Regular readers may have noticed I have written posts about Australian cinematographer/director Paul Leeming and his Leeming LUT Pro look-up tables for top-quality video production for some years, so I will not repeat any of that here right now, save to say that Mr Leeming’s LUT sets are currently the best and they continue to become even better with every new version.
Fujifilm X-T4 with Fujifilm VG-XT4 Vertical Battery grip and Fujinon XF 16-80mm f/4.0 R OIS WR kit zoom lens.
As Paul recently wrote in his Facebook Group page (edits applied by me):
… I’ve spent the last six months developing a new methodology to make these the most accurate LUTs ever. That methodology, which takes into account all the edge cases I’ve seen here (S-Log2 gamut issues, green tints etc), is now being applied to all cameras.
Like a fine wine, it takes time, because I have set stupidly high standards for myself. I want these LUTs to be the be-all and end-all of accuracy. And honestly, with Athena and Pro II, I’m done for accuracy. There’s nowhere else to go.
Athena is my new go-to for actual work, since it’s a brighter starting point with a gentle S-curve built in, so that I can simply apply it and get to work colour grading creatively. But Pro II remains as the no holds barred Rec. 709 standard, bang-on for luma and colorimetry, baseline LUT.
My long term goal is to get all cameras upgraded, then move to some really high end Super Quickie packs based on the Athena series as the base. These will probably be paid, but it won’t be much, maybe 5-10 EUR. But they’ll be perfectly harmonised for Athena and fit like a glove.
Then I also want to provide Rec. 2020 LUTs for all cameras, but to do that I need a Rec. 2020 setup, so I’m waiting on the release of the LG CX 48″ TV / monitor, which will be Rec. 2020 compatible and OLED for perfect colorimetry and luma….
… [I] forgot to mention all the NEW cameras that will be added to the inventory too, like the original Mavic Pro, the Phantom 4 Pro, etc.
I have just downloaded the Leeming LUT Pro set for Fujifilm X Series, comprising the F-Log, Eterna Cinema, Pro Neg Std and HLG for Rec.709 LUTs, and am looking forward to shooting some fresh footage with F-Log in particular to try this latest version out.
I am also looking forward to the coming updates of the Leeming LUT Pro set for Panasonic G Series cameras.
“This video demystifies use of Rec.2020 HDR footage on a Rec.709 timeline in Final Cut Pro X 10.4.x, especially for Panasonic GH5 & GH5S users who shoot in HLG. I don’t own a SONY camera, but the same workflow shown in my video would apply to Sony Rec.2020 HLG as well. Leeming LUT offers a Sony HLG to Rec.709 LUT….”
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 with Panasonic DMW-BGGH5 Battery Grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic DC-GH5S with DMW-BGGH5 battery grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Clicking on the links and purchasing through them for our affiliate accounts at B&H Photo Video, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled’.
While it seems that most Australian professional photographers of my acquaintance depend on Adobe Bridge’s Camera Raw module in conjunction with Photoshop as their first choice for raw processing and imaged editing, followed by Adobe Lightroom in order of popularity, there are alternative products and alternative software companies.
One of the most creative is Skylum, formerly named Macphun, maker of Aurora HDR and Luminar, the first a high dynamic range image merging and editing application and the second a raw image processing and image editing application the features of which are ever-growing and unlike any other image editor in their scope and innovation.
Luminar 2018 recently gained an artificial-intelligence driven feature, the AI Sky Enhancer, and the long-awaited major update, Luminar with Libraries, due sometime in December 2018, will add sync and batch editing, image organizing, rating, labelling and tagging to improve Luminar’s photo management and editing editing workflow.
Ever since Apple signalled the coming end of its support for Aperture, one of the best media management, picture sorting and editing, raw processing and image editing applications ever, relied upon by photographers as well as picture editors, magazine publishers, advertising agencies, deign firms and more, photographers have been searching for a direct replacement and the available solutions have been found wanting to various degrees.
Since then I have tried a number of media management applications and modules built into raw processing and image editing software and none of them have filled the bill in exactly the way I need them to.
Skylum has verb working on a media management solution aka library for Luminar for some time and it looks like it will finally make its appearance soon.
I cannot want to try it out and with luck it will be the media manager cum image library I have been after for all these years.
Skylum Luminar 2018 AI Sky Enhancer Before and After
How Does AI Sky Enhancer Work?
