Make Your Footage Shine with These Free Cinematic Looks for Adobe SpeedGrade & Premiere Pro CC

Lumetri Looks SpeedGradeOf the countless post-production blogs on the web, Oliver Peters' blog Digital Films is one of the absolute best. Not only does Peters cover a vast array of digital post-production tools and softwares in great detail, but on occasion, he also shares some of his custom-made color presets for various platforms. Because of the popularity of his FCPX Color Board presets, Peters also made a set of Lumetri Looks that can be used directly inside of both Adobe SpeedGrade and Premiere Pro. In a recent blog post, Peters not only shared these free looks, but also everything you need to know in order to use them in your projects. Check it out!

For a little bit of background on Lumetri Looks and the Lumetri Deep Color Engine, the technology was originally an integral part of Iridas SpeedGrade. The software was then purchased by Adobe, and SpeedGrade made its Adobe debut with the release of CS6. Then with the release of the Creative Cloud (CC) versions of the applications a year later, the engineers at Adobe had successfully incorporated the Lumetri technology directly into Premiere Pro CC. This gave users of the software the ability to apply looks created with the powerful color tools of SpeedGrade directly into Premiere.

One of the best aspects of this technology is that the looks are relatively easy to create within SpeedGrade and then export. That's exactly what Oliver Peters did with this group of presets that can be opened and edited within SpeedGrade or applied directly to footage inside of Premiere Pro CC with the "Lumetri Effect."

Here's the original log image on which these looks were created, as well as a few different variations of the looks included in Peters' presets.

Here's what Peters had to say about how to get these looks into SpeedGrade.

To start, download the file from the link below and unzip the archive file. Inside, you’ll find a folder called “op_sgrades”.

-

On a Mac, the supplied Looks styles (Lumetri and SpeedLooks) are inside the closed application bundle. To install this new folder, you need to open the SpeedGrade CC package contents (right-click the application icon and choose “show package contents”). This will expose the application’s Contents folder. From there, navigate to the MacOS subfolder and then the Look Examples subfolder. Drag the “op_sgrades” folder into the Look Examples folder. When you next open SpeedGrade CC, you will be able to access this new set of Looks in the Looks Management pane.

-

On a PC, right-click the application program icon and select “open file location”. This will expose a set of files, including the Look Examples folder.

What I absolutely love about these presets is that most of them are quite a bit more subtle and refined than your typical preset bundles (like the presets included with SpeedGrade, which are a bit over the top). For me, this makes Olivers' presets quite a bit more useable right out of the box. It's important to note, however, that because these presets were all created for the image above, they may need to be adjusted slightly within SpeedGrade in order to make them look their best with your footage.

In all of these, the first Primary layer (bottom of the stack) will be the same and is used to neutralize the image. The sliders I adjusted include input saturation, pivot, contrast, temperature and magenta. Only the global settings were adjusted in this layer. You can tweak it, hide/disable it or replace it with a LUT adjustment instead.

For more information about these looks, head on over to Peters' blog. To download this excellent free bundle, just click here.

Have you guys used Lumetri looks inside of Premiere Pro? Do you like to create your own inside of SpeedGrade? Let's hear your thoughts about this process and the technology behind it down in the comments!

Link: SpeedGrade Looks -- Digital Films

Check-Out: Cine Lenses – Most popular Lens Deals this week

With any & every B&H purchase You will automatically be entered into the Monthly Gift Card Raffle.

Your Comment

49 Comments

Anyone try these with CS6? I have not drank the kool-aid of CC yet.

May 26, 2014 at 6:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Neil

Me either, Neil. CS6 may be my last adobe upgrade. Just not into renting SW. I hope enough of us resist to force Adobe to reconsider. I bet a lot of people jumping on the CC bandwagon haven't really thought about what happens when they stop renting and then need to change some old files.

May 26, 2014 at 9:04PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Shane

In CC you can save projects as CS6, then in CS6 you can save projects as CS5.5. So you can still go so far back.

May 27, 2014 at 9:57AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
grantly0711

Yep! I always save out a CS6 version of my work from CC just in case I don't have CC for whatever reason. Works fine.

May 27, 2014 at 10:46AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

4
Reply

do you mean by xml
because as far as i can see
i havent been able to cleanly save a file that would be backward compatible from cc to cs6

could you guys give me more information
thanks

May 30, 2014 at 11:43AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

18
Reply
claude

I'm with you guys. Hang in there.

