Colour grading can be the make or break element to a video project, having the ability to change the atmosphere of a scene entirely. Grading a video can be a tedious and time consuming process which takes weeks at a time, so having tools to make this process easier should not be taken for granted. One of the tools professionals use are known as ‘Colour Look Up Tables’ or ‘LUTs’ for short. Today we’re going to explain the two different types of Video LUTs, and at what point they should be used in your colour grading process.
Conversion LUTs
One of the most commonly used LUTs is know as a ‘Conversion LUT’. These are typically used to covert flag LOG footage into a Rec. 709 colourspace. Used right at the start of the colour grading process, conversion LUTs bring the life-like colours back into your footage. This takes the hassle out of having to convert the grey/flat tones found in LOG footage back to life manually. Most camera brands make a LUT to convert their style of LOG footage back to Rec. 709.
Creative LUTs
Now that we have converted our footage back to a Rec. 709 colourspace, we can start getting creative with the editing style and colours of our clips. This is where our second type of LUT comes into play. ‘Creative LUTs’ are exactly what their name states, they help to add a creative/stylised look on top of our footage. So whether that be a golden hour sunset look, or a moody nighttime atmosphere, there is probably a LUT out there to help.
Understanding how and when to use LUTs in your colour grading process will help you tremendous amounts in your future as a filmmaker. So be sure to experiment with both different conversion and creative LUTs to try and find your own house style to refine over time.
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