Sky detection & object recognition: With the help of our deep neural network, Luminar analyzes the image and detects the sky. This neural network had been trained using hundreds of thousands of images with different amounts and different types of sky, whether it’s a tiny patch of blue peeking through a skylight, a cloudy sky flaunting sunset colors, or a dark, ominous sky signaling a storm.Semantic Segmentation: Once image analysis is complete, Luminar performs what we call semantic segmentation, separating the image into different layers, based on the semantic and contextual meaning of the objects it detects. This analysis allows the most precise and intelligent sky enhancement with minimal noise, halos, and negative impact on other areas of the image. The AI detects objects in the foreground, defines edges, and analyzes the textures and tones of the sky itself. The deep neural network that powers AI Sky Enhancer had been trained using thousands of real life examples we’ve either taken ourselves or obtained from other professional photographers.Smart masking: Following sky detection and segmentation, Luminar applies an automatic mask to the sky that’s invisible to you as the user. When you move the slider to the right, you only notice how the sky becomes more and more beautiful. Just like a professional photographer, AI Sky Enhancer treats different images differently. It applies a custom set of adjustments to a sky, depending on its look. This means that a blue sky will get a treatment far different from a grey sky, and a sunset sky will be enhanced differently from a mid-morning one.
LUTs in Skylum Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2019
I have been developing an approach to portrait photography based on five to seven bracket images batch processed in Iridient X-Transformer then merged in Skylum Aurora HDR 2019 with maximum image editing done in Aurora’s 16-bit colour space including applying film emulation and looks LUTs.
This has only been possible in the way I have long envisaged it since the release of Aurora HDR 2019 and its amazing realistic automatic tone-mapping, a huge evolutionary leap beyond previous versions of Aurora HDR and other HDR software I have used over the years.
The addition of the LUTs feature in both items of Skylum software is welcome as I have assembled an enormous collection of camera profile, film emulation and looks LUTs over the years and enjoy applying the film emulation LUTs in particular to portraits.
The challenge when editing with LUTs is to choose exactly the right one, or two or more of them in combination, to communicate the information and emotions I visualized for the finished image when I made the exposure.
Right now selecting that one or more perfect LUT from a big collection of them is a time-consuming process of trial and error, loading and looking, rejecting then choosing again.
Some video editing applications and colour grading applications and plug-ins have LUT library previewing capabilities that speed up the processing of choosing the best LUT for the job and I want to see the same functionality added to Skylum Luminar 2018 and Aurora HDR 2019.
In illustration, the above three portraits have been graded with three different film emulation LUTs, one from a medium-sized collection and the other two from a far bigger set of LUTs.
Choosing the looks I wanted took far too long and I skipped over thousands of other possible candidates.
Small previews of how each LUT would render the image would have sped up the process considerably.
Links
Photolemur – “The world’s first fully automated photo enhancer that makes all your images great automatically with the help of Artificial Intelligence.”
We have been following Australian director/cinematographer Paul Leeming’s progress in creating, refining and updating his Leeming LUT One unified, corrective Look Up Table aka LUT system for popular mirrorless and DSLR hybrid cameras and camcorders ever since we launched the ‘Untitled’ project.
Leeming LUT One began as an effort to transform the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4’s ‘Cine-D’ aka Cinelike D video picture profile into the most accurate, most realistic rendering possible and has expanded to encompass a range of cameras including those made by Canon, DJI, GoPro, JVC, Sony and more, with support for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and Fujifilm X-T3 and others coming in the near future.
Mr Leeming continues to refine Leeming LUT One with version 801 for Panasonic being the most accurate yet, setting a new industry benchmark for realistic colour rendering for video footage shot with the Cinelike D, V-LogL and HLG profiles for editing in Rec. 709 movie projects.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4 with Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm f/3.5-5.6 Power OIS and Panasonic DMW-GGH3 battery grip.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 professional rangefinder-style camera with Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspheric Power OIS lens. Note the tilting EVF, turning the GX8 into a waist-level viewfinder camera on command, enabling discrete waist-level shooting as on long-gone classics like Rolleiflex’s normal, wide and telephoto lens-equipped twin lens reflex aka TLR cameras, for example.
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5 with Panasonic DMW-BGGH5 Battery Grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Panasonic DC-GH5S with DMW-BGGH5 battery grip and Panasonic Leica DG Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0 Aspheric Power OIS zoom lens.
Recently I put Leeming LUT One 801 to the test with Cinelike D footage from my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 camera, the one that goes with me almost everywhere everyday, and the results were, as usual, impressive.
Better yet, correcting footage with Leeming LUT One then adding film simulation or creative looks LUTs produces rich grading with a lush and easy-to-grade tonal range.
Many independent moviemakers shoot video for the same project on several cameras including within multi-camera interview set-ups, and Leeming LUT One is invaluable in reducing time in the colour grading suite matching footage from all those different cameras, especially when exposed according to the principles of ETTR aka expose-to-the-right.
In all the following examples, I graded quickly and minimally to simulate the look and feel of the subject at the moment I shot it, to be as realistic as video permits.
