Premiere is automatically applying a LUT to my s-log footage and I can't fix it

[joshpaulmart]

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to edit a podcast in Premiere that was shot from a Sony A7S III in s-log3. The footage, however, is being converted to rec709 automatically and I can't figure out why. I've read similar posts on here and tried what they suggested (right click>modify>color> override media color space) but nothing seems to bring back the "flat" looking s-log3 and allowing me to apply the LUT I want. Can anyone please help me out? I'm losing my mind over this. I'm on a M1 Macbook Pro and have never had this issue before.

I've attached screenshots to show my settings and how the footage is looking when it should be looking like standard log footage. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[mattchristensen]

@joshpaulmart in your screenshots, it's showing "Use Media Color Space" as Rec. 709. This means Premiere detects that clip as Rec. 709 coming in. This means one of two things:

1.  Either the metadata of the footage is actually declaring it as Rec. 709, or
2.  You need to turn on File > Project Settings > Color > "Color Manage Auto Detected Log and Raw Media"

If it was #2, turning that on should now change the "Use Media Color Space" for the clip as "slog3" instead of "Rec. 709".

Then, you can go to Sequence > Sequence Settings > Color Management > Color Setup > change it to "Disable Color Management". This will basically take you to the pre-color management days where Premiere doesn't map your media into its working space and instead you will need to attach LUTs to do it manually.

[joshpaulmart]

Thank you for your help. I followed your steps for #2, but it's still converting the footage. When I look at the footage in Finder, it's very clearly in s-log so I know it's s-log footage. When I go to modify>color this is what now shows. If I select "use media color space:" or "override media color space", it still converts the s-log into rec709 footage. Any other suggestions? This is very frustrating. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Wrong assumptions, and wrong place to set color management.

The assumption of a LUT ... Premiere is not applying an ancient LUT ... that is a conversion that is an algorithmic mathematical action, which both Premiere and Resolve now use as the method for 'in-app' conversion for most log and HDR formats. LUTs can do amazing things, and they are at the same time simply a text file ... with say 32 lines ... each just 'take this RGB triplicate data to this RGB triplicate' ... and in-between the apps typically apply a slightly smoothed line of changes.

LUTs can and will clip highlights and crush blacks if the media is not correctly exposed and lit for that LUTs expectations. Algorithms by nature cannot. Most colorists prefer algo based conversions and normalizations when possible.

As to where you're setting CM ... you're using the wrong panel ... that only gives a very small selection of the total color management options. As it says, to go the Lumetri color panel, Settings tab ... the tab named Settings.

Premiere, like Resolve, now has an auto detect log option that will auto detect most of the log formats out there, and do a mathematical algorithmic based normalization to the sequence display space set in the Settings tab.

Or ... you can do a ton of different things, it's all your choice ... but only if you use the full color management panel.

[joshpaulmart]

Thank you for the comment. I've used the settings tab under the color management panel and nothing I change seems to fix the problem. It's almost as if a LUT was baked into the footage upon import, but I turned on no such setting. Everything I try has no success, it seems Premiere insists on this footage being converted to rec709 automatically. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Make a screengrab of the entire Settings tab, top to bottom, and we can sort this out.

Out of curiosity, as a person for whom color work is critical ... note, I work with a full Tangent Elements panel in both Premiere and Resolve ... is there a specific reason you want to use a LUT?

[joshpaulmart]

I just need a base correction LUT so I can do some minor tweaks to it. I don't have time to fully color grade at the moment, especially now since Premiere is acting up. Here are screenshots of my full settings.

[R Neil Haugen]

Well ... your settings are correct for an algo-based tonemapping of that log media to Rec.709 display space.

Premiere isn't acting up, it's doing exactly what it's being told to do. With the Direct Rec.709 working setup, and recognize log, and auto tonemapping on input.

And on my screen, that image looks pretty solid right as is. Nothing crushed or clipped, pretty 'neutral' full tonal range including detail well into shadows and highlights, no over-sat or under-sat.

So what changes do you want to make ... and why would you need a LUT applied first to make your changes?

The algorithms make for most uses a great replacement of LUTs for normalization. Yes, as any normalization, none of them ... algo or LUT or manual ... are exact replacements for another. Yet all are meant only as a starting point for image prep.

And again, that's a solid, clean, neutral image. I could do about anyhing I can think of with if real fast from there.

[joshpaulmart]

Thank you for your imput. We're straying a bit from my original issue, it may look neutral and all that jazz, but, again, I don't want it automatically doing that. My question is to get help how to undo that, regardless of it being neutral looking. I'm looking for any input that helps with that issue, not as to why I want to use a LUT.

[R Neil Haugen]

As I noted in my last post, the settings currently set are exactly what would get that result.

The Direct Rec.709 setting, the auto-tonemapping on input ... as I said, those tell Premiere to do what it's doing. I did cover that above.

Yea, this is a lot more complex than it used to be but it must have all those options, and more to come, to allow for the wide range of current needs.

And yes, as a side note, as I find everyone's working process fascinating and unique, I simply love to know why someone does whatever they do. Not to criticize but simply because it is both interesting and informative.

What specifically do you prefer different in the look? 

[Sumeet Kumar Choubey]

Hi joshpaulmart ,

To restore the log look, please navigate to Window > Lumetri Color > Settings > Project & disable Color Manage Auto Detected Log and Raw Media. Also, if you would like to disable input color management for specific clips, you can do that by selecting all the required clips in the Project panel & doing right-click > Modify > Color > & enabling the option Preserve RGB (disable input color management for this item). Hope it helps.

Thanks,

Sumeet

[joshpaulmart]

Thank you for your help. While I tried eveything you described, the footage still doesn't reflect the s-log3 look. I'm not sure what's going on but i'm just going to chalk it up as loss for this project.