---
title: "How to add a cinematic color grade with Claude (tested prompt and ffmpeg command)"
description: "The pale blue holographic backdrop warms to a soft amber cream while the black dropper cap sinks into a cool blue-black, and the contrast eases off so the bright and dark ends sit closer together. Install one skill and ask Claude Code, or run the ffmpeg command we tested yourself."
url: https://www.recharm.com/effects/cinematic-color-grade
---

# How to add a cinematic color grade with Claude

The pale blue holographic backdrop warms to a soft amber cream while the black dropper cap sinks into a cool blue-black, and the contrast eases off so the bright and dark ends sit closer together.

Made by the command on this page, from our own test clip.

## Get this effect

1. ### Switch to Code in your [Claude Desktop App](https://claude.com/download)

2. ### Install the skill (once)

   ```
   Install the Recharm video effects skill: download https://recharm-growth-staging.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/website/downloads/recharm-video-effects.zip and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills
   ```

3. ### Ask for the effect

   ```
   Add a cinematic color grade to input.mp4
   Red tone curve (input/output, 0-1): 0/0.02 0.3/0.25 0.65/0.68 0.85/0.89 1/0.96
   Green tone curve: 0/0.07 0.3/0.32 0.65/0.64 0.85/0.82 1/0.91
   ```

## Several videos, several effects, one ask

Put your clips in the folder, mention them with @, and ask for everything at once. Claude runs one tested script after another on each clip, then joins them.

Add a cinematic color grade to **@clip1.mp4**, put a sale badge on **@clip2.mp4**, give **@clip3.mp4** a VHS look, then join all three with crossfades.

## Settings you can change

Ask Claude to change any of these, or edit them at the top of the command.

| Setting      | Default                                      | What it does                                                                                                            |
| ------------ | -------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `RED`        | `0/0.02 0.3/0.25 0.65/0.68 0.85/0.89 1/0.96` | Red tone curve (input/output, 0-1). Below the original in the shadows, above it in the highlights, for warm highlights. |
| `GREEN`      | `0/0.07 0.3/0.32 0.65/0.64 0.85/0.82 1/0.91` | Green tone curve. Lifted black and lowered white soften the contrast without tinting.                                   |
| `BLUE`       | `0/0.16 0.3/0.41 0.65/0.62 0.85/0.74 1/0.82` | Blue tone curve. Raised in the shadows for cool blacks, lowered in the highlights for warm whites.                      |
| `SATURATION` | `0.9`                                        | Color left after the grade. 1 keeps it all, 0 is black and white.                                                       |

## Without the skill

Don’t want to install the skill? Paste this prompt into Claude Code and Claude writes the command itself.

```
Give all of input.mp4 a cinematic color grade from the first frame to the last: softer contrast, cool blue shadows and warm amber highlights. Use ffmpeg's curves filter with these input/output points (0-1) on each channel: red 0/0.02 0.3/0.25 0.65/0.68 0.85/0.89 1/0.96, green 0/0.07 0.3/0.32 0.65/0.64 0.85/0.82 1/0.91, blue 0/0.16 0.3/0.41 0.65/0.62 0.85/0.74 1/0.82, then eq=saturation=0.9. The pale blue backdrop (around RGB 192, 204, 215) should come out a warm cream (around RGB 203, 200, 185), the black dropper cap (around RGB 36, 36, 37) a cool blue-black (around RGB 30, 47, 65), the purple bottle should stay purple, nothing should be near pure black, and the overall brightness should stay within a few percent of the original. Don't add any text (if you ever do, draw it with Pillow, not ffmpeg's drawtext). Keep the size (540x960), 30fps, the 6 second length and the audio. Encode H.264 yuv420p and save it as output.mp4.
```

## Run it without Claude

This is the exact command we tested. Save it as `cinematic-color-grade.sh` and run:

```
sh cinematic-color-grade.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
```

```
#!/bin/sh
# Cinematic color grade: softer contrast, shadows pushed cool blue and highlights warm amber, like a feature film.
# Usage: sh cinematic-color-grade.sh input.mp4 output.mp4
# Needs ffmpeg.
set -e
IN="$1"; OUT="$2"
# Tone curves as input/output points (0-1). All three lift black and pull white down for softer contrast;
# red and blue cross just above middle gray, so everything darker leans blue and everything brighter leans amber.
RED='0/0.02 0.3/0.25 0.65/0.68 0.85/0.89 1/0.96'    # below the original in the shadows, above it in the highlights
GREEN='0/0.07 0.3/0.32 0.65/0.64 0.85/0.82 1/0.91'  # the plain soft-contrast curve, no tint
BLUE='0/0.16 0.3/0.41 0.65/0.62 0.85/0.74 1/0.82'   # raised in the shadows, lowered in the highlights
SATURATION=0.9   # color left after the grade (1 keeps it all)

ffmpeg -y -v error -i "$IN" -vf "curves=r='$RED':g='$GREEN':b='$BLUE',eq=saturation=$SATURATION,fps=30,format=yuv420p" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -c:a copy "$OUT"
```

## More color looks

- [Apply a LUT **Apply a LUT**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/apply-a-lut)
- [Black and white **Black and white**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/black-and-white)
- [Bleach bypass **Bleach bypass**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/bleach-bypass)
- [Color match **Color match**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/color-match)
- [Color pop **Color pop**](https://www.recharm.com/effects/color-pop)

## Find 3x _winning ads_

Recharm cuts your ad footage into tagged, searchable clips: hooks, testimonials, product shots. Find the shots that win, add the effect with Claude, and ship 3x more ad edits.

[Start 14-day free trial](https://www.recharm.com/get-started)