Awesome video! I used to use the camera LUT dropdown because it was convenient, but I ran into the issue you described. Nowadays I put the RAW footage in a compound clip first before I do any editing. That way, I can always put the camera LUT along with any color grading adjustments and audio mixing inside the compound clip and have all the effects appear on any timeline/multicam clip where I use the compound clip. It's an extra step before editing but I find the benefits later on to be huge!
Thank you! That's a good workaround but a bit tedious, I'd say. If you don't mix cameras, why not put an adjustment layer over the whole timeline? However, if you have a lot of mixed media, I'd suggest you create an effects preset carrying all the effects in the order you need with the LUT at the end. That's the way I do it with a skeleton-signal chain. :)
I'm not sure if I understand you correctly but the effects in the inspector behave a little bit like layers in Photoshop, yes. But also, it's something entirely different.
@@iamericlenz it's just more convenient for the stuff I do! I work with green screen content a lot and I edit the main sequence according to the production scripts without keying the green screen first. Once the sequence is approved, I then can go into the compound clip for the raw footage, key it and put in a background. This workflow also allows me to very easily swap out the background as needed.
Thanks for the vid Eric! Quick one. I have log videos from iphone pro 15, does it make sense then to disable auto applied Camera LUT in FCP and then add the Custom LUT effect to each video with AppleLogToRec709-v1.0.cube (made by Apple) manually after any color correction adjustments (I would like to lower exposure and tweak WB for example)?
I wrote that down. Yeah, there is a bit of confusion out there. Very quick in a nutshell: Colour space override doesn't do anything to your clip, it just overrides metadata. It is used to tell all the tools what a particular clip is. You don't really need it if you adjust everything natively in FCP's ProRes RAW settings. Take the last bit with a grain of salt, I haven't verified that. But as far as I can recall that's how I think it works. Though, if you make a RAW to log conversion, you shouldn't need to bother setting the colour space override. I hope that helped a bit. But again, I wrote that down. That would be an important video.
No, I meant just log footage. ProRes RAW has special RAW settings in FCP. In there, you can output a RAW to log conversion. But I just wrote that down. I'll create a video on that one. :)
Hi Eric, thank you again for another excellent clip. I have a question for you. If you add an adjustment layer above the video clip, and in that adjustment layer you add a custom LUT, for the hierarchy, does Final Cut process that first, and then the adjustments in the video clip below after - or is it the other way around - it applies the adjustments made to the video clip first, and then applies what is in the adjustment layer above the clip after? And finally, where abouts in the hierarchy would you add the sharpening feature (below the LUT/ or the final stage of the hierarchy) - thanks so much!
Inspector top to bottom and timeliine bottom to top. You can find some helpful graphics in the guide I wrote: ericlenz.photography/assets-and-resources/p/free-colour-grading-guide
I have one question. I got your cam2rec luts and i want to use HLG for sony, do i need to be using sony HLG with the colour mode set to bt2020 and not 709 in camera? also thanks again for these wildly helpful videos!
What would be a good way to expose with log without using an out to preview it? I'm very new to log footage. How does one expose for it without using a lut that could damage the data?
When using a LUT on your camera or monitor, you don't destroy information as long as you don't bake it in. However, I usually go for exposing for my highlights, because more often than not, I want to preserve the highlights in my scene. S-Log 3 (which I use) clips at 93% so I don't expose anything I care about brighter than 90%. That's my way to go but I'm not a DP so take that with a grain of salt. :D
Have you done any videos on the proper approach to working in Wide Gamut rec2020 PQ in FCPX using log footage? Would love to see what you think is the best approach for working with sLog and R3D files working behind a LUT. I would imagine you would need to create Luts specifically for rec2100 PQ right? I know with R3D there are plenty of ways to control exposure in the RED RAW controls panel, but would love to see your take on that stuff.
You should check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/bLUO2jnyvvw/v-deo.html Also, LUTs for HDR is a non-trivial topic and I haven't done any proper research on that.
Ok so this brings up a question for my current workflow. As of right now I edit my videos. then place an adjustment layer on top of the video. Then I go into each CLIP (below the adjustment layer in my timeline) and adjust exposure, contrast, color, saturation etc. Then I finish with putting a new adjustment layer ABOVE the other one to create a "look". Is this not the best thing to do? In theory my "conversion LUT" would be below my color adjustments (assuming I understand Final Cut Pro correctly).
but now that I think this through more, the "color adjustments" I am questioning, that I do. is literally done on the log footage itself. So am I good or not? Its happening to the log footage but in theory its stacked below the conversion LUT layer in timeline
@@iamericlenz I think working with ACES eliminates the LUT as you won't use it anywhere in the process. so totally agree with you, don't apply LUTS pre grading.
