Lots of good info here. Thanks Maarten. I tried the new NIKON Z6 LUT (in Premiere Pro) for myself on a high contrast scene. It worked quite well IMO. A bit contrasty but at 60% intensity it was just about right. I also raised the brightness a bit as you did. This result matched my Rec.709 recording (for the same scene) almost exactly. Ready for any cinematic color grading. Thanks also for the other Z6/Z7 setup tips. I like the Highlight display (g6), although it's unfortunate that you have to choose between this and focus peaking (d10). I assume there is some technical reason you can't do both simultaneously.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I'm still preferring a hand-grade over the LUT. Useful in the Atomos though. Not sure why Nikon's engineers can't enable peaking and highlight, or why they didn't just implement a standard zebra display.
Thank you Maarten for this! I have not had any success using these Log to rec709 luts. I have had much more success (in my opinion) grading the video from scratch by myself and not use the luts at all. But when I look at different RUclips videos many people seem to have the opinion that you definitely need to use these luts in order to get the images right. If you do it manually you never get it to true rec709. I don't really understand what they mean by that. I am a relatively new video shooter (fairly experienced stills shooter) and has been experimenting with colorgrading and learning about luts and 422 and all these video things. I recently got me a z6 with the ninja v, and I've yet to find good tutorials on how to grade N-log and how to use the tools provided by atomos like hlg, should one expose using the ETTR method or in another way and so on in a good way, I still got a lot off questions unanswered.. You said something about Nikon recommending you expose your gray card to some specific value? Do you have a link to some info about that? Thank you again for this video!
Excellent point, not sure what a true REC709 is, but suggesting that you can't create an appropriate grade for a REC709 display manually is foolish. How to expose is a challenge, and one that seems to come from experience. While I primarily use the waveform display on the ninja as my primary reference (using the downloadable LUT as described in the video) there remains in my view a substantial element of preference involved to create the (admittedly subtle) look I want.
This video deserves more views! Now I know if the contrast is too hugh, I should use log, if it was a dark scean with no strong light, I'd better use normal profile.
Thanks for this... I do think that shooting Vlog also helps grading from a clean start with more latitude for different artistic approaches... and us small production companies rarely control the light in the scene as desired... therefore; vlog let us deal with tricky situations... noise is a compromise that you need to be willing to make for the extra dynamic range...
Always happy to help, thanks for the kind words. In my mind, the issue isn't noise - it's the lack of contrast and definition when the dynamic range is unnecessarily compressed from the start. A clean start is a properly exposed image with an accurate colour rendition, not an image that's already been unnecessarily manipulated.
@@MaartenHeilbron I have seen nikon and Panasonic photos and video. I feel nikon colours give a feelgood vibe. I mean giving very happy feeling. And Panasonic (as many reviews say) image has realistic(but punchy) colours, which looks good too. Do you agree with me ?
I'm happy that you have creative preferences. If you are satisfied with your choices, I'm not sure why you feel the need for validation by asking if someone agrees with you. I would also suggest that the many colour management features of all cameras - Nikon, Panasonic, Fujifilm - offer the ability for you to create colour profiles that satisfy your creative needs regardless of brand.
@@MaartenHeilbron I just feel that n log colours may not be perfect for films of serious/deep emotion. They would suit well to genre like comedy or happy mood films. If u say it can be tweaked then i accept it. I am a biginner. But I have one question: sony in 4k 10bit 4:2:2 has data rate of 100 mbps and Panasonic has data rate of 150mbps. So there must be a difference in terms of how much one can tweak/grade the image. Especially for changing the colour temperature of the footage.
My only concern is to change the colour temperature. According to dpreview n log shows artifacts when colour temp is change whearas prores RAW does not
Once again an excellent video. Your example is perfect, a scene like many of us have dealt with. Also liked your sum-up, though I had hoped I could avoid that complicated stuff like focus and exposure and use some magic software instead.
I appreciated your great explanations and finally understood. I am wondering why my color-corrections on top of the applied LUT in FCP are not very satisfying. For example turning the Brightnesswheel simply makes the image foggier, but I am sure to find an answer here. Did you test/analyse the new H.265-feature of the Atomos? I am wondering, how this could speed up my workflows... Btw: The manually graded image was my favorite!
Thanks for another fantastic video! Not sure which ND/CP filters you’re using. I switched to the Polar Pro QuartzLine NDx/PL (where x = 8,16 or 64) combo filters for Z6 video and am really pleased with the results. Any news on the ProRes RAW release date? Keep up the great work!
