Leumos AI is a Colourlab AI alternative for filmmakers who want to import footage, match a selected shot to a reference image, refine the grade, and export video in a browser. Colourlab is worth considering if you want its matching tools inside your existing desktop grading workflow. The useful comparison is how each fits your project, rather than which promises the most automation.
Updated 8 September 2026: Colourlab version and launch information, Leumos availability, matching scope, and plan references checked. This is a documentation-based comparison, not a hands-on review of Colourlab AI 4. I build Leumos AI, so this page has a commercial affiliation.
Colourlab's official announcement gives 10 September for its reveal and 12 September for the public beta. Those are announced dates, not a completed release. Our Colourlab AI 4 buyer guide separates the new features from the questions still awaiting answers. For other approaches, see the Colourlab alternatives roundup.
Where Colourlab AI wins
Colourlab's established desktop products are a closer fit when you want to keep grading inside an editor you already use. Its DaVinci Resolve edition installs a plugin and desktop app, supports Mac and Windows, and works with the free version of Resolve. The vendor describes applying the plugin to a clip and matching to an image without a separate fetch-and-push roundtrip.
That matters if your cut, conform, sound, and delivery settings are already in Resolve. Moving to a separate application is not automatically simpler. This edition also lists ACES, DaVinci Wide Gamut, and camera-space support; check the documented host versions and the exact edition you intend to buy.
These are documented capabilities of the existing product. They do not establish AI 4 compatibility or prove how well either tool will match your footage.
The Colourlab AI trade-off most filmmakers run into
Start with the part of your workflow you actually want to change. Is it installing software, learning grading controls, matching dissimilar shots, or getting a rendered file out? Each problem points to a different alternative.
A browser workspace can suit a filmmaker who wants a separate place to grade a short edit. A plugin can suit an editor who already has everything organised in Resolve. Neither choice removes the need to check exposure, skin, lighting changes, and the result across cuts.
Our earlier version suggested Colourlab required a Mac Studio and described unverified setup delays. Those claims were not supported and have been removed. Test the documented requirements against your own machine; a brand name or a laptop-versus-desktop label is not a performance measurement.
How Leumos AI handles this differently
Leumos is available now as a browser-based color grading studio. The current workflow is:
- Import footage and detect cuts, then review the shots on the timeline.
- Select one shot and use a still image to guide its color, contrast, and overall look.
- Review the result in motion and refine it with the grading controls.
- Grade the other shots individually, then export the timeline.
Reference matching works on one selected shot at a time. Automatic matching of a full timeline is not available in this release. Manual controls and Copy Grade are available, but copying a grade does not make it a new reference match for every shot. The homepage FAQ states the current scope.
Start by matching exposure and white balance between related shots, then judge the creative look. Use a reference that suits the scene's lighting and subject, compare both sides of each cut, and inspect motion before deciding the grade is finished. For the underlying mechanics, see how AI color grading works.
Workflow comparison
| Decision | Colourlab's existing Resolve edition | Leumos AI today |
|---|---|---|
| Where you work | Desktop app and plugin inside Resolve | Browser Studio |
| Reference workflow | Vendor documents matching a clip to an image | Match one selected shot to a still, review, refine |
| Timeline workflow | Remain in the host grading workflow | Grade shots individually and export the timeline; no automatic full-timeline reference match |
| Delivery | Use your Resolve delivery workflow | Rendered video; available resolution, bit depth, and master format depend on plan |
| What to verify | Exact edition, host version, hardware, and media support | Import your actual media and check the selected plan's export and storage limits |
Free keeps footage local without cloud backups; paid plans include cloud footage storage. That storage distinction is not a promise that every processing step stays on your device. For confidential footage, review the privacy policy and your client's requirements before importing media.
Which one should YOU pick?
- You already finish in Resolve: evaluate Colourlab's Resolve plugin alongside the tools you already own. Keeping your existing timeline may matter more than changing applications.