Thank you! Very good explanation! I use the Camera Lut only for importing and editing. After picture lock i disable them and color it. Seems like that was a good decision:-) Can I ask for a specific Video? Did u ever use Color Finale Pro? I wonder what the current version has still missing from DaVinci. Like what cant be achieved in Final Cut Pro? I have the feeling i get pretty far already. In one Video u said u normally use DaVinci too…maybe a comparison could be super interesting!
Thank you so much! You were absolutely right! Short backstory, I worked as a freelance colourist and I know the ins and outs of Resolve's colour page but I just cannot use it for anything other than colour. Since I wanted to make UA-cam content, I adapted all my knowledge to Final Cut Pro because Final Cut Pro is my absolute favourite NLE. I tried colour finale and I do see its usefulness but I could grade a short film only using FCP's built-in tools without missing too much. Masking is a bit lacklustre compared to colour finale but other than that, I found it slows me down more than it helps me. In general, I hate plugins that open separate windows and user interfaces. That just breaks the flow for me too much. I might do a video on that, but I think I cannot add a ton of value to that discussion since my points are super subjective. If I'd do a video, I'd want to do a proper assessment but I just don't have the time for that at the moment. There are other plugins that I use on a daily basis that do so much more for me. Dehancer, for example. (Not sponsored) I know, it comes with a decent price tag but it's the best one-stop-shop for film emulation I have seen to date. So if I want to make videos on third-party tools, I'd focus on my favourites first. I hope this makes sense. If more people start asking about it, I would make it, though. First and foremost I want to provide resources that help people create. So if you want to see a video on colour finale, you can surely petition me to do so :D
Hey! If you want to deliver in Rec.709, you should, yes. You can do it manually but there is really no need to do it manually if you have a quality LUT. :)
Enjoying watching your videos! Have you thought about creating a longer form video on color grading from start to finish? I’d love to see it and it’d be great to direct viewers to at the end of a video ✅✅
Thank you! Not yet. I will do it in the future, but I want to get the basics out so I can reference them. If you want a comprehensive overview, I have a 2-hour training with 4 hands-on projects. :) You can find it here: colour4creators.com
@@iamericlenz Great idea! Thanks I’ll check it out. Keep up the great work! P.S I also requested a HLG 3 correction lut for Sony if you could make one for that too!
@runliftuk Thanks, I’ll try my best to get the missing Cam2Red LUTs out asap. I’m going on vacation in two weeks and I have to pre-produce some videos, too. Let’s see if I can pull it off somehow. :D
What I've read online that disagrees with your point: "The Camera LUT applied in FCP’s Inspector (Extended Settings) acts as an interpretation layer and doesn’t bake into the footage. It’s more like a "view transform". This is very different from how it works in Resolves node based grading where subsequent adjustment won't have access to the original LOG signal. In FCP, even if adjustments are made after a LUT, they’re still calculated in the context of the original LOG data due to its 32-bit floating-point processing. This makes the workflow inherently more forgiving. So the conventional way is to do a camera LUT first (in the inspector) and a creative LUT late in the signal chain".
The issue i find with this method is that it introduces noise into the shadows. Where as putting the LUT in the inspector doesn't. Can you tell me why this happens?
If you apply the LUT first (like the camera LUT), your resulting image will appear less noisy because you cannot really bring the shadows back. If you try it anyway, you will only stretch the available information. If you make your adjustments before the LUT, you can bring back much more information, but in there will be more noise. To counter this effect, make sure you keep an eye on your black levels when bringing up the shadows. It might feel like an additional step but if you get used to this workflow, you'll have access to so much more usable dynamic range. Again, to get rid of the noise a bit more adjust the black level. That way you can hide the noise in the shadows, just as putting the LUT first would do. However, this comes at the cost of usable dynamic range.
@@iamericlenz For example; The newer Sony's will allow you to import a "preview" (monitoring/user) LUT. This gives you the ability to see exactly how the video will look when your LUT is applied in post. Additionally, there's an option to "bake-in" the LUT. The LUT is applied in-camera where little post production is needed. I'm not sure if I explained this correctly as I'm just a beginner. ua-cam.com/video/c-E94Il0SCk/v-deo.html
No, it would be the exact same. Rec2020 is only the colour space (Gamut), what occurred in the video is due to gamma encoding. If you were referring to HDR, it would be less noticeable but it would still happen. So, a HDR environment would be a little more forgiving (if your LUTs are properly designed) but at the end of the day, LUTs stay destructive, no matter SDR or HDR.
@@iamericlenz I know about the difference between colour spaces and HDR. Yet, I bet the "destructive" effect of a decently designed camera LUT (especially those that are built-in into Final Cut Pro) won't be visible at all in Rec.2020 HLG, for example. Perhaps you should try it out?
@TheKeeperoftheGarden I got you. The built-in LUTs are more forgiving, yes. But still, you’re just shifting the boundaries. It might not feel destructive because you have much more room to work with. But still, the very nature of LUTs is destructive. It is mathematically not possible for information outside a LUTs range to pass through the LUT. That won’t work. What you’re describing is just a lot more wiggle room due to a larger colour space. I hope that makes sense. :)
You can use "Camera LUT" if correction LUT also corrects exposure, for example Alister-V-Look-V3-S-Log3. It is always better to use LUT for this than Color Wheels.
I'm afraid, this is not correct. Even if the LUT has a built-in exposure correction, the destructive nature of the LUT is still at play. You cannot access all the information your footage contains after a LUT is being applied, that doesn't work. I addressed this in this video: ua-cam.com/video/yrdMW9jJ4xg/v-deo.html Second, there is no difference between a built-in exposure correction and adjusting the offset with the colour wheels (before the LUT). The exposure shift inside the LUT is just that, too. I addressed this in this video: ua-cam.com/video/KyuUMbkSmDk/v-deo.html Hope that helps :)
Top-most adjustment layer gets processed last. So, if you want to use the same LUT for your entire project, you can put it on an adjustment layer above the clips. :)
@@iamericlenz Hi Eric, I actually tried this out recently, and you’re absolutely right-it works exactly like that. The order is just inverted, with adjustments being applied from the timeline upwards. However, I never apply a LUT adjustment layer over the entire project. Instead, I group clips together by location or lighting conditions. For example, I’ll use an adjustment layer with a LUT for scenes shot in one room, or for a set of clips filmed outdoors under similar weather conditions. When shooting these clips, I fix the white balance and lock the exposure with the same shutter speed. During editing, this approach allows me to keep a consistent white balance across scenes and only adjust brightness occasionally for individual clips. This way, I can work efficiently with adjustment layers and LUTs, without needing to apply LUTs to every single clip individually. It yields pretty solid results without too much hassle. Also, following your advice, I’ve started applying the Camera LUT manually at the very end through the Effects section, rather than using Final Cut Pro’s standard method. That change has been a total game-changer for me! It’s improved my color grading significantly, and I always had doubts about the default approach because it “baked in” the colors right at the start of the grading process. Now, I have much more control, and the results are way better. Thanks again for your insights-they’ve been really helpful! Best regards, Patrick
Perhaps tangential but are similarly labeled camera luts equal? Example. I shot S-Log 3 / S-Gamut3.Cine I add this in the FCP Inspector. Using the same clip duplicated and the LUT not added in the Information tab instead download from Sony's site and add it using Custom LUT. The exposure looks different. This is odd. I've done no other processing or corrections. At that point, they should match. Perhaps this is an issue in FCP. Perhaps FCP Camera LUT doesn't actually match the manufacturer's LUT. The camera LUT in FCP should look no different than the camera LUT from the manufacturer without any other processing.
No, just like with everything. Nothing is what it says on the box, haha :D FCP's built-in LUTs are a bit more accurate. As far as I can tell, they resemble an actual colour space transformation. Sony's Manufacturer LUT on the other hand is a hot mess. The different exposures you're seeing is just a difference in the gamma functions. In other words, the LUTs have different gamma curves. If you haven't already, give my Cam2Rec LUTs a try. I tried to provide a neutral colour space transformation LUT. I'll do a video on them tomorrow or on Friday. :)
@@iamericlenz That's a MAJOR bit of information. Certainly worth doing a video on this. One would think one could trust Manufacturer's LUTs. I'll have a look at yours for sure.
No, I use the proper colour space transformation LUT with the Custom LUT effect and then I grade before the LUT. This video might help: WHERE does the LUT go? ua-cam.com/video/yrdMW9jJ4xg/v-deo.html
Your teaching style is second to none, Eric. Thank you for continuing to upload some of the best educational videos on FCPX & color theory!
Wow, thanks! It'll only get better from here!
Serge sent me here. Amazing content. I have learned so much in these 9 minutes I was here. Subscribed!
Glad to hear it! Thank you so much!
This is the most important, ground breaking video on this topic I have ever seen. This changes everything. I can’t thank you enough.
Glad it was helpful! Thank you!
I am a total noob in color grading and was a true revelation. Thanks so much!
Happy to help! I assume you can now adjust your exposure easily and peacefully. :D
Eric you bring so much knowledge and freshness, the fact that this channel is free is wonderful thank you 😀
Watched the whole thing as always. So insightful and so clearly explained. And yes I’ve been there applying the LUT first😆 Thank you Eric
You're the best! Thank you!
What about delivering in HDR?
Awesome video! I used to use the camera LUT dropdown because it was convenient, but I ran into the issue you described. Nowadays I put the RAW footage in a compound clip first before I do any editing. That way, I can always put the camera LUT along with any color grading adjustments and audio mixing inside the compound clip and have all the effects appear on any timeline/multicam clip where I use the compound clip. It's an extra step before editing but I find the benefits later on to be huge!
So is this similar to Photoshop where you are using a new layer for your colour grading etc?
Thansk
Thank you! That's a good workaround but a bit tedious, I'd say. If you don't mix cameras, why not put an adjustment layer over the whole timeline?
However, if you have a lot of mixed media, I'd suggest you create an effects preset carrying all the effects in the order you need with the LUT at the end. That's the way I do it with a skeleton-signal chain. :)
I'm not sure if I understand you correctly but the effects in the inspector behave a little bit like layers in Photoshop, yes. But also, it's something entirely different.
@@iamericlenz it's just more convenient for the stuff I do! I work with green screen content a lot and I edit the main sequence according to the production scripts without keying the green screen first.
Once the sequence is approved, I then can go into the compound clip for the raw footage, key it and put in a background. This workflow also allows me to very easily swap out the background as needed.
Thanks for the vid Eric! Quick one. I have log videos from iphone pro 15, does it make sense then to disable auto applied Camera LUT in FCP and then add the Custom LUT effect to each video with AppleLogToRec709-v1.0.cube (made by Apple) manually after any color correction adjustments (I would like to lower exposure and tweak WB for example)?
I hav me my LUT on a adjustmentlyer. Is it before or after?
Thanks a lot for the explanation, Eric! ✨ I really enjoyed your Signal Chain course⭐And made sure that conversion LUTs were now at the end! 👍🏻
My pleasure! Thank you for taking the course, I hope you could learn something! :) Thank you for your support! :)
This is going to revolutionize all the editing workflows in FCP. I did it wrong,also. Thank you
You're welcome! I hope you have much fun discovering all the dynamic range your footage can offer now! :)
@@iamericlenz Thank you again,Eric
a video for prores raw footage in fcp and the signal chain would be nice (color space overide)
This is what i thought was meant by log . Yeah i do the lut log to panisonic raw log. Hmm
I wrote that down. Yeah, there is a bit of confusion out there.
Very quick in a nutshell:
Colour space override doesn't do anything to your clip, it just overrides metadata. It is used to tell all the tools what a particular clip is. You don't really need it if you adjust everything natively in FCP's ProRes RAW settings.
Take the last bit with a grain of salt, I haven't verified that. But as far as I can recall that's how I think it works. Though, if you make a RAW to log conversion, you shouldn't need to bother setting the colour space override.
I hope that helped a bit. But again, I wrote that down. That would be an important video.
No, I meant just log footage. ProRes RAW has special RAW settings in FCP. In there, you can output a RAW to log conversion. But I just wrote that down. I'll create a video on that one. :)
@@iamericlenz i will refer to what you say. Thank You
Thank you for the tutorial and luts
My pleasure! Thank you for watching and picking up the LUTs! :)
Hi Eric thanks for the advice. Does it also apply to contrast and any adjustments we can do with your effect ?
Yes, this applies to everything. :)
Hi Eric, thank you again for another excellent clip. I have a question for you. If you add an adjustment layer above the video clip, and in that adjustment layer you add a custom LUT, for the hierarchy, does Final Cut process that first, and then the adjustments in the video clip below after - or is it the other way around - it applies the adjustments made to the video clip first, and then applies what is in the adjustment layer above the clip after? And finally, where abouts in the hierarchy would you add the sharpening feature (below the LUT/ or the final stage of the hierarchy) - thanks so much!
Inspector top to bottom and timeliine bottom to top. You can find some helpful graphics in the guide I wrote: ericlenz.photography/assets-and-resources/p/free-colour-grading-guide
I have one question. I got your cam2rec luts and i want to use HLG for sony, do i need to be using sony HLG with the colour mode set to bt2020 and not 709 in camera? also thanks again for these wildly helpful videos!
BT 2020 and for everything in FCP, watch this video:
ua-cam.com/video/bLUO2jnyvvw/v-deo.html
What would be a good way to expose with log without using an out to preview it? I'm very new to log footage. How does one expose for it without using a lut that could damage the data?
When using a LUT on your camera or monitor, you don't destroy information as long as you don't bake it in.
However, I usually go for exposing for my highlights, because more often than not, I want to preserve the highlights in my scene.
S-Log 3 (which I use) clips at 93% so I don't expose anything I care about brighter than 90%. That's my way to go but I'm not a DP so take that with a grain of salt. :D
Have you done any videos on the proper approach to working in Wide Gamut rec2020 PQ in FCPX using log footage? Would love to see what you think is the best approach for working with sLog and R3D files working behind a LUT. I would imagine you would need to create Luts specifically for rec2100 PQ right?
I know with R3D there are plenty of ways to control exposure in the RED RAW controls panel, but would love to see your take on that stuff.
You should check out this video: ua-cam.com/video/bLUO2jnyvvw/v-deo.html
Also, LUTs for HDR is a non-trivial topic and I haven't done any proper research on that.
Ok so this brings up a question for my current workflow. As of right now I edit my videos. then place an adjustment layer on top of the video. Then I go into each CLIP (below the adjustment layer in my timeline) and adjust exposure, contrast, color, saturation etc. Then I finish with putting a new adjustment layer ABOVE the other one to create a "look". Is this not the best thing to do? In theory my "conversion LUT" would be below my color adjustments (assuming I understand Final Cut Pro correctly).
but now that I think this through more, the "color adjustments" I am questioning, that I do. is literally done on the log footage itself. So am I good or not? Its happening to the log footage but in theory its stacked below the conversion LUT layer in timeline
Great channel!
Thank you! :)
So editing colour in ACES mode with Color Finale will short this out or create the same issue, I wonder?
I don‘t know how Color Finale is structured internally, but I don‘t think you‘ll run into the same issues. You can test it to know for sure though. :)
@@iamericlenz I think working with ACES eliminates the LUT as you won't use it anywhere in the process. so totally agree with you, don't apply LUTS pre grading.
yo wtf that's great video and amazing LUTs!
Thank you
gl hf
Thank you! Very good explanation! I use the Camera Lut only for importing and editing. After picture lock i disable them and color it. Seems like that was a good decision:-)
Can I ask for a specific Video? Did u ever use Color Finale Pro? I wonder what the current version has still missing from DaVinci. Like what cant be achieved in Final Cut Pro? I have the feeling i get pretty far already. In one Video u said u normally use DaVinci too…maybe a comparison could be super interesting!
Thank you so much!
You were absolutely right!
Short backstory, I worked as a freelance colourist and I know the ins and outs of Resolve's colour page but I just cannot use it for anything other than colour. Since I wanted to make UA-cam content, I adapted all my knowledge to Final Cut Pro because Final Cut Pro is my absolute favourite NLE.
I tried colour finale and I do see its usefulness but I could grade a short film only using FCP's built-in tools without missing too much. Masking is a bit lacklustre compared to colour finale but other than that, I found it slows me down more than it helps me. In general, I hate plugins that open separate windows and user interfaces. That just breaks the flow for me too much.
I might do a video on that, but I think I cannot add a ton of value to that discussion since my points are super subjective. If I'd do a video, I'd want to do a proper assessment but I just don't have the time for that at the moment.
There are other plugins that I use on a daily basis that do so much more for me. Dehancer, for example. (Not sponsored)
I know, it comes with a decent price tag but it's the best one-stop-shop for film emulation I have seen to date.
So if I want to make videos on third-party tools, I'd focus on my favourites first. I hope this makes sense. If more people start asking about it, I would make it, though. First and foremost I want to provide resources that help people create. So if you want to see a video on colour finale, you can surely petition me to do so :D
Привет 👋 Обязательно ли переводить в rec709?
