I am just a LOG snob now but it definitely took me awhile to get used to it. Even now I still like to test how to expose log in certain conditions to see how to get the image I want. Especially without using a monitor, but thats why I use zebras.
It also depends on how much you want to work in post-production, in my case I use v-log up to ISO 1600, when the light drops more I use the "natural" profile which also gives me a good starting point and less noise (which can still be removed but it is an additional step in post that I don't do)
That is actually the biggest misconception that certain gamma profiles have more noise than other gamma profiles. The reality is that all gamma profiles actually have the same level of noise, the difference is the noise floor: where the noise live in the image, which live in the shadows if you are using base ISO and will gradually be raised as you are using higher ISO then will go back to the shadows again on the 2nd native ISO if your camera has a dual native ISO like the A7s3. No matter the profile you use, it will have noise floor. Rec 709 profiles (all profiles that are not log are still rec709 color space) have so much lower dynamic range vs log profiles that when you are shooting in a very low light scene, your shadows will be crushed immediately upon shooting whereas log profiles such as v-log and slog3 will still have details in the shadows. As I have mentioned, noise lives in the shadows and since Rec709 have lower dynamic range thus crushing the shadows, the noise also will be "crushed" whereas log profiles still have details in the shadows and so noise will also be noticeable in the shadows. You might think that you can live with crushed shadows so you will choose rec709 profiles so the noise will be less noticeable, but your highlights will also easily be clipped, which will be very distracting whereas log profiles will have more leeway. If you can live with crushed shadows, with log profiles you can just crush the shadows in post and the noise will go along with it but with highlights that still have details vs rec709 profiles wherein you dont have a choice but with an already clipped highlight due to lesser dynamic range.
Have been watching your content for a while Sam and I really enjoy your 'real life' approach to these tutorials. In my experience there are levels to this, like any other industry, and many of us just need to know how to make things work to our own level of profession/hobby etc without becoming bogged down in the minutia, and for me I find a huge amount of value in your style of content. Thank you my man, keep her lit! 🔥
I’m a beginner as you know so going to have to watch this video a couple of times to let things sink in, but you did a good job of explaining all this mate. So thanks!
S5ii here, VLOG all day, ETTR zebras 95%, Leeming LUT Pro for Panasonic-S. BAM 💥 incredible color all day!! Still have the log for fine tune before the lut node (resolve) Once I start using this workflow it made me so fast on color grading, and 100% consistency all time.
Great video Sam! I also shoot log most of the time and use CST in Davinci Resolve to get it back from log to Rec709. I really like this workflow and it gives me the absolute control on my image while knowing my colors wont change once rendered or uploaded. Also I would not recommend using log on 8bit cameras
i've said this Alooooot since the "log" craze started. you have to know what you're doing in lighting, composition , and settings . then comes doing the "editing" and color grading (what others call a LUT). I shoot on manual and FX3 and the images come out gorgeous. blown highlights are blown highlights, and grainy (or too black) shadows are grainy (too black). the dynamic range of a LOG profile is only really needed when you cant control the lighting. which goes back to my first point.
Totally agree about SOOC…also it matters what lens you are using, so I use “lens-sensor settings” (specific to each lens-sensor combination)! Plus, the exposure settings are still important, but when you get the image close to SOOC, you can nail the exposure much quicker and more accurately (because the image is WYSIWYG, and you don’t have to use zebras and histograms to determine exposure)!❤
I stayed away from log for the longest time untill i learned how to use it properly. Now it's all i wanna use. Made me feel like i was just mucking about in the dirt before lol. I still use standard now and then for certain night shots and quick n dirty stuff.
