What am I doing wrong? - James Miller CLOG3 help

[Dave Major]

HI everyone, I'm looking for some help with making the James Miller CLOG PP actually usable.

I usually use cinestyle (i like the look) but bought the JM clog pack a few months back on a whim. 
I'm looking to improve my overall shots and getting the best images I can so started doing some tests. 

So I expose for middle grey = 41 ire. do a custom white balance. (although I only did this once for the cinestyle test and left it ...maybe this is the problem)
Brought it into Premiere and just trying out the recommended Canon LUTS. So it's meant to work with the default canon luts but it...well doesn't. 

Anyone have any tips for using this? Exposure settings, wb etc.

If you need anymore info on anything I'll do my best

 

Image order for reference

#1 - CLOG 3 to BT709 - WIDE DR 17

#2 - CLOG 2 to BT709 - WIDE DR 17

#3 - CLOG 1 to BT709 - WIDE DR 17

#4 - FROM CAMERA NOTHING APPLIED

 

[kye]

Welcome to the forums...

While I don't know about your camera or these LUTs specifically, here's some general thoughts:

• You should set exposure and WB in-camera for the camera / codec that you're using to get the correct exposure.  There's lots of debate about ETTR and other exposure techniques, and experimentation is good, but normally the 'correct' settings are the best, as often colour profiles (if you're not shooting RAW) will encode the highlights and shadows with a lower contrast and give you headaches in post if you're trying to re-expand anything in those ranges.
• Sometimes LUTs are designed to have a different exposure setting than the correct one for your camera / codec combination.  In your NLE you should be able to adjust the image before the LUT is applied, which often helps.  If you can, you should apply the exposure correction with a linear offset style control in Linear gamma.
• LUTs are often designed to be applied with a partial opacity, so that's worth experimenting with, although it doesn't appear that the one you're looking at above is one of those.
• LUTs often work best if you're adjusting levels before the LUT is applied.  For example, Lift Gamma Gain adjustments underneath the LUT can often yield good results.

It's also worth saying that there is no 'correct' colour grade.  Taking images and carefully using a colour chart to make the final images perfectly match the rec709 colour space is a reliable way to make the images look pretty awful (IMHO) and older Sony cameras are known for having some of the least desirable colour science, and yet when they tested them they found that it was more accurate than Canon or Nikon which have more desirable colour science.

Think about the story and the message you are trying to convey, then think about the character / scene / shot and colour grade with the aesthetic that best aligns with that moment.  Film-making is a creative process.

Look at this google image search:

Lots of different colour palettes, but none that you'd say were 'accurate'.

If it looks good, it is good.

[Dave Major]

HI Kye, thanks for getting back to me.

I guess I was expecting these luts to atleast get it close to a 'normal' colour space but they don't seem to be doing that.

I'll continue to experiment and maybe just make my own preset for future use

D

[kye]

The LUTs seem to be the kind where you can record things as directed and then just apply and get what the designer intended, but maybe not.

Have you tried reaching out to the designer and getting some help?  If you're buying something then you should get some kind of support for using it correctly...

[Dave Major]

Hi Kye,

 

Yeah this is a picture profile to get a log style look (and benefit) from a dslr that doesnt have clog built in. 

Then meant to work with the stock canon corrective luts to get it into a rec 709 space....that's the idea at least.

 

I did reach out before but didn't get a response. Ill try again and see if I get a response