DaVinci Resolve Film Look LUTs - How to Apply PROPERLY!

[@EvanSchneider]

Hope this helps you make some tasty grades! Let me know if you have any questions!

[@colinyoung6919]

Hey Mate, The links dont seem to be working. Looking at "my luts" and "super 8"

[@Maxiixam20]

Which LUT did you use for the talking head sections of this video where the camera is on you? Really great video by the way!

[@singhgentleman]

The best tutorial on how to use Kodak LUT in DR. It has been a big pain point for me and spent many hours trying to figure it out. You nailed it. Thank You So Much.

[@EvanSchneider]

So good to hear, my goal was to make it as simple as possible! Thank you

[@victorsakshin]

Thank you so much Ewan, this video is really clear! I followed all the steps exactly as you suggest and worked amazingly… ONLY, I have a little issue, when I export the video it comes out WITHOUT THE LUT! 😅 I guess I’m missing some very basic step but I can’t quite figure out what… some help on that would be highly appreciated!

[@oliverhales]

So comprehensive yet straight to the point, thank you!

[@europhile2658]

This is very good! I've recently looked at a couple of other videos that explain how to do this, they are very good but not as compact complete and detailed a yours. I particularly like the tip about reading the LUT files.

[@EvanSchneider]

That was my goal! Thanks for the comment.

[@retrohorrorthrills]

Great stuff. My problem is using the cineon and doing exactly what you did except I'm using Canon Log, it makes the footage look great but way noisier for some reason. Lowering the key output helped quite a bit. Part of the issue is working with 8 bit log footage I'm thinking.

[@mr.spaceshiptechno]

Great Tutorial! For those who just join videography, it is important to expose your video properly before you head into davinci to do color correction!

[@PeteEdmunds]

Perfect thank you. I have some normal non-log footage from my drone, and now I can see which nodes I need to add to create a film look.

[@gage-films]

The way color grading sucks, more especially when yo don't get things right, this video is a great blessing indeed and on a Christmas Day. you nailed it bro👌👌👌

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it was helpful! Color grading can definitely be tricky.

[@akouirouk]

Such a great informative video! I had trouble with my GoPro footage looking too dark when I applied any LUT from the Film Looks library, and this definitely helped fix that. Thanks Evan!

[@lululucaschae]

I've watched so many videos and this one hit home. Thank you so much!

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad to hear!

[@reyvaz2951]

Saludo my friend from Puerto Rico, I want to thank you for your excellent work, explaining how to work with this fabulous program. Back in the days I use to work with FCP 7, I quit for several reason, the change of FCP 7 to X was part of the reason, at that time, we did not had this type of information at our disposal, this program has made me want to do this type of work again and haveing a person like you to help us, its a blessing, I hope you continue helping this community and thank you so much!! You do a great job sir.

[@haddonhousefilms]

Great video. Ive watched 4 on this topic. Yours covers everything while others left out a good bit of this information. Thanks.

[@davidlavalleejr]

This was the most concise tutorial I've seen on this subject. Thanks for sharing!

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks! That was the goal!

[@WhoIsAlexElliott]

wow I was totally doing what you said not to do, massive difference !!!

[@EvanSchneider]

hahaha glad I could help! Makes your footage look much better!

[@DaishaView]

Amazing thank you so much! I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time lol

[@burresseffects]

Thank you for this. I don't know how anyone tries to teach this without mentioning the TextEdit stuff.

[@mustang2005]

Ohhhh I was doing everything wrong no wonder I was having such a hard time. Thank you!

[@scarylove_era]

I just used resolve for the first time and decided to do FPE with Kodak 2383. Thanks for showing me how to apply it properly, I just used it in my last video!

[@EvanSchneider]

Awesome, glad it was helpful!

[@brianreubelt]

DUDE. I am just getting into learning Davinci from FCP. These are incredibly helpful.

[@AlexanderMarshallI]

This is so helpful, thanks!

[@NickGoldston]

Love the compound node tip

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it was helpful!

[@oisteinthomassen]

Fantastic, exactly what I was looking for. Well executed and down to the point!

[@johnstamw]

So helpful dude!! Thanks for the walkthrough!

[@RaduButarascu]

This tutorial made A LOT of sense - thank you!

[@EvanSchneider]

Absolutely! That was the goal!

[@micheltraas_films]

Great explanation, I've struggles with getting the exposure right with this out so I'm definitely gonna try your way!

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks, glad it was helpful!

