History and documentary
Warm documentary or Vintage film to make mixed sources feel like one archive.
New in 2.4 · Colour looks
One cinematic grade across your whole video.
Pictures from different sources rarely match: an AI image here, a stock clip there. Pick a colour look and every photo and clip gets the same grade, with film grain, a vignette and cinema bars if you want them, so the video reads as one piece of film.
- 8colour looks
- 2.39:1cinema bars on 16:9
- 2grain levels
- 2vignette levels
What are colour looks?
A colour look is a grade applied to every photo and video clip in your project: its colour balance, contrast, curves and saturation. Each of the eight looks was graded on real footage and is applied the same way in the live preview and in the export.
On top of the grade, a finish covers the whole frame: film grain, a vignette and cinema bars. Each look brings its own grain and vignette when you pick it, and you can change them afterwards.
New in 2.4 · Colour looks
Give the whole video one graded look
Pictures from different places rarely match. Pick a colour look and every photo and clip in your video gets the same grade, so it feels like one film instead of a pile of images. You pick from a grid that shows your own first picture in every look.
- Eight looks, each with a Strength slider from a light touch to the full grade
- Film grain and a vignette over the whole frame, so the video reads as one piece of film
- Cinema bars crop a 16:9 video to 2.39:1 widescreen
- Maps, charts, text cards and the hook keep their own colours exactly
- Captions are drawn on top of the look, so they stay sharp
It's in the new-project wizard, on the create screen and in the Look tab on the timeline. The live preview shows it as you scrub.
Cinematic
Teal shadows, warm highlights
One picture, ten finishes
The same picture in all eight looks
Frames from a Vid Optimus project, graded with each look at full strength.
The grade
Eight looks for eight kinds of story
Choose from a grid that shows your own first picture in every look, so you see the grade on your footage, not on a sample. A Strength slider goes from a light touch to the full grade.
The grade
- Cinematic and Punchy for energy
- Warm documentary and Faded matte for calm stories
- Cold thriller and Noir for crime and mystery
- Vintage film and Black & white for the past
The finish
Film grain, a vignette and cinema bars
Grain is fine or heavy and lives in the brightness only, like real film, not coloured digital noise. The vignette is soft or strong. Cinema bars crop a 16:9 video to a 2.39:1 widescreen frame, and are never added to vertical videos.
The finish
- Grain and vignette cover the whole frame
- Cinema bars on 16:9 only
- Captions are drawn on top, so they stay crisp
Brand-safe
Your graphics keep their colours
The grade touches your photos and video clips only. Maps, charts, text cards and the opening hook keep their own colours exactly, so a red chart stays your red and a map stays readable under Noir.
Brand-safe
- Grades pictures, never graphics
- Projects without a look render exactly as before
- A generated preview shows exactly what the export will look like
Colour looks, step by step
-
1 Pick a look
In the new-project wizard, on the create screen, or in the Look tab on the timeline.
-
2 Set the strength
From a light touch to the full grade, then adjust grain, vignette and cinema bars.
-
3 Preview
The live preview shows the look as you scrub; a generated preview matches the export.
-
4 Export
The grade and finish are rendered into your MP4, with captions sharp on top.
Try it free for 7 days
Every feature included. No card needed.
Made for creators like you
True crime and mystery
Cold thriller or Noir to set the mood from the first frame.
Shorts and Reels
Punchy: bright, saturated and crisp for vertical video.
FAQ
Colour looks: common questions
Straight answers about how it works and what it costs.
Still have a question?
Send us a message and we'll help you out.
Contact us
Which colour looks are there?
Eight: Cinematic, Warm documentary, Cold thriller, Vintage film, Black & white, Punchy, Noir and Faded matte. Each has a Strength slider and brings its own grain and vignette, which you can change.
Will the look change my charts, maps or text cards?
No. The grade is applied to photos and video clips only. Maps, charts, text cards and the opening hook keep their own colours exactly.
Can I add cinema bars to a vertical video?
No. Cinema bars crop a 16:9 video to 2.39:1 widescreen and are never added to 9:16 videos.
Does the look make captions harder to read?
No. Captions are drawn on top of the look, after the grade and the grain, so they stay sharp and clean.
Does a colour look cost anything extra?
No. Looks are applied on your computer when the video renders, with no key and no extra cost.
Can I use a look on an older project?
Yes. Open the Look tab on the timeline. Projects without a look render exactly as they did before.
More of what's in every plan
Colour looks
Try it on your next video.
Free for 7 days with every feature. No card needed. Works on Windows and macOS.