Do you want to give your videos a little more polish but are unsure of where to begin? The overall appearance and atmosphere of your video can be greatly improved by color grading. We’ll go over where to get free LUTs (lookup tables) for color grading in this blog post, as well as how to apply them to your videos. Professional video production is our area of expertise at Gillespie Productions! We will take care of color grading when you visit us. To learn more about the procedure, read on.
Let’s get going!
Why Should You Use LUTs and What Are LUTs?
You can map one color to another using LUTs, also known as lookup tables, which are a tool for color grading. In order to achieve a particular look, they enable you to change the colors in your footage. Because they can be applied to numerous projects and are a great way to match the color of various types of footage, LUTs are beneficial for commercial videography.
It’s crucial to take into account your color grading goals when selecting a free LUT. Do you desire a retro appearance? modern appearance? A minor modification or a significant transformation? It will be much simpler to choose the ideal LUT once you are clear on your goals.
6 Primary LUT types for color grading
The simplest type of LUTs, transformation LUTs merely map one set of colors to another. For instance, you could convert footage from Rec using a Transformation LUT. From log to linear, or from 709 to P3.
To make up for the inherent limitations of your display device, viewing LUTs were created. For instance, the full spectrum of colors that can be captured by a digital camera cannot be reproduced by the majority of displays. In order to see more of the image’s potential color data, Viewing LUTs can be used to increase the color gamut of your display.
By using specialized equipment to measure the actual output of a display device, calibration LUTs are produced. These LUTs are frequently used in post-production and color-grading workflows because they can be used to achieve a very high level of color accuracy.
To transform logarithmic footage (like LOG C or S-Log) into a linear color space, log normalization LUTs are used. As a result, you can color-grade log footage without compromising the quality.
Simple look-up tables known as 1D LUTs are used to convert input values into output values. 1D LUTs are different from 3D LUTs in that they can only be used to change brightness levels; they cannot change hue or saturation levels.
Compared to 1D LUTs, 3D LUTs are significantly more complicated and can be applied to all three dimensions of color (hue, saturation, and brightness). High-end color grading workflows frequently use 3D LUTs because they provide the most control over the final image.
Obtaining Free LUTs
Given what you now know about LUTs, you might look for free LUT downloads. Here are some locations to start your search.
RocketStock
You can use the 35 free LUTs from RocketStock with DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut Pro X. Free cinematic LUTs, free standard footage LUTs, and free vintage LUTs are available options. For video editors of all experience levels, this collection makes a fantastic place to start.
Lutify.me
For use with LOG footage, Lutify.me provides a selection of free LUTs for Final Cut Pro and other editing programs. These LUTs can assist you in achieving a more authentic look when working with LOG footage. When you sign up for a free trial with Lutify.me, you get access to 7 LUTs.
Shutterstock
13 free cinematic LUTs are accessible for download from Shutterstock. These LUTs can be used with a variety of video editing programs, such as Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and After Effects, to give your footage a “movie look.” Cinematic LUTs are a great way to improve the polish and professionalism of your video. They’re also entertaining to experiment with! Shutterstock is a well-known company, and its collection of free LUTs is a fantastic place to start.
SmallHD
You can use the seven free stylistic LUTs from SmallHD to give your video a distinctive appearance. These LUTs work with a variety of video editing programs, and they’re a great way to give your videos some character. For personal projects or videos that you want to publish online, stylistic LUTs are ideal. For instance, you could use a LUT to make your video footage appear to have been taken on a Super 16 film.
Conclusion
LUTs are a great way to color grade your footage, and you can find free LUTs in a variety of locations for your video editing requirements. Your individual video projects can be upgraded by beginning with a free LUT.
Color grading is done on all footage by reputable US videography companies. Visionary Web Studios is here to help if you’re interested in video production services. We provide free quotes and a variety of video services.