[@CoreyHunter]

Just starting out and learning this was great. Thanks!

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mjodr]

Bam, breakthrough! Been trying to figure this out for weeks! Thanks!

[@EvanSchneider]

Stoked to hear! Thank you!

[@PaulVoorberg]

Just watched 2 Davinci videos of yours, great stuff 👍 I watch a lot and your videos are definitely among the best, especially for more advanced tips.

[@EvanSchneider]

Thank you, appreciate it! Glad you find them helpful.

[@SuperJamesus]

thank you, such a great video.

[@lagmusica]

Hello! very good video! one question please! I have a Nikon d750, do I have to select initial space rec 709? and cineon film log output? and there in the new node apply the lut? it would be correct? Because I don't know what preference my Nikon has, I would be using the cinematic profile! Thank you!

[@MyPawesomeFrenchie]

You said something very interesting... You have your timeline color space set to Rec 709-A because you are working off an apple so what you see on your monitor is what you will get at export. I am working off a MBP but I am using an external monitor - LG 38WP85C-W, any idea what I should set my timeline color space too. I haven't been able to find an answer.

[@EvanSchneider]

If you’re on a Mac, no matter what monitor you’re using, if you’re grading in the GUI and not using an external video card, you can set your output colorspace to Rec.709-A and in Resolve preferences check the box for “use Mac display profile for viewers”, and then what you see will match your export.

[@ejiroogagah2476]

Thank you so much. You are blessed Evan. I'm subscribing right away.

[@EvanSchneider]

Welcome!

[@dancrosby6091]

Very informative. Where would you put noise reduction if needed? Keep the tutorials coming!

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it was helpful! You would put noise reduction at the very beginning of the node tree.

[@azzozmusic]

very well explained, thank you so much

[@szabi_nagy]

thank you so much for this

[@raymondyin6777]

OMG It's so helpful! Thank you so much!

[@ChaosclownM]

Jezzz I love it 😍 thanks so much for this dude !

[@Jonnylemons]

that was EXACTLY what I needed to know 🤝

[@sehkhyro]

good god that made my life easier thank you so much

[@EvanSchneider]

Hahaha absolutely

[@Koryas]

Awesome content bro, thank you so much for those explanations ! It was definitely usefull, a real lvl-up for my color grading skill ! 🙏

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad to hear! Thanks for watching

[@CinemawalaGuy]

Thank you.

[@Sammy-Olsen]

You amazing human being ❤️

[@michaeltreephotography]

Thank you, very informative.

[@robhurley5258]

Very helpful - thanks!

[@liho26]

very powerful video. Thank you for excellent content, man! Like!

[@frankherrgott]

thank you very much for the tutorial

[@ChestiiPrinAmerica]

pleased to learn this, thanks

[@OTCREWCLIPS]

Thank you sir! You earn yourself a subscriber!

[@EvanSchneider]

Yay! Hahaha

[@raahensalophotography]

Good explanation, thanks! 👍👍

[@Zenen_Saneshige]

very much appreciated, thank you!

[@EvanSchneider]

You're very welcome!

[@DougDavis]

I think I was less confused before finding this video.

[@EvanSchneider]

That means you’re in middle of the learning process 😉

[@arunpaul8624]

Thanks you vary mach .informative.

[@AJKinOHIO]

I'm not able to get to the starting line with this tutorial. My first problem is I can't see settings when selecting a node. It's greyed out. Second problem is my original node doesn't have that little icon next to the 01 which I'm assuming is important. Following the instructions my end product looks nothing like his, it looks like garbage lol. I am on a PC so maybe that has a big sway, not sure.

[@vilbinemmanuel841]

bro you saved my life

[@adrientaret9782]

Thanks for the video! If I want to do other adjustments in order to develop even more the film look (like hue vs hue, or adjusting skin tones for example) should it be done before the compound node that contains the LUT?

[@lightbright8888]

Those should be done before the 1st color transform node.

[@laurajazz89]

WOW THANK YOU

[@maxwolf2718]

That worked nicely! I would curious, if I was looking at other LUTs out there, aside from the ones that Resolve ships with, how would I be able to find out which color space these other LUTs expect?

[@EvanSchneider]

Glad it helped! Unfortunately if they don’t specify on their site or in the LUT file, there’s no specific way of knowing. Usually LUTs are made for Rec.709 colorspace, so you can typically count on that. There are programs you can buy that show you the curves present in the LUT so you can make a more informed decision, but for a casual user it’s not usually worth the cost. The best way would be to just play around with it.

