4 Color Gradient

Creative colour styling and mood grading with the 4 Color Gradient effect — layering a colour look over footage non-destructively with an Adjustment Layer.

Colour Theory

Colour theory is a guide that explains how colours work, mix, and affect the human eye and brain. Film directors, advertisers, and editors all use it to guide the audience's emotions and attention — the same clip can feel romantic, scary, or futuristic just by changing its colours.

Colour is not decoration — it is communication.

The colour wheel

Primary (RGB)

RedGreenBlue

Secondary

Yellow (R+G)Magenta (R+B)Cyan (G+B)

Tertiary

Primary + adjacent secondarye.g. Red-Magenta, Green-Cyan, Blue-Violet

Digital screens use RGB light, not paint — Red + Green makes Yellow on screen.

Warm vs. cool colours

🔥 Warm

Energy & excitement
Warmth & happiness
Nostalgia & comfort
Action & urgency
Romance & passion

Food ads, summer campaigns, action films

❄️ Cool

Calm & peace
Technology & futurism
Mystery & suspense
Sadness & loneliness
Trust & professionalism

Tech brands, sci-fi films, corporate content

Colour and emotion

Every colour has a meaning. Editors choose colours intentionally — never randomly.

RedDanger, passion, urgency, loveAction films, sale ads, horror

OrangeEnergy, warmth, creativity, funFood ads, sports, youth brands

YellowHappiness, optimism, cautionChildren's content, fast food, warnings

GreenNature, growth, health, safetyEco brands, health, finance

BlueTrust, calm, technology, sadnessTech brands, news, corporate

PinkPlayful, youthful, creative, boldBeauty, fashion, lifestyle brands

Colour harmony

Choosing colours that work well together — the most common combinations used in video.

Complementary

Colours directly opposite on the wheel. High contrast and bold.

e.g. Red & Cyan — action movie posters

Analogous

Colours next to each other on the wheel. Harmonious and natural.

e.g. Orange tones — sunset travel ads

Triadic

Three colours equally spaced around the wheel. Vibrant and balanced.

e.g. Red, Blue, Yellow — bold brand design

Monochromatic

Different shades of one colour. Elegant and cohesive.

e.g. Blue tones — corporate and tech content

Colour-Stylised Mood Clip Using 4 Color Gradient

Your task: Create a colour-stylised mood clip using the 4 Color Gradient effect. Choose one of three mood themes:

Retro: dusty orange, faded yellow, muted teal, warm brown — use Multiply or Overlay
Sci-fi: electric blue, deep purple, cyan, black — use Screen or Overlay
Warm Sunset: deep orange, magenta, golden yellow, coral pink — use Overlay or Soft Light

Step 1 — Build your base clip

Place at least 3 different video clips on the timeline, edited using Mark-In (I) / Mark-Out (O). Total duration: 20–30 seconds.

Step 2 — Apply 4 Color Gradient directly (to understand it first)

Open the Effects panel: Window > Effects, then search "4 color" — it's in Video Effects > Generate > 4-Color Gradient
Drag it directly onto a clip on the timeline — the clip is now completely covered by four solid colour blocks (this is expected, with no blending mode yet)
In Effect Controls > 4 Color Gradient, click each of the four colour swatches (Point 1–4, one per corner) and assign a colour from your chosen theme
Adjust the Blend slider — lower values give harder colour zones, higher values a smoother blend. 50–80 works well for most mood clips

Step 3 — Blending mode and opacity

In Effect Controls, find Opacity and the Blend Mode dropdown next to it
Change Blend Mode from Normal to Overlay (brightens light areas, darkens dark areas — the recommended starting point), Screen (brighter, good for sci-fi glows), or Multiply (darker, good for moody/retro looks)
Reduce Opacity from 100% to roughly 60–75% — 100% with a blending mode usually looks too strong
Try at least three blending modes and compare which suits your theme best

Step 4 — Move the grade onto an Adjustment Layer

An Adjustment Layer applies its effects to every clip below it on the timeline, non-destructively.

Go to File > New > Adjustment Layer — confirm settings match your sequence (1920×1080, 25fps) — click OK
Drag the Adjustment Layer from the Project Panel onto V2, above all your footage on V1
Extend it to cover the entire duration of the sequence
Delete the 4 Color Gradient from the individual clip (if you applied it directly in Step 2)
Drag 4 Color Gradient onto the Adjustment Layer instead — assign the four corner colours, set Blend Mode, and set Opacity to around 65%
Press play — the grade now applies to every clip below it at once

Step 5 — Add a text element

Using Essential Graphics (Session 4), add at least one text element that describes the mood or location.

Step 6 — Final check and export

Confirm the footage is clearly visible through the colour grade — not completely covered
Save: Ctrl+S / Cmd+S — file name: YourName_Session8_MoodClip
Export: File > Export > Media > Format: H.264

Common problems and fixes

Problem	Fix
Gradient is covering the footage completely	The blending mode is still Normal — change it to Overlay, Screen, or Multiply
Colour grade looks too strong and unnatural	Reduce Opacity — start at 50% and increase gradually
Four colours look harsh and blocky, not smooth	Increase the Blend slider in the 4 Color Gradient settings (50–80)
Adjustment Layer is affecting the wrong clips	It must be on a higher track than the clips it should affect — move it to V2
Can't find 4 Color Gradient in the Effects panel	Type "4 color" into the search bar at the top of the Effects panel

Footage used in this session

Clips from a wedding shoot — used as practice footage for colour styling and mood grading.

Download All Footage

Keyboard shortcuts

4 Color Gradient and Lumetri Color have no default single-key shortcut — find them by typing their name into the Effects panel search bar, or via Window > Lumetri Color.

Ctrl+Z: Undo a grading adjustment that overshoots

Mac users: swap Ctrl for Cmd.