#OPEN SOURCE LUT GENERATOR HOW TO#
#OPEN SOURCE LUT GENERATOR PROFESSIONAL#

It’s designed to produce a particular look without making any kind of technical transformation.

Unlike a technical LUT, a creative or “look” LUT doesn’t care about accuracy - it cares about aesthetics. It may or may not improve on the subjective aesthetics of an image, but that’s not its purpose - it exists solely as a technical tool.īuilding technical LUTs means that we rely on pure image science for our transformation, with no subjective adjustment added.Ĭreative LUT A Rec 709 image modified by a creative LUT Technical LUT A log image transformed to Rec 709 using a technical LUTĪ technical LUT is designed to produce an accurate, non-subjective transformation from one color space to another. Let’s do a quick review of the differences between technical, creative, and hybrid LUTs, as this will have a significant impact on our approach. What kind of LUT are you building: technical, creative, or hybrid? But if you’re building a LUT for viewing on a web device, for example, you’d want to set up the LUT to return Rec. On the output side, since we usually want our LUT to give us an image properly transformed for display, this will almost always be Rec. It’s also important to note that many cameras allow you to record or output more than one color space, so you’ll need to decide which you prefer before building your LUT.įor example, if you’re shooting on a Sony FS7, do you prefer S-Log2 or S-Log3? Once you’ve confirmed this choice, you’ll be able to select your LUT’s input space appropriately. For example, if you’re shooting on an Alexa, your LUT should be set up to expect Arri Log C/Wide Color Gamut as its color space. This will be dictated by the camera you’re shooting on. What color space will the LUT expect as its input, and what color space will it output? So if, for example, you’re shooting on two different cameras, you’ll need to build a separate LUT for each of them. This includes softening, blur, grain, and any other adjustment that modifies the texture of our image.Ī LUT can only be set up for one input color space, and one output color space. This includes power windows, vignettes, gradients, or any adjustment made based on the spatial attributes of our image. But it’s also important to review what LUTs can’t do so that you don’t waste your time trying to make them! Below is a partial list.

We’ve already discussed the basic utility of a LUT: it allows us to store and share a fixed color transformation for our image. BEFORE YOU STARTĪs you prepare to build your LUT, let’s look at the key questions you need to answer in order to be successful. If you need to brush up, or if you get confused by anything, check out my Essential Guide to LUTs.

#OPEN SOURCE LUT GENERATOR HOW TO#

So in this article, I’m going to show you how to tackle this task without ever leaving DaVinci Resolve.īefore we dive in, I’m going to assume in this article that you have some basic familiarity with LUTs and how they work.

This not only affects the way shots are lit and composed, but it shapes everyone’s expectations for the grade, ensuring that this process feels like a natural continuation, rather than a sudden alteration, of the film’s aesthetics.ĭespite their limitations, LUTs remain the most reliable solution for these needs, and it’s no wonder more filmmakers than ever are interested in creating their own camera or show LUTs. Equally important is the ability to preview the creative intent of the filmmakers prior to final color.

#OPEN SOURCE LUT GENERATOR PROFESSIONAL#

First, since virtually all professional and prosumer-level cameras now capture a larger color space than our displays support, we need a consistent, lightweight, and platform-agnostic way of technically transforming the image for viewing - not only in our final grade, but also throughout the production and post-production phases. Today, LUTs play a more important role than ever in production and post-production workflows.

Open source lut generator