There are some cool new features in Adobe's revamped lineup of professional video applications. From the new tools in After Effects, to fantastic new noise reduction plugins in Audition, it's safe to say that the Creative Suite has never been more powerful or easier to use. One of the new features that's had me the most excited however, is the integration of Speedgrade's Lumetri Deep Color Engine directly into Premiere Pro, thus making Premiere one of the most powerful NLE's on the market in regards to color correction. Hit the jump for a couple of top-notch tutorials that will get you up to speed with the Lumetri Deep Color Engine and how you can use its magical powers to apply various types of looks directly inside of Premiere.
First, here's a quick rundown on how to use the new Lumetri Effect inside of Premiere Pro from the fine folks over at Infinite Skills:
This tutorial is great for getting started with the Lumetri Effect inside of Premiere, but what if you want to take it to the next level and create your own .look files to apply to your footage? Here's Andrew Devis from Creative Cow with a video on everything you need to know to start creating custom looks in Speedgrade and bringing them into Premiere:
One of the key points hammered home by both of these tutorials is the fact that the Lumetri Effect will not only read the proprietary .look files from Speedgrade, but also other industry standard LUT files. This means that even though the CC versions of Premiere and Speedgrade have only been available for a couple of weeks, there should already be a virtual ocean of LUTs out there that you can immediately apply to your footage.
Of course, a technology like this is going to immediately create a new market for pre-built looks, so keep your eyes out for companies marketing packages of .look files, and be aware that creating these files is extremely easy and you can save yourself some serious dough by building them yourself.
What do you guys think? Does the ability to apply LUTs directly in Premiere change the way you think about the application in regards to its color capabilities? Do you know of any free LUTs for download? Hit us with some opinions and links in the comments!
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17 Comments
This is the best feature of the new premiere cc in lmo, endless grading opportunities
June 27, 2013 at 6:06AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Been messing with this feature and I find it to be very useful. Stacking the looks is always a quick way to get the desired look one is going for. I have to dive more into speedgrade. That'll be my next challenge.
June 27, 2013 at 6:57AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Although I am a big fan of Adobe, it seems that they're missing the point here, or that this is still a very speedy implementation - and the best is yet to come (as the recent improvements in Audition and Speedgrade have shown us).
For one, for most of my projects, I don't have the luxury to do one or more full color grading passes with Speedgrade, so I have to color correct & grade as I go, using a variety of tools.
However, if I compare the functionality against a tool I frequently use - Magic Bullet Looks - Lumetri is very limited. Unlike MBL, you can't change the individual parameters on the fly. Stacking multiple looks on top of each other will quickly render your footage murky and mushy. If anything, color correction/grading is the use of subtle changes and this feels like trying to create art with a hammer, not a fine pencil.
June 27, 2013 at 8:10AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I'm so pissed and frustrated with Speedgrade. The coloring process is so-so with a semi-clunky interface and definitely clunky workflow. Rendering my project out has been a huge pain with errors and bugs. Some things working, some things not. It liking some codecs, not working with others. Huge pain. I miss the simpler, more intuitive days of Apple Color.
June 27, 2013 at 10:46AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Just grab Resolve, very intuitive and straightforward UI and its power windows and tracker are excellent at with dealing problematic areas. Used to use MBL, not anymore.
June 27, 2013 at 1:35PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I agree with PJ. The free version of Resolve is just as good or better than Speedgrade as a standalone grading tool, and it doesn't come with nearly as many headaches. However, the ability to bring these looks directly into Premiere is pretty awesome and might provide a solid reason for people to dive into Speedgrade.
June 27, 2013 at 2:44PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Captain Hook on the bmcuser forums has a really amazing LUT for the Black Magic cameras. I think it will be key for using RAW video on the pocket for quicker delivery, if I can put that LUT in premiere, I can let it do the heavy lifting for color grading that's just going to the web the next day.
June 27, 2013 at 3:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I tried to add a look on Premiere cc. Nice feature, for sure, but I don't yet see a way to dial down the look and use it at 80%, let's say. Some of the looks are a little strong. I did try a little work around: put the look on an adjustment layer and adjust the opacity.
A quick vignette effect would be nice. I don't see one. (I know there are others ways to do it, but they're not ideal.)
I may be wrong, but it seems like the round trip from Premiere to SG back to Premiere is a little awkward.
June 27, 2013 at 3:21PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
When I say "add a look", I mean I applied one of the included looks to my footage.
June 27, 2013 at 3:22PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The round trip from Premiere to Speedgrade ie essentially what it would be from any NLE to any color grading application; exporting an EDL, reconnecting the media in the grading app, then exporting a video file. It's certainly preferable to using the "Send to Speedgrade" option in Premiere, which creates uncompressed DPX frames (which are absolutely huge). I mean, it's not nearly as graceful as all of the other dynamic linking between Adobe apps, but I'm sure they're working on it.
June 27, 2013 at 5:51PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
The adjustment layer strategy is certainly a decent workaround, and it might even be preferable when applying the look to more than one clip in a timeline. However, they really should include an opacity slider in the Lumetri Effect. Seems like a no-brainer.
June 27, 2013 at 5:55PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I believe using the opacity slider on the adjustment layer will dial down the effects strength without effecting the clips opacity.
June 28, 2013 at 12:29AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
I feel like Premiere is turning into Instagram with filters. It might be me misunderstanding luts but do they act relative to the clip or is it like copying curves to clips? Each clip has a unique color and exposure that need to be attended to in order to make one fluid 'look'. I feel learning to read scopes is still the way to go.
June 27, 2013 at 7:42PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Don't confuse "looks" and "color grading" with "color correction".
June 28, 2013 at 1:52AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yes - do colour correction first to balance shots, making full use of scopes, then apply the look or grade - possibly as an adjustment layer covering several shots in a sequence.
June 28, 2013 at 4:09AM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Exactly, scopes. I find my self trying to go that route most of the time, although it is a struggle for me I still want to learn and use them 100% if can. I know and seen articles here and there but you can never get enough info plus it's nice to see other formats and what were suppose to see with them. I'm sure (and hope) the good people at NFS will pop one up soon and I look forward to reading it. . Thanks
June 28, 2013 at 8:37PM, Edited September 4, 8:21AM
Yes, that's the way to go: use adjustment layer oppacity to control Lumetri intensity.
May 26, 2014 at 10:46PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM