LOS ANGELES—Sony and Picture Shop have released a set of LUTs designed with the Sony VENICE 2 digital cinema camera.
The LUTS were designed with color scientists Chris Kutcha, whose credits include “Kill Bill” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and Josh Pines, chief color scientists at Picture Shop whose credits include “Saving Private Ryan,” “Forrest Gump” and “The Revenant.” Pines has worked on color grading on dozens of Academy Award-winning movies.
Among the new LUTs is a low-contrast base LUT that is intended to be modified and graded. It offers a low-contrast starting point and has a built-in S-curve. It is designed for DITs and DPs who want to create their own LUT or look development for each project.
"Compared to a LUT supplied by a camera manufacturer, the Sony Lo Con Base LUT is a kinder, gentler viewing transform that has knowledge of the camera's codec and color space. It is low contrast and doesn't severely limit the color gamut. It's like a block of clay that gives colorists a starting point, and they can decide which way to push it – whether that's to create a film noir look, a rom-com, or space opera," says Pines.
Pines also developed two other versions of the base LUT for those desiring a finished look. These LUTs offer more contrast and saturation while remaining color accurate.
The new LUTs include:
- Hi Con LUT: This is the high-contrast version of the Lo Con Base LUT.
- 50-50 LUT: This is the Goldilocks version of the LUT trio with more contrast and saturation than the Lo Con Base LUT.
- Look 1: Developed by Picture Shop senior colorist Jason Fabbro, this look was created using the Lo Con Base LUT. It offers slightly more contrast and saturation, while the reds and highlights have been pulled down to look less digital.
- Look 2: Also developed by Fabbro, this look was created using the Lo Con Base LUT. It offers more warmth to skin tones and added contrast and saturation. Like Look 1, the reds and highlights have been pulled down to look less digital.
Picture Shop Senior Colorist and Director of Creative Workflow Tony D’Amore also has developed three additional LUTs designed specifically for the VENICE series.
The new family of LUTs can be used with any Sony camera that supports S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine. The Josh Pines family of LUTs are available in Rec.709 and HDR color spaces, while the D’Amore LUTs are available in Rec.709. The entire collection of LUTs offer a gentler alternative to the stylized LUTs that Sony and Picture Shop have released in the past. They are now available to download exclusively on the Sony Cine website at no cost.
The new LUTS are available online.
