Log Footage Color Management: Convert First, Then Add a Look

Why order matters with log footage: a creative look on raw S-Log3 stays flat, then setting the Footage input transform converts the clip to Rec.709 underneath the look. Log exposure trims it in stops, and the grade leaves as a 33-point .cube LUT.

Color grading tutorial · chapter 8 Log Footage, Color Spaces and LUTs Explained What a log curve and a wide gamut do, how colour management turns them into normal video, and what a 3D LUT can and cannot carry. Read the chapter →

Key moments

1. 1 Log as recorded , starts at 0:00
2. 2 The input transform , starts at 0:13
3. 3 Export as a LUT , starts at 0:30
4. 4 Try it yourself , starts at 0:36

Transcript

Log as recorded 0:00

1. 0:02 Raw S-Log3: the waveform sits in a narrow band and the vectorscope trace is small, because nothing is encoded for display yet.
2. 0:05 A creative look applied to log still looks muddy: the look expects Rec.709 input.

The input transform 0:13

1. 0:13 Setting Footage to S-Log3 / S-Gamut3.Cine converts the input first; the look now sits on normal contrast and colour.
2. 0:18 Log exposure trims the clip in stops before the conversion, and the whole waveform moves together.
3. 0:24 Split compare against the original log shows the conversion and the look together.

Export as a LUT 0:30

1. 0:30 The grade can leave as a .cube; 33 points per axis suits most looks.