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Explainer

Do I need a conversion LUT before a creative LUT?

Updated

Short answer

Only if your footage is log. If you shot in a log profile such as DJI D-Log or D-Log M, GoPro GP-Log or Protune Flat, Sony S-Log3, Insta360 I-Log or Apple Log, convert it to Rec.709 with a conversion LUT (or your editor's colour management) first, then add the creative LUT. If you shot Normal, Standard or any non-log profile, skip the conversion and apply the creative LUT directly.

Conversion LUT vs creative LUT

  • Conversion (technical) LUT: turns flat log footage into normal-looking Rec.709. It is specific to one camera's log profile. Camera makers publish them for free.
  • Creative LUT: adds a look (teal and orange, moody, faded…) to footage that is already Rec.709. Drone LUTs are creative LUTs.

How to tell if your clip is log

Log footage looks grey, low-contrast and washed out before any grading. Check the colour profile you recorded with in the drone or camera settings: names like D-Log, D-Log M, GP-Log, Flat, I-Log, S-Log or Apple Log mean log. Normal, Standard, Natural, Vivid and HDR video modes are not log.

The right order

  1. Conversion LUT (or colour space transform)
  2. Exposure and white balance
  3. Creative LUT

Each install guide has a Log footage section showing the order in that app, for example DaVinci Resolve.

What is included in our packs

Both packs include a UTILITY folder with conversion LUTs for the original DJI D-Log (Phantom 4, Mavic Pro and generic D-Log), GoPro Protune and generic flat footage. For D-Log M, HLG and other log formats, use the free conversion LUT your camera maker publishes, or your editor's colour management.

Related questions

What happens if I skip the conversion on log footage?

The creative LUT will look washed out and the colours will be wrong, because it expects normal footage.

What if I add a conversion LUT to normal footage?

The image goes far too contrasty and saturated. Only convert footage that was shot in log.

Does HLG need a conversion LUT?

HLG is an HDR format, not log. For standard (SDR) video, set your editor to convert HLG to Rec.709, or shoot Normal or log instead if you plan to use LUTs.

More: What is D-Log M, and how do you colour grade it? · LUT vs Lightroom preset: what is the difference? · LUTs for your drone or camera

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