Top Ten Color Grading Software 2024

Color grading, once an exclusive art requiring expensive equipment, has now become accessible to filmmakers and editors using even modest setups. With the right color grading software, creators can fine-tune colors, tones, and exposure to give their visuals a polished, professional finish.

Lighting and cameras can only do so much; external factors like moving clouds or incorrect white balance settings can disrupt the visual consistency of a scene. This is where color correction comes in, addressing exposure mismatches and ensuring all shots blend seamlessly.

Beyond color correction, color grading plays a vital role in storytelling. It enhances the mood and visual narrative, helping the audience connect emotionally with the content. Whether it’s crafting a high-end cinematic aesthetic or creating a specific visual tone, color grading software empowers creators to transform their projects into visually compelling masterpieces.

For example, to evoke the eerie atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic world, one might use desaturated colors with pops of bright red to emphasize danger or gore. This deliberate adjustment of tones and hues can significantly enhance the story's impact and immerse the audience in its world.

With advancements in technology, the power of color grading is now in the hands of all creators, enabling them to refine and elevate their visual storytelling effortlessly.

Using color grading software, a bright, colorful grade sets a joyful mood for a family comedy.

Color is essential for setting the mood and deepening audience connection with a story. For beginner filmmakers, mastering color correction and grading can be challenging due to complex tools and a steep learning curve. 

Choosing intuitive, budget-friendly software is crucial to produce professional-quality videos without unnecessary delays. With the right tools, even newcomers can enhance storytelling and create visually impactful projects.

10 Best Color Grading Software For Beginners.

1. Cinema grade –

The supporting platform for this software mac os, windows.

It’s ease of use is the game of the look no further .

Cinema grade is the color grading software plugin that works with 3 of the most popular editing software out of three, Adobe Premiere final cut pro and Davinci Resolve.

If one is able to click directly on anything in the viewer, one wants to alter the exposure of an area or the color of the sky and thus drag up and down to change it.

2. Red giant colorista –

Compatible with adobe premiere and final cut pro Colorista is one of the pioneers in terms of color grading plugins.

It became a workhorse in time when the premiere and final cut had very limited native color tools.

It provides color wheel curves hue vs saturation tools and very much support for log to rec 709LUT.

But it also has a guided correction technique.

It works as a quick tutorial for performing base correction.

It s key features are –

1. Professional color grading tools 
2. Guided color correction features
3. The bundle generally includes some of the best VFX plugins in the market.
4. It only comes with a full suit making it $$.

3. FilmConvert Nitrate –

The pricing is $99.00

Supported platform; MAC05, Windows.

FilmConvert works on Premiere, final cut, DaVinci, Resolve and even AVID media composer.

It leads one to a wide variety of popular and vintage film stock with camera specific profile.

It has very limited color correction tools like temp, tint, and saturation but if one goes to the nitrate version one will get color wheels and curves.

FilmConvert is one of the best software out there for rejuvenating the film look.

It is more of a look creation than color correction one.

The key features of a FilmConvert software is custom camera profile , wide variety of film emulation, Great film grain tool, color wheel and curves , Great for creating Film look cons, Limited color correction tool.

4. Color fixer pro –

The supported platform includes MACOS windows .

Color fixer is compatible with Premiere, final cut and Avid media composer

It is the option with fewer features from the bunch of very basic temperature and exposure control, but that simplicity may become helpful for beginners who become very much excited with too many tools.

The key features include clean interface, the prospects include clean interface, easy to use free, limited functionality.

5. Chromatic –

Chromatic is a final cut pro plugin with traditional tools like wheels and curves which final cut already possesses but adds mask tracking.

The lack of tracking has been for a long time one of the main features missing from Apple pro  editing software.

Chromatic uses mocha trackers , it is one of the best trackers used in the industry.

The key features of Chromatic is professional color grading software, Mask tracking & X Rite color checker chart support.

• Pros –

Fixes FCP limitations

• Cons –

Same color tools FCP already has.

6. Hit film Pro – 

Pricing $349free trial.

Supported  platform : macOS windows

Hitfilm Pro is a standalone editing and VFX  software.

There is a free version called Hitfilm Express but most grading tools are behind a paywall like scopes color wheel hue and saturation controls keying and mask tracking.

7. Lightworks –

Supported platform of Lightworks is macos, windows.

Lightwork has been around for a long time and never got any attraction although it’s free.

It is definitely not the most intuitive for grading but the work can be easily done with the help of this software.

8. Filmora X – 

Supported platform of Filmora X is macos, windows.

From standalone editing software that we are looking at .

Filmora X is certainly the weakest while it comes to the matter of color grading.

It is most eye catching feature is a color match button that to be honest leaves a lot to be desired.

9. Vegas pro –

Vegas pro has been around a long time but has seen better days in terms of popularity.

Mainly editing software has grading tools like wheels color curves masks  and LUT support.

10. Final cut pro –

Final cut doesn’t need any introduction .

It is not only an editing software , but a great vfx  and color grading software tool when combined with right third party plugins.

These are the best and most popular software tools that are frequently used as color grading software.

An aspiring animation student should be very proficient in using these software.

For expert training in Color Grading Software, MAAC Kolkata offers industry-leading courses.

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