If you were Nikon d850 shooter and you wanted to go mirrorless(or as a second camera eventually+for video)-which one would you pick between Z6 (having all the Nikon lenses) and XT3(I am tempted of 4k60, internal 10 bit...all video features)
If you're accustomed to Nikon, I'd suggest you stay with Nikon. It will be much easier to use the menu system and to color match. I appreciate the the X-T3's video features are superior, and I don't know where your videos will go, but if you plan to continue with the D850, the Z6 is the better choice.
Nice clear video, thanks Maarten. Quick question, do you have to use ProRes HQ when shooting nlog? Or is ProRes 422 or LT fine if you want to keep file size down?
Thanks for your kind words. It depends on the circumstances and the eventual use of the video I'm shooting. I use LT when I'm doing the screens you see in my work, I do most of my shooting in ProRes 422, and switch to HQ only when I'm doing work for a client. Hope this helps.
Hey Maarten! First of all, thank you for all the great video's you put out. They are very easy to understand and interesting to follow. I do have a quick question about the lcd of the Z6. When filming in 24 or 25p, I always seem to have a big delay between my movement and what's displayed on the screen. This goes away on 50 or 60p but changing it to those framerates defeats the purpose of shooting in 24 or 25p. Did you happen to see this as well? Bedankt voor je tijd!
Hmmm. Delay should be the same - and the Nikons are slightly more than others - 7-8 frames. However, you should expect to see some difference between a 25/25 frame image and a 50/60 in smoothness of movement.
Much appreciated Maarten, and once again you’ve got the best video for what I’m looking for. I must say I haven’t been a fan of the Nikon Z6 LUT, I feel like my manually graded footage is much better. The LUT tends to be too dark and too much red I think. Am I wrong, but is LOG footage to video what RAW files are to pictures (versus JPEG)?
If it's too dark and red, then your exposure did not meet the LUT's expectations. That's why it's better to manually grade. LOG is not equivalent to RAW. LOG applies a response curve to the sensor's output to flatten the mid-range exposure area (so it gets fewer bits) and extends the response both above and below that possible with the standard linear output.
Hi Maarten! Excellent video! Thank you. What do you think about applying the LUT and then doing minor color grading touch-ups afterward? Do you think it'll look just as nice as a full on manual grade? For sure the manual grade start to finish looks nicer!
It depends on the scene and the final result you want. Both can be good approaches - and it's possible to try both without jeopardizing your footage. However, my first recommendation is always to do your best to create the look you want in camera and to make minimal corrections in post.
@@OhDearBabajan Sorry, not enough explanation. Create the look you want in camera without using Log, and use Log only when needed because the dynamic range of the scene is larger than the camera can capture without using Log.
Much prefer the manually adjusted clip to the tweaked+lut version. I am not entirely sure how LUTs and other effects work in Final Cut, but over in Resolve which uses nodes, you really NEVER want to use a lut before doing manual adjustments. In fact, you might even consider using the very helpful color space transform to transform the gamma and gamut out of one log (let's say sony's SLOG 2 for example) in to another, like ARri C Log, and then apply your LUT after that.
Thanx for the LUTS! Didn’t know that Nikon LUTS could be installed directly onto a recorder for onsite exposure checking... I assume they are available for Ninja V and will Be update for the (mystical) ProRes Raw (when Godot gets here)
Hi Maarten, thanks for a great video ! I find that applying the Nikon Z6 LUT on my Prores footage through a ninja v makes the skin tones incredibly red. Is there something I’m missing here ? I can’t seem to understand why this is happening or how to fix it ?
It's possibly an exposure issue - the levels the LUT expects are not those you recorded. As I mentioned in the video, the preset LUTs lack finesse and you should make further adjustments using the colour/exposure tools in your NLE - or forgo the LUT completely and simply tune the video to your needs manually (potentially with the guidance of the waveform display). Hope this helps, thanks for your kind words.
1) You too can grade manually. 2) If they're not provided in your NLE, then you can get them from Nikon downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/sw/168.html
@@MaartenHeilbron i just realized monitoring the LUT is not that great. to much contrast. I go for Native / HDR off / legalize off and expose to the highlights with zebras at 90% for me the waveform is rocketscience kind of 🧐 it‘s 0-100 IRE ... which is not representing the full range of 10bit right? so how do I expose my image? 🙏🙏🙏
@@RobinNoah Monitoring the LUT is useful inasmuch as it represents what applying the LUT in post will do. Yes, 0-100 is the whole 10 bit range. As before, keep the waveform centred, keep the zebras under 90. Is that not working for you?
As I understand, Nikon / Atomos have not come out with LUTs for S-log ProRes RAW and we are using work arounds for FCPX for now (though some use the Sony.cin which makes sense since Nikon still uses the Sony chip for video) My assumption is that IF I shoot my personal passion project (ie no deadline but my own) and I shoot my “play” in studio under LED lights (Aputure and Intellytech ie good quality) and keep my exposures narrow... I can always go back and apply LUTs as they come out to my ProRes RAW output... make sense?
