EVA1: Grading vlog?

F

filmguy123

Veteran
My primary LOG experience has been limited to the GHx series only and I am noticing that the EVA1 log footage is a different beast. With the GH5 and s, the footage after you apply LUT is pretty much ready to go sans a few tweaks. There’s stock, Leeming, and an endless supply of others online.

For varicam vlog, the stock LUT seems low contrast and washed out - I’m assuming intentionally due to the 14 stops of DR. But it’s not poppy or ready to go, and, there seems to be virtually no other LUTs to choose from online.

This has revealed my inadequacies as a colorist.

What’s the proper way to grade this from the LUT? How do I get a quick sort of standard look out of the log footage that’s not so flat? I’m not having the best luck in Lumetri with this by simply bumping contrast etc.
 
It's so subjective though, right? If you want to stay in Lumetri, try some or combo of these:

*First, start with the V35 to Rec709 LUT. It's not a "look," but a technical LUT to map your V-log footage to 709 space. Then start tweaking.

- Blacks/whites/shadows/highlights sliders (work like in Adobe Camera RAW)
- Curves (use an s-curve for contrast and/or boost your shadows and highlights with complimentary colors)
- Clarity or De-Haze (more ways to add contrast and sharpness)
- the individual HLS sliders to pop certain colors

- try adding a film stock look that has the characteristics you are looking for, then dial back the strength until it looks right... or develop your own custom look using any above and save it to use whenever you like.

There's much more to play with than the contrast slider :) Have fun with it!
 
I am in the same boat...one thing I have also noticed is the amount of noise in shadows in "under exposed" clips compared to my GH5 after the addition of the Panasonic Rec709 LUT. Using the Neat Video plug in removes that like a charm - although this is heavy on the computer. As recommended by just about everyone, I now also expose v-log and ProRes raw footage "to the right" which greatly helps.
 
I suppose it's subjective, but it would be nice if there were some LUTs such as what Leeming LUT provided for GHx series.

Right now with the only LUT I am aware of, the image still needs a lot of work. I want to maintain the power of LOG for making changes and adjustments and maximizing dynamic range, however, I'd also like to in post be able to apply a LUT immediately that basically replicates having a scene file applied to the footage. The current LUT isn't delivery ready; it seems somewhere between LOG and a post-applied Scene File. Which is great, except, when it's the only option...?
 
Like Seanik said its not hard to create your own custom lut in resolve or even something like Sony Catalyst software and export to keep for future and apply it to all footage. That is all those who created the luts you like for the GH5 did.
 
Just to be clear, the V35-Rec709 LUT is just to get you from V-Log to Rec709... After you apply that, you can use then apply ANY Rec709 LUT out there to achieve a "look." You don't necessarily need (or should want) a baked in look on your technical LUT. Apologies if that is obvious, but none of this will make any sense unless that is understood ;)

Regarding Leeming LUT, I just took a quick look at it, and it appears that they use the same process: apply "Leeming LUT One" that is camera specific to get to Rec709, then apply a "Leeming LUT Quickie(tm)" [lol!] which gives you the "look" that you want. However, Paul Leeming's version of a technical Rec709 LUT (LUT One) probably has some subjective tweaks to it, giving it a baked in look as well... If my assumption is incorrect, and "LUT One" is actually a pure technical LUT, then great news: just use the V35-Rec709 LUT in place of the "LUT One," then add the "LUT Quickie(tm)" of your choice, and you're good to go!

But I doubt that is the case, so you will likely have to make your own LUT to mimic Leeming's baked in look... but no worries, it should be easy to do:

- Shoot a chip chart with both your GH5 and EVA1
- In Lumetri, add your Leeming LUT to the GH5 footage
- In Lumetri, add the V35-Rec709 LUT to the EVA1 footage
- Using your waveform and vector scopes, match up the EVA1 to the GH5 as best as you can while applying the least amount of settings changes as possible
- Now, export the new EVA1 settings to a .cube file (quick tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ados3uqvjJY)

To apply to EVA1 footage in future:

- In Lumetri, for "Input LUT" select V35-Rec709 LUT
- Then go to "Creative" tab, and under "Look" select the LUT (.cube file) that you just created

** If you really feel adventurous, you could also try to match the EVA1 footage without using the V35-Rec709 LUT so that the resulting .cube file that you create will be a technical LUT with a baked in look. Then, you can use this LUT as your "Input LUT" and not have to also select a "Look" LUT. YMMV.

You can also try other routes like Red Giant's LUT Buddy, or if you really want to geek out, check out LUTCalc https://cameramanben.github.io/LUTCalc/... And of course, if all else fails, you could probably contact Paul Leeming directly and let him know that you would like a LUT for V-Log :) I'm sure he would love to keep you on board!

With all this said and done, just remember that grading can be very fun to learn and experiment with, so take some time with it and create a few good looks (.cube) to keep in your arsenal for easy application on future projects.
 
thefilmaddict said:
This is my workflow for grading V-log. ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51rILdUygRY
Click to expand...

Nice clear and simple tutorial! I think a lot of people will benefit from this.

*Just a quick note for Filmguy: Whether you choose to save your grade as a Lumetri preset (as described in thefilmaddict's tutorial) or export it as a LUT (.cube file, as described in the tutorial that I linked above), I believe there is no effective difference, on its face, if you're working only in Premiere. There is more than one way to skin a cat!

Each method, however, does provide its own distinct advantage. If you do choose to export it as a LUT, you can also use it in any other program or device that accepts .cube files (e.g. Adobe Media Encoder, Resolve, or even a monitor/recorder for use as an M-LUT). On the other hand, if you choose to save it as a Lumetri preset, you can apply the grade without having to do so by selecting it as a "Look" LUT (on the "Creative" tab). This allows for the "Look" slot to remain available to add another creative look LUT to the mix (e.g. film stock, etc.), if you want to go there.
 
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