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Resolve LUT question
I will be grading a Travel Doc next week. The media consists of mainly F3 S-Log footage. The people who shot the footage didn’t use a display Lut so I won’t be getting the LUT from them. I would like to use a basic LUT for the slog to Rec709 conversion. I can’t seem to find any that look good. I also, couldn’t find any from SONY. Also, I’m a bit confused as to how to apply the LUT in resolve. Should I apply it in the conform page or as a node in the color page? Can anyone explain this to me as I am a bit confused.
Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com -
12 Replies
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It really doesn’t matter, as long as you apply it to the output stream. Try this:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13362047/slog%20macgregor_12.cube -
Thanks. The LUT you gave me seems to look best against the other LUT’s I’ve tried. Did you create it? If so which app did you use?
Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com -
No, I did not make this LUT. It was formulated, however, by the author to be the inverse of the published Sony Slog2 LUT.
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The slog that f3 uses and slog2 are not the same.
Jordan I recommend you try, you know, grading the footage. 🙂 slog tends to come out nicely with a bit of curving. Just takes a bit of getting used to. There is an slog 1d curve floating around.
color/post/workflow
https://JuanSalvo.com -
Hey Juan, I have been grading the F3 footage without a LUT. Most shots come out great and my client is very happy. However, I noticed on another project were the DP sent us the LUT’s from the shoot that if I graded without the LUT some shots would feel muddy when I tried to stretch the contrast. When I applied the LUT I was able to grade a much cleaner image and get more out of it. I assumed that the LUT was making a mathematical adjust that I was unable to pull from the LOG color space on my own. I felt that in my search to understand color science better, That using a LUT will get you closer to better graded image. Any advice?
Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com -
Using the appropriate LUT can get you more mathematically close. But “appropriate” is the key word there. Additionally LUTs can be trick and limiting in what they allow you to do before and after they are applied.
LUTs generally speaking are tools specifically crafted for a specific use. But they’re far too frequently misused.
As to the issue with the specific LUT from your DP. You may try using different techniques to get better transforms out of slog. Or use a LUT if you feel confident in what it’s doing. But don’t just start throwing random LUTs on in the hopes one of them sticks. As in, a lut meant for slog2 footage applied to slog 1.
I’m not sure how you’re “stretching your contrast”, dropping lift and raising gain is not the way to delog an image. If you’re not already you may want to try using curves.
color/post/workflow
https://JuanSalvo.com -
That makes a lot of sense. Yes, I definitely use curves if and when I feel appropriate. I will keep what you said in mind as I move forward.
Thanks, J
Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com -
In reality, LUTs are used to properly view an image while being acquired in a particular color definition, like slog, or slog2. There’s no hard and fast rule that says you can’t apply a LUT to a grading process. No LUT will ever be the perfect conversion, but, can provide a starting point that puts you close enough to finish the process. To that end, applying a LUT that seems inconsistent with the capture definition is fine, if it works, or if it leads the colorist to the right answer. Typically, Juan is right. Applying a gamma curve correction is a good start, too.
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From a post I made on the CML RE: LUT’s:
As an old colorist that actually drove a telecine, I always think in terms of what I used to call the “telecine side” and the color corrector side.
Back in the day, I can hear the kids tuning out, you would adjust the telecine first (the PEC’s for Rank, the overall balance and work toward the look) then you would start the correction on the corrector (daVinci, Pogle ect.)
I always, (mostly) when working from LOG, have a Resolve mem(ory) that contains three nodes: 1. PreLUT correction; 2. LUT; 3. Start of correction.
This allows me to bring things out of clip in node 1 if the LUT clips them after, and allows me to balance before the LUT.
RE: Set generated LUT’s – for us old timers a still works as well as a LUT. I like to find my way to the desired look so I know how to make it as flexible as possible. Last film (ARRI LOG) I did I had about 12 LUT’s sent by the DIT and used my one ARRI LUT that has been my go to for a while now. This isn’t ego, just how it works for me, YMMV.
I feel bad for young (new) colorists that have never done best light (from film) dailies, nothing makes you faster or gives you a better understanding of the scopes / monitor relationship. And how to get to a look that the DP emailed to you from a shot on a digital still camera that he adjusted in photoshop. Or actually SPEAKING! with them on the PHONE! The good old days!
I love to hear that the DP will be supervising the grade, as has been my good fortune on the past few movies.
Never get to work with the DP on spots, which works for short form, I think, as the agency has the vision that they want to PAY for.
Back to your regularly scheduled realty programming…….
Clark Bierbaum
Color Grading / Post Consultant
GarnetColor.com
Charlotte, NC -
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