I hear it like: "should i shoot jpeg or raw?" so used to log now, i find it way easier and forgiving than standard profiles, i just have a some nice lut stylized conversions luts and just choose the best for each project and apply to all footage in the info tab so it´s way quick and there´s not "a lot more work on post production" for me
Ya know, I have a soft spot for cine D. I use V Log for 90% of my own stuff now, but man, a quick turnaround for a wedding film? Cine D has enough wiggle room without me wasting a day deciding on a colour grade
I use Slog3 when theres lot's of dynamic range. but at night or low light I switch to Scinetone. I could use SLOG3 for low light as well but only if I'm using bright lights for when I'm shooting a short film or something. :D
Nice. Every little helps. I have plenty of colour grading and exposure videos as well as a colour grading course if you need the extra 👌🏻 Thanks for watching and hope it helps 🎥🤩
it always easier to compare log + 709 vs standard when you put them side by side. but in real life, we don't (or maybe one time for fun). So the key will be always expose right before shooting. if it's too contrasty, open up the shadow a bit to have details. I stop shooting log with this technique. shoot standard + apply you color grade and that's it. 2 steps and your done.
I film video podcasts in a studio with 4 Sony cameras and find the S-Cinetone profile properly exposed does a great job, especially as I don’t want any more steps in my production workflow 😂
VLOG the first time was an iffy experience for me but after using it as my regular go to now its the main. Just like you said also there are times where id use Cine V2 and D2 for a quick shoot / post. Great Video!
Solid video Sam, thanks! Do you have any tips for dealing with the higher base ISOs of Log? I often shoot standard profiles just so I don't have to deal with that! In fact I'm slightly embarrassed to say I only use standard profiles for my videos as I find they give me the results I'm after - it's generally pretty low DR flat lighting I work with indoors for presenting and b-roll. Plus, when you have 10 bit files, are you editing them in an 8 bit project or a wide dynamic range one? I assume it depends on the desired output display but equally you will have more DR to play with in a wide DR project...
Thanks Gordon! 😀🙏🏻 Nothing to be embarrassed about at all with that! They’re great profiles. Especially the more flexible ones like ‘like 709’ etc. and if you’re getting the results you want, why change anything?! 😀 I very rarely use the higher ISO levels unless I’m filming outside at night. Then I’ll stick the Lumix S5 into 4000 ISO (the other native iso as you know) and I seem to get a clean image that I’m happy with in log. I think if you have enough light available for indoor shots, you can get a decent clean image. I have my 60w light on 2-3% in these talking head videos 640 iso. Does that help? 🎥😀
You should all check out Sam's Color Grading Course as once you know what to do you will always use LOG.... Danny didn't look that happy in the mist and rain
LOG isn't really much harder. All you need to do is slap on a conversion LUT and you are in the rec709 space and you are at the same starting point as a normal profile... but you get 10 bit and better dynamic range.
Hi. I think they just give the illusion that there is more dynamic range because they’re less “contrasy”. Have a go and see which ones you prefer 😊 and less us know how you get on. I forgot to mention that you can alter settings in camera too 🎥
Yes but the problem is a lot of the LUTS created by RUclipsrs a few years ago were made for standard picture profiles. That’s why I created mine to work AFTER rec 709. This way, they work for any camera 🎥🤩
So bad that Davinci Resolve Free Version can not ready 10 Bit footage. Would love to try S-Log 3 on my Sony A7IV, but I can not edit these files. And I don't want to spend 300€ to just try it out first. 😞
The video I have been waiting for a long time. I took your past advice, got myself an osmo action 1 (used) . Next is memory card and graphics card. I have a 256gb sandisk extreme pro it I keep getting this error saying memory card speed slow. Even though it's A2 v30 class. It's odd. Anyways amazing video! I found this very useful.
I've recently shot a few simple interviews with Canon CLog3 and noticed it really slows down my computer. I use Premiere...does proxy editing work with log profiles?
How does the use of ProRes affect all this? If I shoot a colour profile but in Prores is it slightly more wiggle room? Is it possible to shoot V-log in ProRes for extra performance???
