Fast Color Correction in Premiere: 2 Methods for Quickly Coloring Review Files

  • Post category:Learning

Quick Color Correction for Reviews

Let’s talk about getting decent-looking footage for client reviews when you’re working with LOG footage. Sure, we all want that perfect color grade, but sometimes you just need things to look solid for tomorrow’s client meeting – perfection can come at final delivery!

Two Paths to Better Looking Footage

Method 1 – Working with Log Footage

This is my go-to approach when working with original camera files. It’s quick, effective, and keeps things flexible.

Start with a LUT adjustment layer over everything – I’m a big fan of the Sony Verano Warm LUT, especially with Sony footage. It gives you that nice cinematic feel without going overboard. Just remember to disable it over any H.264 clips in your timeline (they’ll look nuclear if you don’t).

Once your base LUT is doing its thing, you can dial in individual clips with Lumetri Color. Here’s a pro tip: forget the basic panel and jump straight to the color wheels. Work your midtones first, then highlights, then shadows – always moving up/down or left/right, never diagonally. Trust me, you’ll have way more control this way.

Method 2 – Coloring with Proxy Footage

Working with proxies? No problem. Skip the LUT layer and go straight to individual clip corrections. You won’t have as much flexibility as LOG footage, but you can still get solid results.

The secret here is to keep things simple:

  • Start with exposure and contrast
  • Use color wheels for overall balance
    (tint + temp are fine if you like, but the result is normally yuck for me)
  • Don’t sweat the noise in the shadows – it’s just for review
    (so long as it isn’t too much)
  • Copy/paste between similar shots
Pro Tip: If your proxies were created with LOG still baked in, you might want to use the LOG method even with proxy files. It’ll give you a better starting point for quick corrections.
 

Quick Tips for Both Methods

  1. Don’t get precious – this isn’t final color
  2. Trust your eyes more than scopes for quick work – we’re talking speed
  3. Match shots broadly – perfect matching can wait for the final grade
  4. Use copy/paste to quickly color multiple shots that are similar

When to Use Which Method

Method 1

  • You’re working with original camera files
  • You need more flexibility
  • You have time to be a bit more precise

Method 2

  • You’re working purely with proxies
  • You need a fast turnaround

Wrap Up

Remember, whether you’re using LOG footage or proxies, the goal here is good enough for review, not perfect for delivery. Save the pixel-perfect work for your colorist – they’ll thank you for it.

Want to see these techniques in action? Check out the full tutorial above where we walk through both methods step by step.

Got your own quick color tricks? Drop them in the comments below. And if you’re hungry for more post-production knowledge, don’t forget to subscribe to the channel.

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