Skin tones in mixed available light with Leeming LUT One 801 and LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Slight curve applied to LookLabs’ Digital Film Stock Fujifilm Eterna 500T LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Reds, greens and blue in strong sunlight with Leeming LUT One 801 and Leeming LUT Quickies v8 Basic Balanced v8 Lighter
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Basic Balanced v8 Lighter from LeemingLUT Quickies v8 added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Slight curve on Basic Balanced v8 Lighter from LeemingLUT Quickies v8 added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Greys and greens in weak sunlight on cold, windy day with Leeming LUT One 801 and LookLabs Digital Film Stock Kodak 5218
Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
LookLabs Digital Film Stock Kodak 5218 film simulation LUT added to Leeming LUT One 801 applied to Cinelike D video footage straight out of Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8.
Links
Leeming LUT Pro – “Leeming LUT Pro™ is the world’s first unified, corrective Look Up Table ( LUT ) system for supported cameras, designed to maximise dynamic range, fix skin tones, remove unwanted colour casts and provide an accurate Rec709 starting point for further creative colour grading.”
LookLabs – Digital Film Stock aka DFS – “DFS instantly gives you the natural look of film and the most flexible set of LUTs on the market. The DFS bundle includes 19 LUTs that perfectly emulate the most popular Kodak and Fuji film stocks. DFS comes in both REC.709 and LOG video formats and all SpeedLooks camera patches work with today’s most popular digital cinema and mirrorless cameras. DFS even makes your Android videos look like film!”
Help support ‘Untitled’
Clicking on the links below and purchasing through them or our affiliate accounts at B&H Photo Video, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled’.
“DELUTS BMPCC4K Creative Looks, Base transforms for use with Blackmagic ‘Film’ profile for use with BRAW and ProRes.
75 Luts designed for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (This set is also compatable with Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k & Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6k Pro using ‘Film’ profile)
• 4 Base Tranforms when working with the Blackmagic Film profile.
• 9 Monotone Creative Looks
• 62 Colour Creative Looks
Davinci Resolve Legacy .cube format Luts. For use in FCPx (Version 4 or Higher), Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe Photoshop, Davinci Resolve and many more supporting applications.
Luts supplied in x64, x33 and x17 resolution. Use x64 for Davinci Resolve, x33 for FCPx and limited adjustment layers with Adobe Premiere CC, x17 for Adobe Premiere CC general use….”
James Miller’s DELUTS Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K Creative LUTs for use with Blackmagic raw aka BRAW and Blackmagic camera film profiles.
Commentary
Director/cinematographer James Miller creates and sells creative looks LUTs under the DELUTS brand, and supplies to moviemakers looking for fast, efficient ways of adding strong, emotive looks to their footage.
Mr Miller’s latest DELUTS release is aimed at users of Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K aka BMPCC 4K, as well as other cameras using Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic RAW raw video codec such as the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro.
Clicking on the links below and purchasing through them or our affiliate accounts at B&H Photo Video, SmallRig or Think Tank Photo helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled’.
Blackmagic Design Mini XLR Cable for Video Assist/4K (Set of 2, 19.5″) – B&H
Breakthrough Photography – B&H – the finest brass traction-framed ND, UV and CPL filters as well as the best step-up rings (sadly only sold direct on the company’s own website at present).
Profile from DELUTS ACR Look Profiles collection applied to original TIFF file provided by James Miller of DELUTS.
“… I first started DELUTS in 2015 after years gathering look profiles that I have generated for film projects. I decided to share these and have tried to build upon this offering creative looks for Video and now for Lightroom & Photoshop using the new Profile system in CC 2018 versions.
The DELUTS Universe set was born after nearly 2 years building the back bone of the system. If you just need looks to go over the top of footage that you have already balanced, then thats the DELUTS Overlook set is a great place to start. If you are working with images and want the look of DELUTS with RAW, TIF, JPEG etc then the new DELUTS Lightroom ACR Looks is the one to use. I have offers when purchasing 2 certain sets. The DELUTS Lightroom ACR Looks & DELUTS OVERLOOK are a great match for video and stills.”
“The latest incarnation of the famous Atomos Ninja line is here. Seven years after the world’s most popular portable Apple ProRes recorders burst onto the scene, Atomos is delighted to introduce Ninja V – an all new compact 5.2″ 1000nit high bright HDR monitor/recorder with unrivalled advanced features. It has a sleek modern design and weighs just over 11oz…”
Paul Leeming of Leeming LUT One and Visceral Psyche Films is like a dog with a bone that he just will not let go insofar as improving and updating Leeming LUT One, “the world’s first unified, corrective Look Up Table (LUT) system for supported cameras, designed to maximise dynamic range, fix skin tones, remove unwanted colour casts and provide an accurate Rec709 starting point for further creative colour grading.”
