For FUJIFILM X-H2S 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 F-Log2 to Rec709 technical LUTs on offer, I have developed a LUT that accurately emulates the ARRI Alexa 709 colour science for F-Log2 for the X-H2S camera.
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.
All LUTs come with 33x and 65x versions
These LUTs are very easy to use and will help your LOG footage reach the most pleasing starting point for grading, saving you time and effort.
The Film Looks are custom made for X-H2S F-Log2 even though the Promo video for the Film LUTs above doesn’t currently include any F-Log2 specific footage.
A lot of ARRI Alexa users have been utilising X-H2S as B or C cams due to their great image and incredible features and need a LUT to colour match the 2 camera systems. As well as this, a lot of X-H2S 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, Blackmagic and Panasonic 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 X-H2S side by side. 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 - Rebuild of the Alexa Classic 709 LUT
* High quality recreation of the legacy ARRI Alexa colour science found in the first generation of Alexa cameras using the ALEV III sensor.
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. 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 F-Log2 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.