Yes, but in that situation you can't possibly need the expanded range that log requires (reflected light studio scenes rarely reach even 8 stops of range). Why not just use the flat picture control and save yourself a lot of work and potential loss of quality? You'd still be able to do a colour grade in editing.
Maarten Heilbron Good question... my original assumption was that I could fix - anything (related to exposure and/or color) by shooting ProRes RAW... which, originally, I assumed was more compressed than N-Log and delivers better Nikon skin tones (according to Wolfcrow and some of the footage (“bitage”) I’ve seen... Turns ProRes RAW files are humongous (3GB per minute, if I remember) but ProRes does better with skin tones... But the other consideration is that the largest scene will have twelve (12) actors on stage for one long finale... with all the commotion of shooting that scene (perhaps even LIVE) I might well want (need) some exposure/color latitude to handle mixed lighting (tungsten and LED) and light spills etc. as it will be increasingly $$$ to go back and re-shoot for each scene that I don’t NAIL!!! anywhichwaythouwouldhaveit.com
But I am shooting B-roll right now - in both Flat 4K internally and ProRes - under lighting consistent with what I will always be using... so I’ll see... since I am looking buy a 2nd Z6 (and more as the shooting becomes more complex) it would be NICE if buying the additional Ninja V and $200 upgrades and 1TB storage was, as You suggest, Overkill.
@@TheGeoDaddy The compression applied to files (ie a codec like ProRes or H.264) is different from the compression that a log curve applies to the dynamic range. With log, the 8 stops of a standard interior lit scene is compressed to about 4 bits (remember, on the waveform, what was 100% is now 40%). Don't do this unnecessarily. As for file type and compression, RAW should be uncompressed, but for video that's not really possible - so with RAW there is lossless compression applied. However, depending on your final output, you will not observe any or much difference between a RAW and standard ProRes 422 recording on an Atomos recorder. I'm going to work on a video to demonstrate explain this with the Z7 v3 firmware over the next weeks.
Great video. Nikon's LUT seems pretty useless. I would not even use it for exposure on the Atomos, but rather use Atomos' HDR and its 2020 to rec709 monitoring option.
Your videos are very well detailed, thank you. When you enable the n-log the iso minimum is set to 800, why is this? Is there no way to over ride this setting?
Every manufacturer that provides a log profile enforces a minimum ISO. This seems to be a requirement of the log process. There is no way to over-ride the setting, on the other hand, no need to use log in most situations either.
Maarten Heilbron thank you for the reply, so for dark skinned people using the ninja, where should one be in the false color settings, and does that mean I have too raise the iso, even if the picture looks very highlighted?
@@baja1980s You don't have to raise the ISO above the minimum. Although there are charts to help guide you with skin tones, I would recommend that, if you have the LUTs installed on the Ninja, you expose skin tones by eye.
Thanks for posting this Maarten, this is helpful and very informative. I do prefer your manual grade, it is as you say, more natural. I'm about to take delivery of a new Nikon Z6 and have been looking into Log and trying to understand it a little better. In regards to the Z6 and its Log (both N-Log and another format EOSHDs' Z-Log) I've noticed examples on youtube that exhibit banding, particularly in the sky, both in the ungraded and graded footage, I note that in your examples this was not the case (here is an example, 9s in you can see it in the sky ruclips.net/video/DM5RMUkEcvY/видео.html ) do you have an opinion on what is going on there and how to avoid it? On the camera's choice of ISO 800, if we use that with stills we would expect to lose quite a bit of dynamic range, yet this is used in Log where the camera is trying to get the maximum dynamic range and it seems a bit counter-intuitive to use that ISO. So how are we still getting, what 11 or 12 stops of dynamic range with Log and that ISO? I will be using my camera for real estate videos where the lighting conditions will be challenging, so I'll be wanting to get the best out of the camera. At this point though I don't have an external recorder so will be experimenting with creating a Log like curve using Nikons, Picture Control Utility to modify the existing Nikon Flat profile. I've been informed that the camera applies that curve to the full sensor data before conversion to an 8 bit output. I am interested in the Ninja V though a bit more after seeing how you demonstrated the advantages of getting better exposure using the waveforms and LUTs. I've not yet been impressed with the limited samples of the ProRes RAW from the Z6 that have surfaced here on youtube, it seems like a lot of effort for little gains at this stage, but it is early days and I suspect most people don't yet know how to get the best out of the RAW workflow with the Z files and tools available.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. The banding is usually the result of over-exposure - you can't go to the top of the histogram. The highlight alert might provide a clearer guide to levels (keep it under 230), but of course a waveform with a device that can show you the image with the LUT (even if you don't use it in post) can be most helpful to get the exposure right. All cameras with Log functions use a higher ISO to raise the black level and extend the range. The Log function reduces the dynamic range of the typical 8 stop range to a smaller range so that more stops can be added above and below. That's why I suggest that if it's not needed because you have an extended range, that you don't use it. You are right, it will take some experimenting and testing to get yourself to a level of familiarity with the feature to get the best results. I've not yet had the opportunity to try the update with the RAW output.
