Most of us know that shooting in a flat log picture profile will give you the highest quality video footage but the workflow has always been too difficult to deal with. I've created Fstoppers' LUTs for Sony cameras and a shooting and editing workflow that changes everything.
Why I've Always Avoided Filming In Log
Shooting video in a log profile sounds simple until you actually try it. Every camera brand has its own version of log. Sony has S Log3, Canon has Canon Log, Nikon has N Log, Panasonic has V Log, and DJI has D Log. They all promise more dynamic range, more editing flexibility, and better final image quality. The problem is that log footage looks terrible straight out of the camera, and if you do not know exactly what you are doing, it is easy to make your footage look worse, not better.
For years, I avoided shooting log because it felt like a science experiment. I did not want to stare at flat, gray footage on the back of my camera and guess whether my exposure and white balance were correct. I wanted my camera screen, my editing software, and my final exported video to all look the same. After spending weeks testing Sony S Log3, LUTs, color charts, exposure methods, and editing workflows, I finally found a way to shoot log that is simple enough for normal YouTube videos, client work, and real world production.
The fastest way to learn about this is to watch the video at the top of this post. If you still have questions I've tried to answer every possible question in the article below. If you're looking for where you download Fstoppers' Sony LUTs, you can right here.
What Is Log Video?
Log video is a flat, low contrast, low saturation recording profile designed to preserve as much dynamic range as possible. Instead of baking in a finished look with normal contrast and color, log captures a flatter image that holds more information in the shadows and highlights. That gives you more room to color grade the footage later.
In simple terms, log is not supposed to look good straight out of the camera. It is supposed to give your editing software more information to work with. This is why log footage often looks gray, washed out, and lifeless before it has been converted back to Rec. 709 or another standard viewing space.
Sony’s modern log profile is S Log3, usually paired with S Gamut3.Cine. Sony publishes official LUTs for converting S Log3 and S Gamut3.Cine to standard color spaces, including s709 and other outputs. Sony also describes LUTs as tools that can be used for both on set monitoring and post production, which is exactly what makes a modern log workflow much easier than it used to be.
What is Rec. 709?
Rec. 709 is the standard color space used for normal HD video, including most YouTube videos, TV broadcasts, and standard computer displays. When you shoot in a log profile like S Log3, the footage is not meant to be viewed directly because it looks flat, gray, and low contrast. A LUT or color transform is usually used to convert that log footage into Rec. 709, which adds the contrast, saturation, and brightness mapping needed for the image to look “normal” on standard screens. In simple terms, log is the capture format, and Rec. 709 is usually the final viewing format.
Why Shoot in Log?
The main reason to shoot in log is dynamic range. If you are filming a high contrast scene, like a person standing in front of a bright window or a bride in a white dress standing in direct sun, log can preserve more usable image data than a standard picture profile.
Shooting log also gives you more flexibility in post. You can choose a clean Rec. 709 conversion, a filmic look, a more saturated commercial look, or a custom LUT that matches your personal style. If you shoot a standard profile, much of that look is baked in permanently.
The catch is that log does not automatically make your footage better. It only gives you more potential. If you expose it poorly, use the wrong LUT, apply the LUT in the wrong place, or crush your highlights before correcting exposure, log can become a noisy, muddy mess.
Why Shooting Log Is So Confusing
Shooting log is confusing because the image on the back of the camera does not naturally look like the final image. You are recording one thing and viewing another. Without a monitoring LUT, you are staring at a flat image and trying to imagine what it will look like after contrast and saturation are added back in.
That is why so many log tutorials turn into long discussions about waveform monitors, gray cards, zebras, false color, middle gray values, white card IRE targets, exposure indexes, and color space transforms. All of that matters, but most normal shooters do not want to run a color science lab before every shot.
Sony’s own S Log3 exposure guidance points out that judging exposure from the LCD or viewfinder can be difficult because S Log3 looks flat, washed out, and low in color. The recommended solution is to use objective references like gray cards, white cards, zebras, waveform, or a proper monitoring LUT.
What Is a LUT?
A LUT, or lookup table, is basically a color conversion recipe. It takes one set of color and brightness values and transforms them into another. In a log workflow, a LUT can convert flat log footage into a normal looking image with contrast and color.
