Installing the PixelTools presets is pretty easy, but there are a few steps you are going to want to follow if you’ve never made a PowerGrades folder before. Easy! Just go into the Color Correction Tab > Gallery (in the upper left corner) > click the little split window icon > right click and “Add PowerGrade Album.” This way if you have an amazing orange and teal, bleach bypass, or maybe a desaturated look with a vignette and noise reduction that you don’t want to rebuild inside every project you can them in the PowerGrades folder in the color correction tab. What are PowerGrades? In Resolve, you can save and access pre-built color correction node trees across all projects in a single database. While it doesn’t typically matter what version of Resolve you are using with the PixelTool PowerGrade, you will probably want to make sure you are using Resolve Studio 15 (or higher) or you may miss out on some of the noise reduction or film. If you aren’t sure about the full commitment to purchase for $79.99, you can download eight sample PowerGrade presets to play with by signing up for PixelTools’ newsletter.

Once purchased, the PowerGrade presets can be downloaded immediately.

PixelTool’s PowerGrade V.1 are a set of Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve PowerGrades (essentially pre-built color grades sometimes containing noise reduction, glows or film grain) that retail for $79.99. PixelTool’s presets give you that instant wow of a color grade, sharpening and even grain, but with the flexibility to tweak and adjust to your own taste. This is where PixelTool’s PowerGrade presets for Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve come in to play. They often need (or should) be tweaked to fit the footage you are using. LUTs can sometimes work at getting your footage into an acceptable spot color correction-wise or technically, in the correct color space (the old technical vs. I can sometimes get around a creative block when color correcting or general editing by trying out of the box ideas, like adding a solid color on top of footage and changing blend modes to spark some ideas.Īn easier way to get a bunch of quick looks on your footage is with LUTs (Look Up Tables) and preset color grades. There is also the problem of a creative block. As trite and cliche as it sounds, it’s the truth. After watching hundreds of hours of tutorials, the only answer to getting better at color correction and color grading is to practice. And to be good at one doesn’t necessarily mean you will be good at the other. Color correction and color grading can be tricky (especially for those of us who don’t work as a dedicated colorist).

Davinci resolve power grades