Can’t seem to get the right look and color out of your GoPro videos? Learn how to use LUTs to enhance the color of your GoPro videos.
Some people wonder why their videos look too “flat” or undersaturated.
On GoPro this is often due to the Protune setting “flat” color which lets you record videos without any added color style. The other option (by default) is “GoPro” color which adds a specific color style directly in-camera.
So if your videos look too flat, don’t worry: it looks like that because you’re supposed to correct this footage in post-production by color correcting or color grading the the footage.
What is color correction?
Color correcting is the process that balances color; it includes adjusting exposure, contrast and simple color levels. This process produces the most realistic representation of what your eyes actually see. If white and black levels are what your eyes see, the footage colors should be balanced. On most professional editing apps, color correction is a fairly standard and readily accessible feature.
What is color grading?
Color grading is where you create your video’s aesthetic. It’s an entirely optional process, especially if film realism is your goal. Of course, color grading does help express a visual tone or mood to heighten the narrative. For example, boosted orange and blue tones could be used to enhance a travel story, as depicted in the following color graded image:
The issue with editing colors manually
Other than skills, color grading may take a long time. Even for professionals.
So what’s the solution if you don’t want to invest such a long time in manually color grading your films?
Use Color Grading LUTs!
What are LUT’s?
LUT stands for Look Up Table and it is used in color grading to transform a color value input (as recorded by your camera) into a desired color value output (as set by the LUT). Simply put, LUTs are “preset” color values so you can easily apply professional color grading yourself and give your desired look to your video instantly.
Watch this video to see how much your videos or photos can change before and after applying a LUTs:
Among professional film editors, there are dedicated teams of people just for color grading films – they’re called Film Colorists. So you can imagine how widely- used this niche can be. We made our own GoPro color grading filters packs, specifically designed for GoPro footage style. They are essentially color presets designed by film colorists for filmmakers who have very little or no experience in color grading. It makes this skill that much more accessible so that anyone can apply professional level color tones.
Our cinematic color grading pack offers a wide range of color tones to cover most GoPro activities.
Included in this package there are over 100 color presets:
CINEMA – Cine Automobile, Cine Cycling, Cine Drone, Cine Hiking, Cine Motorcycle, Cine Ski, Cine Sport, Cine Sunset, Cine Surf, Cine Travel, Cine Underwater, Cine Vlog
ORANGE & TEAL – Orange Teal Colorful, Orange Teal Fantasy, Orange Teal Light, Orange Teal, Retro, Orange Teal Vivid
WARM – Adventure, Desaturated, Landscape, Lover, Nature, Pastel Vibes, Pool Party, Retro, Sepia Tone, Sparta, Tropical, Vintage
COLD – Aqua, Blue Lake, Cold Fade, Dreamy, Blue, Dreamy Green, Faded Ice, Green Nature, Light Punch
and more…
How Do You Use LUT’s?
Cameras
Compatible with footage from all cameras and drones (including the GoPro Karma and DJI’s full line-up of drones (Phantom 1/2/3/4, Mavic Pro, Spark, Mavic Air and others). Optimal compatibility with Protune GoPro flat color profile.
Software
Works with most photo & video editing software:
- Adobe Photoshop
- Premiere Pro
- Adobe Lightroom Classic
- Adobe Speed Grade
- Avid Media Composer
- Edius
- Cyberlink Color Director
- Final Cut Pro X
- DaVinci Resolve
- Sony Vegas
- Wondershare Filmora
- Power Director
- Capture One
- LumaFusion (iOS)
- 3D LUT Mobile (iOS/Android)
To install the GoPro LUTs is quite simple even if you are not so familiar with editing. Below you can find some tutorial/instructions on how to apply presets to on your video editor:
Step 1: Open up your favorite video editing program (Compatible w/ Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, DaVinci Resolve & more)
Step 2: Select a clip and in the color grading section browse for a new LUT
Step 3: Adjust the amount, and hit apply!
How to Install LUT’s in Lightroom Classic & Adobe Camera Raw
First, in Lightroom, go to the Lightroom Preferences (NOT Catalog Preferences) and make sure that the “Store preset with this catalog” option is not checked.
Then, navigate to the Camera Raw > Settings folder and copy the .xmp preset files to that folder. Here is an alternate method of locating that folder:
Mac: ~ / Library / Application Support / Adobe / CameraRaw / Settings
Windows: C: \ ProgramData \ Adobe \ CameraRaw \ Settings
Alternately, you can access the folder with this method:
- Open Lightroom CC (make sure it is updated to the new version)
- Go to Lightroom > Preferences
- Click the “Preset” section at the top
- Click the “Show Lightroom Presets Folder”
- Ignore the folder it highlights, and instead go up to the Camera Raw folder and open it
- Open the Settings folder and copy your .xml presets files into this folder
- Restart Photoshop or Lightroom Classic and the presets/profiles should be installed.
How to Install LUTs in Lightroom CC
- Open Lightroom CC and access the Presets panel.
- Next, click on the “…” drop down and select Import Presets.
- Navigate to the folder containing the .xml files and select it to import into Lightroom CC. Your profiles will then install and are ready to use.
How to Install LUTs in Adobe Premiere Pro
In this video I show you how to install LUTs on Adobe Premiere Pro:
How to install LUTs in Davinci Resolve
In this video tutorial I show you how to install LUTs on Davinci Resolve:
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