CRITICAL GUIDELINES

Windows File Path Requirements

MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths

When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (\) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (/).

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FFmpeg Color Effects

Purpose

Apply professional color grading, LUTs (Look-Up Tables), chromakey (green screen removal), and cinematic color effects to video.

Workflow

1. Analyze Input

ffprobe -v error -show_entries stream=width,height,pix_fmt -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 INPUT

2. Color Effect Presets

LUT Application (3D Look-Up Tables)

# Apply .cube LUT file
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "lut3d=file='cinematic.cube'" OUTPUT

# Apply with intensity control (0-1)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "lut3d=file='vintage.cube':interp=tetrahedral" OUTPUT

Chromakey (Green Screen Removal)

# Standard green screen
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "chromakey=0x00FF00:0.3:0.1" -c:v libx264 OUTPUT

# Blue screen
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "chromakey=0x0000FF:0.3:0.1" OUTPUT

# Fine-tuned green (studio green)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "chromakey=0x00B140:0.25:0.05" OUTPUT

Colorkey (Non-chroma keying)

# Remove specific color
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "colorkey=0xFFFFFF:0.3:0.2" OUTPUT

Green Screen Composite

# Composite foreground over background
ffmpeg -i foreground.mp4 -i background.mp4 \
  -filter_complex "[0:v]chromakey=0x00FF00:0.3:0.1[fg];[1:v][fg]overlay=format=auto" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 18 OUTPUT

3. Cinematic Color Presets

Teal and Orange (Blockbuster Look)

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -vf "curves=b='0/0.1 0.5/0.4 1/0.8':r='0/0 0.5/0.6 1/1',eq=saturation=1.2:contrast=1.1" \
  OUTPUT

Film Emulation (Vintage)

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -vf "curves=preset=vintage,eq=saturation=0.9:brightness=0.02" \
  OUTPUT

High Contrast Noir

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -vf "eq=contrast=1.5:brightness=-0.1:saturation=0.1" \
  OUTPUT

Warm/Golden Hour

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -vf "colorbalance=rs=0.15:gs=0.05:bs=-0.1:rm=0.1:gm=0.05:bm=-0.05" \
  OUTPUT

Cool/Moonlight

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -vf "colorbalance=rs=-0.1:bs=0.2:rm=-0.1:bm=0.15,eq=brightness=-0.1" \
  OUTPUT

4. Color Adjustment Filters

Color Balance

# Shadows (s), Midtones (m), Highlights (h)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "colorbalance=rs=0.1:gs=0:bs=-0.1:rm=0.05:gm=0:bm=-0.05" OUTPUT

Curves Adjustment

# Boost contrast with S-curve
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "curves=all='0/0 0.25/0.15 0.5/0.5 0.75/0.85 1/1'" OUTPUT

# RGB channel manipulation
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "curves=r='0/0 0.5/0.6 1/1':g='0/0 0.5/0.5 1/1':b='0/0.1 0.5/0.4 1/0.9'" OUTPUT

Saturation and Vibrance

# Increase saturation
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "eq=saturation=1.5" OUTPUT

# Selective color boost (vibrance-like)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "hue=s=1.3" OUTPUT

White Balance / Color Temperature

# Warm (increase color temperature)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "colortemperature=temperature=6500" OUTPUT

# Cool (decrease color temperature)
ffmpeg -i INPUT -vf "colortemperature=temperature=4500" OUTPUT

5. Professional Workflows

Spill Suppression (After Chromakey)

ffmpeg -i INPUT \
  -filter_complex "[0:v]chromakey=0x00FF00:0.3:0.1,despill=type=green:mix=0.5[fg]" \
  OUTPUT

Color Match Between Clips

ffmpeg -i source.mp4 -i reference.mp4 \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]colorcorrect=rl=0.1:bl=-0.1:rh=0.05:bh=-0.05[out]" \
  -map "[out]" OUTPUT

6. Parameter Reference

Filter	Key Parameters
chromakey	color, similarity (0-1), blend (0-1)
lut3d	file, interp (nearest, trilinear, tetrahedral)
curves	preset, r/g/b/all channel curves
colorbalance	rs/gs/bs (shadows), rm/gm/bm (mids), rh/gh/bh (highs)
eq	contrast, brightness, saturation, gamma
colortemperature	temperature (Kelvin value)

7. Testing Tips

• Preview first: Use -t 5 to test on 5 seconds
• Check histogram: Add split[a][b];[b]histogram,format=yuva444p[h];[a][h]overlay to see color distribution
• A/B comparison: Use hstack to compare original vs processed

Output

Provide:

1. Complete FFmpeg command for the requested color effect
2. Explanation of color parameters and their visual impact
3. Suggestions for fine-tuning the effect
4. Alternative presets or looks to try
5. Tips for matching footage or maintaining consistency