User Guide - AI Color Match
Match colors between images and copy the color grade of any movie
Match the color, brightness and contrast of a reference image or movie frame with Color Match AI. Color.io helps you copy looks from films, creative references, and kickstarts your inspiration to nail your next color grade.
The process is of copying the color and contrast from one image to another, often called color transfer, is easy with Color.io: Open the Color Match AI Effect in the Color.io App. Here you select which image or still frame you want to copy the colors from. Click on the image and the AI will begin the extraction process.
- Import Reference: Click the folder icon or drag and drop custom reference images you want to match color or contrast of
- Color Transfer: Click a reference thumbnail to initiate color matching. Two sliders (Color and Tone) appear for fine-tuning.
- Color Slider: Adjusting Color will affect how much of the hue and saturation are matched between the images. If you only want to match brightness and contrast you can turn this all the way down.
- Tone Slider: Adjusting Tone affects how much the brightness and contrast are matched. You can unlink color and tone by clicking the button between the sliders for individual control.
Never trained on your data: Color Match AI in Color.io works entirely offline and on your device. Color.io uses novel Spectral Reprojection Mapping to analyze and extract color grades from images and transfers them to your own. This process does not require uploading your images to the cloud or compromising your privacy or copyright. Spectral Reprojection has no concept of your images semantic meaning as it only operates in the color domain of source and target images. This proprietary and patent pending method outperforms most state-of-the-art models in accuracy, performance and ethics.
1. Import Source Image
Drag and drop the image you want to edit into Color.io. If you want to create a LUT that matches the look of a film, import one or multiple frames from your source video. You can also copy and paste frames and image from the clipboard via CMD/CTRL + V
2. Import Reference Image
The reference image can be a photo or movie frame you want to copy the colors or brightness/contrast from. Drag and drop it into the Color Match AI Effect in Color.io or click on the folder icon to load.
3. Fine Tune the Color Match
Depending on your preference you can extract colors and brightness/contrast from a reference image or only match the color or the contrast for dramatically different results and creative freedom.
Here’s an example that compares:
- The original image (top left)
- A full color transfer (bottom left)
- A tone-only match where only the contrast and brightness from the reference image are copied (top right)
- A color-only match where only the hue and saturation of the reference image were transferred (bottom right)
Order of operations: Color match is evaluated and processed last, after any other edits to the image have already been done. When you make changes to the source image, like changing the input color space or dramatically adjusting exposure, make sure to re-match if you want the most accurate result. Manual edits, presets and color matching play together in dynamic ways that are best understood when working with the tools a bit to get a feel for it.
4. Matching with Reference Images and Scopes
For advanced color grading and more precise control, Color.io lets you open any reference image in a dedicated popup window with its own histogram and video scopes (waveform, vectorscope, RGB Parade). This makes manual color matching significantly easier and more accurate, especially for professionals working to match client footage to a film reference or emulate a specific cinematic look.
- Right-click (or long press on mobile) on any reference image in the Match AI library
- Choose “Open As Reference” to launch the reference viewer
- The image opens in a popup window with its own waveform, histogram or scopes, displayed separately from your current working image
- You can now compare scopes side-by-side to match brightness levels, contrast ratios, RGB balance and color distribution with precision
Tip: You don’t need to use AI Color Match to open an image in the reference viewer. The reference image library is simply a convenient way to keep all your visual references organized—whether you’re using them for AI-powered color matching or opting for a fully manual grading workflow.
Pro Tip: Combine Scope Matching with Creative Tools. While AI color matching offers a fast starting point, true cinematic color grading is an art that benefits from hands-on control. Use the waveform scopes from your reference image as a guide to fine-tune exposure, contrast and saturation with Color.io’s extensive manual grading tools and film emulation presets. Whether you’re manually matching color using waveform analysis or building a stylized look from scratch, Color.io gives you the tools to craft professional color grades with both speed and creativity. Remember: Creativity is not generated — it's made.
With Color.io you can edit images and build 3D LUTs with a powerful online raw developer and analog film look designer for photographers and filmmakers. Craft stunning film color in record time that works for any camera, in any software and on any device, directly in your browser.
