Master Cinematic Colour Grading with LUTs
Colour grading with LUTs
Take your videos from ordinary to extraordinary with the power of professional colour grading! In this comprehensive guide, we'll dive deep into the world of LUTs, explore their role in achieving stunning cinematic looks, and give you actionable tips for transforming your footage.
Definition of a LUT
Definition: A LUT (Look-Up Table) acts as a powerful colour transformation tool within your video editing software. It provides precise instructions on how to adjust colours for instant results. This works as a 3D cube and each point within the cube has colour information, a standard 35 point cube is 33x33x33 points, or 35,937 points – that's a lot of information!
Understanding How LUTs Work
Under the hood, a LUT works by remapping the input colour values of your video footage to new output values. Let's break it down:
RGB Values: Your video is made up of pixels, and each pixel has a Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) value.
The LUT Cube: A LUT is like a giant colour chart or 3D cube. Each point within this cube represents a specific input RGB colour combination.
Remapping: When you apply a LUT, the software looks at each pixel's RGB value, locates the corresponding point within the LUT cube, and then replaces the original colour with the new output colour defined by the LUT.
Colour Grading Superpowers
Effortless Workflow: You can create intricate colour grades in mere seconds.
Cinematic Style: Replicate iconic film looks and achieve a professional aesthetic.
Visual Harmony: Placing a good quality LUT across the whole project can ensure colour consistency throughout your entire project.
Log Conversion: Effortlessly transform flat Log footage into a display space, for example, transforming Array LogC3 footage into REC709.
Types of LUTs for Your Colour Grading Journey
There are two main types of LUTs: Technical and Creative.
Technical LUTs
The essential foundation for colour grading. These perform colour space conversions for accurate results, for example, going from one colour space to another. They are also helpful in taking several different colour spaces into an intermediate space before transforming into a display space. An example of this would be when you have a timeline of different cameras and want to bring them into a unified colour space to colour grade before sending out to a display space.
Creative LUTs
The optics are nearly endless for customised styles and eye-catching visuals. Choose from vintage film emulations, bold modern looks, and everything in between! There are plenty of options to choose from; however, if the creator doesn't have a good grasp of colour science, then the LUT probably won't yield good results. Opt for LUTs created by established professionals or trusted marketplaces. Huge packs of colour grading LUTs sold cheaply may not deliver great colour grading results.
The Colour Grading Workflow: Using LUTs Effectively
Depending on what kind of LUT you have will depend on where you use it in your workflow.
Technical Luts
These will usually be used at the very beginning of your pipeline or at the very end, as generally, they are for colour space changes.
Creative Luts
The placement depends on the specific LUT. If it incorporates a colourspace transformation (e.g., Arri LogC3 to Rec.709 plus creative adjustments), it goes at the end of the pipeline. However, some focus on specific elements like skin tones or foliage and can be placed accordingly. Others keep the same colourspace for flexibility.
Colour grading and Luts
Its important to remember that as mighty as the LUT can be, they are a long way behind on having a great grasp on the the colour grading process, building the skills needed and having the understanding on the overall process and how the Craft of colour grading fits into the production of the work flow in general. But by combining excellent colour grading practices along with learning the the finer details of the craft handling and even creating Luts will become a breeze and will only elevate your colour grading.
