slider in Lumetri (0-200%)

• Request a lighter/heavier version: "Make it more subtle"

• Combine with basic corrections for balance

"Analysis seems inaccurate"

• Use Frame Export button (not screenshots) for best results

• Ensure frame represents the clip accurately

• Check that clip isn't already heavily graded

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Next: Learn about the Video Prompter Assistant for structured prompt creation.