For S1H/S5 and S5II users who need to colour match with an ARRI Alexa, want more creative choices for their post workflow or who are unsatisfied with the standard Panasonic Conversion 709 LUTs on offer, I have developed a LUT that accurately emulates the ARRI Alexa 709 colour science for Panasonic V-Log + V-Gamut.
Along with the emulation LUT, there are 4 creative variation LUTs that come with it packaged as an ARRI LUT 5 Pack.
For the nostalgic among you, I have also developed 6 Film Emulation LUTs that each emulate film stocks from the past.
There are versions for both the S5/1H and the S5II included when you purchase.
*Note - Both ARRI and Film Emulation Packs come with S1H/S5 and S5II versions included.
While the above video doesn’t directly show Panasonic footage, the Panasonic versions of the film LUTs will give identical results. All of the Film LUTs for each camera are built on the back of the Alexa Emulation for that camera. And all of the Alexa emulation LUTs are all modelled on the single Alexa Mini sensor.
A lot of Panasonic users have emailed me describing their dissatisfaction with the native colours coming out of their camera. To address these issues, I decided to develop a LUT to emulate my Alexa mini using the tried and true process I developed with Sony, Canon, DJI and Blackmagic & RED cameras. While no camera is perfect, personally I find the Alexa’s colour science to be the gold standard in terms natural, accurate and beautiful colours right out of the box as a starting point to grade from.
Over the course of a few days, I shot exposure matched test footage with my Alexa mini and a S1H side by side with matched Sigma Art lenses and zero NDs used. I shot in sunlight, shadow, overcast, indoor daylight, indoor mixed lighting, controlled studio lighting and all with my trusty Xrite Colour Checker Classic Card and my Xrite Digital Color Checker SG Card.
In total I shot approximately 80 scenes this way. With each set up I recorded 3 exposures - under 2 stops over 2 stops and correct exposure. With the extensive data gathered, I was able to build an emulation that is extremely accurate; factoring in not just the overall colour response but also the more subtle aspects of the Alexa colour science that it borrowed from photochemical film such as it’s non linear hue responses for rich, complex colours, subtractive colour modeling in relation to luminance vs saturation dynamics and the Alexa’s overall saturation profile for beautiful highlight rolloff and shadow falloff to name a few.
The 5 LUTs Described Below:
LUT 1) Neutral
Developed to emulate the Alexa Rec709 LUT as close as technically possible.
Featuring immaculate ARRI-like skin-tone reproduction.
Drastically Improved colour accuracy with all primary colours and skin tones for a clean, neutral starting point for grading
LUT 2) Tungsten
A slightly warmer golden cast designed to be utilised for subjects bathed in tungsten light.
LUT 3) Ice Blue
Blue, colder cast with punchy, deep blues (looks amazing on subjects with blue eyes).
LUT 4) Jamaica
Green and gold cast - distinctive, rich, filmic greens and beautiful golden skintones.
LUT 5) Utopia
The most filmic look of the LUTs, with blood red reds and filmic blues and greens with a slight boost in contrast.
It’s my personal take on what Utopia would look like.
The ‘Film Look’ LUT Pack contains 6 LUTs inspired by real film stocks designed to give your BMD LOG Footage the Film Look. The emulations are based on my own research and subjective impressions of the film stocks listed.
The 6 LUTs Described Below:
LUT 1) ‘Vision’ - Modelled on Kodak Vision 5274
Shot on: The Matrix, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gladiator
The most colour accurate stock with accurate blues, slightly cool greens, accurate skin tones which slightly skew pink/gold
Strong contrast and filmic subtractive colour model in saturation
Gentle roll off and rich, smooth fall off in shadows
Skews green in shadow areas and when underexposed
Classic film character but less stylised than any other stock
LUT 2) ‘Eastman’ - Modelled on Kodak Eastman 5247
Shot on: Apocalypse Now, Bladerunner, Alien, ET
Vintage, dated Kodak look and feel.
Saturation strongest in mids and falls off in shadows and highlights.
Greens skew warm, blues slightly turquoise, gold/pink skin-tones.
Smoother contrast than modern stocks.
LUT3) ‘Eastman RM’ - Variation on Kodak Eastman 5247 (Introduced Jan 2022)
Classic Eastman Look but modernised (Orange & Teal)
Greener in cast than the more magenta original Eastman 5247
Modelled on the Re-Graded versions of classic films from 70s & 80s
LUT 4) ‘Vision Teal’ - Variation on Kodak Vision 5274 (LUT# 1)
Subtle Orange/Teal colour scheme.
More stylised version of ‘#1 Vision’. Less realistic - ‘prettier’.
Greens are slightly warmer, blues slightly turquoise and skin more golden.
Overall lift in saturation and contrast compared to ‘Vision’ but still balanced.
Can elevate a dull scene with its look but not overpower a rich scene.
LUT 5) ‘Eterna’ - Modelled on Fuji Eterna 8563
Shot on: Captain Phillips, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, The Butler
Overall smoother contrast and rolloff compared to Kodak.
Rich but not overpowering colours and saturation characteristics.
My go-to for Fashion and Beauty but can work with almost anything.
Very flattering skin-tones.
Greens are cool and rich, skin is golden, blues skew turquoise and modern, colour accurate yellows compared to Kodak.
LUT 6) ‘Bleach’ - Modelled on Fujifilm Super F 8552
Shot on: Munich, War of The Worlds, Crash
Modelling the Bleach Bypass process for strong contrast and low saturation.
Aggressive, gritty look - halfway between black and white and colour film.
Great for War Films, Crime, Urban Fashion.
Works especially well with heavy film grain.
The images below are taken from video projects that were colour graded with Phantom LUTs.