June 1, 2014 at 10:33AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

29
Reply
Jer

I feel like I'm being bent over every time I open Adobe's CC Suite.

May 27, 2014 at 2:23AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
lightinguy

I'm surprised that people complain about this. I'd much rather rent with continuous upgrades than be stuck with an expensive program and be faced with the inevitable expensive upgrade. These programs have a finite usable lifespan if you're going to keep up.

May 29, 2014 at 5:04AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

11
Reply
Max

I couldn't agree more. I've been in IT with design for over 20 years and the software license model that they now have is excellent! I get an entire suite of software (or a few) for a monthly rate. Sign me up. I'm always pissed when new software upgrades are released and I have to spend at least half if not more of the original purchase price for the license to upgrade. Not that the company shouldn't get it.. Lots of time Nd expense on an upgrade. And then of course there is the supports the version that you have that expires. So... While you might have concerns, it's still the better model in my opinion

May 29, 2014 at 12:23PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

11
Reply
Ken

CS6 workflow is garbage vs CC. Please, if someone does not switch it's due to money or lack of need of current software, there is no other good excuse.

May 28, 2014 at 2:21PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Darren Orange

+1

May 28, 2014 at 6:55PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

+1 - I wanted to go legit with my software (not that I wasn't b4 - just in case big brother is watching) and this was the most affordable way...

August 26, 2014 at 9:10AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

10
Reply
ocube

yeah really annoying that for any plugin, you pretty much always need the latest Adobe suite, when is Adobe going to make a plugin framework that's version-independent?

May 26, 2014 at 7:08PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
john

Right after they become open source and free to use :P

though who knows, just might happen in the future...

May 26, 2014 at 8:16PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
faraz

Faraz, true dat!

May 26, 2014 at 9:04PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

19
Reply
Shane

Isn't it bizarre that Speedgrade still doesn't have a curves tool?

May 26, 2014 at 8:48PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

11
Reply

its not bizarre, its a specific choice made when Speedgrade was developed. The choice was made to provide the "12 channel color corrector" instead of curves. I also personally prefer curves, but SG's methods have some perks.

May 27, 2014 at 10:34AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

Can anyone point out how I would setup and used these .Looks on a PC in Premiere Pro please?

May 26, 2014 at 10:16PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

Add lumetri effect to a clip and it will ask for a .look file, give the .look file, enjoy look or change if not your style.

May 27, 2014 at 10:35AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

These should also work within Media Encoder - it's got a Lumetri checkbox when exporting...

May 26, 2014 at 10:54PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
thegregferris

Whoa, that is awesome... did not know that.

May 27, 2014 at 1:32AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

I'd dial op cool 3 back a little.

May 27, 2014 at 12:53AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

10
Reply
Natt

well this is .look files are luts so you can grade with them on after effects cs6 and if you use lut buddy, you can save them as lut buddy friendly files from after effects and use them on premiere pro cs6

May 27, 2014 at 2:45AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

7
Reply
Francisco

Thanks! If I have understood correctly this could mean I can still use them without having to go CC

May 27, 2014 at 8:13AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Altus Firh

I thought .look is more than just a lut, it can include lut but also filters etc.

May 27, 2014 at 11:17PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

4
Reply

Really, great presets for color grading. Thanks a lot for sharing.

May 27, 2014 at 4:50AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

How can i import these LUTs into Premiere Pro CC?

May 27, 2014 at 6:32AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Jed Darlington-...

open the lumitri plugin in effects

May 27, 2014 at 6:56AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Howard L Hughes

Yes but how do i actually get these downloaded LUTs into it, where do i need to put them?

May 27, 2014 at 7:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Jed Darlington-...

Yes, this is what I want to know. I want these LUTs to show up alongside Lumetri's terrible ones.

May 27, 2014 at 8:15AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Josh

I wouldn't call them terrible, i found the cinematic ones a good starting basis for the grade of my recent film, and yes i don't really know how to grade, but i've had quite a few compliments for the film - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx2htbvVUcU&index=2&list=PL083DE1F621D6D748

May 28, 2014 at 5:47AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Jed Darlington-...

There are instructions in the download

August 26, 2014 at 1:35AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

29
Reply
Matt

I came here because of all of the Twitter retweets talking about this. I am REALLY, REALLY confused.

How is this praised SO much? I think presets are handy, but this free pack with no context of originating footage is akin to using instagram filters for your "professional" work. Is it mainly the CC Ado-sheep eating this up? Again, don't get me wrong free stuff being offered is nice... but this ISN'T the second coming of Jesus or anything. This will not make your "Film" for you. ... sorry rant over.

