How do I create a custom color preset in Premiere Pro?

March 10, 2026 · caitlin

Creating a custom color preset in Premiere Pro allows you to quickly apply consistent looks to your video footage. This guide will walk you through the process, from adjusting your clips to saving and applying your unique color grades.

Mastering Custom Color Presets in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro’s Lumetri Color panel is a powerful tool for video color grading. Learning to create and save your own custom color presets can significantly speed up your workflow and ensure visual consistency across projects. This process involves making adjustments to a clip and then saving those settings as a preset for future use.

Why Create Custom Color Presets?

Imagine you’ve spent time perfecting the look of a specific scene – maybe a warm, golden-hour glow or a cool, cinematic blue. Instead of repeating those exact steps for every similar shot, you can save that look. This saves valuable editing time and guarantees a uniform aesthetic throughout your video.

Benefits include:

Speed and Efficiency: Apply complex color grades in seconds.
Consistency: Maintain a cohesive visual style across multiple clips or projects.
Branding: Develop a signature look for your content.
Experimentation: Easily test different looks without committing to permanent changes.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your First Preset

The core of creating a custom preset lies within the Lumetri Color panel. You’ll make your desired adjustments here. Then, you’ll export these settings as a preset file.

1. Prepare Your Clip and Open Lumetri Color

First, select the clip in your timeline that you want to base your preset on. Make sure it’s a representative shot, as the preset will be derived from its color characteristics.

Navigate to the Color workspace by clicking "Color" in the top menu bar. This will bring up the Lumetri Color panel, typically on the right side of your screen. If you don’t see it, go to Window > Lumetri Color.

2. Make Your Color Adjustments

This is where you’ll craft your unique look. The Lumetri Color panel has several sections:

Basic Correction: Adjust exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks. Use the eyedropper tool to sample white or black points for accurate balancing.
Creative: Apply Look Up Tables (LUTs) or adjust intensity, vibrance, and saturation. This section is great for adding stylistic flair.
Curves: Fine-tune contrast and color with RGB, Hue Saturation, and Luma curves.
Color Wheels & Match: Make precise adjustments to shadows, midtones, and highlights for each color channel.
HSL Secondary: Isolate specific colors for targeted adjustments.
Vignette: Add a subtle darkening or lightening effect to the edges of your frame.

Spend time experimenting with these tools. Think about the mood and atmosphere you want to achieve. For instance, increasing contrast and adding a slight teal tint to the shadows can create a dramatic, cinematic feel.

3. Saving Your Custom Preset

Once you’re happy with the look you’ve created on your clip, it’s time to save it.

In the Lumetri Color panel, locate the "Creative" tab.
Click the three-line menu icon (hamburger menu) at the top right of the Lumetri Color panel.
Select "Save as a Look."

A dialog box will appear asking you to name your preset. Choose a descriptive name that you’ll easily recognize later, such as "Golden Hour Warmth" or "Cinematic Teal & Orange." You can also choose a thumbnail preview for easier identification.

Click "OK" to save. Your custom preset will now be stored within Premiere Pro’s "Looks" folder.

4. Applying Your Custom Preset

Applying your saved preset is as simple as creating it.

Select the clip you want to color grade in your timeline.
Open the Lumetri Color panel.
Navigate to the "Creative" tab.
Under the "Looks" section, click the "Browse" button.
Your saved looks will appear in a browser window. Simply double-click your custom preset, or select it and click "OK."

The color grade will be applied to your selected clip. You can then adjust the "Intensity" slider in the Creative tab to blend the look more subtly if needed.

Organizing and Managing Your Presets

As you create more presets, organization becomes key. Premiere Pro stores them in a specific location, but you can also manage them directly within the Lumetri Color panel.

Where are Premiere Pro Presets Stored?

Premiere Pro saves custom looks in a dedicated folder. The exact location varies slightly by operating system:

Windows: Documents\Adobe\Premiere Pro\[Version Number]\Lumetri\Looks
macOS: Documents/Adobe/Premiere Pro/[Version Number]/Lumetri/Looks

You can manually copy and paste these .look files to share them with others or back them up.

Using the Lumetri Color Panel for Management

Within the Lumetri Color panel’s "Creative" tab, you can also:

Right-click on a saved look to rename or delete it.
Create new folders within the "Looks" browser to categorize your presets (e.g., "Cinematic," "Vlog," "Brand Colors").

This built-in management system makes it easy to keep your growing library of color grades in order.

Advanced Tips for Custom Color Grading

Beyond basic adjustments, consider these advanced techniques to enhance your presets.

Using LUTs as a Starting Point

While creating presets from scratch is powerful, you can also use Look Up Tables (LUTs) as a foundation. Apply a LUT from the "Creative" tab, then make further adjustments to fine-tune it. Save this modified look as your own custom preset. This offers a blend of pre-made styles and personalized tweaks.

Matching Colors Between Clips

If you have footage shot under different lighting conditions, the "Color Match" feature in Lumetri Color can be invaluable. Apply it to a reference clip, then use it on your target clips. Once matched, save the resulting adjustments as a preset. This is incredibly useful for ensuring continuity.

Creating a "Neutral" Preset

Sometimes, the best preset is one that simply neutralizes unwanted color casts. If your footage has a green or magenta tint, create a preset that corrects this. You can then apply this neutralizer before applying other creative looks, ensuring a clean base.

### How do I export a Lumetri preset from Premiere Pro?

To export a Lumetri preset, open the Lumetri Color panel, go to the "Creative" tab, click the three

Categories: Video Editing