[@jvusa]

Thanks for the excellent video...

[@EvanSchneider]

No problem!

[@REVIEWSONTHERUN]

Cool! Thank you for sharing it ✌️

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks for watching!

[@Frontstreetshop]

Thank you!

[@jickmargerison]

Great video thanks man!

[@EvanSchneider]

You bet!

[@PauVidal_]

¡Crack! Muchas gracias por los consejos

[@baaao]

Awesome! Can't we just transform the arri to cineon instantly? Why? I wanna know 🥰

[@EvanSchneider]

I did this so that I can create a compound node out of the second CST and the LUT and adjust the intensity of the film print look. Organization and flexibility.

[@baaao]

@@EvanSchneider now I know! thanks for the awesome information! but transforming my slog2 directly to cineon and apply the rec709 lut still works?

[@davidlovephotog2]

If you guys want to actually teach color grading, do it with footage from low budget filmmakers. This grading with 70k camera footage is getting old. I know it helps to make all of you look better but anyone that has that kind of equipment most likely isn't grading themselves. Canon, Sony, BM.

[@DonovanJamesOfficial]

Plenty of youtubers do this and I'm unsure as to why. Maybe they're trying to flex their high tech gear? But I feel that most of us are probably using rec709 so I feel that grading with rec709 stock footage would be a better option for KZbinrs to use as examples to assist the common user.

[@EvanSchneider]

I totally understand where you’re coming from. Part of the reason is because many colorists need footage they can legally use and Artgrid is a great resource for that (like this video). For me, my channel is partly targeted specifically for colorists who’s clients do shoot with higher end cameras. I can’t speak for others, but for me, it’s very much not a flex, it’s just the footage that I’m used to working with. It’s also oftentimes much easier to demonstrate a concept with higher quality footage. That being said, I will definitely keep this in mind for future videos to make it even more helpful. Thanks for the feedback!

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks for the feedback, I commented below!

[@cleanlight5178]

You're right

[@vyeung]

The same principles apply, just change your CST settings accordingly, this technique is camera agnostic.

[@amimonjulika]

If I want to do some more edits, such as masking a subject.. or play with hue and saturation etc. Where do I do that? before the CST or betweeen CST and FPE or after FPE?

[@EvanSchneider]

Any lighting or balancing adjustments should be made before the CST and LUT. If you want to make adjustments to the overall look or want to change something that the LUT is doing to the footage, say increase overall saturation or adjust the hue or sat of a specific color, you would do that after the CST and LUT.

[@aungsanoo.maryland]

cool ..this video help a lot..great

[@marshallhajek]

Thanks brother!

[@EvanSchneider]

No worries!

[@ShoebMortoza]

Excellent thank you

[@valquireveljkovic]

thanks for this video. i m always wondering if you use 709-A on a mac, should you use the 709 display profile in macos accordingly? almost nobody is talking about the relation of the display profiles to the color mgmt in resolve.

[@alexstanmusicofficial]

Tnx man!!

[@joshpickup2581]

you can just set your output gamma to cineon log in your first cst. no need to add another node and another cst

[@EvanSchneider]

You could definitely do that too. The reason I created two CST’s in this demo was because I created a compound node out of the second CST + LUT. I didn’t explain it thoroughly in the video, but it allows me to make adjustments to the image before the compound node look in a linear space. Hope that helps clarify the “why”.

[@joshpickup2581]

@@EvanSchneider yeh sorry you are completely right, I kinda glossed over the follow up as I was confused why you added it. thanks for clarifying

[@andyhelmboldt2339]

@@EvanSchneider you don't have to do two separate nodes and then compound them. You can do the last CST and the LUT in the same single node. The LUT is the very last thing that happens in a node (even says so in the manual), so a CST applied to the node will feed the LUT just the same as a separate LUT upstream.

[@user-ol5bc5je3t]

thank for sharing!

[@mathiasnordgren495]

If the the Film Look LUT outputs Rec.709 2.4 shouldn't you add another CST that converts from the 2.4 gamma back to the Rec.709-A Gamma?

[@EvanSchneider]

You could if you wanted to be really accurate. But in this case, it's more of a "what you see is what you get" mentality

[@CreateNowSleepLater]

I get very confused. Some creators add LUTs before the last CST to Rec.709. Some do it after. Its even more confusing how some color grade and add their luts before the rec.709 CST. I understand some LUTs also do creative looks and conversions. I wish there was a simple matrix out there that said when you should grade, and where to apply your LUT depending on what kind of LUT it is.