hi. thanks for your videos. for me it doesn't work with Nikon lut. i test for few weeks and my conclusions are : you have to expose normaly the native way. you can go 100% Ire on the waveform. apply the nikon lut extand too much highlights and the blacks beloww zero with too much contrast, it contrain you to raise up the lows and it raise up the noise... i use v-log lut moded or the nikon lut moded. see the wolfcrow video on the net ; he explains exactly that: you have to expose normaly the n-log (just see their curve) you can reach 109 ire...
From you tests you should see that you should not record over about 85%. However, there is, as I pointed out, no need to limit yourself to the Nikon (or any other) LUT. You can adjust the footage you've recorded easily yourself which will yield better results.
@@MaartenHeilbron thanks for answer ! according to Nikon and their curve you can go as far as 109 IRE am i wrong? i tried to monitor with Nikon lut and to repect highlights limit to 100IRE the darks are too low-> so in post i adjust the lows (raise up) and i win big noise in shadows. When i montor with native curve on Ninja with 100Ire on highlights its the inverse:-> i raise down my dark level and i don't see noise on shadows. do you confirm ? i don't understant at 7:32 you expose middle grey to 25 and Nikon recommand 35->your footage is too dark with the nikon lut applied, and raising up your shadows like this will bring some noise. could you say more? thanks Maarten
@@manushootnplay1231 As I don't know your scene and situation, it's really difficult to make further recommendations. Experience and experimentation will be your best guide rather than using meters and settings which are designed for all situations.
Don't get this camera for video. I just got bought the Nikon Z7 and the atoms Ninja V and I am getting a very noticeable flicker in N-log 10 bit video. I am not the only one, if you google it you will find plenty of people with the same issue. Nikon won't admit the issue. Very disappointing.
The manually graded image looks much nicer to me. Both the contrast and colors of the environment are significantly better.
That's my opinion also. Thanks for commenting.
You're an amazing teacher, Maarten! This has been very helpful -- THANK YOU!
You're very welcome! It was a pleasure to read your kind words.
He really is!
Lots of good info here. Thanks Maarten. I tried the new NIKON Z6 LUT (in Premiere Pro) for myself on a high contrast scene. It worked quite well IMO. A bit contrasty but at 60% intensity it was just about right. I also raised the brightness a bit as you did. This result matched my Rec.709 recording (for the same scene) almost exactly. Ready for any cinematic color grading. Thanks also for the other Z6/Z7 setup tips. I like the Highlight display (g6), although it's unfortunate that you have to choose between this and focus peaking (d10). I assume there is some technical reason you can't do both simultaneously.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I'm still preferring a hand-grade over the LUT. Useful in the Atomos though. Not sure why Nikon's engineers can't enable peaking and highlight, or why they didn't just implement a standard zebra display.
Good explanation of how exposure works with LOG. I wasn't aware that the application of monitor LUTs on the Atomos was as helpful as you have shown.
Always nice to know I've helped to inform my viewers, thanks for the kind words.
thanks Maarten - the best video on this for Z7 that I could find :) Just a good sensible no nonsense and informative video.
Wow, thanks! A pleasure to read your kind words.
Thank you Maarten for this!
I have not had any success using these Log to rec709 luts. I have had much more success (in my opinion) grading the video from scratch by myself and not use the luts at all. But when I look at different RUclips videos many people seem to have the opinion that you definitely need to use these luts in order to get the images right. If you do it manually you never get it to true rec709. I don't really understand what they mean by that.
I am a relatively new video shooter (fairly experienced stills shooter) and has been experimenting with colorgrading and learning about luts and 422 and all these video things. I recently got me a z6 with the ninja v, and I've yet to find good tutorials on how to grade N-log and how to use the tools provided by atomos like hlg, should one expose using the ETTR method or in another way and so on in a good way, I still got a lot off questions unanswered..
You said something about Nikon recommending you expose your gray card to some specific value? Do you have a link to some info about that?
Thank you again for this video!
Excellent point, not sure what a true REC709 is, but suggesting that you can't create an appropriate grade for a REC709 display manually is foolish.
How to expose is a challenge, and one that seems to come from experience. While I primarily use the waveform display on the ninja as my primary reference (using the downloadable LUT as described in the video) there remains in my view a substantial element of preference involved to create the (admittedly subtle) look I want.
This video deserves more views! Now I know if the contrast is too hugh, I should use log, if it was a dark scean with no strong light, I'd better use normal profile.
Yes, it's nice to hear from a viewer who understood what I was saying, appreciated.
Normal picture profile like standard? Or neutral?
@@saigonproducer Try them both to see which works better for you. We don't know your pictures, or share your values.
The manually graded video looks better. Great explanation. Thanks for this video!
My pleasure, always nice to hear from an appreciative viewer. Thanks.
Thanks for this... I do think that shooting Vlog also helps grading from a clean start with more latitude for different artistic approaches... and us small production companies rarely control the light in the scene as desired... therefore; vlog let us deal with tricky situations... noise is a compromise that you need to be willing to make for the extra dynamic range...
Always happy to help, thanks for the kind words. In my mind, the issue isn't noise - it's the lack of contrast and definition when the dynamic range is unnecessarily compressed from the start. A clean start is a properly exposed image with an accurate colour rendition, not an image that's already been unnecessarily manipulated.
@@MaartenHeilbron I have seen nikon and Panasonic photos and video. I feel nikon colours give a feelgood vibe. I mean giving very happy feeling. And Panasonic (as many reviews say) image has realistic(but punchy) colours, which looks good too. Do you agree with me ?
I'm happy that you have creative preferences. If you are satisfied with your choices, I'm not sure why you feel the need for validation by asking if someone agrees with you.
I would also suggest that the many colour management features of all cameras - Nikon, Panasonic, Fujifilm - offer the ability for you to create colour profiles that satisfy your creative needs regardless of brand.
@@MaartenHeilbron I just feel that n log colours may not be perfect for films of serious/deep emotion. They would suit well to genre like comedy or happy mood films. If u say it can be tweaked then i accept it. I am a biginner. But I have one question: sony in 4k 10bit 4:2:2 has data rate of 100 mbps and Panasonic has data rate of 150mbps. So there must be a difference in terms of how much one can tweak/grade the image. Especially for changing the colour temperature of the footage.
My only concern is to change the colour temperature. According to dpreview n log shows artifacts when colour temp is change whearas prores RAW does not
This guy is the Mr Rogers of videography xD
This guy appreciates your kind words.
Thank you Maarten, this is very clear and helpful.
I'm always pleased to read that my videos are helpful, thanks for commenting.
Once again an excellent video. Your example is perfect, a scene like many of us have dealt with. Also liked your sum-up, though I had hoped I could avoid that complicated stuff like focus and exposure and use some magic software instead.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. Hmmm .... magic software ..... have you read about the iPhone 11?
Very cool ! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us !
My pleasure! Always nice to know that my viewers appreciate my work.
I appreciated your great explanations and finally understood. I am wondering why my color-corrections on top of the applied LUT in FCP are not very satisfying. For example turning the Brightnesswheel simply makes the image foggier, but I am sure to find an answer here. Did you test/analyse the new H.265-feature of the Atomos? I am wondering, how this could speed up my workflows...
Btw: The manually graded image was my favorite!
I no longer have a Nikon Z camera to do this evaluation.
Thanks for another fantastic video! Not sure which ND/CP filters you’re using. I switched to the Polar Pro QuartzLine NDx/PL (where x = 8,16 or 64) combo filters for Z6 video and am really pleased with the results. Any news on the ProRes RAW release date? Keep up the great work!
B+W 3 stop ND, Freewell CP. No dates on ProRes (but if you have a Ninja, you're not waiting. Thanks for the kind words.
If you were Nikon d850 shooter and you wanted to go mirrorless(or as a second camera eventually+for video)-which one would you pick between Z6 (having all the Nikon lenses) and XT3(I am tempted of 4k60, internal 10 bit...all video features)
If you're accustomed to Nikon, I'd suggest you stay with Nikon. It will be much easier to use the menu system and to color match. I appreciate the the X-T3's video features are superior, and I don't know where your videos will go, but if you plan to continue with the D850, the Z6 is the better choice.
You are like my old teacher at school!
Thanks. I'm assuming that's a good thing
@@MaartenHeilbron It is!
Nice clear video, thanks Maarten. Quick question, do you have to use ProRes HQ when shooting nlog? Or is ProRes 422 or LT fine if you want to keep file size down?
Thanks for your kind words. It depends on the circumstances and the eventual use of the video I'm shooting. I use LT when I'm doing the screens you see in my work, I do most of my shooting in ProRes 422, and switch to HQ only when I'm doing work for a client. Hope this helps.
Great! Thanks for clarifying.
Hey Maarten! First of all, thank you for all the great video's you put out. They are very easy to understand and interesting to follow. I do have a quick question about the lcd of the Z6. When filming in 24 or 25p, I always seem to have a big delay between my movement and what's displayed on the screen. This goes away on 50 or 60p but changing it to those framerates defeats the purpose of shooting in 24 or 25p. Did you happen to see this as well? Bedankt voor je tijd!
