If you've ever spent an hour perfecting a grade and then wished you could reuse it instantly on your next 30 clips, you want a power grade. They're one of the most underrated tools in color, and CreativePass supports them natively, including the shareable .drx format. Here's what they are and how to use them.
What is a power grade?
A power grade is a saved snapshot of an entire color setup, not just a single slider, but the whole pipeline of nodes, adjustments, and effects that make up a look. Think of it as a recipe rather than a single ingredient. Once saved, you can apply that exact recipe to any other image or clip with one tap, and it rebuilds the full grade instantly.
How is that different from a LUT or a preset?
A LUT is a fixed color transformation: it remaps colors but you can't open it up and tweak the individual steps. A power grade is the opposite: it preserves the editable structure. Apply it, then adjust any node inside it (dial back the contrast, shift the highlights, retune a qualifier) because every part of the grade is still live. It's reusability without losing control.
What is a .drx file?
.drx is the power grade exchange format popularized by DaVinci Resolve. It packages your full node graph into a single shareable file. CreativePass lets you export your saved grades as .drx, which means you can send a look to a collaborator, move it between projects, or build a library of signature grades you reuse across every shoot.
How to create and reuse one in CreativePass
- Build your look in the node editor with curves, wheels, film emulation, grain, halation, whatever defines your style.
- Save it as a power grade so the entire graph is stored as a reusable asset.
- Apply it to a new shot with one tap; the full pipeline rebuilds on the new image.
- Fine-tune per shot. Because the nodes are still editable, nudge exposure or white balance to match each clip.
- Export as .drx to share with your team or back up your library.
Why power grades make you faster
Consistency is what separates a polished project from a patchwork one. Power grades let you lock in a signature look once and carry it across an entire video, photo set, or client brand, cutting hours of repeat work while keeping every shot on-style. They also make collaboration painless: hand someone a .drx and they get your exact look, editable, in seconds.
Start your power grade library
The best colorists rarely start from scratch; they start from a grade they trust and refine. Build yours once, save it, reuse it everywhere.
Create power grades in CreativePass: Download CreativePass on the App Store.