Can I create custom color grading presets in Premiere Pro?

March 6, 2026 · caitlin

Yes, you can absolutely create custom color grading presets in Adobe Premiere Pro. This powerful feature allows you to save your unique color adjustments and apply them consistently across multiple clips or projects, saving you significant time and ensuring a cohesive look. Mastering this will elevate your video editing workflow.

Unlock Your Creative Vision: Crafting Custom Color Grading Presets in Premiere Pro

Color grading is an art form that transforms raw footage into a visually compelling story. While Premiere Pro offers a robust suite of tools, creating your own custom color grading presets streamlines your workflow and allows for unparalleled creative control. Imagine applying your signature look to an entire series with just a few clicks.

Why Bother with Custom Color Grading Presets?

Saving your color adjustments as presets isn’t just about convenience; it’s about establishing a consistent visual identity for your projects. Whether you’re a filmmaker, a content creator, or a marketing professional, having a go-to set of looks can significantly enhance your brand’s recognition and the overall professionalism of your work.

Time Savings: Apply complex color corrections and stylistic looks in seconds.
Consistency: Ensure a uniform aesthetic across all your video clips.
Brand Identity: Develop and maintain a unique visual style.
Experimentation: Easily test different looks without redoing all the work.

Step-by-Step Guide: Creating Your First Premiere Pro Preset

The process of creating a custom color grading preset in Premiere Pro is straightforward. It primarily involves using the Lumetri Color panel and then saving your adjustments.

1. Apply and Fine-Tune Your Color Adjustments

Begin by importing your footage into Premiere Pro. Select the clip you want to color grade and open the Lumetri Color panel (Window > Lumetri Color). Here, you can make a wide range of adjustments:

Basic Correction: Adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks.
Creative: Apply LUTs (Look-Up Tables) or adjust saturation and vibrance.
Curves: Fine-tune tonal range with RGB and Hue Saturation curves.
Color Wheels & Match: Precisely control color balance for shadows, midtones, and highlights.
HSL Secondary: Isolate and adjust specific color ranges.
Vignette: Add a subtle darkening or lightening around the edges.

Experiment with these tools until you achieve the desired look. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries to see what’s possible.

2. Saving Your Masterpiece as a Preset

Once you’re satisfied with the color grade on a clip, saving it as a preset is simple.

In the Lumetri Color panel, locate the dropdown menu at the top.
Click on this dropdown and select "Save as a Preset."
A dialog box will appear. Give your preset a descriptive name (e.g., "Cinematic Teal & Orange," "Warm Sunset Glow," "Vintage Film Look").
Choose a location to save it. You can save it to your "Custom" folder or create new folders for better organization.
Click "OK."

Your custom preset will now appear in the Lumetri Color panel’s "Creative" tab under the " লt" dropdown menu, ready to be applied to any other clip.

Advanced Techniques for Next-Level Color Grading Presets

Beyond basic adjustments, consider these advanced methods to create truly unique and powerful presets.

Utilizing LUTs as a Foundation

While you can save your Lumetri adjustments, you can also incorporate existing LUTs into your custom presets. If you find a LUT that’s close to your desired look, apply it first, and then use the Lumetri panel to further refine it before saving. This gives you a strong starting point.

Creating "Looks" with Multiple Lumetri Effects

Premiere Pro allows you to stack multiple Lumetri Color effects on a single clip. You can create a complex look by combining a basic correction, a creative LUT, and then fine-tuning with curves and color wheels. When you save this combined effect as a preset, it captures all these layers of adjustment.

Saving Specific Lumetri Panel Sections

Sometimes, you might only want to save a specific part of your color grade, like just the curves adjustment or the HSL secondary settings. While Premiere Pro’s "Save as Preset" function saves the entire Lumetri effect, you can achieve similar results by manually copying and pasting attributes between Lumetri panels on different clips.

Organizing Your Custom Preset Library

As you create more presets, organization becomes crucial. A well-organized library ensures you can quickly find the perfect look when you need it.

Descriptive Naming: Use clear and concise names that indicate the style of the preset.
Folder Structure: Create subfolders within your "Custom" presets folder (e.g., "Cinematic," "Documentary," "Social Media," "Vintage").
Regular Review: Periodically review your presets. Delete any you no longer use to keep your library clean.

Practical Examples of Custom Color Grading Presets

Let’s look at how different creators might use custom presets.

Filmmaker: A filmmaker might create a "Gritty Noir" preset with desaturated colors, high contrast, and a subtle vignette for a crime drama. They’d save this and apply it to all scenes to maintain a consistent, moody atmosphere.
Vlogger: A vlogger focused on travel might develop a "Golden Hour" preset that enhances warm tones and slightly boosts saturation, making outdoor shots look vibrant and inviting. This preset could be applied to all their travel footage for a cohesive travelogue feel.
Brand Content Creator: A marketing team could create a "Brand Bright" preset that adheres to their brand’s color palette, ensuring all promotional videos have a consistent, on-brand look and feel.