LUTs make doing so effortless.
But cinematography LUTs are so much more than simple video filters.
What Does LUT Stand For?
The acronym LUT is short for “lookup table.”
The color space that your camera shoots in exists as a comprehensive array of values.
Think of these as a palette of colors that the camera can use to reproduce any image.
A LUT exists analogously alongside this original spectrum of values.
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Why Are LUTs Useful?
More experienced users might scoff at pre-formulating a generic look for everything.
However, using a LUT is often easier than authoring each grade from the ground up.
Proprietary color science formulas are some of the most meticulously crafted creative trademarks to be found in this industry.
Panavision’sPanalogis one notable example.
But the best camera LUTs can extract the greatest variety of values from whatever you’re shooting with.
The analog-to-digital conversion process is a complex and fascinating aspect of cinematography.
It is then converted into a field of voltage signals.
There’s good reason footage from an ARRI ALEXA feels so much different than footage from a DSLR.
709 is a classic example.
This footage displayed on set looks good.
And whoever is in the editing bay will still have the appropriately flat footage required for a professional-looking grade.
Once the grade has been selected, it can then be saved as a LUT for use elsewhere.
Like these filters, creative LUTs are used to set the mood.
Whether brooding, ethereal, sterile, these LUTs help you communicate moods to the audience subconsciously.
Technicians can use them to convert footage from one color space to another for exhibition.
For example, using a specialized LUT to convert Rec.
709 footage to something like DCI-P3 makes switching color spaces easy.
Calibration LUTs are also commonly used in filmmaking.
These are used to standardize the look of a project across several types of displays.
They also compensate for minor technical inconsistencies in quality that different monitor brands may impose upon the image.
Related:What Is a Color Gamut?
