The short answer
Why use Color Grading?
Getting a teal-and-orange or faded film look normally means curves in each channel. Two color pickers and one Amount slider get you most of the way in seconds.
Shadow hue starts at a deep blue, #244a7c, and Highlight hue at a warm orange, #f5a65b. Each pixel's brightness decides which color it gets and how much. Pixels at middle gray get none; pure black and pure white get the full Amount. Amount runs from 0 to 100 and starts at 50.
The picked color is blended in as it is, brightness included. A light shadow color lifts the blacks and a dark highlight color dims the whites, which can make the photo look washed out. Keep the shadow color dark and the highlight color light. There is no separate midtone color.
Duotone maps the whole photo onto two colors and drops the original colors, a much stronger look. Tint washes every pixel with one color at the same strength. Color Temperature only shifts between warm and cool, which is better for fixing white balance than for a stylized grade.
Where Color Grading fits
Teal and orange
Give a travel photo the blockbuster film look.
Wedding photos
Warm the highlights for a soft, golden album style.
Consistent feeds
Grade a set of photos with the same two colors for a matching feed.
Start to finish
How to use Color Grading
- 01Tap Choose image and pick the photo you want to grade.
- 02Choose Shadow hue (deep blue by default) and Highlight hue (warm orange), then set Amount.
- 03Tap Apply changes, check that blacks and whites still look clean, then tap Download result.
What to expect from Color Grading
| Check | What it means here |
|---|---|
| Supported input | JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, SVG and browser-supported AVIF images |
| Main controls | Shadow hue, Highlight hue, and Amount |
| Output | A PNG image with the adjustment applied |
| Working limit | 50 MB and 50 megapixels per image |
Color Grading tips
- Pick a dark shade for Shadow hue and a pale one for Highlight hue, or the photo washes out.
- Middle gray gets no tint, so skin in normal light barely changes.
- Amount 20 to 35 gives a subtle film look.
- Swap the defaults, warm shadows and cool highlights, for a vintage feel.
Color Grading FAQ
Something missing? Ask us.
Does it change the midtones?
Why did my blacks turn blue?
Does Color Grading upload my file?
Is Color Grading free to use?
Why did Color Grading fail or look wrong?
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