There are two broad types of LUTs. A technical LUT converts footage from one color space or gamma curve to another, such as Sony S Log3 to Rec. 709. A creative LUT adds a specific look, such as a warm film grade, muted skin tones, or a high contrast commercial style.
Adobe describes LUTs as tools that can manipulate saturation and contrast or completely change the color of a clip, and Premiere Pro lets you apply them directly inside the Lumetri Color panel.
How LUTs Make Shooting Log Easier
The biggest change in modern log shooting is that many cameras now let you load LUTs directly into the camera. That means you can record S Log3 internally while seeing a finished looking image on the LCD, EVF, or external monitor.
This changes everything. You no longer have to look at ugly gray footage and guess. You can expose and compose using a normal looking image while still recording the higher dynamic range log file underneath. Then, in post, you can apply the same LUT and get an image that matches what you saw in camera.
Can You Manually Grade Log Footage Without a LUT?
Technically, yes. Practically, most people should not.
When I first started testing log, I assumed it was just low contrast, low saturation footage. I thought I could simply add contrast, add saturation, set a white point, set a black point, and be done. That was wrong.
The problem is that log is not just a flat image. The tones and colors are mapped in a specific way. If you manually add contrast and saturation, you might make the image look better, but the midtones, skin tones, highlights, and colors can still be wrong. You can make a gray card look right and still have the rest of the scene fall apart.
A good conversion LUT is not just adding contrast. It is translating the footage from one capture format into a proper display format.
Why Sony’s Free LUTs May Not Be Enough
Sony gives away official LUTs for S Log3 and S Gamut3.Cine, and that is a good starting point. Sony’s official resources include S Log3 to standard color space LUTs, and Sony also offers Look Profile downloads for S Gamut3.Cine and S Log3.
The issue is not that Sony’s LUTs do not work. The issue is that you may not like the look. In my testing, Sony’s official conversions did not match the Sony picture profiles I was used to, especially the softer, more pleasing look of S-Cinetone.
This is where the difference between “accurate” and “good looking” matters. A technically accurate conversion can still look boring, harsh, or different from the style you actually want. For my work, I wanted the image quality and dynamic range of S Log3, but I wanted the finished look to be closer to the Sony S-Cinetone style I had already been using for years.
What Is S-Cinetone?
S-Cinetone is Sony’s more finished looking video profile. It is not as flat as S-Log3, and it is not meant to preserve the same maximum grading flexibility, but it gives you a pleasing image straight out of camera.
For YouTube videos, interviews, talking heads, travel content, and fast client work, S-Cinetone is often more practical than log because it looks good immediately. You do not need to spend much time grading.
That is why my ideal workflow became simple: record S Log3 for maximum image quality, but monitor and edit it with a LUT that makes it look more like S-Cinetone.
Should You Overexpose S-Log3?
This is one of the most searched and most debated questions in Sony video: should you overexpose S-Log3?
The argument for overexposing S Log3 is simple. Digital cameras clip hard at pure white. Once something is clipped, it is gone. But shadows usually contain noise, and lifting dark footage in post makes that noise more visible. If you expose brighter without clipping important highlights, you push more image data away from the noisy shadows and get a cleaner final image.
Many Sony shooters have recommended exposing S-Log3 about one to two stops brighter than a standard exposure. One commonly repeated number is about 1.66 stops. Alister Chapman, who has written extensively about S-Log3 exposure, notes that earlier Sony cameras were often exposed one to two stops brighter to control noise, though that came with a loss of highlight range.
I personally prefer to overexpose and that is why I created a LUT that lowers the exposure on the back of your camera by 1.66 which helps you overexpose your footage by the recommended 1.66 stops. You can download this LUT here.
Why You Might Not Want to Overexpose S-Log3
Overexposing S-Log3 is not free. If you expose 1.66 stops brighter, you get cleaner shadows, but you also give up 1.66 stops of highlight headroom. That means bright skies, windows, white clothing, and specular highlights can clip sooner.
This is why some shooters now argue that you do not always need to overexpose S Log3, especially on newer Sony cameras with cleaner sensors and dual base ISO. Chapman specifically argues that the idea that S-Log3 must always be overexposed by almost two stops is too simplistic, especially with newer cameras.