Hmmm. Delay should be the same - and the Nikons are slightly more than others - 7-8 frames. However, you should expect to see some difference between a 25/25 frame image and a 50/60 in smoothness of movement.
this video is the most helfull in the youtube and by the way your manual graded looks beter , thank you verey much
Thanks, I appreciate your kind words.
Much appreciated Maarten, and once again you’ve got the best video for what I’m looking for. I must say I haven’t been a fan of the Nikon Z6 LUT, I feel like my manually graded footage is much better. The LUT tends to be too dark and too much red I think. Am I wrong, but is LOG footage to video what RAW files are to pictures (versus JPEG)?
If it's too dark and red, then your exposure did not meet the LUT's expectations. That's why it's better to manually grade. LOG is not equivalent to RAW. LOG applies a response curve to the sensor's output to flatten the mid-range exposure area (so it gets fewer bits) and extends the response both above and below that possible with the standard linear output.
Hi Maarten! Excellent video! Thank you. What do you think about applying the LUT and then doing minor color grading touch-ups afterward? Do you think it'll look just as nice as a full on manual grade? For sure the manual grade start to finish looks nicer!
It depends on the scene and the final result you want. Both can be good approaches - and it's possible to try both without jeopardizing your footage. However, my first recommendation is always to do your best to create the look you want in camera and to make minimal corrections in post.
@@MaartenHeilbron Even if you shoot in log? (to best create the shot in camera)? Because it will come out grey, right?
@@OhDearBabajan Sorry, not enough explanation. Create the look you want in camera without using Log, and use Log only when needed because the dynamic range of the scene is larger than the camera can capture without using Log.
Much prefer the manually adjusted clip to the tweaked+lut version. I am not entirely sure how LUTs and other effects work in Final Cut, but over in Resolve which uses nodes, you really NEVER want to use a lut before doing manual adjustments. In fact, you might even consider using the very helpful color space transform to transform the gamma and gamut out of one log (let's say sony's SLOG 2 for example) in to another, like ARri C Log, and then apply your LUT after that.
Yes, I agree. I should spend some time with Resolve - it is always held up as a good tool for colour grading..
Thanx for the LUTS! Didn’t know that Nikon LUTS could be installed directly onto a recorder for onsite exposure checking...
I assume they are available for Ninja V and will Be update for the (mystical) ProRes Raw (when Godot gets here)
Yes, the same files work for all devices that support downloadable LUTs. From my experience, Godot was not worth waiting for.
@Capture Project One Some are in the Atomos firmware, others are available on Nikon's web site.
Hi Maarten, thanks for a great video !
I find that applying the Nikon Z6 LUT on my Prores footage through a ninja v makes the skin tones incredibly red. Is there something I’m missing here ? I can’t seem to understand why this is happening or how to fix it ?
It's possibly an exposure issue - the levels the LUT expects are not those you recorded. As I mentioned in the video, the preset LUTs lack finesse and you should make further adjustments using the colour/exposure tools in your NLE - or forgo the LUT completely and simply tune the video to your needs manually (potentially with the guidance of the waveform display). Hope this helps, thanks for your kind words.
Hi, I love your manually graded. where should I get those Nlog Luts? pls help me.. thank you
1) You too can grade manually.
2) If they're not provided in your NLE, then you can get them from Nikon downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/download/sw/168.html
@@MaartenHeilbron thank you so much
Great video. Thanks! Manually graded image wins!
Thanks, I think so too.
Thank you for this video! The manual grade looks better
Always nice to hear from an appreciative viewer, I agree.
I always enjoy your informative videos.
Thanks, I appreciate your kind words.
Video used to be simple...can still be but it seems it got professional when I wasn’t looking.
Yes, I used to be simple too.
Really useful video, cheers Maarten ✌
Glad it was helpful, thanks for commenting.
great video!!! with the Z6 LUT applied on a Ninja V , whats the zebra threshold to expose highlight properly? thank you
i just started with video
With the LUT, just keep the histogram centred, if you're going with zebra, keep it under 90 - but depending on the scene, you may need lower.
@@MaartenHeilbron i just realized monitoring the LUT is not that great. to much contrast. I go for Native / HDR off / legalize off and expose to the highlights with zebras at 90%
for me the waveform is rocketscience kind of 🧐
it‘s 0-100 IRE ... which is not representing the full range of 10bit right? so how do I expose my image? 🙏🙏🙏
@@RobinNoah Monitoring the LUT is useful inasmuch as it represents what applying the LUT in post will do.
Yes, 0-100 is the whole 10 bit range. As before, keep the waveform centred, keep the zebras under 90. Is that not working for you?
