Flat-looking Log footage needs the right colour transform before you judge its final look. Here’s a simple starting workflow, plus how to avoid applying the wrong LUT twice.
Conversion LUT vs creative LUT
A conversion LUT translates a specific camera Log gamma and colour gamut into a display space such as Rec.709. Match it to your recording settings, not just your camera brand. Log is an encoding curve; Rec.709 is a standard commonly used for SDR video.
A creative LUT adds a look, such as warmer highlights or a film-inspired palette. It still expects a specific input: some creative LUTs expect Rec.709, while others include a Log conversion. Always check the pack instructions.
The Natural Enhanced packs below combine conversion with colour enhancements. They are not simply neutral technical transforms.
A simple three-node workflow
Technical conversion
Log → Rec.709
Primary corrections
Exposure · White balance
Creative LUT
Style · Mood · Film look
- Technical conversion: Apply one transform matching your source gamma and gamut. Explore True Conversion LUTs and select the appropriate variant using its instructions.
- Primary corrections: Balance exposure, white balance and contrast, then match adjacent shots. Use scopes alongside your viewer.
- Creative LUT: Apply a look designed for the image entering this node. Explore Cinematic Film LUTs, check the intended input in the pack instructions, and reduce the LUT strength if needed.
Should corrections come before or after the LUT?
For this simple workflow, place your balancing corrections after conversion and before the creative look. But conversion does not always have to come first: correcting exposure or white balance upstream of a conversion can help avoid clipping or pushing a LUT beyond its intended range. RAW adjustments can also happen before these nodes.
If your editor already converts Log through colour management or an input transform, do not add another Log-to-Rec.709 conversion. Colour-managed workflows can use a different order, including a final display transform.
Camera examples
- Blackmagic: For BMDFilm Gen4 or Gen5 footage, choose the matching version of Blackmagic Natural Enhanced LUT. Then balance the image and add a compatible creative look if needed.
- Sony: For S-Log2 or S-Log3 footage, use the appropriate LUT from Sony Natural LUT Pack. Check the recorded gamut as well as the Log version against the pack instructions.
- Canon: Match C-Log, C-Log2 or C-Log3 footage to its corresponding version in Canon Natural CLog LUTs. Balance the shot before adding further styling.
What if my footage is already Rec.709?
Skip the Log conversion. Make your primary corrections, then apply a creative LUT that explicitly accepts Rec.709. A Log conversion LUT is not a general-purpose look for standard footage.
Quick checklist: Know your source gamma and gamut, convert only once, balance before styling, and check every LUT’s expected input. If highlights clip after conversion, revisit the upstream exposure rather than trying to recover lost detail with a later node.