Hey! If you want to deliver in Rec.709, you should, yes. You can do it manually but there is really no need to do it manually if you have a quality LUT. :)
Enjoying watching your videos! Have you thought about creating a longer form video on color grading from start to finish?
I’d love to see it and it’d be great to direct viewers to at the end of a video ✅✅
Thank you! Not yet. I will do it in the future, but I want to get the basics out so I can reference them. If you want a comprehensive overview, I have a 2-hour training with 4 hands-on projects. :) You can find it here: colour4creators.com
@@iamericlenz Great idea! Thanks I’ll check it out.
Keep up the great work!
P.S I also requested a HLG 3 correction lut for Sony if you could make one for that too!
@runliftuk Thanks, I’ll try my best to get the missing Cam2Red LUTs out asap. I’m going on vacation in two weeks and I have to pre-produce some videos, too. Let’s see if I can pull it off somehow. :D
@@iamericlenz thanks! Enjoy your vacation!
i am here after watching Serge Video, you are amazing and helpful. (Subscribed) :)
Welcome aboard! :)
should creative LUTs be applied before or after the log to rec709 conversion lut?
I addressed this question in this video: ua-cam.com/video/H1dWwYlmGu4/v-deo.html
This will help you out. :)
@@iamericlenz thanks! will check it out
@@iamericlenz just finished watching. thank you. glad to see I've been doing it the way you recommend in the video.
Thank You!!!
Thank you too! :) You're welcome :)
Very intresting. I always use the lut and yes ive pulled my hair out w exposure saturation and contrast issues between clips. Maybee y 🤷Thank You
Glad it was helpful! All of this is stuff from the past now! :)
@@iamericlenzSerge sent me. So where does noise reduction like neat video fall in the column? Another video!🎉Thank You
@@DroseMr Noise Reduction should go first, so at the very top of your inspector. :)
@@iamericlenz Thank you🫶
What I've read online that disagrees with your point: "The Camera LUT applied in FCP’s Inspector (Extended Settings) acts as an interpretation layer and doesn’t bake into the footage. It’s more like a "view transform". This is very different from how it works in Resolves node based grading where subsequent adjustment won't have access to the original LOG signal. In FCP, even if adjustments are made after a LUT, they’re still calculated in the context of the original LOG data due to its 32-bit floating-point processing. This makes the workflow inherently more forgiving. So the conventional way is to do a camera LUT first (in the inspector) and a creative LUT late in the signal chain".
The issue i find with this method is that it introduces noise into the shadows. Where as putting the LUT in the inspector doesn't. Can you tell me why this happens?
If you apply the LUT first (like the camera LUT), your resulting image will appear less noisy because you cannot really bring the shadows back. If you try it anyway, you will only stretch the available information.
If you make your adjustments before the LUT, you can bring back much more information, but in there will be more noise.
To counter this effect, make sure you keep an eye on your black levels when bringing up the shadows.
It might feel like an additional step but if you get used to this workflow, you'll have access to so much more usable dynamic range.
Again, to get rid of the noise a bit more adjust the black level. That way you can hide the noise in the shadows, just as putting the LUT first would do. However, this comes at the cost of usable dynamic range.
@@iamericlenz what a fantastic explanation, thank you!
Is this true with a "preview" LUT vs "baked-in" LUT?
I don't really know what you mean. It is similar to a baked-in LUT, yes, if that is what you're asking. :)
@@iamericlenz For example; The newer Sony's will allow you to import a "preview" (monitoring/user) LUT. This gives you the ability to see exactly how the video will look when your LUT is applied in post. Additionally, there's an option to "bake-in" the LUT. The LUT is applied in-camera where little post production is needed. I'm not sure if I explained this correctly as I'm just a beginner. ua-cam.com/video/c-E94Il0SCk/v-deo.html
You were using a Rec.709 environment... Does the same "destructive" adjustment happens in Rec.2020? I have a feeling it won't...
No, it would be the exact same. Rec2020 is only the colour space (Gamut), what occurred in the video is due to gamma encoding.
If you were referring to HDR, it would be less noticeable but it would still happen. So, a HDR environment would be a little more forgiving (if your LUTs are properly designed) but at the end of the day, LUTs stay destructive, no matter SDR or HDR.
