Video LUTs, also known as Look-Up Tables, are indispensable tools in the realm of video editing. They empower creators to achieve consistent and visually captivating color grading in their projects. By utilizing pre-defined mathematical formulas, video LUTs enable you to instantly transform the overall look and atmosphere of your footage. Whether you’re an amateur or a seasoned editor, this comprehensive guide aims to provide you with the knowledge and techniques necessary to effectively leverage video LUTs (especially those from Framecamp 😉), enhancing your videos and creating visually stunning narratives.
Understanding Video LUTs
To embark on your journey with video LUTs, it’s important to comprehend their purpose and functionality. Video LUTs are essentially presets designed to facilitate color grading. They offer a way to achieve specific looks, moods, and visual aesthetics in your footage. Operating on the basis of mathematical calculations, LUTs map input colors to desired output colors. These LUTs come in various formats such as .CUBE, .3DL, and .LOOK and can be implemented using video editing software.
There are several types of LUTs available for video editing. While the exact categorization may vary depending on different sources and contexts, here are some common types of LUTs:
> Technical LUTs: used for technical corrections and adjustments in video footage. They can help with color correction, white balance adjustments, and gamma correction.
> Creative LUTs: designed to provide artistic and stylistic enhancements to your videos. They offer a wide range of looks and moods, allowing you to achieve specific aesthetic styles, cinematic effects, and creative grading styles. Creative LUTs often create unique visual atmospheres and evoke particular emotions.
> Film Emulation LUTs: designed to replicate the look and feel of various film stocks. They aim to recreate popular film stocks’ characteristics and color profiles from different eras, enabling you to achieve a vintage or nostalgic look in your videos.
> Log Conversion LUTs: specifically designed to convert footage shot in a logarithmic (log) color space to a more visually appealing and vibrant color space. Professional video cameras commonly use color profiles to capture a more comprehensive dynamic range. Applying a log conversion LUT can transform the flat-looking log footage into a more appealing and graded image.
> Camera-Specific LUTs: tailored to specific camera models or brands. These LUTs are optimized to work with particular cameras’ color science and color profiles, ensuring accurate and consistent color grading results.
Finding the Perfect LUTs
When it comes to sourcing LUTs, a multitude of online platforms cater to your needs, providing both free and paid options. Framecamp platform offers a wide range of LUTs tailored to different styles and genres. It is crucial to consider factors such as the desired mood, color scheme, and lighting conditions in your footage while selecting LUTs that align with your creative vision.
Experimenting and Customization
While LUTs offer a convenient and efficient way to enhance your footage, they may not always be a one-size-fits-all solution. Therefore, it is crucial to experiment with different LUTs and explore their parameters to achieve the desired results. Most video editing software provides options to adjust the intensity or opacity of the applied LUT, allowing you to strike the perfect balance and achieve your desired visual aesthetic.
Creating Personalized LUTs
For more advanced users, the ability to create custom LUTs adds a personal touch to your videos. This involves starting with a single frame or a short clip and meticulously editing it to achieve the desired look. Once satisfied, you can export the color grading settings as a LUT, enabling you to consistently apply your unique style across multiple projects or share it with others.
Utilizing Multiple LUTs
In certain scenarios, a single LUT may not fully accomplish the desired outcome. This is where the technique of layering multiple LUTs comes into play, offering greater control and customization possibilities. By starting with a base LUT to establish the overall mood, you can then apply additional LUTs to fine-tune specific aspects such as skin tones or shadows, allowing for a more nuanced and refined visual result.
LUTs and Color Correction
It is important to note that while LUTs primarily focus on color grading, they may not address other fundamental aspects of color correction such as exposure and white balance. Therefore, before applying a LUT, it is crucial to ensure that your footage undergoes adequate correction to optimize the overall visual quality and cohesiveness.
Applying LUTs in Video Editing Software
Most contemporary video editing software provides support for applying LUTs, although the specific steps may vary slightly across different platforms. Please follow this guide for the most popular platforms.
VN Video Editor (Mobile)
Installation
- Extract the ZIP file with the LUTs that you downloaded after your purchase.
- Download and open the free VN Video Editor Maker mobile app.
- Tap a blue plus button on the right bottom of the app.
- Swipe right to a Creation Kits tab and click Filters > My Filter.
- Click New Folder and rename it to Framecamp LUTs
- Click Import Filter at the bottom of the app, select all LUTs that you have extracted and press Open.
Usage
- Create new project clicking on New Project.
- Select your footage and click blue button in the bottom right corner.
- Click on Filter tab and select the LUT of your choice.
- For the best experience, adjust the settings as following:
> Intensity – Adjust intensity according to your scene and taste
> Temperature slider – It is important to set the right white balance in order for our presets to work best.
> Exposure slider – Adjust exposure according to your scene and taste. Try to avoid over and underexposure.
> Contrast slider – Adjust according to your scene and taste.
Premiere Pro
Installation
- Extract the ZIP file with the LUTs that you downloaded after your purchase.
