LUT Sequence in DaVinci Resolve 12.5

[Jeffrey Yaworski]

Hi there,

So I have a question about the sequencing of LUTs in DaVinci Resolve version 12.5.

If I have an "Input LUT" in the Project Settings, does that affect the film footage BEFORE or AFTER the LUT applied by right-clicking on a film clip in the "media/color page"??

I want to grade in P3 and I am converting clips from Rec709->P3 in the "Project Settings" Input LUT. 

But for the SLog clips (couldn't find a Slog to P3 LUT), I went into the Media page and added a LUT to convert from SLog to Rec709 just for those clips. Do they then become the "Input LUT" after the conversion to Rec709?? 

Am I seeing this the right way? The footage looks quite "good" on the monitor, but I just don't want to be "twisting" the signal, so to speak, before I get it to the grading step.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Jeffrey Yaworski 

[Paul Dore]

For technical transforms try to use the Color Space Transform OFX plugin or DCTLs. That way you can avoid any potential image degradation that may come from the LUTs.

[Jeffrey Yaworski]

Hey Paul. 

So you suggest just using a color transform on the SLog clips to make them P3?

Is the color transform more trustworthy??

Thanks for you help,

[Paul Dore]

It's the direct application of the official transfer functions and 3x3 matrix colour space transforms, as opposed to those transforms being first applied to a LUT and then applied via interpolation. It's a clean, non-destructive, and fully reversible process. It's not a question of trust, it's the only truly indisputable scientific certainty i.e. math.