How to Color Match Your Videos

Color matching is a critical process during video production. Filmmakers use color matching to ensure consistency between their clips.

Suppose you shot various clips at different times of the day using different cameras. Each clip would have a unique color temperature, brightness, and white balance. If you didn’t match the color properties of each shot, your video project could fail to convey the specific mood or narrative you had in mind.

That’s why color matching is so critical. If you are new to video editing, correcting the color of each clip may seem challenging. However, with the right tools, this step becomes relatively quick and easy.

This guide looks at matching video clips using color correction to ensure that the shots in your project look the same. To get started, download CyberLink’s PowerDirector video editor (rated as the best video editing software by PC Mag and Techradar) and follow along. 

If you are using a mobile device for your video editing, here are three tips for color-correcting and color-grading videos on your phone. 

• Three Quick & Easy Video Match Tools
• Color Match
• Color Adjustments
• LUTs
• Get the Best Color Matching App 

Three Quick & Easy Video Match Tools 

Below, we take an in-depth look at the different PowerDirector tools you can use to match colors between clips. You can also use these tools to make your video clips look more natural, improve their color intensity, or create a stylized look.

When matching video clips with PowerDirector, start by using the color match tool. After syncing the color between your clips, you can make color corrections on your entire project using the Color Adjustment and Color LUT tools. 

Color Match 

When you start with the color matching process, you have two or more clips, each with its own unique color characteristics. Using the color match tool, you can give all your shots the same look.

Start by moving all the clips you want to match to the editing timeline. Don’t place all clips underneath each other. Instead, position them on the same track in the order you want them to play.

Then, select Fix/Enhance from the toolbar just above the editing timeline to the right of the Tools menu. Clicking Fix/Enhance will open two menus to the left of your screen: Fix and Enhance. Under the Enhance menu, select Color Match.

Next, click on the reference clip on your editing timeline. The reference clip is the media clip with the color properties you want to duplicate to the other clips in your project. After selecting your reference clip, click on the Match Color button to the left of your screen below the steps.

Using the Level, Hue, Saturation, and Brightness sliders, you can adjust the intensity of the color match between clips. After making the adjustments, click on Apply Match to give all your clips a similar appearance. 

Color Adjustments 

After matching the colors of your clips, you can fine-tune the color of your project as a whole using the Color Adjustment tool in PowerDirector.

To use the color adjustment tools, add your project to the editing timeline. Click on Fix/Enhance in the toolbar above the timeline, then select Color Adjustment from the Enhance menu.

The Color Adjustment tools you can use include brightness to adjust your clip’s lightness and darkness. With the exposure slider, you can brighten an underexposed clip or reduce the amount of light that reaches your camera’s sensor. Using the contrast tool, you can adjust the difference between black and white.

When using Color Adjustment, start by adjusting brightness and exposure. Then, adjust the contrast accordingly to establish the difference between light and dark colors.

After making the first three adjustments, you can play around with the other color adjustment tools, such as hue, saturation, and vibrancy. The hue setting adjusts the overlay color of your clips, while saturation gives colors their intensity.

Vibrancy is the ideal setting for increasing the intensity of muted tones without changing saturated colors. This setting is perfect if you want your subject’s skin tone to remain natural while enhancing the intensity of its surroundings. 

LUTs 

The Look-Up Tables (LUTs) in PowerDirector are effects that allow you to make color corrections with ease. This feature is ideal if you don’t have experience with the different color adjustment tools.

To make color changes with LUTs, place the clips on the editing timeline. Then, click the Effect Room icon on the toolbar to the left of your screen and select Color LUT from the menu.

Here, you can choose from various effects libraries to enhance your video color. After selecting a LUT, drag and drop it on clips. Use the Strength slider to adjust the intensity of the LUT. 

Get the Best Color Matching App 

When compiling several video clips into a single project, you want all your clips to have consistent color properties. However, a clip you shot in the early morning before sunrise will differ significantly from footage you shot during midday. If you used different cameras to shoot your clips, there might also be differences in color temperature and saturation.

To give all your video clips the same look, you need to use color editing tools. PowerDirector is the best color editing software for videos to ensure congruence between your clips. The tools you get with it include Color Match, Color Adjustment, and LUTs. Using all three of these tools allows you to match your videos and tune their colors to perfection.

PowerDirector is a robust video editor with a highly intuitive interface and complete post-production functionality. Download PowerDirector today to give your video content a professional edge.