So the real answer is this: overexpose S Log3 when your priority is clean shadows and you are willing to sacrifice some highlight protection. Expose S Log3 normally when highlight preservation matters more than shadow noise.
If you want to correctly expose S-Log3, we also included the correct LUT for you in the Fstoppers' Sony LUT pack.
What Is the Best Exposure for S-Log3?
The best S-Log3 exposure depends on the scene.
For a normal talking head video, I would usually expose for the subject’s face and let unimportant background highlights blow out if necessary. I am not going to spend 20 minutes saving a window in the background of a YouTube clip.
For a commercial job, documentary, or anything with important highlight detail, I would be more careful. I might expose darker to preserve the sky, window detail, or white clothing, then raise the subject separately in post with masks or power windows.
This is the key: log gives you options, but it does not magically compress every part of a high contrast scene into a perfect final image. If the scene has too much dynamic range for a normal looking Rec. 709 image, you still need to choose what matters.
What Zebra Level Should You Use for S-Log3?
For my simplified workflow, I like zebras at 100. That tells me when something is hitting pure white and clipping.
This does not mean I never blow highlights. I let things clip all the time. Practical lights, reflections, windows, skies, and background highlights can blow out if they are not important. The point is not to avoid clipping forever. The point is to know exactly what is clipping.
If you are exposing for a gray card or white card, you may use different zebra values. But for fast real world shooting, 100 percent zebras are a practical warning system.
What ISO Should You Use for S-Log3?
For the cleanest image, use the lowest base ISO available for your camera’s log mode. On many Sony cameras, S-Log3 has a minimum or base ISO that is higher than normal video profiles. This is the lowest ISO that doesn't have lines above and below the ISO number on your camera's screen. On my Sony a7V this is ISO 800. Some cameras also have a second cleaner high ISO point because of dual gain sensor design. This is ISO 8000 on my a7V. In this rare case, raising the ISO to 8000 will give you a cleaner image than ISO 5000 or 6400.
In practical terms, use the correct base ISO when you can, but do not become paralyzed by it. If you need more exposure, raise ISO. If you are making YouTube videos, corporate interviews, or normal online content, nobody is going to notice a tiny difference in noise if the lighting, audio, composition, and story are good.
For the highest quality work, learn your specific camera’s base ISO values for S Log3 and test where the second clean ISO point appears.
What Is S-Gamut3.Cine?
S-Gamut3.Cine is Sony’s cinema oriented color gamut that is commonly paired with S-Log3. In normal language, S-Log3 controls the brightness curve, while S-Gamut3.Cine controls the color space.
When setting up a Sony camera for modern log shooting, many users choose S-Log3 with S Gamut3.Cine because it is widely supported by Sony LUTs, third party LUTs, and editing software workflows. Sony’s own LUT resources specifically include S-Log3 and S-Gamut3.Cine conversions.
For most Sony mirrorless shooters, S-Log3 plus S-Gamut3.Cine is the safest and most common log setup.
What Is the Difference Between S-Log2 and S-Log3?
S-Log2 is Sony’s older log curve. S-Log3 is the newer and more common choice on modern Sony cameras. S-Log3 is designed to behave more like a cineon style curve and is now the standard Sony log workflow for many cameras.
If your camera offers S-Log3 in 10 bit, that is usually the profile you want for maximum flexibility. If you are shooting on an older 8 bit camera, log can become trickier because heavy grading can reveal banding, noise, and color problems more quickly.
For most current Sony cameras, use S-Log3 unless you have a very specific reason not to.
What is Video Bitrate and Which Should I Choose?
Bit rate is the amount of data the camera records every second, usually measured in Mbps. Higher bit rate generally means the camera is throwing away less information during compression, which can give you cleaner detail, fewer compression artifacts, and more durable footage for color grading. This matters when shooting log because log footage is meant to be pushed around in post. If you shoot S-Log3 in 10 bit 4:2:2 but use a very low bit rate, the footage can still fall apart when you add contrast, saturation, sharpening, or heavy exposure adjustments.
What Is 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 Chroma Subsampling?
4:2:0 and 4:2:2 describe chroma subsampling, or how much color detail is saved compared to brightness detail. Human vision notices brightness detail more than color detail, so video codecs often throw away some color information to make files smaller. In 4:2:0, the camera records full brightness detail but much less color detail. In 4:2:2, the camera still records full brightness detail, but it keeps twice as much horizontal color information as 4:2:0.