Prores is just the way the file can be played back in your editor. They are larger file sizes but should play back a little smoother depending on what computer you have. I hope this helps 🙏🏻
I tend to stick with MOV because it just seems like an easier and faster workflow for me in terms of dumping footage from my memory cards. The lumix S5iX records ProRes internally using a SSD drive plugged in but I just find it a bit overkill. Creating proxies is super fast in FCPX. 👌🏻
Get the best exposure and white balance you can and only make minor adjustments to the colour grade. You can still get a good image. You just can’t stretch the grade as much
I chose Fuji so I wouldn’t have to grade the colors 😂. I was surprised one of the big camera channels uses S Cinetone for paid work. I think a lot of big RUclipsrs use straight out of camera
You basicly have absolutly no knowlage about what is color space/picture profile. REC709 (standard profile) is not like Instagram filter. It has contrast and saturation, becouse it matches your screen monitor color space. Log has much wider color space and much more latitude in gamma (contrast curve). Becouse of that it looks less saturated and contrasty. You should always shot in log, becouse you just capture more. It's 2 extra clicks in DR or 1 conversion LUT more work to get it back to REC709.
Do you have a favourite picture profile you use, and why??? Let us know 👇👇
Cine 4 on a Sony Alpha.
I am just a LOG snob now but it definitely took me awhile to get used to it.
Even now I still like to test how to expose log in certain conditions to see how to get the image I want. Especially without using a monitor, but thats why I use zebras.
I think, you should always use Log because davinci Color management makes it so easy to transform into 709 color space.
It also depends on how much you want to work in post-production, in my case I use v-log up to ISO 1600, when the light drops more I use the "natural" profile which also gives me a good starting point and less noise (which can still be removed but it is an additional step in post that I don't do)
That is actually the biggest misconception that certain gamma profiles have more noise than other gamma profiles. The reality is that all gamma profiles actually have the same level of noise, the difference is the noise floor: where the noise live in the image, which live in the shadows if you are using base ISO and will gradually be raised as you are using higher ISO then will go back to the shadows again on the 2nd native ISO if your camera has a dual native ISO like the A7s3. No matter the profile you use, it will have noise floor. Rec 709 profiles (all profiles that are not log are still rec709 color space) have so much lower dynamic range vs log profiles that when you are shooting in a very low light scene, your shadows will be crushed immediately upon shooting whereas log profiles such as v-log and slog3 will still have details in the shadows. As I have mentioned, noise lives in the shadows and since Rec709 have lower dynamic range thus crushing the shadows, the noise also will be "crushed" whereas log profiles still have details in the shadows and so noise will also be noticeable in the shadows. You might think that you can live with crushed shadows so you will choose rec709 profiles so the noise will be less noticeable, but your highlights will also easily be clipped, which will be very distracting whereas log profiles will have more leeway. If you can live with crushed shadows, with log profiles you can just crush the shadows in post and the noise will go along with it but with highlights that still have details vs rec709 profiles wherein you dont have a choice but with an already clipped highlight due to lesser dynamic range.
I understand your nerdy talk, it's not boring!
Have been watching your content for a while Sam and I really enjoy your 'real life' approach to these tutorials. In my experience there are levels to this, like any other industry, and many of us just need to know how to make things work to our own level of profession/hobby etc without becoming bogged down in the minutia, and for me I find a huge amount of value in your style of content. Thank you my man, keep her lit! 🔥
Thank you! 🤩🙏🏻 yeh simple is better 🎥 hope this helped
I’m a beginner as you know so going to have to watch this video a couple of times to let things sink in, but you did a good job of explaining all this mate. So thanks!
S5ii here, VLOG all day, ETTR zebras 95%, Leeming LUT Pro for Panasonic-S. BAM 💥 incredible color all day!! Still have the log for fine tune before the lut node (resolve)
Once I start using this workflow it made me so fast on color grading, and 100% consistency all time.
