Frequently Asked Questions

Is ShotMatch safe to use regarding copyright?

Color grading (matching, looks, presets, blending, white balance, video grading) is entirely based on traditional color science algorithms. Nothing is generated: your images are transformed by deterministic mathematical operations, and no copyrighted material is produced or referenced in the process.

The AI features are separate, and always labelled as such. AI Suggest, AI Refine, and Prompt-to-Look send your text prompt, and where applicable your image, to OpenAI. What comes back is a set of grading parameters, never generated pixels. Your pixels stay yours, and they are never used to train a model.

You retain full ownership of your uploaded images and the results produced. See the Privacy Policy for what is sent where.

What is Prompt-to-Look?

Describe the look you want in plain language, for example a bleached teal night exterior with warm skin, and ShotMatch turns it into a real color grade you can download as a .cube LUT. Your prompt is sent to OpenAI, which returns grading parameters; the grade itself is then computed by our color engine, so the output is a LUT, not a generated image.

If a prompt is too vague to grade, ShotMatch tells you instead of guessing, and no credits are charged. Try it.

Can I share a look with someone else?

Yes, three ways. Share a preset by link, publish a public profile under a handle that lists the presets you choose, or create a short grading code that anyone can apply.

Sharing is off until you switch it on. What gets published is the color grade and its name, not your source images, and you can unshare a preset, make your profile private, or revoke a code at any time from your account. Details in the Terms.

What is a credit?

One credit = one image processed. Whether you use Natural, Direct, Smooth, or Balanced, each image costs 1 credit.

How much do AI features cost?

AI Suggest and AI Refine cost 2 credits each. These features use AI to analyze your image and generate intelligent color grading suggestions.

Do unused credits roll over?

Yes. Subscription credits roll over from month to month, up to a maximum of twice your monthly allocation (e.g. 2,000 for Pro). Purchased credit packs never expire and have no cap. Credits you have already spent are not refundable, since the processing has been performed. See Cancellation and Refunds for the rest.

Is there an annual billing option?

Yes. All paid plans are available with annual billing at a ~17% discount. You receive your full year of credits upfront. Toggle between Monthly and Annual on the pricing page.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes, you can cancel your subscription at any time. You keep access until the end of your billing period, then the account returns to the Free plan. Your credits stay in your balance, and purchased packs never expire.

One thing to know: stored graded video files are deleted when you drop to Free, because the Free plan has no video retention. The history entries, thumbnails, and LUTs are kept, so you can re-apply a look later, but the rendered videos are gone. Download what you want to keep before you cancel.

What are presets?

ShotMatch ships with 101 ready-to-use Presets. 62 of them are Film: faithful emulations of analog stocks like Kodak Portra, Fuji Velvia, CineStill 800T, Ilford HP5, and many more. The rest are spread across Cinematic (grades inspired by the signature palettes of landmark films), Mood (Golden Hour, Nordic, Dreamy), Era, and Genre. Alongside them are 46 Looks, broader creative grades you can start from. Everything includes a full-range intensity slider so you can dial it from subtle to full-strength. 1 credit per image.

How are film emulation presets made?

Our film presets are derived from sensitometric data (characteristic curves, spectral sensitivity, and dye-density measurements) and calibrated in LAB color space to faithfully reproduce the color response, tonal characteristics, and grain structure of each original emulsion. No guesswork, no screenshots, no "inspired-by" approximations: every preset is grounded in measured data and cross-validated against multiple independent references. The result is noticeably more accurate than typical one-click filters, especially in skin tones, shadow rolloff, and highlight behavior, where cheap emulations fall apart.

Film stock names (Kodak Portra, Fuji Velvia, Ilford HP5, etc.) are registered trademarks of their respective owners. ShotMatch is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Eastman Kodak, Fujifilm, Ilford, or any film manufacturer. Our presets emulate the visual characteristics of these film stocks based on publicly available technical data.

How does multi-reference blending work?

Multi-reference blending is available via the API and the Claude MCP connector. It is not part of the web app. Send 2-4 reference images and blend their color grades together: choose uniform blending, or spatial modes like horizontal/vertical gradients. Costs 1 credit per blend.

What is LUT export?

Export your color grade as a .cube LUT file for use in professional software like DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, or Final Cut. This feature is available on Pro, Business, and Studio plans (2 credits per export).

How much does color analysis cost?

The Analyze feature shows your image's LAB statistics and dominant color palette for 1 credit. Use it to understand your images before applying color grades.

How does video color grading work?

Upload a short video clip (up to 60 seconds) and a reference image. ShotMatch will generate a 3D LUT from your chosen color matching method and apply it to every frame, ensuring perfectly consistent color grading with no flickering. Audio is preserved. Output is MP4 (H.264).

Grading at 4K is available on the Business and Studio plans. On other plans you can still upload a 4K source, and it is downscaled to 1080p before grading.

How much does video processing cost?

Video color grading costs 1 credits per second of video (e.g. a 10-second clip = 10 credits). Available on Pro, Business, and Studio plans. Supported input formats: MP4, MOV, and WebM (1 GB max).

How long are my graded videos kept?

Graded video files are kept for 7 days on Pro, 30 days on Business, and 90 days on Studio. The Free plan does not store graded videos.

When a video expires, the file is deleted but its history entry, thumbnail, and LUT stay, so you can re-apply the same look to a fresh upload. Same thing if you cancel: download what you want to keep first.

Can I use ShotMatch from claude.ai or Cursor?

Yes. ShotMatch ships as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) connector. Add it to claude.ai once (Settings → Connectors → URL https://shotmatch.io/mcp) and ask Claude to color-match shots, export .cube LUTs, and re-apply looks in plain English. The same Bearer key works from Cursor and Claude Code CLI. Read the MCP guide.