For normal YouTube videos, 4:2:0 can look great, especially if the exposure and white balance are correct. But 4:2:2 is better if you plan to color grade heavily, shoot log, key green screen footage, recover skin tones, or push saturation and white balance in post. Just like 10 bit gives you more tonal information than 8 bit, 4:2:2 gives you more color information than 4:2:0. If your camera offers 10 bit 4:2:2 and your computer can handle the files, that is usually the better choice for serious log shooting.
What's The difference between 8 and 10 bit video?
The difference between 8 bit and 10 bit video is how many possible color and brightness values the file can store. An 8 bit file records 256 levels per color channel, while a 10 bit file records 1,024 levels per channel. That may not sound like a huge difference, but it adds up fast. An 8 bit file can store about 16.7 million colors, while a 10 bit file can store over 1 billion colors.
This matters most when shooting log because log footage is designed to be edited, stretched, converted, and color graded. If you push 8 bit log footage too hard, you can see banding in skies, blotchy skin tones, and ugly color transitions. A 10 bit file gives you much more room to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, and white balance before the image breaks apart. You can shoot good video in 8 bit, but if your camera offers 10 bit and you plan to shoot log, 10 bit is the safer choice.
Is 10 Bit Important for Log Video?
Yes. If you are serious about shooting log, 10 bit recording matters.
Log footage is designed to be stretched, converted, and graded. An 8 bit file has much less color and tonal information, so it is easier to break the image when you push it in post. A 10 bit file gives you more room to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, and color without banding or ugly artifacts.
That does not mean 8 bit log is unusable, but it does mean you need to be more careful. If your camera can shoot 10 bit S Log3, use it.
How Bit Depth, Chroma Subsampling, And Bitrate Work Together
Bit depth tells you how many tone values are available, chroma subsampling tells you how much color detail is saved, and bit rate tells you how aggressively the video is compressed. They all matter together. A high bit rate 10 bit 4:2:2 file will usually hold up much better than a low bit rate 8 bit 4:2:0 file, especially with log footage, gradients, skies, skin tones, and fast motion. The downside is larger files and more demanding editing. For serious log shooting, choose the highest quality bit rate your camera and computer workflow can reasonably handle.
Why Your Log Footage Looks Bad
Your log footage probably looks bad for one of five reasons.
You are looking at the raw log image without a LUT. You used the wrong LUT. You exposed the footage poorly. You applied the LUT before correcting exposure. Or you expected log to create a finished image automatically.
Log is not a look. It is a capture format. The final image depends on how you transform it.
How to Shoot Log Without Making It Complicated
The easiest log workflow is this:
On Sony cameras, set the camera to S-Log3 and S-Gamut3.Cine. Load a monitoring LUT into the camera (I highly suggest the Fstoppers LUTs). Turn the LUT display on. Use the same LUT in your editing software. Expose using the finished looking image and zebras. Apply the same LUT in post. Make small exposure tweaks before the LUT if needed.
That is the entire point of this workflow. You are not trying to become a professional colorist. You are trying to capture a better file while keeping the same simple shooting experience you already have.
What is The Difference Between XAVC S-I, XAVC S, and XAVC HS
XAVC S I 4K, XAVC S 4K, and XAVC HS 4K are Sony recording formats that balance quality, file size, and editing performance differently. XAVC S-I 4K is an all intra format, meaning each frame is compressed individually. This creates very large files, but it is usually easier for computers to edit because the computer does not have to rebuild frames from surrounding frames. XAVC S 4K uses H.264 long GOP compression, which makes smaller files than XAVC - I while still maintaining good quality, but it can be harder to edit because each frame depends on other frames around it.
XAVC HS 4K uses H.265 compression, which is much more efficient than H.264, so it can create significantly smaller files at similar quality. The downside is that H.265 is more demanding to edit, especially on older computers. In practical terms, XAVC S-I is best when you want the smoothest editing and do not care about huge file sizes. XAVC S is the safe middle ground. XAVC HS is best when you want smaller files and your computer can handle H.265 smoothly. For log shooting, all three can work well, but the best choice is usually the highest quality 10 bit 4:2:2 option your camera offers that your editing system can handle.
