This One Trick Will Help Your LUTs Look Better

If you use LUTs to grade and stylize your footage quickly but you find they never quite look good on your shots, this is probably why. It mostly applies if you shoot in a LOG profile (which I highly recommend if your camera has the option), but it's worth knowing either way.

Why your LUT looks off

Throw a custom LUT on a LOG shot, say one of the log versions that converts your footage from LOG to Rec 709 and gives it a stylized look, and you'll often notice the shot just looks dark. The instinct is to add another correction on top to raise the highlights and midtones and pull the shadows down for contrast. That kind of works, but it's not the way to get the best-looking shot possible.

The trick: fix your exposure BEFORE the LUT

Toggle your corrections off so you can see where your exposure actually sits. Generally, you want the bulk of the mass on the luma waveform centered around 50 IRE. So add a new correction and, since we're lifting the whole shot, use the global wheel and raise the exposure slider until your image is sitting around 50 IRE.

Now here's the key: go back to your video inspector and make sure that exposure adjustment is placed before your LUT. That's the whole thing. If your shot's looking way too dark or way too bright once a LUT is on, make the exposure adjustment first, then let the LUT sit on top of it. Toggle the LUT back on, add your contrast back by lowering your shadows close to 0 IRE and adjusting your midtones to taste, and the shot looks infinitely better. Richer colors, more contrast, just a punchier, prettier image.

It works even when it's subtle

This isn't just for extreme shots. If I glance at the waveform and the overall exposure is just slightly off, I'll still make that adjustment before adding the LUT. It helps your LUTs sit on your footage so much better.