May 27, 2014 at 8:19AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

18
Reply
Jeff

This is a film blog. People on here are looking for tools to help them create films. LUTs are great tools for film making.

It's not very confusing.

May 27, 2014 at 9:21AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Josh

As far as I know, a LUT requires assumed information based on your source record. These are just color presets. You need an actual SHOT profile initially in order to correctly apply a LUT to it's desired effect. These are just sliders and values moved in different directions to give your footage a "different" look ... not a desired look that a specific and correctly applied LUT would based on your intently shot footage. THIS actual blog covers what a look up table is to a very GOOD extent. http://nofilmschool.com/2011/05/what-is-a-look-up-table-lut-anyway/

May 27, 2014 at 10:09AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

15
Reply
Jeff

Okay, fine. So these are not LUTs. I will still use them.

We need these… things… for editing. Our colorist will correct and grade later.

May 27, 2014 at 11:44AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Josh

Presets they may be, but unlike MOST presets Oliver clearly states you will need to adjust the first layer to match your footage. Presets get a bad wrap, but if used as a reference or starting point they can be really useful. Just dont treat them as "slap and finished" effects like people are used to in NLEs

May 27, 2014 at 10:40AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

6
Reply

True. I've been on a downward spiral lately when looking at the disregard for true production work in order to slap something together. Maybe I've watched too many 100,000k viewed YouTube videos that 13yr olds have made with pirated copies of Twixtor. Don't mind me.

May 27, 2014 at 10:48AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply
Jeff

I totally understand the attitude towards any type of color preset thought, especially if youve spend any time on YouTube on Vimeo recently. The "continually apply filters till it looks better mentality" is quite widespread unfortunately. I just try to remember that there are def proper uses and even experimental uses for presets and LUTS that do NOT involve a simple slap on effect. An example of such that I was just taught is, for example, using filmconvert or another film stock emulation LUT to grade one scene\sequence, so it stands out and looks differently than other scenes, but NOT blindly using it across the entire film. Carefully using it specifically in a scene for an contrasting effect from the earlier and later scenes (fantastic technique I picked up from Tao of Color).

May 27, 2014 at 10:58AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

13
Reply

how to install it in windows??

May 29, 2014 at 1:57AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

10
Reply
rahul

Your black shouldn't be literally blue. These are terrible.

May 30, 2014 at 1:06PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

4
Reply
Bar

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I dislike "looks", although they do have a purpose. I do use Neumann Films Cinematic Looks, but I like to color grade in Assimilate's wonderful free utility, Scratch. Doing my own grading helps me tweak looks to get more what I and my clients want.

June 1, 2014 at 3:14PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

Hello,
Can these presets be put directly into Premiere Pro? I mean without using SpeedGrade, just with Premiere Pro itself?

June 8, 2014 at 1:58PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

5
Reply
JIMMY DEAN

A beginner question.... and perhaps too complex to answer easily. I downloaded the files and have them available for my non-professional films (i have a food blog) and use in Speedgrade. All the applied "settings" appear to be way over saturated. I must be doing something wrong as this was the case for any of the movies I tried. Thanks for any help!

August 19, 2014 at 6:46PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

5
Reply
Siri

Asking questions are truly good thiing if you are not understanding something completely, but this piece of writing offers good understanding yet.

August 19, 2014 at 11:29PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

31
Reply

Original Log.. Can you tell me please :

-your camera,
-lens,
-is that cinestyle? if don`t, let me know the settings...

A big Thanks

August 27, 2014 at 4:04AM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

6
Reply
Gabriel

Has anyone used these with Windows?

August 28, 2014 at 6:07PM, Edited September 4, 8:56AM

0
Reply

On a PC, right-click the application program icon and select “open file location”. This will expose a set of files, including the Look Examples folder.

Sorry to go off the rant about the pros and cons of PP CC - but can anyone tell me how to load the files for use on my PC. The instructions are beyond my pay grade. Thanks.

April 16, 2016 at 2:19AM

0
Reply
Billy V
Producer/Director
147

On a PC, right-click the application program icon and select “open file location”. This will expose a set of files, including the Look Examples folder.

Sorry to go off the rant about the pros and cons of PP CC - but can anyone tell me how to load the files for use on my PC. The instructions are beyond my pay grade. Thanks.

April 16, 2016 at 2:25AM

14
Reply
Billy V
Producer/Director
147