How to Install LUTs on a Sony Camera
Format a memory card in your Sony camera and then plug the memory card into a computer. Open the folders: "Private" and then "Sony" and within this "Sony" Folder create a new folder and title it "Pro" and within this "Pro" folder, make another folder and call it "LUT." You can upload LUTs to this folder. For simplicity I highly suggest using the Fstoppers LUTs.
While you're in the LUT menu on your camera, scroll down to "User 1" and "Import" and here you will see the LUT you added to the memory card.
How to Edit S-Log3 in Adobe Premiere Pro
The most "professional" way to edit would be to add an adjustment layer above all of your video clips with a LUT added only to this layer. Then you can add standard Lumetri color changes to each individual clip and the adjustment layer above that will add your LUT across the entire project.
It's also possible to add a LUT to each individual clip but if you do it this way I suggest you add your LUT in the "creative" tab to make sure you LUT takes effect after your global edits.
Why You Should Adjust Exposure Before The LUT
This is one of the most important parts of editing log footage. If your LUT is converting log to a normal contrast image, it may clip highlights or crush shadows as part of that conversion. If you try to recover those areas after the LUT, you may just be adjusting already damaged image data.
If you adjust exposure before the LUT, you are moving the log image into a better range before conversion. That gives the LUT better information to work with.
In practice, this means that if your sky is too bright, lower the exposure before the LUT. If your subject is too dark, raise the exposure before the LUT. Then let the LUT convert the image.
How to Add LUTs in DaVinci Resolve
In DaVinci Resolve, go to Project Settings, open the Color Management tab, find the LUT folder option, copy your LUTs into that folder, and update the LUT list. After that, the LUTs should appear in Resolve’s LUT browser or node menu.
To apply a LUT, go to the Color page, right click a node, choose LUT, and select the LUT you want. You can also create separate nodes so your exposure correction and LUT conversion are not fighting each other.
The cleanest Resolve workflow is usually correction first, conversion second, creative grade third.
Why You Cannot Save Every Highlight and Shadow in One Simple Grade
Log can capture a lot of dynamic range, but your final video usually needs to fit into a much smaller display range. A normal Rec. 709 image cannot show every bright highlight and deep shadow with full contrast at the same time.
This is why high dynamic range scenes often look bad when you try to fix everything with global sliders. If you lower exposure enough to save the sky, your subject becomes too dark. If you raise shadows enough to fix the subject, the image becomes muddy and low contrast.
The real solution is local adjustment. Mask the subject. Adjust the background separately. Use windows, masks, gradients, or power windows. That is where log becomes powerful, but it is also where the workflow becomes slower.
Should You Use Masks When Editing Log Footage?
If the scene is high contrast and you want the best possible result, yes.
For example, if a person is standing in front of a blown out window, one global exposure correction will not make both the person and the window perfect. You need to correct the background and subject separately.
In Premiere, you can stack Lumetri Color effects and mask one of them around the subject. In Resolve, you can use nodes with power windows. This is how you get the most out of log footage when the scene actually needs grading.
For fast YouTube content, I usually do not bother. For paid client work, I would.
Should You Use Log for YouTube Videos?
Yes, but only if you can keep the workflow simple.
If shooting log slows you down, makes you miss shots, or causes inconsistent exposure, you are better off using a finished profile like S-Cinetone. A good looking finished profile is better than badly exposed log.
But if your camera can use internal LUTs and your editing workflow only requires one click, log starts to make a lot more sense. You get the benefits of a better file without changing the way you shoot.
Is S-Cinetone Better Than S-Log3?
S-Cinetone is better for speed. S-Log3 is better for flexibility.
S-Cinetone looks good immediately. It is great for quick turnaround work, YouTube videos, talking heads, interviews, and situations where you do not want to grade.
S-Log3 gives you more dynamic range and more room to adjust the image later. But it requires a proper conversion and better exposure discipline.
My preferred solution is to shoot S-Log3 and use a LUT that makes it look like S-Cinetone. That gives me the recording benefits of log with the familiar look of the profile I already like.
Should Your Camera LUT and Editing LUT Be the Same?
For a simple workflow, yes.
The easiest way to shoot log is to use the same LUT in camera and in post. That way, what you see while filming is what you see in Premiere or Resolve, and what you export should closely match what you expected.
