Thank you for this video, it is just what I have been looking for! A video by a professional, focused on DJI D-Log M, the DJI D-Log M LUT, and also including Normal and HLG. Thank you!
If you haven't seen it Thatcher Freeman has a great pack of DCTL IDTs on his Github including several flavors of DLOG M. I found it recently during a job where the drone op gave us proper DLOG and random DLOG M shots mixed together... It worked like a charm making that awful colorspace into something usable.
Thank you, Darren! Another great video. I’ve had to shoot a ton of drone footage in my storytelling and I’ve wondered which color profile is best. I’ve been favoring HLG over D-Log M since it seems to have more latitude in color and exposure. Is that what you’ve found also? I’m buying you a pint at the pub. 🎉 Thx again.
Hi. Firstly thank you for your very kind 'pint' you've just bought me!! Really appreciated. To answer, as a pro broadcast colourist of over 18 years I generally have to grade 'what Im given' so my advice cannot be "whats best to shoot" as that is a cinematographer question for best experience. However. If you want quick and easy look - 'normal mode' gives you out of the box! D-Log M is slightly flatter - a little more dynamic range but nothing to write home about IMO, but preferably to the baked and much 'sharper' image of normal mode. HLG is the one really giving you best options but you HAVE to grade it then. Hope that sheds some light and thanks again! All the best, Darren
Love those helpful extra tips, especially the solid color and grid one! Definitely taking notes on that! I can't believe I've been using the monitor line and doing it by eyes...shame shame..Thanks so much for the video, Darren. Such a nice way to start the week!
WOW! Thanks Darren, just bought a Pocket 3 and couldn't understand why the 'D-Log' was so weird - great video and so helpful! My additional takeaway from this is the GRID! Going to save me a load of time! Thanks again!
Hey Daren, I've found out that the HLG gammas are doing a better job converting the footage closer to the original. Dlog M is far smaller than Dlog gamma, you of course have a larger space to work with but it takes a lot of work to make it look good in comparison to the Rec2100 HLG. So the workflow is D Gammut Rec2100 HLG to DWG and then to the deliverable format. I would be very happy to hear from you if you try it!
the HLG profile uses the Rec 2100 color gamut (which is really just the Rec2020 color gamut). That is the great thing about the published profiles (unlike D Log M) they say exactly what the whitepoint, gamut and transfer function are supposed to be. Darren showcased the CST for HLG at the end.
@ As a newbie, I’ve barely scratched the surface of Resolve and rely on you and a few others at TH-cam University. The Texture Pop seems to work my Mac Studio harder but the results are well worth it. I’m an old retired guy that has a hobby business shooting construction sites with my drones and still cameras so I’m always looking at ways to improve.
Thanks for sharing this. As a Pocket 3 user, I really dislike the official DJI conversion LUT. Honestly, all the D-Log M footage really needs is some contrast and possibly a tiny bit of saturation boost. The LUT has been wrecking my footage for months, despite me dialing it back with the key gain.
Mate, try opening the LUT file as plain text, and you see that is just a copy of the LUT for Mavic 3 iirc. The reality is that ALL DJI action cam and drones have different tonality and color response with their different sensor, and somehow the just slap the same D-Log M LUT for everything, which is why it is wrecking all the footages if you use it. But it is indeed the safest bet for anyone but the most nerdy colorist. There exist a range of dctl IDT that were created by the users though, try to seek that out.
OK, the LUT worked well for me - Im not going to say that the footage out of my Osmo is like Arri or any other large format but for what it is Im getting what I expected. Note I didnt even have ND filters on that shoot - but the purpose was not to how to shoot best, but how to grade what you have the best. Thanks, hope that makes sense.
Thank you so much Mr. Mostyn! This video answered my long time question! Your videos are always very valuable to me. One other question: my display is the Apple studio display 27 inch, so for the Resolve color management settings, I set the timeline colorspace to DWG/Dacvinci Intermediate, and the output colorspace to Rec709/Gamma 2.2. Then in the color page of the footage, I set the output colorspace in the final CST node to Rec709/Gamma 2.2 too, assuming the output is for web viewing. Is it correct? I am asking because my final TH-cam video always looks brighter on a PC monitor than on my Mac monitor, so I wonder how I can optimize it to make it look the same on both systems. Edit: to clarify my question, I use Sony S-log3 footages not DJI.
Great one Darren! Took your course in May this year and I have adapted all the techniques on all projects ever since. Gotta test the DJI LUT for my Action 4 footage, until now I’ve been putting it as Rec709. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for taking my Masterclass and glad its been working well for you. The DJI site has a list of LUTS you need for specific cameras. Enjoy and thanks for the kind words!
I forgot you did the drone video, and I recently struggled with DJI Mini 4 Pro footage. The CST did not work, the LUT did not work, and gave up. Ended up making it work the best I could with contrast and saturation. Now I know that the gamma was probably wrong (2.4) with the LUT and the CST was definitely wrong. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
Awesome video! Bookmarked for future reference (as so many of your videos are). I have the same D-Log M Node tree which is modified from your Best Node Tree video. Didn't know how to manage HLG until now! And those sharpening tricks are so simple and effective!
Interesting video - as a non-native speaker I used frequently the pause, rewind and play button ;-) One thing I never picked up in your videos: Why do you use the unmanaged color science und use always CST at the beginning and the end (ok, not in this video ...). I understand that as a professional you want full control, but is this relevant for a non-pro?
