Nikon released four types of Creative LUTs and one Technical LUT, all created with RED. The LUTs, available for free, can be used when grading video footage recorded using N-Log on compatible Nikon mirrorless cameras. N-Log is a 10-bit log format that promises to preserve details in highlights and shadows and deliver excellent image quality once graded. As a logarithmic video format, N-Log requires grading using an external video editor, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, or DaVinci Resolve. As Nikon puts it, “A LUT, or lookup table, is an array of preselected values used in movie color-correction to map colors from the original input footage to the desired colors in the final output. Color correction is performed by looking up input colors and assigning them new RGB values based on the data in the table. To be able to correct saturation or hue requires a 3D LUT, in which each combined RGB value maps to a single combined value in the table.” Users don’t need to use Nikon’s 3D LUT with N-Log video or even use an LUT at all, technically, but it significantly aids the workflow and makes it easier to get a good result when recording in N-Log.
The new Creative LUTs were all created under the close supervision of RED Digital Cinema, Inc., a Nikon subsidiary after Nikon acquired RED earlier this year for $85 million. The four Creative LUTs “enable users to apply the essence of RED’s color science to Nikon mirrorless camera video workflows, making it possible to achieve a look comparable to video shot on RED cinema cameras when working with N-Log footage.” This synchronization of looks will surely pay additional dividends when Nikon and RED’s camera technology become increasingly intertwined, a process underway now. The four new LUTs are as follows. “Achromic” is a low-contrast monochrome LUT that promises to retain detail and textures. Nikon says it delivers a “soft and refined atmosphere” and gives video a “classical feel.” “Film Bias ” gives footage a film-like warmth and texture. It delivers balanced colors, “subtle contrast,” and natural-looking skin tones. Nikon calls it “sophisticated.” “Film Bias Bleach Bypass” is, as the name suggests, inspired by bleach bypass film processing. It has a high-contrast, desaturated appearance, giving the footage a harsh, faded feel.
“Film Bias Offset” rounds out the four Creative LUTs. This warm LUT promises nostalgia through unique color correction, softness, and contrast adjustments. As for the Technical LUT co-created with RED, it is the new standard Nikon LUT for all N-Log-equipped cameras. A “technical LUT” generally distributes the dynamic range to a standard Rec.709 or Rec.2020 color space. It is not designed to deliver a specific mood or emulation, but give N-Log footage a “standard” look. All the new LUTs are available to download for free now directly from Nikon.
