Adjustment Layer

An adjustment layer is an empty, see-through clip placed on an upper track whose only job is to carry effects that then apply to all video below it for its duration. It holds no image of its own. Editors use adjustment layers to apply a color grade, film-grain, vignette, sharpening, or LUT across an entire sequence at once, rather than pasting the effect onto every clip individually. Trim the layer and the effect covers only that span; stack several for layered looks. This keeps grading non-destructive and easy to revise: change the effect once on the layer and every shot underneath updates. It is a staple of efficient finishing workflows in Premiere and After Effects, and has equivalents in most modern NLEs.