- You want a browser grading workspace: try Leumos on a short representative clip. Check the reference result in motion and the exported file in your intended player or editor.
- You need automatic matching across a whole sequence: Leumos's current reference workflow does not provide that. Evaluate Colourlab's documented existing tools, and treat AI 4's sequence-matching announcement as something to test when accessible.
- You need LUTs, project interchange, or a specialised finishing pipeline: establish the required handoff first. Our alternatives roundup compares tools by what they return.
- You're comparing beyond Colourlab: see our broader fylm.ai alternatives ranking for how a stills-first tool stacks up against video-native ones.
Whichever way you lean, run the trial on the job you actually get paid for, not on a hero frame.
- Wedding: mixed cameras and changing reception lighting, plus one shot where warm practicals and a colored wash land on the same face.
- Corporate or branded: an interview body, a B-cam, a drone establisher and a phone insert in one sequence, so you see how far apart the encodings start.
- Real estate: a kitchen wide and its reverse from the same property, then a clip from last week's listing that the new one has to match.
- Music video: a neon-and-practical setup, which is where automated matching most often picks the wrong neutral.
- Short film: a reverse angle and a difficult skin tone.
A tool that handles one hero frame may still need work across the scene. Also check where the tool has to live: a desktop licence is tied to the machine it is installed on, which matters if you move between an office, a laptop and a borrowed edit suite, and a browser workspace needs a connection instead.
Price comparison
There is no reliable single price for “Colourlab AI” without naming an edition. On 8 September 2026, the Resolve product page listed Creator at $29 monthly or $290 annually and Pro at $49 monthly or $490 annually. The separate legacy pricing page still displayed Ai 3 Creator offers, including a $299 perpetual option. Check the selected product and checkout terms rather than combining different editions into one price.
Those are not verified AI 4 prices. We have not confirmed AI 4 pricing or upgrade terms from the announcement material reviewed.
Leumos's current sale plans are Free, Lite, and Studio. Use the current plan details for prices, reference-match allowances, storage, and export limits. The plan comparison is the maintained source for those numbers. Start with the Free workflow before paying for capacity you have not tested.
Frequently asked questions
Is Leumos AI available to use right now?
Yes. Leumos is available now. You can import footage, reference-match one selected shot at a time, refine the result, and export graded video within your plan's limits.
Can Leumos AI grade log footage like Colourlab AI does?
Yes. Leumos has selectable input transforms for Sony S-Log3, Canon C-Log3, Panasonic V-Log, ARRI LogC3 and LogC4, and Blackmagic Film Gen 5, among others. Choose the profile that matches your recording before refining the grade. A supported log transform does not mean every camera-RAW file can be imported. Normalize the recording with the correct input transform before adding a creative look. The log reference tool lets you inspect published log code values and the exposure error caused by decoding one log format as another.
Does Leumos AI have a Premiere or DaVinci Resolve plugin like Colourlab AI?
Leumos is a standalone browser Studio. If you require a plugin inside your editor, evaluate the relevant Colourlab edition. Exported graded video and editable grade data are different handoffs; decide which your next step needs.
Will Leumos AI handle ACES like Colourlab AI?
Leumos uses ACES-based input and display transforms, including selectable ACES2065-1, ACEScc, ACEScct, and ACEScg inputs. Its current preview transform targets SDR Rec.709. That is color-management support, not a promise of an ACES project interchange or HDR mastering workflow. Colourlab also lists ACES support for its Resolve edition; compare the actual input, working, and delivery settings your project needs.
Is Colourlab AI worth $299 over Leumos AI?
The $299 figure appeared for the legacy Ai 3 Creator perpetual offer on Colourlab's pricing page checked 8 September 2026. It is not an AI 4 quote or the price of every Colourlab edition. Compare the licence and workflow you need against Leumos's current plans, using your own footage rather than assuming a price difference proves quality.
Try the browser workflow
Open Leumos Studio with a short clip and a reference still. Match the selected shot, review it in motion, refine the grade, and check your export before committing a whole project.