Screens showing color grading software that works on Windows, Mac and iPad.

Color.io - an alternative to Adobe Lightroom?

Adobe Lightroom vs Color.io

Adobe Lightroom is a fantastic general purpose photo editor but its color grading features are a bit underwhelming. Color.io is a powerful new online raw image development app that brings advanced color grading and film emulation tools to digital photography.

Introducing Color.io

Advanced Color Grading for Photographers.

Color.io is an online color grading app that brings cinema-grade color science and film emulation tools to digital photography. It helps you create natural, photographic colors that deeply integrate into your images so that even extreme edits never look artificial.

Film Engine
RAW
Ultra Wide GAmut

Comparing Color.io to Lightroom

Achieve natural color. Effortlessly.

Photographers need the ability to create stunningly realistic and rich tones that truly elevate an image without looking artificial. Color.io uses cinema grade color science and powerful gamut stabilisers to achieve a color rendering that is unmatched by any other tool on the market.

Hover over the image to compare a Color.io edit with a similar edit in Lightroom: Color.io protects the natural colors in a way that would require masking in traditional applications.

Color grade with added optical film halation effect produced in Color.io - an online raw image editor and color grading softwareAdobe Lightroom for cinematic Color Grading - Teal and Orange look
A long strip of film photos with dense and vibrant, filmic colors, grain and film halation. A long strip of film photos with dense and vibrant, filmic colors, grain and film halation.

Exceptional color (and texture) emulation.

Every control in Color.io is driven by an engine that models the complex, non-linear response behaviours of analog film. This allows photographers to easily bring out dense, painterly colors from their images with best-in-class cinema color science, a huge preset library and powerful color transformation tools that enable color grading images unlike ever before.

DNG
TIFF
DPX
CR2/3
NEF
crw
raf
+ more
Film Photo of a man standing in a green field at dusk, looking at a sky of painterly filmic colors. Shot by Ivana Cajina

Online Raw Image Editor

Film-like RAW.

Raw development in Color.io is powered by VisionLog - an ultra-wide-gamut, log-encoded color space compatible with built-in ACES © color managed. The VisionLog curve has a wider dynamic range than a standard linear encoding, which means that it can capture all detail in both the highlights and shadows of an image - a perfect starting point for grading.

Analog film emulation with highlight halation compared to log encoded RAW image

Film Halation Emulation

Real Film Halation.

Color.io comes with optical film halation simulation that recreates the effect of very bright light causing orange-red highlight flaring on analog film. It's an important characteristic of many film stocks that can not be created through color grading alone.

3d LUT color space visualizer in color.io. A transforming 3D RGB cube also known as 3D LUT that represents a color grade in all three dimensions

3D Gamut Visualizer

3D Histogram.

Preview color transforms in three dimensions in real time.

Movie screenshots and frame grabs with cinematic color grading and beautiful cinematography

Online Batch Image Editor

Batch Editing.

Grade hundreds of images at the same time. Multiple documents, batch export - you got it!

Film Grain simulation showcase in Color.io - volumetric 3d grain distribution based on digital image.

Rather than overlaying grain textures like most other software, Color.io deconstructs your image and rebuilds it pixel-by-pixel using synthetically generated film grain. This results in an incredibly organic look because the underlying pixel structure of digital images is entirely reconstructed to match the grain distribution, density, rotation, size, and color gradation of real film.

Advanced Film Grain Emulation

Realistic Grain.

What PEople say about Color.io

"The look I've been trying to get for years!"

Color.io empowers photographers, filmmakers, colorists and artists at all skill levels to craft their unique vision of color - From really small to really big screens. Here's what some of them have said about Color.io:

Cinematographer Philip VivarelliCinematographer Philip Vivarelli

Philip Vivarelli
Cinematographer

"I’m blown away that these tools are missing in Davinci Resolve. Definitely recommending Color.io to my colorist friends!"

Portrait of Filmmaker Aaron P. KesslerPortrait of Filmmaker Aaron P. Kessler

Aaron Kessler
Filmmaker

"After trying it out for a few short hours I knew Color.io was the tool I always wanted - it's the look that I've been trying to get for years."

Cameron RadCameron Rad

Cameron Rad
Photographer

"The tools and visualizations in Color.io are so unique and great to mess with. Definitely some of the best color tools out there!"

Portrait of Chris Beck, Senior Colorist at FoxPostPortrait of Chris Beck, Senior Colorist at FoxPost

Chris T. Beck
‍‍
Senior Colorist

"Just completely re-built my film LUTs for HDR with Color.io, including really complex ones and the color engine captures them perfectly."

Cinematographer and DP Jay Kipling on a film set with a RED Monstro cameraCinematographer and DP Jay Kipling on a film set with a RED Monstro camera

Jay Kipling
Filmmaker / D.O.P.

"Probably the best grain and halation sim I've seen and color is top notch. Def my new secret weapon for show looks and custom finishing LUTs!"

Portrait of Matte Painter and 3D Artist Benedict JamesonPortrait of Matte Painter and 3D Artist Benedict Jameson

Ben Jameson
National Geographic

"As a landscape and wildlife photographer, natural color rendition is paramount. Color.io is the next best thing to shooting on actual film."

Director of Photography Steve Tanaka shooting on a film setDirector of Photography Steve Tanaka shooting on a film set

Steve Tanaka
Director of Photography

"Color.io is actually pretty insane. Saturation just stays super clean even when I push much further than I would with other tools. Wow!"

Designer Jenny Alvarez working at Warner Bros Design StudiosDesigner Jenny Alvarez working at Warner Bros Design Studios

Jenny Alvarez
Designer / Photographer

"Just tried Color.io and well, I love it. There's a depth to the colors that I haven't been able to get out of other tools. Thank you!"

Photographer and Youtuber Daniel Lichten in his studioPhotographer and Youtuber Daniel Lichten in his studio

Daniel Lichten
Content Creator

"I now use 3 instead of 16 nodes in Resolve and the results are honestly so much better. I'm converting all my LUTs to the new engine for HDR work."

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ACES Logo transparentHDR Logo transparentRAW Image Editor Icon3d lut logo svgVisionColor Halide Color Engine Logo SVG

Ready for exceptional color? Start for free!

Use most features and capabilities of Color.io for free, directly in your browser. Upgrade to a Pro Plan when you need more.

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Join over 100.000 filmmakers, photographers, colorists and artists at all skill levels  who craft their cinematic vision of color with the most widely adapted film emulations and highly regarded color grading tools  across various industries.
Frequently Asked Questions