@@iamericlenz I know about the difference between colour spaces and HDR. Yet, I bet the "destructive" effect of a decently designed camera LUT (especially those that are built-in into Final Cut Pro) won't be visible at all in Rec.2020 HLG, for example. Perhaps you should try it out?
@TheKeeperoftheGarden I got you. The built-in LUTs are more forgiving, yes. But still, you’re just shifting the boundaries. It might not feel destructive because you have much more room to work with. But still, the very nature of LUTs is destructive. It is mathematically not possible for information outside a LUTs range to pass through the LUT. That won’t work. What you’re describing is just a lot more wiggle room due to a larger colour space. I hope that makes sense. :)
You can use "Camera LUT" if correction LUT also corrects exposure, for example Alister-V-Look-V3-S-Log3. It is always better to use LUT for this than Color Wheels.
I'm afraid, this is not correct. Even if the LUT has a built-in exposure correction, the destructive nature of the LUT is still at play. You cannot access all the information your footage contains after a LUT is being applied, that doesn't work.
I addressed this in this video: ua-cam.com/video/yrdMW9jJ4xg/v-deo.html
Second, there is no difference between a built-in exposure correction and adjusting the offset with the colour wheels (before the LUT). The exposure shift inside the LUT is just that, too.
I addressed this in this video: ua-cam.com/video/KyuUMbkSmDk/v-deo.html
Hope that helps :)
What are the implications with using adjustment layers? You put color adjustments and LUT in the correct order directly on the clips.
Top-most adjustment layer gets processed last. So, if you want to use the same LUT for your entire project, you can put it on an adjustment layer above the clips. :)
@@iamericlenz Hi Eric, I actually tried this out recently, and you’re absolutely right-it works exactly like that. The order is just inverted, with adjustments being applied from the timeline upwards. However, I never apply a LUT adjustment layer over the entire project. Instead, I group clips together by location or lighting conditions. For example, I’ll use an adjustment layer with a LUT for scenes shot in one room, or for a set of clips filmed outdoors under similar weather conditions.
When shooting these clips, I fix the white balance and lock the exposure with the same shutter speed. During editing, this approach allows me to keep a consistent white balance across scenes and only adjust brightness occasionally for individual clips. This way, I can work efficiently with adjustment layers and LUTs, without needing to apply LUTs to every single clip individually. It yields pretty solid results without too much hassle.
Also, following your advice, I’ve started applying the Camera LUT manually at the very end through the Effects section, rather than using Final Cut Pro’s standard method. That change has been a total game-changer for me! It’s improved my color grading significantly, and I always had doubts about the default approach because it “baked in” the colors right at the start of the grading process. Now, I have much more control, and the results are way better.
Thanks again for your insights-they’ve been really helpful!
Best regards,
Patrick
It’s essentially to video what gain staging is to audio
Pretty much, yes! :)
Perhaps tangential but are similarly labeled camera luts equal?
Example.
I shot S-Log 3 / S-Gamut3.Cine
I add this in the FCP Inspector.
Using the same clip duplicated and the LUT not added in the Information tab instead download from Sony's site and add it using Custom LUT.
The exposure looks different. This is odd.
I've done no other processing or corrections. At that point, they should match.
Perhaps this is an issue in FCP. Perhaps FCP Camera LUT doesn't actually match the manufacturer's LUT.
The camera LUT in FCP should look no different than the camera LUT from the manufacturer without any other processing.
No, just like with everything. Nothing is what it says on the box, haha :D
FCP's built-in LUTs are a bit more accurate. As far as I can tell, they resemble an actual colour space transformation. Sony's Manufacturer LUT on the other hand is a hot mess. The different exposures you're seeing is just a difference in the gamma functions. In other words, the LUTs have different gamma curves.
If you haven't already, give my Cam2Rec LUTs a try. I tried to provide a neutral colour space transformation LUT. I'll do a video on them tomorrow or on Friday. :)
@@iamericlenz That's a MAJOR bit of information. Certainly worth doing a video on this. One would think one could trust Manufacturer's LUTs. I'll have a look at yours for sure.
camera LUTs are ok for basic editing. Get rid of them when it's time to color correct
Correct 👊
so don't use a camera lut, but then grade EVERYTHING yourself? That will take forever
No, I use the proper colour space transformation LUT with the Custom LUT effect and then I grade before the LUT. This video might help: WHERE does the LUT go?
ua-cam.com/video/yrdMW9jJ4xg/v-deo.html