Technically, you can use one LUT in camera and another in post because the LUT does not change the underlying S-Log3 recording. It only changes how the image is displayed or transformed. But using different LUTs defeats the purpose of a simple, predictable workflow.
Does a Monitoring LUT Change the Recorded File?
Usually, no. A monitoring LUT changes what you see, not what the camera records.
If your camera is set to record S-Log3, it is still recording S Log3. The LUT is just a preview. This is why you can change LUTs in post later and the footage will look different.
This is also why LUT based monitoring is so powerful. You can view a normal looking image while preserving the flatter, more flexible log file.
When Should You Not Shoot Log?
Do not shoot log if you are delivering footage straight out of camera with no editing. Do not shoot log if your camera only records weak 8 bit files and you need heavy grading. Do not shoot log if you do not understand how to expose it. Do not shoot log if speed matters more than flexibility.
A finished profile like S-Cinetone, Standard, Neutral, or a custom picture profile can be the better choice when you need fast, consistent results.
Log is not a badge of professionalism. It is a tool. Use it when it helps.
What Is the Best LUT for Sony S Log3?
I've searched for weeks to try to find the best LUTs and because I couldn't find what I needed, I decided to make my own. It's almost impossible for me to explain in writing what my LUTs do and why I created this in this way but if you watch the video at the top of this post it will explain in great detail why I think the Fstoppers' LUTs are the best.
Why You May Want To Use A Color Accurate LUT
A color accurate LUT is useful when you want your log footage to start from a neutral, trustworthy baseline before you add a creative look. Instead of guessing with contrast, saturation, and color wheels, a good technical LUT converts the camera’s log profile into a normal viewing space while keeping skin tones, whites, grays, and major colors as accurate as possible. This is especially important if you are shooting products, clothing, food, interviews, or multi camera projects where colors need to match. You may not want perfectly accurate color as your final look, but starting from an accurate conversion gives you a cleaner foundation for grading. This is why we included color accurate LUTs in the Fstoppers' Sony LUT pack.
Why Color Accurate LUTs May Not Look Best
A color accurate LUT can be technically correct and still not look very good. Perfectly accurate color often feels too literal, too clinical, or simply less flattering than the image people expect from polished video. Movies, commercials, YouTube videos, and camera picture profiles rarely aim for perfect accuracy. They usually bend color and contrast to create a more pleasing look, especially in skin tones. That is why I created a LUT that converts S-Log3 into something closer to Sony’s S-Cinetone. I wanted the dynamic range and flexibility of S-Log3, but I also wanted the softer, more flattering, slightly desaturated look I already liked from S-Cinetone without having to manually grade every clip. This option is also included in our Sony LUT pack.
Why I Made My Own Sony LUTs
I wanted a workflow that did three things.
First, I wanted the camera screen to look like the final edit. Second, I wanted the look to resemble Sony S-Cinetone, not Sony’s standard conversion LUT. Third, I wanted it to darken my exposure which which would force me to over expose my footage by exactly 1.66 stops to get the cleanest shadows possible in my footage. I could find many other LUTs on the market that would do one or two of these things but only the Fstoppers' LUTs does all three.
Should You Make Your Own LUTs?
Making LUTs sounds easy until you try to do it. You can shoot a color chart, adjust the patches until they match, and still end up with footage that looks wrong in real scenes. Different lights, skin tones, backgrounds, and exposure levels can all reveal problems.
A color chart is useful, but it is not a magic LUT generator. Building a LUT that works across real world footage takes a lot of testing.
It's easy to create "creative LUTs" that give unique colors to a video but creating color accurate or color matching LUTs like the Fstoppers' LUTs is incredibly complicated.
Final Thoughts: Is Shooting Log Worth It?
For years, I did not think shooting log was worth it. It was too slow, too complicated, and too easy to mess up. But modern cameras with internal LUT support have changed the equation.
With the help of the Fstoppers' LUTs I can shoot S-Log3, monitor with a finished look, expose normally, and apply the same LUT in post. I get the dynamic range and cleaner files of log while keeping a workflow that is almost as simple as shooting S-Cinetone.
Please watch the video at the top of this post for a clear explanation of the creation of the Fstoppers' LUTs and why they make filming in S-Log3 as easy as possible.
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