[@EvanSchneider]

Your confusion is definitely justified, but unfortunately there is no definitive answer. There are technical reasons to place different adjustments before or after another adjustment, but there are countless factors influencing those decisions (both creative and technical). My best advice is to experiment for yourself and find what works best for you and your workflow. Color grading takes years of experience and practice like many other trades in film. Hope this helps

[@CreateNowSleepLater]

@@EvanSchneider thanks, I think it does.

[@blaiseb2187]

man thank you

[@erdinn]

great tutorial

[@olanrewajuakinola7670]

Thak you so much

[@jbe1official]

I’m curious, Evan. Let’s say I choose to set my timeline color space to DWG and output to Rec 709A for Mac as color management. Can I set my first CST node from Slog to DWG and my second CST node before the Film LUT node to DWG to Rec 709A Cineon log? What do you think? Meaning the adjustments between these two will be in DWG color space. Thanks in advance !

[@EvanSchneider]

You’d be introducing a colorspace “bottleneck” into your pipeline, pretty much negating the benefit of working in DWG at a timeline level. You’re better off color managing on a node level. But my best advice is to test multiple workflows, grab stills of each and compare which results you like the best.

[@jbe1official]

Thank you, Evan!

[@RobOliveri]

Thanks Evan!

[@at9040]

how does the white point for the luts work, say if i shoot on 3200k based on my 3200k keylight, what would the D55/D60/D65 white points do .

[@EvanSchneider]

Doesn't have anything to do with how you shot it necessarily, it's more of a creative decision. Simply describes the color temperature of the white point that the LUT generates.

[@raizanong]

Where would the node for adjusting skin tones be?

[@EvanSchneider]

After the FPE compound node. But I would make sure the footage is balanced in a node at the beginning first.

[@daviddecsi4962]

Why do you convert from log(arri) to rec to log(cineon) to rec? Why not just go from log(arri) to log(cineon) to rec? So instead of 2 cst nodes, you'd just have one, with input of arri/arri and output rec709/cineon. And then just the lut node

[@EvanSchneider]

I do this by habit in case I’m working with footage from different cameras in the same timeline. Better to separate the input conversion from the look creation CST.

[@sebastianholmes1753]

Does anyone know how he was changing the offset color wheel with such fine control @ 6:50? Using that hollow circle cursor? Whenever I try to make color adjustments to that wheel I always send it way farther than I need to even though I'm barely moving my mouse.

[@EvanSchneider]

The fine tuned control is the result of using the offset wheel in a scene-referred node before the conversion to Rec.709. The tools respond differently based on what your color management is. You’re probably experiencing more responsive adjustments because you’re using it in Rec.709 or on Rec.709 footage. If you find the tools to be too sensitive, you can always set the node to something like .5 intensity to help.

[@hmzybeats]

@@EvanSchneiderThank you for the reply on a not super recent video. I’m typically adjusting the color wheels on v-log footage prior to converting it to rec709 through a color transform node. I never thought about decreasing the intensity of the node so the larger adjustments have less impact on the image. But there is no special shortcut key/plugin/script to make the color wheel dot less sensitive to mouse movements?

[@EvanSchneider]

Maybe try option or shift? I’m not sure, I’ve never had the need since I use a panel. You could also search in the keyboard shortcut menu or help menu. Last resort I’d check the manual.

[@WolferAlpha]

I would like to ask a question, in my case I use CineDNG I have to assign a color space and gamma, from the available options I was told that P3-D60 with Linear has the best dynamic range, testing it I realized that it is easier to work if I convert the color space and gamma to the ARRI one, I do the color grading after this conversion and before this LUT, but in your opinion, is this the best option the way I am doing it?

[@EvanSchneider]

The decoding from the camera raw is completely up to you and what works best. The most important part of this workflow is to feed the proper colorspace and gamma into the FPE LUT, which would be Rec.709 colorspace and Cineon Film Log gamma. So if I understand your workflow correctly, this is what I would recommend your node structure to be. 1. Decode CineDNG to P3-D60/Linear 2. P3-D60/Linear to Arri/LogC3 3. Primary corrections/offset 4. Arri/LogC3 to Rec.709 Cineon Film Log 5. FPE LUT 6. Secondary corrections/small tweaks

[@freneticallyYT]

Great video! Did you shoot the B-roll in the video yourself? I recognize the place, didn't expect anyone to shoot their B-roll there but it looks surprisingly good!

