Bold flat bright primary colours for graphic and energetic pop-art style photography.
- XMP · Lightroom Classic, CC & Camera Raw
- .costyle · Capture One
- .cube · 3D LUT (DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro)
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Pop Colour
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Color rendering varies per monitor and camera model. Your photo is not saved.
Character and mood
Pop Colour does exactly what the name suggests. Colours jump forward, flat and bright, without gradations pulling focus away from the subject. The result is graphic, close to a poster. No soft pastels, no quiet atmosphere. This is a preset for photographs that take up space.
The preset targets the saturation of primary colours specifically: red, yellow and blue gain intensity without bleeding into surrounding tones. Contrast is tightened, but shadows stay relatively flat. That flatness is intentional. It makes colours read as separate blocks rather than part of a sense of depth. Highlights are brought down slightly to keep everything on the same visual level. The overall look feels two-dimensional, and that is the point.
Pop Colour works best on photographs with clear areas of colour and minimal texture detail in the background. Street photography with coloured walls, advertising hoardings or neon signs is a natural fit. Portraits in front of a plain bright background respond well. Product photography on a bold coloured surface benefits from the same treatment. Scenes with a lot of natural tones, such as woodland or unedited skin without strong colour contrast, are less suited. The preset needs something to work with.
You reach for Pop Colour when you want a photograph that communicates directly. No interpretation required, no mood to be sensed slowly. The image says something, straight away. That makes it a good choice for social media, campaign visuals or a series where you want a consistent and recognisable look. If you usually work with light, filmic presets, Pop Colour will ask for a different way of seeing. That is not a limitation, that is the intention.
One practical tip: reduce the exposure of your source file slightly before applying the preset. Pop Colour performs better on images that are a touch underexposed. Overexposed highlights do not respond as well to the colour boost and lose their graphic quality. Half a stop less when shooting, or in the basic panel, gives you more to work with.
Installation
Lightroom Classic & CC (desktop)
Unzip the downloaded file on your computer. Open Lightroom Classic and go to the Develop module. Right-click the Presets panel, choose 'Import Presets', and select the .xmp file. The preset appears in your list immediately and can be applied to any photo straight away.
Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom Mobile syncs presets via the cloud. Import the .xmp file into Lightroom CC on your desktop first. Once cloud sync completes, the preset is automatically available on your phone or tablet. An Adobe CC subscription is required for this sync feature.
Capture One
Unzip the file. Open Capture One and navigate to the Styles panel. Click the arrow next to 'Styles' and choose 'Import Style'. Select the .costyle file. The style is available in your library immediately. Works with Capture One version 21 and later.
DaVinci Resolve / Premiere Pro (3D LUT)
Copy the .cube file to your application's LUT folder. In DaVinci Resolve via Project Settings → Color Management → LUT folders. In Premiere Pro via the Lumetri Color panel → Creative tab → Look → Browse. The LUT works on both LOG and standard exposed video footage.
