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Guide / Choose a View and use LUTs
Choose a View and use LUTs
View sets how the image is rendered for viewing. A LUT can further change color and tone, but must match the data it receives.
Viewing transforms and LUT domains
View renders the working image for display or further editing. A LUT changes colors according to a fixed mapping and expects a particular input color space and encoding. An incorrect stage or input type can cause casts or excessive contrast. Input ICC, View, LUT, and export color space are separate settings; one does not replace another.
Before you start
Complete the basic conversion first. Before using a LUT, check its documented input and output color spaces and encoding; the .cube filename alone is not enough.
Steps
Choose a View
The Contact Sheet’s top View selects project viewing; the Viewer’s right-side View / Frame View & Looks controls the frame’s viewing and looks. Start with Standard for ordinary screens before trying alternatives. Log is for postproduction; a flat appearance need not mean failed conversion. HDR has its own display/output path. Reversal uses Preview (SDR / HDR), not the same negative View list.
Example View menu with Standard selected. Opening the menu shows choices; selecting another item changes the viewing transform.Select image to enlarge Inspect View and Look in a single frame
In the Viewer, check the current frame’s viewing and Look choices. They are separate from input profiles, CCM, and negative conversion methods. See the HDR lesson before exporting HDR.
Inspect View and Look in a single frameSelect image to enlarge Choose where to apply the LUT
In Looks & LUT, Scene Ref. applies before the viewing transform and Display Ref. after it. A LUT’s input and output domains describe the color definitions and encoding it expects and produces. Check that these match the chosen stage. A LUT made for a particular video camera’s Log is not necessarily suitable for film. Leave it unused if no supported, matching option is available.
Choose where to apply the LUTSelect image to enlarge Import and select the LUT
Open Import LUT at the appropriate stage, choose the .cube file, and enter its name and documented input/output domains. After importing, select the LUT in that stage’s list to apply it. Leave other settings unchanged and compare it with the no-Look option, checking neutral colors, skin tones, and highlights. Apply a display transform only once. If the LUT’s requirements are unknown, use Standard without it; you can still export normally. The screenshot filenames and settings are interface examples.
Import and select the LUTSelect image to enlarge
Check the result
Check that the LUT is selected at the correct stage and that color and tone look suitable. Read the export summary before exporting. HDR files do not apply film styles or custom LUTs.
Common issues
- If a LUT produces an unexpected result, disable it and check domain, stage, and duplicate display transforms before compensating with other controls.