[@EvanSchneider]

Thank you! The b-roll is just stock footage from Artgrid, that's cool you know where it was shot though.

[@freneticallyYT]

@@EvanSchneider Madrid, Spain 🇪🇸

[@funnyjones]

Wish I could understand this

[@deviantstudio]

btw the grading of your working place shots is amazing (skin tone, overall colors). is it film lut too, or manual magic?

[@EvanSchneider]

Thanks! I graded the studio footage in this one using the Resolve film looks to keep it consistent. It's a mix of the film look as a base and then some manual tweaks to my liking.

[@filmparkafrica1645]

Thanks

[@iKINDREAD]

Awesome thanks! I am as curious if I was filming on a a6500 Sony on its native settings not s-log could I still put the color transfer node to rec709. What would my setting be?

[@EvanSchneider]

Yes, you can absolutely do this. Here's the node structure (assuming you're working in a DaVinci YRGB project, non-color managed) Node 1: CST with Input Color Space Rec.709, Input Gamma Rec.709, Output Color Space Rec.709 and Output Gamma Cineon Film Log Node 2: FPE LUT of your choice Then on Node 3 you can do minor adjustments to the look. If you need to make exposure, contrast, or white balance/saturaiton changes, you would create a new node before the CST node and make those changes there.

[@iKINDREAD]

@@EvanSchneider OMG thanks bro this helps so much. Having 8-bit is tough to color correct sometimes. I was shooting with p22. This helps a LOT. Thanks agian.

[@iKINDREAD]

* PP2. and yes noncolor management.

[@TheFilmmakingChannel]

So you only apply the lut on a Rec709 with the cineon gamma basically correct?

[@EvanSchneider]

Yes, that is what you need to feed into it.

[@luisrenkel5177]

After the Film LUT we don't need to change the output gamma back to the timeline?

[@EvanSchneider]

No, because the FPE LUT takes care of that transformation itself

[@MikeStarkov]

Darren Mostyn have covered it

[@EvanSchneider]

I covered it better 😉

[@35mmdigitalcinema]

wouldn't any adjustments after the FPE choke the grade, and be heavily restrained by the LUT, thus resulting in artefacts?

[@EvanSchneider]

It depends on what type of adjustments you do after the FPE. Some adjustments might result in artifacts, but as a general statement, I would say that it's acceptable to place minor tweaks after the FPE. But sometimes if the FPE is doing things like shadow tinting or certain hue shifts, I fix those at the end of the pipeline.

[@35mmdigitalcinema]

@@EvanSchneider I see, thank you

[@AndyKunkel]

I use Cinematch to match my EOS R to my BMPCC 6K pro. Where in the node tree would you use Cinematch??

[@EvanSchneider]

In your workflow you’d use cinematch before these nodes. That way you convert them to the matching profile and then apply the FPE to that.

[@AndyKunkel]

@@EvanSchneider thanks for getting back to me! I was thinking of using this workflow in a wedding I'm currently editing. BUT, I'd rather not drop a bomb on the workflow I'm used to JUST yet haha. Definitely going to use this in my next project. Since I have two cameras, cinematch is pretty crucial.

[@tintintin070]

why wouldn't you just use one CST and convert directly to cineon log? (EDIT: nvm, I think it's so that you can make the compound FPE node right? the ability to change the intensity is something I've been scouring the internet for lol thanks dude)

[@EvanSchneider]

Yes, you got it, so you can create a compound node and have the ability to adjust the intensity of the look.

[@TheStoenk]

Is it important to transform into rec709 in one node and into cineon in the other? Why not into cineon straight away?

[@EvanSchneider]

Yes, you could convert to cineon straight away. I did it like this because mentally I like to separate my input transform (IDT) from any transforms I'm using for look development. Just another way to organize it. This way, I can add nodes between the input transform and the FPE if I want to later in the process.

[@NordsternOutdoor]

What about tone mapping in the CST?

[@EvanSchneider]

Set it to DaVinci

[@JayBacay]

can I apply this on an F Log footage fujifilm x-t3? Im totally new to davinci

[@EvanSchneider]

Yes, just set your input gamma to F-Log and input colorspace to Rec.2020 instead of the Log-C I set in the video.

[@WhitbyStuff]

Interesting, but my LUT didn't seem to have that information in.

[@EvanSchneider]

Are you looking at the official LUTs included in the "Film Looks" folder of Resolve?

[@WhitbyStuff]

@@EvanSchneider I believe so.