- Copy the Framecamp LUTs to the respective folder:
macOS /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Creative
Windows C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative
Usage
- Open Adobe Premiere Pro, import your footage and click on a clip on your Timeline.
- Open the Lumetri panel (Window > Lumetri color) and look for the Creative tab.
- Open the Look dropdown menu and select the LUT of your choice.
- For the best experience, adjust the settings as following:
> Intensity – Adjust intensity according to your scene and taste
> Input LUT – Our presets were developed using Rec.709 colorspace. If you shoot on any other color space (Blackmagic Film, S-LOG etc.) you will need to transform it by using Input LUT dropdown menu in the Basic Correction section. Refer to your camera manufacturer’s support page to download Rec.709 transform LUT.
> Temperature and Tint slider – It is important to set the right white balance in order for our presets to work best. Adjust the tint in order to achieve the best skintones. You can use WB Selector tool to balance the image from neutral white or gray parts of the image.
> Exposure slider – Adjust exposure according to your scene and taste. Try to avoid over and underexposure.
> Contrast slider – Adjust according to your scene and taste.
DaVinci Resolve
Installation
- Extract the ZIP file with the LUTs that you downloaded after your purchase.
- Click on the settings in the bottom right corner and go to Color Management.
- Click on Lookup Tables > Open LUT Folder
- Create Framecamp folder and copy the extracted Framecamp LUTs to the destination folder.
- In the Color Management tab click Update Lists and Save.
Usage
- Our LUTs were developed using Rec.709 colorspace. If you shoot on any other color space (Blackmagic Film, S-LOG etc.) you will need to transform it by going to Effects > Resolve FX Color > Color Space Transformation. Select the Input Color Space and Gamma according to your camera and set both Output settings to Rec.709. Create new node for other steps.
- To apply our LUTs go to the Color tab in the middle bottom part of the screen.
- Right click on a node, go to LUT and select a LUT of your choice.
- For the best experience, adjust the settings as following:
> Gain – Adjust gain to change LUT intensity according to your scene and taste. Press on Key tab, go to Key Output section and adjust Gain.
> Temperature and Tint slider – It is important to set the right white balance in order for our presets to work best. Adjust the tint in order to achieve the best skintones. You can use White Balance tool to balance the image from neutral white or gray parts of the image.
> Primaries – Adjust exposure according to your scene and taste using Primary Color Wheels. Try to avoid over and underexposure.
> Contrast slider – Adjust according to your scene and taste.
Final Cut
Usage
- Extract the ZIP file with the LUTs that you downloaded after your purchase.
- Open Final Cut Pro, import your footage and click on a clip on your Timeline.
- Open the Effects browser panel on the right side of the screen, select the Color category, click on Custom LUT.
- Navigate to Video Inspector Window, Click Choose Custom LUT
- Import Framecamp LUTs.
- For the best experience, adjust the settings as following:
> Intensity – Adjust Mix slider according to your scene and taste
> Camera LUT – Our presets were developed using Rec.709 colorspace. You will need to transform your camera image to Rec.709 color space by pressing Info buton at the top of the inspector panel, clicking Metadata View and choosing General. Click the Camera LUT and choose option according to your camera.
> Temperature and Tint sliders – It is important to set the right white balance in order for our presets to work best. Adjust the tint in order to achieve the best skintones. You can use Eyedropper tool to balance the image from neutral white or gray parts of the image.
> Exposure – Adjust exposure according to your scene and taste. Try to avoid over and underexposure.
> Contrast – Adjust according to your scene and taste.
After Effects
Installation
- Extract the ZIP file with the LUTs that you downloaded after your purchase.
- Copy the Framecamp LUTs to the respective folder:
macOS /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Creative
Windows C:\Users\”user”\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative
Usage
- Open Adobe After Effects, import your footage and click on a clip on your Timeline.
- Open the Effects & Presets panel (Window > Effects & Presets) and search for the Lumetri Color effect. Double-click or drag it on to your clip.
- Go to the Creative tab, open the Look dropdown menu and select the LUT of your choice.
- For the best experience, adjust the settings as following:
> Intensity – Adjust intensity according to your scene and taste
> Input LUT – Our presets were developed using Rec.709 colorspace. You will need to transform your camera image to Rec.709 color space by using Input LUT dropdown menu in the Basic Correction section. Refer to your camera manufacturer’s support page to download Rec.709 transform LUT.
> Temperature and Tint slider – It is important to set the right white balance in order for our presets to work best. Adjust the tint in order to achieve the best skintones. You can use WB Selector tool to balance the image from neutral white or gray parts of the image.
> Exposure slider – Adjust exposure according to your scene and taste. Try to avoid over and underexposure.
> Contrast slider – Adjust according to your scene and taste.
Conclusion
Video LUTs serve as powerful tools that can elevate your video editing workflow and enable you to achieve professional-grade results. By developing a solid understanding of LUTs, exploring different options, and honing your customization skills, you can unlock a world of creative possibilities. Embrace the art of color grading with video LUTs and embark on a journey of visually captivating storytelling. Happy editing!