1. Create your user and project.
Open Colourlab Ai, create a user and give it a name. Start a new project.
2. Import your clips.
Open Clips → Batch Import and select the footage. Choose its source colour space when prompted.
Choose None to leave the footage without an input conversion. For footage you know is Rec.709, select Rec.709.
3. Build your timeline.
In Clips, press Command+A to select all clips and drag them onto the timeline.
4. Start with balance.
Select a clip and press B. Refine exposure, contrast and white balance in the right-hand colour-balance controls.
5. Find your look.
Select a look and press A to match. Open Color Match to refine it.
| Control | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Luminance | Brightness and tonal match |
| Chrominance | Colour relationships |
| Saturation | Saturation matching |
| Master | Overall match strength |
Left reduces contribution; right increases it. Enable SMH (Shadows, Midtones and Highlights) to refine individual tonal zones.
6. Make it your own.
Explore Astra film emulation, press S for skin separation and refinement, and use Fine-Tune for final adjustments. You can keep the first grade simple and explore these tools later.
7. Teach Colourlab your style.
When happy, click Learn. Your adjustments become a reusable template.
Open Styles on the left, choose the Learn Style you created and use it to match the other clips. Review each shot and refine where needed.
8. Export.
Choose Export and the output or editor workflow appropriate for the project. You’ve completed your first grade.
Your first shortcuts.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Command+A | Select all in Clips |
| B | Balance |
| A | Match to selected look |
| S | Skin separation |
Keep exploring.
Find training videos and test projects in Houston or open documentation.