Paul Leeming of Leeming LUT One and Visceral Psyche Films in V-Log L footage made with Panasonic Lumix GH5 then processed with Leeming LUT One for Panasonic cameras, version 503 beta.
Mr Leeming has just shared an early version 503 beta for Panasonic V-Log L with me and, after applying it to some V-Log L footage of my own, it is clear that he has worked out how obtain even better, even more realistic colour and tonal rendering than before.
The more accurate and true-to-life the starting point obtained by applying Leeming LUT One before adding creative aka looks LUTs and other colour grading controls in your non-linear editing suite or colour grading software of choice, the richer and more satisfying the final result.
While this first version 503 beta is only for Panasonic V-Log L footage, Leeming LUT One version 503 for Panasonic cameras will be released for Cinelike D, HLG and V-Log L.
If version 503 has you as excited as I am, please do not put off purchasing it until later this year as version 502 is already streets ahead of any other camera LUT that I have tried out so far and purchasers of 502 now will receive 503 when it is finalized.
Leeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L 503 beta, footage by Paul Leeming
Leeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L 502 compared to 503 beta
Leeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 502Leeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 503 betaLeeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 503 beta plus Leeming LUT Quickie Basic Brighter v2
Leeming LUT One 503 beta as a base for creative LUTs
Leeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 503 beta plus Leeming LUT Quickie Basic Brighter v2 plus LookLabs Digital Film Stock Fuji 64DLeeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 503 beta plus Leeming LUT Quickie Basic Brighter v2 plus LookLabs Digital Film Stock Fuji Reala 500DLeeming LUT One for Panasonic V-Log L version 503 beta plus Leeming LUT Quickie Basic Brighter v2 plus LookLabs Digital Film Stock Kodak 5245
Sneak Peek, Leeming LUT One 601 for Panasonic, Cinelike D
Leeming LUT One 601 for Panasonic Cinelike D, from 8-bit 4:2:0 4K UHD video shot on Lumix GX8 with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 lens, LUT plus other minimal grading applied.
Clicking on these affiliate links helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled: Stories of Creativity, Innovation, Success’.
Angelbird 64GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC Memory Card – B&H
Angelbird 128GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC Memory Card – B&H
Angelbird 256GB Match Pack for the Panasonic EVA1 – B&H – special promotional packaging of two Angelbird 128GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC memory cards that are just as usable in other cameras than the AU-EVA1 that also have UHS-II SD card slots.
“… Whether you’re new to shooting and delivering in HDR, or have been practicing for a while, the Panasonic GH5S with V-Log L enabled provides a fantastic starting point for an all-HDR10 workflow. From monitoring what you’re shooting in HDR10 to delivering your content through the color grading process, the LUTs and workflow we’ve created will accelerate your ability to leverage HDR10 on nearly any size budget…”
The Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S Super 16/M43 hybrid video camera.
Links
Production and equipment rental company Mystery Box, LLC has published a number of articles about aspects of shooting and post-producing HDR video that are useful reading for those needing to dig deep into how to get the best out of it all.
Mystery Box – HDR Video Part 1: What is HDR Video? – “HDR video is as much of a revolution and leap forward as the jump from analog standard definition, to digital 4K.” – Excellent 5-part series on working with HDR video.
Mystery Box – Protecting Your Digital Ass(ets) Part 1: Checksums & Digital Errors Debunked – “This is the first part of a three part series on protecting your digital assets. In this part we’re going to explore the whys and the hows of checksumming: How did checksumming become common practice? What does checksumming actually do? and Why isn’t it needed?”
Mystery Box – Studio Grading in HDR on the SmallHD P3X and Atomos Sumo 19 – “…we’ve seen an explosion of HDR capable televisions and HDR capable production monitors, which has led us to question: can we recommend any of these for grading in the studio?”
Help support ‘Untitled’
Austrian manufacturer Angelbird makes more affordable V90 SDXC cards than Panasonic’s own alternative and they are reportedly just as reliable.
Clicking on these affiliate links helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled: Stories of Creativity, Innovation, Success’.
Angelbird 64GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC Memory Card – B&H
Angelbird 128GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC Memory Card – B&H
Angelbird 256GB Match Pack for the Panasonic EVA1 – B&H – special promotional packaging of two Angelbird 128GB AV Pro UHS-II SDXC memory cards that are just as usable in other cameras than the AU-EVA1 that also have UHS-II SD card slots.
Angelbird Atomos Master Caddy 4K RAW (500GB) – B&H
Clicking on these affiliate links helps us continue our work for ‘Untitled: Stories of Creativity, Innovation, Success’.
