Final Cut Pro X is one of the absolute most popular video editing platforms around. And for good reason! It’s got an intuitive design, plenty of features and renders final project quickly. Color grading Final Cut Pro X videos, however, is sometimes best done with help.
And there’s plenty of help to go around for this important part of the video editing process.
Below, you’ll find five awesome tools for Final Cut Pro X color grading that you can try today. Three are plugins, one is a LUTs package and the last one… well, the last one you already have!
Check out these tools for coloring grading your Final Cut Pro X videos and get to creating! Or, if you’re not totally tied to Final Cut Pro X, consider these color grading tools that the pros love!
Best Tools for Color Grading in Final Cut Pro X
2 FCPX Color Grading Plugins
Color Finale 2
By far, our favorite plugin for making color grades in Final Cut Pro X is Color Finale 2. This plugin has everything an editor needs. Editors can manipulate color curves, color wheels, HSL curves and vectors. And all of these edits can be applied in layers that can be easily rearranged and themselves manipulated. Plus, Color Finale 2 allows creators to create masks for detailed edits. And, if you’re up to the challenge, you can create and save LUTs that can be used in later videos.
Color Finale 2 is also reasonably priced. It’ll cost you $99 for the basic version or $149 for the pro version. And it’s just a one-time payment. Click here to start a FREE trial of Color Finale 2.
Read our Color Finale 2 review to learn more.
CinemaGrade
CinemaGrade is a color grading plugin that works with Final Cut Pro X. It’s also compatible with Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Some of the main features of CinemaGrade include preset Hollywood film grades, a highly intuitive grading tool right in the viewer, and an intuitive assisted workflow. One downside to CinemaGrade is that it’s only available for Mac users.
There’s a trial version of CinemaGrade for new users to try. If you’re ready to purchase, there are three levels to consider:
- Basic for $69
- Pro for $99
- Filmmaker for $199
For editors looking for a tool that can be used across multiple platforms, CinemaGrade is a top option. You can read our review of Cinema Grade here.
Daniel Schiffer LUTs Package
LUTs are an easy and efficient way to color grade footage. All you need to do is your color correction and the plop on the appropriate LUT to achieve the look you want. Note: understanding the difference between color grading and color correction is essential for editors.
One of our favorite filmmakers and YouTubers is Daniel Schiffer. He was actually our top recommendation for free color grading tutorials. And Daniel not only makes tutorials about the whole video shooting and editing process. He also sells packs of super high quality LUTs. Purchase the looks you love, and you won’t need to worry about ever color grading.
Native Final Cut Pro X Tools
Yep, you might think we’re lame for this one. But, coloring tools in Final Cut Pro X aren’t actually that bad. Especially for beginner editors. While we would recommend going with a plugin like Color Finale 2 over these native tools, it’s not necessary. You can totally make great looking videos with what you have.
We’re currently working on a FCPX color grading tutorial post and video that we’ll be publishing soon. And we’ll make sure to update this post once that tutorial is done!