Color.io User Guide | Core Concepts

In Color.io, tabs allow you to work on multiple color grades in the same window and switch between them easily using the Tab Key [ ↹ ]on your keyboard. Each open scene will have its own tab, making it convenient to work on multiple projects at the same time without having to switch back and forth between multiple windows. A scene can contain multiple images (frames) which are all graded with the scenes settings.

To create a new scene, click the plus icon [ + ] next to the Scene Tabs at the top right of the main canvas. Once you have multiple scenes open, you can switch between them by clicking on the tabs or using the keyboard shortcut "Tab ↹".

Additionally, you can rearrange the order of your scenes by dragging and dropping them into the desired position, or you can delete a scene by clicking on the down arrow icon [ ᐁ ] located on the tab and choose "Delete Scene".

In summary, scenes in color.io contain multiple images or frames that share the same grade. Scenes provide an organized and efficient way to work on multiple color grades in the same window, allowing you to switch between tabs with ease.

Pro Tip: Scenes are a powerful way to compare multiple color grades on the same image. Just open the same image in two scenes and quickly compare different grades by switching between tabs using the Tab Key.

The Color.io app is a powerful online tool for color grading images. It allows you to open multiple images inside a single scene and perform color grading on multiple images at the same time.

In color.io, images are referred to as "Frames".

To load frames into the Color.io app click "Open Images" in an empty scene or click the "Plus Icon" [ + ] at the bottom right of the viewport, next to any frames you have already opened. This will open a new window where you can load multiple images from your disk. You can also drag and drop images anywhere onto the app interface. You can repeat this process to load multiple images into the same scene. Once you have loaded multiple images into a scene, the app will display the selected images in an automatically laid-out grid. You can perform color grading on this multi-image preview collage to quickly get a sense of how well a look performs on a variety of different photos or shots. The color grade applied to the frames will be the same for all images in the scene.

To cycle through all the loaded frames in a scene, you can use the left/right keyboard arrow keys. This will allow you to preview each image and make any necessary adjustments to the color grading.

Press the Delete Key ⌫ on your keyboard to delete any currently selected images from a scene.

Frames in the Color.io app provide a convenient way to create looks that work across multiple images. By using the left/right keyboard arrow keys, you can easily cycle through all the loaded frames in a scene and make adjustments as needed.

Pro Tip: When you have multiple frames selected such that they are displayed in a grid, the app will automatically perform a batch export of all selected images at full size when you go to Export -> Save Image.

Color.io features a 3D color space preview that allows you to visualize your color grades in a  three dimensional point cloud.

To access the 3D color space preview in the Color.io app, click the cube icon in the top bar. This will open a 3D point cloud model, also known as a LUT cube, that adjusts its shape to reflect the three-dimensional color transform of your current grade. The cube represents the full range of colors in your grade. As you make adjustments with the tools, the shape of the point cloud will change to reflect the new color transform state.

You can rotate the camera around the 3D color space by clicking and dragging with your mouse, and you can zoom in and out to inspect the color grade more closely. Using the 3D color space preview is like having a much more advanced histogram. It gives you a clear visual representation of the color distribution and smoothness of your looks and makes it easier to see the effects of your color grading adjustments.

The 3D color space preview in the Color.io app is a powerful tool that provides an intuitive and interactive way to visualize color grades. Whether you're a professional color grader or just starting out, the 3D color space preview will help you get an intuitive understanding of the mathematical transform operations of the color models and tools in color.io.

Pro Tip: When you're working with a tool and you don't see an immediate effect on the image, it's likely because the image does not have any colors that fall into the range that the current tool affects. When you switch to the 3D LUT visualizer you will immediately see what color ranges are affected by each tool. This is a great way to ensure that your color grades will work on many images, a hallmark feature of any great and reusable look or film emulation preset.

To bypass your currently applied color grade simply click and hold the pointer down for 1 second anywhere on the viewport.

Click on the "Split Screen" icon at the top right of the viewport to activate a before and after view of your current image. Use your pointing device (mouse, pencil, finger) to swipe between the ungraded (left) and graded (right) version of the image.

Both the before/after toggle and split screen view work on single images and multi-frame collages.

Pro Tip: To save a before/after image that showcases your color grading work, simply activate the split screen view before exporting your image.

In Color.io, every change you make during color grading is recorded in the history timeline, which is located at the top of the color grading panel. The history timeline records every action you take in the order that you take them, and you can use the timeline to step back in time and undo or redo any changes you've made. The timeline in color.io is non-linear. The main difference between linear history and non-linear history is that non-linear history allows you to branch off from the main timeline and experiment with different ideas without losing your previous work. This is useful when you're working on a complex project and want to try out different ideas without losing your progress.

Good to know: Branches are indicated by varying color bars in the timeline. When you go back in time and make a change, a new history entry is appended to the end of the timeline in a different color. Until you branch again you are now recording history steps in the alternate color (just like this line of text).