@@MaartenHeilbron I just bought the Z6 leeming lut and it’s incredible easy to work with. solved all my problems. have a nice day 👋
@@RobinNoah Thanks for the update.
I want to thank you for this video. Can you still shoot video in 10bit without using N-LOG?
Yes, that's still possible.
very informative ..thanks
So nice of you to comment with your kind words, thanks!!
Fantastic video, thank you very much.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words.
As I understand, Nikon / Atomos have not come out with LUTs for S-log ProRes RAW and we are using work arounds for FCPX for now (though some use the Sony.cin which makes sense since Nikon still uses the Sony chip for video)
My assumption is that IF I shoot my personal passion project (ie no deadline but my own) and I shoot my “play” in studio under LED lights (Aputure and Intellytech ie good quality) and keep my exposures narrow... I can always go back and apply LUTs as they come out to my ProRes RAW output... make sense?
Yes, but in that situation you can't possibly need the expanded range that log requires (reflected light studio scenes rarely reach even 8 stops of range). Why not just use the flat picture control and save yourself a lot of work and potential loss of quality? You'd still be able to do a colour grade in editing.
Maarten Heilbron Good question... my original assumption was that I could fix - anything (related to exposure and/or color) by shooting ProRes RAW... which, originally, I assumed was more compressed than N-Log and delivers better Nikon skin tones (according to Wolfcrow and some of the footage (“bitage”) I’ve seen...
Turns ProRes RAW files are humongous (3GB per minute, if I remember) but ProRes does better with skin tones...
But the other consideration is that the largest scene will have twelve (12) actors on stage for one long finale... with all the commotion of shooting that scene (perhaps even LIVE) I might well want (need) some exposure/color latitude to handle mixed lighting (tungsten and LED) and light spills etc. as it will be increasingly $$$ to go back and re-shoot for each scene that I don’t NAIL!!!
anywhichwaythouwouldhaveit.com
But I am shooting B-roll right now - in both Flat 4K internally and ProRes - under lighting consistent with what I will always be using... so I’ll see... since I am looking buy a 2nd Z6 (and more as the shooting becomes more complex) it would be NICE if buying the additional Ninja V and $200 upgrades and 1TB storage was, as You suggest, Overkill.
@@TheGeoDaddy The compression applied to files (ie a codec like ProRes or H.264) is different from the compression that a log curve applies to the dynamic range. With log, the 8 stops of a standard interior lit scene is compressed to about 4 bits (remember, on the waveform, what was 100% is now 40%). Don't do this unnecessarily.
As for file type and compression, RAW should be uncompressed, but for video that's not really possible - so with RAW there is lossless compression applied. However, depending on your final output, you will not observe any or much difference between a RAW and standard ProRes 422 recording on an Atomos recorder.
I'm going to work on a video to demonstrate explain this with the Z7 v3 firmware over the next weeks.
Maarten Heilbron Invaluable Information to thru unnecessary experimentation.
Thank you!! Good info.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for your kind words.
Great video. Nikon's LUT seems pretty useless. I would not even use it for exposure on the Atomos, but rather use Atomos' HDR and its 2020 to rec709 monitoring option.
I'm still trying to find optimal settings - but I would agree, with a Ninja, there are better solutions available.
Your videos are very well detailed, thank you.
When you enable the n-log the iso minimum is set to 800, why is this? Is there no way to over ride this setting?
Every manufacturer that provides a log profile enforces a minimum ISO. This seems to be a requirement of the log process. There is no way to over-ride the setting, on the other hand, no need to use log in most situations either.
Maarten Heilbron thank you for the reply, so for dark skinned people using the ninja, where should one be in the false color settings, and does that mean I have too raise the iso, even if the picture looks very highlighted?
@@baja1980s You don't have to raise the ISO above the minimum. Although there are charts to help guide you with skin tones, I would recommend that, if you have the LUTs installed on the Ninja, you expose skin tones by eye.
Maarten Heilbron thank you sir, I’m gonna try it out
Have you or are you sending your z camera in for the video up date?
I've got a bunch of other things stacked up, but I will get to reviewing the update that as soon as I can.
I’m afraid video stuff goes straight over my head 🤪 But at least I now know what LUTS means 👍🏼
That's a good first step ...
LAZY DOG I share the same. Interesting topic, I can now waffle about a little bit about Nlog and LUTs to impress smartphonevideographers 😃😃😃
@@peterk3574 I'm going to interpret "waffle" as "bore". They won't give a flying fork.
So is the only way to use N-Log is through an external recorder and using 10 bit?
For the moment, that is the case.
@@MaartenHeilbron Thanks for getting back to me on that Maarten.
