Look Studio

Create or import

New Looks start with A0 · Default. Choose another of the 35 Base Looks, including ST5 · Afterglow, from the Base Look menu. Built-in Looks start with 100% Grain and 25% Dust; imported Looks keep their saved values. To open a Look from 16MM or one you made here, choose Import → From a link and paste its link. You can also import older Studio Look files.

Name your Look at the top. Choose New for a fresh Look, or Import to bring one in. Use Undo and Redo to revisit changes. Choose Reset adjustments in the Base Look menu to return to that base’s starting settings.

Customize the cover

Choose the small cover beside your Look’s name. Swipe or drag the cards to choose colors, or use the previous and next buttons. The centered card previews your Look. You can also focus the stack and use the left and right arrow keys.

Then choose its Pattern: Solid, Linear, Mesh, Bloom, Aurora, Emulsion or Rays. Colors and Pattern work together: changing the colors keeps your pattern. Choose a direction or New variation to explore another arrangement. Solid uses the first color in your chosen preset. The cover preview stays visible while you adjust it.

Choose Default to restore the standard artwork. Use This Cover applies the cover you are previewing; closing the window discards the cover changes. Undo restores the previous cover.

Your cover identifies the Look in your collection. A subtle grain texture gives it the same finish as the other Look tiles. It does not change the grade or use your reference photo. Covers stay in your browser draft and shared Look link.

A compatible version of 16MM displays the cover on your personal Look card and keeps it when you refine, save or share the Look. Share Look includes your cover automatically.

If your app cannot open the link, update 16MM and try again. A Look without custom artwork uses the default tile. Afterglow needs a version of 16MM that supports Afterglow.

Arrange your workspace

Choose Texture, Light, Curves, Color or Mix above the tools. Tabs stay visible when they fit; a narrower panel uses a section menu.

When the picture and tools sit side by side, drag the divider to give either side more room. Double-click it to restore the automatic width. With the divider focused, use the left and right arrow keys; hold Shift for finer changes. Home restores the automatic width, and End gives the tools the most room available. Studio remembers your panel width in this browser.

Shape the picture

Texture contains Grain, Dust, Vintage, Vignette and Fade, in that order. Fade lifts dark tones and softens contrast; it starts at zero. Vintage combines tone, quieter color and glow for a different finish. Use Light and Color for the overall picture, Curves for light and dark, and Mix for individual colors.

Drag a control to preview changes, or tap its number to enter a value. On a phone, tap Done to finish typing and return to the picture. Reset returns a control to its starting value. Undo and Redo let you revisit edits.

In Color, choose Shadows, Midtones, Highlights or Global to work on one wheel at a time. Global tints the whole picture. Bypass pauses a wheel’s effect. Reset clears it, and Undo brings it back. In Curves, choose a starting shape or move a point, then fine-tune its value.

Color grade strength blends your creative color changes and Fade. Grain, Dust, Vintage and Vignette keep their values.

Work with individual colors

In Mix, choose Select color. Tap or click the photo to select a color, including white, gray or black. Hold and drag for a magnified view, then release to select. The cursor becomes an eyedropper while selecting. With a keyboard, focus the photo, move the sample point with the arrow keys, and press Enter to select. Hold Shift for finer movement; Escape cancels.

Choose a square to edit that target. The wheel shows its hue, or brightness for neutral tones, and the surrounding range. Drag the marker to move the target. With the wheel focused, arrow keys move the target; Shift makes finer changes. Hue and Saturation work only on color targets. Use Luminance to adjust brightness and Density to deepen color. Both also adjust neutral tones.

Below the wheel, Range includes nearby hues for colors or nearby brightness levels for neutral tones. Neutral ranges can include muted colors too. Strength controls how much your adjustments apply. These controls stay expanded. Turn on Show affected to inspect the selection.

For neutral tones, use Luminance for gentler brightness changes or Density for stronger darkening or lightening. A narrow neutral range with Density can flatten nearby brightness differences or reverse their order.

Change color replaces the selected target. Use + to add another, or Remove color to remove it. Undo restores a removed selection and its adjustments. You can keep up to eight selections. Older Looks retain their existing color adjustments. Use Light or Curves for overall changes to black-and-white tone.

Choose and compare a picture

Use Choose Photo above the picture. Swipe or use the arrows to preview the reference cards, then choose Use This Image. You can also tap the centered photo to use it. Choose Upload Photo for your own photo. Closing the chooser keeps the current photo. Your photo keeps its original proportions and stays in this browser. It is a reference for creating your Look, with no cropping needed.

Use the Compare slider to see the original. Use the control on the picture to switch between Landscape and Portrait for supplied references. Above the picture, turn Scopes and Live Texture on or off. Scopes shows a histogram, waveform and vectorscope. The photo, orientation and scopes stay out of your Look link.

On a phone, the picture and Compare stay visible while you adjust the tools. When the top actions scroll out of view, a bottom bar offers Undo, Redo and Share Look. It slides away when you scroll back. Tap or click the picture to see it full screen. Close it to return to the same place in your edits. Turn your phone sideways to put the picture beside the tools.

Find a direction in your photo

Open Base Look and choose Suggest Looks to explore cinematic starting points shaped by the photo’s light, color and possible scene. Compare the previews with the original, then choose Use this Look to keep editing. Undo returns to your previous Look.

Analysis runs in your browser. Your photo is not uploaded or included in a shared Look. The first use downloads about 180 MB of analysis tools, which the browser can cache for later use. Preparing suggestions may take longer on a phone. Close the window to cancel; your current Look stays as it was.

Bring it into 16MM

1. Choose Share in Look Studio.
2. On iPhone, choose Open in 16MM to bring the Look into the app.
3. On a computer, use Share or Copy link to send the link to your iPhone, then tap it there.

Studio Looks require a compatible version of 16MM. If the link stays in your browser, copy it and open Looks in the app. Tap + in the Looks header. iOS may ask for permission to read the copied link.

Preview and adjust the Look in the app, then tap Save New Look to add it to My Looks. Your camera settings stay as they are. Use the app’s existing adjustment tools, then share its link back to Studio to continue. A compatible app preserves Studio’s Fade and Mix settings, including neutral selections, through import, save, export and sharing. Continue editing those settings in Studio. Your Studio settings and app adjustments stay editable. Links contain Look settings, with no reference photo, footage or camera setup.

Studio checks whether your Look fits in a link as you edit. If it exceeds the limit, your edits stay here. Simplify some changes or shorten the name, then share again.

Know the preview

The supplied photos are generated references. Use your own photo or the chart to check light and color. The preview gives a still-image approximation with moving Grain and Dust. Use Live Texture above the picture to turn Grain and Dust motion on or off. This preview setting works across the tools and stays out of your Look link. Browser color and rendering can differ from the app. Shoot in 16MM to judge movement and the finished film.

If a reference fails to load, Studio keeps your last picture and Look settings. Select it again to retry.

Keep your Look

No account needed. Studio tries to restore your latest draft from this browser when local storage is available. Browser storage can be cleared, so keep your shared Look link. If the browser can’t save a draft, Studio shows one notice. Your current edits stay available; choose Share Look to keep a copy. Uploaded photos stay in the browser and out of the link.