V log 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Great video Sam! I also shoot log most of the time and use CST in Davinci Resolve to get it back from log to Rec709. I really like this workflow and it gives me the absolute control on my image while knowing my colors wont change once rendered or uploaded. Also I would not recommend using log on 8bit cameras
No, not at all. If you can configure the camera to deliver good results SOOC it's the best for delivery on time without a lot of work more.
i've said this Alooooot since the "log" craze started. you have to know what you're doing in lighting, composition , and settings . then comes doing the "editing" and color grading (what others call a LUT). I shoot on manual and FX3 and the images come out gorgeous. blown highlights are blown highlights, and grainy (or too black) shadows are grainy (too black). the dynamic range of a LOG profile is only really needed when you cant control the lighting. which goes back to my first point.
Totally agree about SOOC…also it matters what lens you are using, so I use “lens-sensor settings” (specific to each lens-sensor combination)! Plus, the exposure settings are still important, but when you get the image close to SOOC, you can nail the exposure much quicker and more accurately (because the image is WYSIWYG, and you don’t have to use zebras and histograms to determine exposure)!❤
I stayed away from log for the longest time untill i learned how to use it properly. Now it's all i wanna use. Made me feel like i was just mucking about in the dirt before lol.
I still use standard now and then for certain night shots and quick n dirty stuff.
I hear it like: "should i shoot jpeg or raw?" so used to log now, i find it way easier and forgiving than standard profiles, i just have a some nice lut stylized conversions luts and just choose the best for each project and apply to all footage in the info tab so it´s way quick and there´s not "a lot more work on post production" for me
Ya know, I have a soft spot for cine D. I use V Log for 90% of my own stuff now, but man, a quick turnaround for a wedding film? Cine D has enough wiggle room without me wasting a day deciding on a colour grade
the standard profile looked best, except a few clipped highlights. if you can reduce contrast in camera for the standard profile that would be great.
I use Slog3 when theres lot's of dynamic range. but at night or low light I switch to Scinetone.
I could use SLOG3 for low light as well but only if I'm using bright lights for when I'm shooting a short film or something. :D
great video. Color grading still a challenge of mine. just started to get proper exposure after i got a monitor a few months ago.
Nice. Every little helps. I have plenty of colour grading and exposure videos as well as a colour grading course if you need the extra 👌🏻
Thanks for watching and hope it helps 🎥🤩
it always easier to compare log + 709 vs standard when you put them side by side. but in real life, we don't (or maybe one time for fun).
So the key will be always expose right before shooting. if it's too contrasty, open up the shadow a bit to have details. I stop shooting log with this technique. shoot standard + apply you color grade and that's it. 2 steps and your done.
How did you know that I was researching this last subject night? You’re a legend!
🤩🤩🤩🙏🏻🎥
I film video podcasts in a studio with 4 Sony cameras and find the S-Cinetone profile properly exposed does a great job, especially as I don’t want any more steps in my production workflow 😂
VLOG the first time was an iffy experience for me but after using it as my regular go to now its the main. Just like you said also there are times where id use Cine V2 and D2 for a quick shoot / post. Great Video!
Thx for this video, its helpfull! But you should touch lowlight situations where using log is often introducing more noise than std.
Log & Lut
Solid video Sam, thanks! Do you have any tips for dealing with the higher base ISOs of Log? I often shoot standard profiles just so I don't have to deal with that! In fact I'm slightly embarrassed to say I only use standard profiles for my videos as I find they give me the results I'm after - it's generally pretty low DR flat lighting I work with indoors for presenting and b-roll. Plus, when you have 10 bit files, are you editing them in an 8 bit project or a wide dynamic range one? I assume it depends on the desired output display but equally you will have more DR to play with in a wide DR project...
Thanks Gordon! 😀🙏🏻
Nothing to be embarrassed about at all with that! They’re great profiles. Especially the more flexible ones like ‘like 709’ etc. and if you’re getting the results you want, why change anything?! 😀
I very rarely use the higher ISO levels unless I’m filming outside at night. Then I’ll stick the Lumix S5 into 4000 ISO (the other native iso as you know) and I seem to get a clean image that I’m happy with in log. I think if you have enough light available for indoor shots, you can get a decent clean image. I have my 60w light on 2-3% in these talking head videos 640 iso.