If base iso is set at 800 so how do you shoot outside in sunny conditions? Do you have to use nd filters? Thanks
Yes, an ND filter, with a minimum 3 stop to maximum 6 stop would cover those situations.
@@MaartenHeilbron Than you !!!
in the view finder in M photo mode i cant pass 1/2000 sec can you explaine whay ?
Why do you mention viewfinder? Are faster speeds available using the LCD? Otherwise, I can't think of what's preventing this adjustment.
I can not get the Nikon luts file to open on my PC. Windows 10
More detail please. Which video editor are you using? Did you install them as per the instructions provided for the editor to install LUTs?
Thanks for posting this Maarten, this is helpful and very informative. I do prefer your manual grade, it is as you say, more natural.
I'm about to take delivery of a new Nikon Z6 and have been looking into Log and trying to understand it a little better.
In regards to the Z6 and its Log (both N-Log and another format EOSHDs' Z-Log) I've noticed examples on youtube that exhibit banding, particularly in the sky, both in the ungraded and graded footage, I note that in your examples this was not the case (here is an example, 9s in you can see it in the sky ruclips.net/video/DM5RMUkEcvY/видео.html ) do you have an opinion on what is going on there and how to avoid it?
On the camera's choice of ISO 800, if we use that with stills we would expect to lose quite a bit of dynamic range, yet this is used in Log where the camera is trying to get the maximum dynamic range and it seems a bit counter-intuitive to use that ISO. So how are we still getting, what 11 or 12 stops of dynamic range with Log and that ISO?
I will be using my camera for real estate videos where the lighting conditions will be challenging, so I'll be wanting to get the best out of the camera. At this point though I don't have an external recorder so will be experimenting with creating a Log like curve using Nikons, Picture Control Utility to modify the existing Nikon Flat profile. I've been informed that the camera applies that curve to the full sensor data before conversion to an 8 bit output.
I am interested in the Ninja V though a bit more after seeing how you demonstrated the advantages of getting better exposure using the waveforms and LUTs.
I've not yet been impressed with the limited samples of the ProRes RAW from the Z6 that have surfaced here on youtube, it seems like a lot of effort for little gains at this stage, but it is early days and I suspect most people don't yet know how to get the best out of the RAW workflow with the Z files and tools available.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. The banding is usually the result of over-exposure - you can't go to the top of the histogram. The highlight alert might provide a clearer guide to levels (keep it under 230), but of course a waveform with a device that can show you the image with the LUT (even if you don't use it in post) can be most helpful to get the exposure right.
All cameras with Log functions use a higher ISO to raise the black level and extend the range. The Log function reduces the dynamic range of the typical 8 stop range to a smaller range so that more stops can be added above and below. That's why I suggest that if it's not needed because you have an extended range, that you don't use it.
You are right, it will take some experimenting and testing to get yourself to a level of familiarity with the feature to get the best results. I've not yet had the opportunity to try the update with the RAW output.
hi. thanks for your videos. for me it doesn't work with Nikon lut. i test for few weeks and my conclusions are : you have to expose normaly the native way. you can go 100% Ire on the waveform. apply the nikon lut extand too much highlights and the blacks beloww zero with too much contrast, it contrain you to raise up the lows and it raise up the noise... i use v-log lut moded or the nikon lut moded. see the wolfcrow video on the net ; he explains exactly that: you have to expose normaly the n-log (just see their curve) you can reach 109 ire...
From you tests you should see that you should not record over about 85%. However, there is, as I pointed out, no need to limit yourself to the Nikon (or any other) LUT. You can adjust the footage you've recorded easily yourself which will yield better results.
@@MaartenHeilbron thanks for answer ! according to Nikon and their curve you can go as far as 109 IRE am i wrong? i tried to monitor with Nikon lut and to repect highlights limit to 100IRE the darks are too low-> so in post i adjust the lows (raise up) and i win big noise in shadows. When i montor with native curve on Ninja with 100Ire on highlights its the inverse:-> i raise down my dark level and i don't see noise on shadows. do you confirm ? i don't understant at 7:32 you expose middle grey to 25 and Nikon recommand 35->your footage is too dark with the nikon lut applied, and raising up your shadows like this will bring some noise. could you say more? thanks Maarten
@@manushootnplay1231 As I don't know your scene and situation, it's really difficult to make further recommendations. Experience and experimentation will be your best guide rather than using meters and settings which are designed for all situations.
is z50 has log?
It does not.
@@MaartenHeilbron too bad
Don't get this camera for video. I just got bought the Nikon Z7 and the atoms Ninja V and I am getting a very noticeable flicker in N-log 10 bit video. I am not the only one, if you google it you will find plenty of people with the same issue. Nikon won't admit the issue. Very disappointing.
You should not let a minor irritation with an edge case use diminish your enjoyment of this great camera.