If you've ever worked in the color grading profession, you're aware of how time-consuming and labor-intensive it is to achieve a specific look on a scene. To master color grading, you must practice constantly, one of the reasons for the existence of specialists in this field. While everybody can color grade, not everyone can do it well. People in this business have devised remedies to make the editing workflow considerably more accessible and less time-consuming.
Achieving a specific ambiance in a scene demands ongoing effort and naturally takes longer. LUTs, or Lookup Tables, were created as a result. LUTs are ideal for storing a set of colors to use later or in another program. A LUT is the most effective technique to color or alters your image's colors.
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Benefits of using LUTs
There are numerous advantages to using lookup tables to edit your footage. We've already discussed that it helps to give your films a more polished and professional appearance, which is one of the primary explanations why individuals use LUTs, but there are many more.
1. A beginning towards professionalism!
This is a fantastic approach for beginners to have a good idea of how to build their own trademark looks in their videos. The time it takes to develop your color grading craft is unavoidable. So, as a novice, LUTs will come in useful for you to establish your approach and save your ass, big time.
You'll eventually come up with a blend of your own LUTs to use, resulting in your own LUT. Not only will LUTs aid in color grading learning, but they will also save funds and resources. You will not only devote time to learning color grading, but you will also spend a significant amount of money on color grading tools and equipment, such as software and color panels. You'll see why color grading equipment is necessary when you get to this point.
However, for the time being, employing LUTs is the most cost-effective way to obtain a cinematic look.
2. It saves your time!
Because LUTs are predefined colors used to establish a specific look on a picture, they save you time. Having a trustworthy LUT to use for video will save the life of freelance editors who are constantly meeting commitments and modifications. Isn't the purpose of color grading to generate a visual emotion for your movie? So, with LUTs, you can create one without going through the time-consuming process of manual color correction. Only one-color preset will be applied to all scenes in a single LUT.
However, there's a good probability that it won't look the same in all of the images. This is where you'll adjust the colors to make them more evenly match the film. It's nothing significant most of the time, just some little saturation adjustments, etc.
3. Work on a budget!
Time spent in a color-grade suite may be highly costly, and it can lead your films to go over budget in order to achieve a specific aesthetic. LUTs, on the other hand, are available for free online or for a fee for more complex versions. Even if you buy your LUTs, you could save thousands of dollars based on the size of your film. LUTs can also assist you in meeting tight deadlines, and setting targets too optimistically is something I'm sure we've all done at some point.
Whether it's a client or a personal project, things can often get pushed to the last minute, so having something in your arsenal that can save you time is always a good bonus. There are, however, projects where you need to appear competent without investing a lot of time on them due to budget limits; this is where a lookup table comes in handy because you can modify the complete style of your movie in a matter of seconds by pressing a few buttons. Even complicated editing can be completed quickly, giving you more time to work on other tasks that will earn you more money.
4. It provides an artistic approach!
LUTs are beneficial because they allow videos shot with cameras that shoot very dark, discolored images to have more vivid tones and contrast. This is excellent for grabbing viewers' attention and making videos more intriguing and engaging. LUTs add an artistic element to videos and can help you develop a visual artistic identity for your videos if you use the same colors. Another advantage of LUTs is that they enhance the color quality of videos shot on smartphones with particular color schemes. Although this varies significantly from brand to brand, you can use LUTs to make a Smartphone video more vibrant and appealing.
Filmora now offers 800+ top-quality 3D LUTs cover a broad range of scenarios. Transform your videos with Filmora's powerful 3D LUTs.
Top 10 Sony LUT for Different Purposes
The highlights in your videos will seem smooth with this set of Free Sony LUTs, while the shadows will add intensity and depth without sacrificing any details. It's easy to use Sony LUTs in.CUBE and.LOOK versions, and they help you get the cinematic appearance you want.
1. SLog2 & SLog3 to Enhanced Rec709 LUTs
The Sony Natural Enhanced LUT pack was created to address Sony's color science-related difficulties with skin tones and hue levels. These LUTs correct and fix the colors in your S-Log2 and S-Log3 videos, giving them a colorful natural look.
2. Filmic Tone Creative LUTs
One of our choices is the Filmic Tone LUT set. It enhances your creativity by adding a cinematic tone to your footage. These LUTs were created to convert the green color hues to a dark shade reminiscent of a Bali Instagram-type color while keeping the warmth of the mid-tones and highlights.
3. Sony Nature LUTs
Nature has influenced it. Nature LUTs are designed to complement the natural environs in which we live. Bali, woods, forests, greenery, streams, and beaches are all excellent choices for this design.
4. Sony A7S III, FX3 & A7 IV – S-Log 3 Correction LUTs
Three correction LUTs are explicitly created for S-Log 3 footage. They are compatible with Sony a7S III, FX4, and a7 IV footage. They use a simple and clean style that is a wonderful place to start with your film. Following the application of these correction LUTs, we suggest boosting saturation, correcting exposure, and improving contrast. Then you may personalize it. The main goal of these Sony LUTs is to give your videos a new lease on life by enhancing saturation and overall color temperature. When utilized for the environment, lifestyle, and event videos, they also make the picture sharper and more stunning.
For more easy-to-use effects and filters to make your video cinematic, have a try with Filmora! Filmora Creative Assets can provide countless cinematic packages for you to choose from. Filmora now offers 800+ top-quality LUTs cover a broad range of scenarios. Transform your videos with Filmora's powerful 3D LUTs.
5. Sony Cine-4 Film and Standard LUTs
There are 24 Sony Cine-4 Film LUTs and 24 Rec 709 LUTs in this LUTs set. They can be used in films and television shows, social videos, presentations, and more. They're also quite simple to operate. To apply stunning color grading to your film, import the preset file or simply drag & drop the LUT over it. It works with any resolution. Make your films, social media posts, documentaries, and images look sleek and modern.
6. Sony Urban Dark LUT
The Urban Dark LUT pack aims to provide users with some dark, fascinating tones that work well with urban landscapes. These LUTs have a dark vibe that complements skin tones well.
7. LUT Sony Vegas "Adventure"
This is one of the best Sony LUTs for adding drama and depth to the video. It also makes the image moodier and more attention-grabbing, which is ideal if your film focuses on people, architecture, or scenic landscapes because it draws attention to the topics.
8. Sony LUT "Dessert"
This Sony LUT adds a creamy feel to the video, making it more appealing while also boosting the color palette. It's suitable for indoor footage and works particularly well with family and love stories.
9. Sony LUTs for the premiere
If you want to make your video clip look professional without the color grading being too obvious, Sony LUTs for Premiere is one of the best options available. It cools down the image and enhances the contrast slightly to make the topic stand out without being overpowering. This LUT is particularly well suited to business, real estate, and action-oriented videos.
10. Sony Base LUT pack
The Sony Base LUT Pack replaces Sony's rec709 LUT and color space. These LUTs have a wonderful warm tone to them and more accurate green colors, and these LUTs are merely a starting point or base for your grading. We recommend grading beyond the simple use of the LUT if you want the best results. Each LUT in this bundle was built with the Sony S-log2 color profile in mind. These LUTs are intended to assist you in achieving proper exposure during filming and grading while maintaining a pleasant image.