Does that help? 🎥😀
You should all check out Sam's Color Grading Course as once you know what to do you will always use LOG.... Danny didn't look that happy in the mist and rain
LOG isn't really much harder. All you need to do is slap on a conversion LUT and you are in the rec709 space and you are at the same starting point as a normal profile... but you get 10 bit and better dynamic range.
informative topic Thanks Sam
Thanks John
I found the same thing ‘ so right now just shooting in v log profile on Lumix
👌🏻 it’s a great log profile!
S cinetone on sony is what i use most of the time tbh
What about using the Neutral or Faithful color profiles? Do they give you more room to adjust?
Hi. I think they just give the illusion that there is more dynamic range because they’re less “contrasy”. Have a go and see which ones you prefer 😊 and less us know how you get on.
I forgot to mention that you can alter settings in camera too 🎥
Are you meant to convert LOG footage into Rec709 first and then add a stylistic LUT?
Yes but the problem is a lot of the LUTS created by RUclipsrs a few years ago were made for standard picture profiles. That’s why I created mine to work AFTER rec 709. This way, they work for any camera 🎥🤩
What happens when you’re shooting video in LOG and you want to shoot some photos, and then go back and forth between video and photo?
You can select and save different settings to apply for photo or video. I use standard for photo mode
So bad that Davinci Resolve Free Version can not ready 10 Bit footage. Would love to try S-Log 3 on my Sony A7IV, but I can not edit these files. And I don't want to spend 300€ to just try it out first. 😞
The video I have been waiting for a long time.
I took your past advice, got myself an osmo action 1 (used) . Next is memory card and graphics card.
I have a 256gb sandisk extreme pro it I keep getting this error saying memory card speed slow. Even though it's A2 v30 class. It's odd. Anyways amazing video! I found this very useful.
You probably need q v60 or 90 if that's the error your getting
I've recently shot a few simple interviews with Canon CLog3 and noticed it really slows down my computer. I use Premiere...does proxy editing work with log profiles?
Yeh I always use proxy files as it makes the workflow quicker.
How does the use of ProRes affect all this? If I shoot a colour profile but in Prores is it slightly more wiggle room? Is it possible to shoot V-log in ProRes for extra performance???
Prores is just the way the file can be played back in your editor. They are larger file sizes but should play back a little smoother depending on what computer you have. I hope this helps 🙏🏻
Ace ,thanks. So so you tend to use ProRes or MOV?@@SamHolland
I tend to stick with MOV because it just seems like an easier and faster workflow for me in terms of dumping footage from my memory cards. The lumix S5iX records ProRes internally using a SSD drive plugged in but I just find it a bit overkill. Creating proxies is super fast in FCPX. 👌🏻
@@SamHolland awesome thanks for the advice mate
S.LOG 3 all day bois!
@Sam what are your video lenses? :)
I use the Lumix prime lenses but also have Sirui anamorphic. I have done videos about most of them if you wanted to see more
Certainly not if it's only going to be watched on someone's phone via a crappy-ass social media platform 😁
But what if I have only 8 bit?
Get the best exposure and white balance you can and only make minor adjustments to the colour grade. You can still get a good image. You just can’t stretch the grade as much
without log, I will not buy a camera. With log, that’s all I’ll shoot.
i mean, in resolve its basically automatic...
With resolve color management, you literally have to do nothing to use log.
I chose Fuji so I wouldn’t have to grade the colors 😂. I was surprised one of the big camera channels uses S Cinetone for paid work. I think a lot of big RUclipsrs use straight out of camera
How to grade HDR PQ? Canon R50
You basicly have absolutly no knowlage about what is color space/picture profile. REC709 (standard profile) is not like Instagram filter. It has contrast and saturation, becouse it matches your screen monitor color space.
Log has much wider color space and much more latitude in gamma (contrast curve). Becouse of that it looks less saturated and contrasty.
You should always shot in log, becouse you just capture more. It's 2 extra clicks in DR or 1 conversion LUT more work to get it back to REC709.