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How to use LUTs in order to improve the dynamic range in Lumix cameras

xaviergut

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2023
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I must say that it is very interesting this use of LUTs besides the usual color gradation. I think he is a German youtuber, @CameraRig, who offers his LUTs for free, or in exchange for a coffe...

I asked Gemini to do a written explanation of the video:

In this video, the creator addresses how Lumix cameras (like the S5IIX and S9) are capable of shooting 14+ stops of dynamic range, but using the built-in "Standard Profile" aggressively clips and wastes the highlight information [00:00].

To fix this and unlock the camera's full potential, he created a custom "Standard-Light" Real-Time LUT (also compatible with V-Log in DaVinci Resolve) [00:22]. Here is how he utilizes it to improve and preserve the dynamic range:

1. Shooting in V-Log with a Real-Time LUT
Instead of recording in the compressed, baked-in Standard Profile, the technique relies on utilizing the camera's maximum dynamic range sensor readout (typically achieved via V-Log) and applying his custom LUT directly in-camera as a Real-Time LUT [01:23].

2. Retaining Contrast While Recovering Highlights
Normally, shooting in a flat log profile means you lose immediate contrast, while shooting in a standard profile blows out the highlights. His LUT solves this by mimicking the exact contrast and exposure curves of the built-in Standard Profile internally [00:42].

The Result: The image on your camera screen retains a punchy, Rec.709 look with deep shadows [01:42], but removes the harsh cutoff in the bright areas. Details in blown-out clouds, bright skies, and overexposed highlights are fully retrieved and naturally roll off rather than clipping sharply [00:56, 02:17].

3. Fixing Sky and Color Shifts
When the standard profile clips the sky, it often introduces a harsh, unnatural turquoise/cyan tint [02:05]. The custom LUT remaps the color gamut so that even as the sky gets very bright, the blue tones remain natural, desaturating smoothly into the highlights instead of shifting color [02:17].

4. Built-in Skin Tone Correction
To keep the workflow simple, the creator also baked a skin balance LUT directly into this Real-Time LUT [01:23]. It automatically corrects minor color casts (like skin appearing too red or too yellow) [01:30], ensuring that you get a highly graded, wide-dynamic-range image straight out of the camera without needing heavy post-processing [01:42].

 
As I said, this is a brilliant idea, the sort of thing where you say 'why didn't I think of that'. Looking at the results it could probably be pushed even further. I'll try his lut to see how it looks, for both photos and videos.
 
From a stills standpoint, it would be interesting to see if one could make a LUT that could reliably predict clipping in the raw file but still give a somewhat realistic color palette. False colors of course does the clipping prediction quite well, but it sure is ugly to shoot with.
 
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