Fantastic tips about the texture adjustments. Regarding the color management in the first half. Up until the LUT the image is in D-Log M, however the timeline is tagged as DaVinci Intermediate. Therefore all the color space aware grading tools work based on that. I know that there are no official input transforms for D-Log M, but I'd personally rather use something like Rec709 as the IDT with some contrast and saturation adjustments as the starting point, than using the LUT and wrong color space tags.
would be very tricky to mix that with other footage then though. You can manually adjust HDR tool for example to be 709. I see osmo in my work as an occasional format not a primary one, but yes I hear what you are saying but that only applies to D Log M.
@@DarrenMostyn Well but wouldn't it be more tricky to match clips with a LUT (D-Log-M LUT workflow) to clips with a CST (Arri or Red footage or whatever)? This way you'd have two very different display rendering transforms (LUT and CST). I would argue adjusting the contrast before a D-Log IDT manually in order to force the footage into the DaVinci pipeline actually simplifies that process, since after that IDT everything is exactly the same as with the Arri or Red footage. Luckily I don't have to work with D-Log M often, because the entire DJI color science is a huge mess.
@@NOIRGRADE yes that would work. The main aim of this video was to educate people that D Log-M is not D log in the CST as it is often confused and then show how to use the other two formats HLG and Normal. Its hard to cover all scenarios in one video without getting too deep and getting off topic - appreciate your input.
I have use the grid for this purpose before but I think I added a "Adjustment layer" track on top on the edit page, then added the grid the full extent of the timeline - and turned the track on and off when needed. Obviously both methods work the same - but less jumping back and forth. on your CST on the first track you did, Going from the DJI to DWG - is the tone mapping on "Davinci" doing anything to the image? I thought that the smaller colorspace into a larger one that the tone mapping should be turned off. If it makes no difference, then I guess it doesn't matter. I haven't been given or played with any DJI footage yet. But now that you have some valuable tips - I am going to save this tutorial in a "DJI grading" folder and draw this as a reference for future re- review. Thanks again for putting up valuable information for everyone ( as usual ). Great to see. cheers....
Hi Jim. Thanks for solid advice as always. I did look for a grid in the edit page in search and couldn't find, so went for Colour Page one - I was hoping someone might have a less clunky way (I'll looka again tomorrow)!! I usually also set to NONE on input CST but it did affect the image and not in a positive way. This D-Log M is really sensitive and I dont feel had great dynamic range - Id go HLG, but i know a lot of users use D-log M as Ive been asked to do that more as an episode than HLG. I'll post some clips for download over next day or two.
@@DarrenMostyn yes, it's there - under OFX effects - I just tried it. you can even use the alpha on the adjustment layer to see the horizontal below the grid to line it up. Again, I see the DJI questions all the time - I will as always refer people to your video. Also I have told people that if they are sitting in a room with lights on to use gamma 2.2 for web delivery as well. I have gotten all kind of blowback on it. Cullen is doing the same as you with the gamma for web. The standards were set in bt1886 a long time ago, where the end user was watching TV in a dark living room. I personally think that the standards should change for the targeted media. The challenge is "what does the service uploaded to expect, and are they converting the gamma from 2.4 to 2.2? From what I see they do but the actual footage doesn't change in appearance. I have tested uploading 2.2 and 2.4 tests and they look identical. The logic seems to be that we should grade and render under similar conditions ( environment ) as the end user. So I don't grade in complete darkness anymore and use 2.2. At least I see what they see. Thanks again.
Ive only been switching recently between 2.2 and 2.4 as my flanders is now calibrated for both - my old one was just 2.4 (2.2 was there but not calibrated for ).
For this type of footage, wow, what a difference. I learned multiple things to improve my amateurish footage. An idea, suggest a user sends in some graded footage, and then show how it's really done. You might suggest something simple to film. I think this would be a very powerful video. Just a thought mate.
Great video thanks. I’ve really struggled with which profile to use on the Pocket 3. Do you think there is a ‘best’ profile to use? I mean normal vs HLG vs d-Log-M
Awesome tutorial as always. Sent a message a while ago, but would love to see how you'd grade something like Super 8mm film scanned to a cineon curve. I've been struggling quite a bit to find a totally satisfactory way of doing it with the CST node tree due to my numptiness when it comes to grading technique!
Thanks Darren, your videos are a huge help to me! One question/answer that I have looked for on your channel is how can I export a project to HDR? I seem to get very dull or overly vibrant colour when I do this. I can't work out what it is that I'm doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated 👍
Mate, I just bought the Osmo pocket so this video has perfect timing! One question tho; would you recommend always shooting on D-Log or is normal enough to work with?
you have to be the judge of that. i dont know your scenario. I think this video shows the three oprions well enough. Normal mode can go ungraded if that helps.
Interesting.. I'm just going through all the options for a decent video camera that can do some sort of 10 bit LOG and is small enough to take on my motorbike and I didn't even consider the Pocket 3. Good to know you can grade it nicely, even if it's not LOG
Hi Darren, I really appreciate the great content you always provide-your knowledge shines through in every video. As a beginner in video post-processing, I sometimes find the pace of your tutorials a bit rushed, making it hard to keep up. Also, the full monitor screen captures often make it difficult to see the finer details of what you're demonstrating. I totally understand if your channel is aimed at a more advanced audience, but it’s a bit unfortunate for beginners like me, as I truly believe you’re one of the most knowledgeable creators out there. Just some feedback from a fan who’d love to learn more from you!
Awesome tips! Just when I think I'm starting to get a handle on color, I find out I don't really know anything. I have the pocket3 and I'm looking forward to using this technique. I also have an Air2s drone and I seem to have a magenta shift in the footage, most noticeable when shooting snow. I'll try the LUT from DJI and see if that helps.
Since you mention that D-Log M is really closer to Rec 709 "under the hood", are we better off shooting in HLG on the Pocket 3? Or is the quasi-log 709 nature of D-Log M still better for grading with?
@DarrenMostyn Seems like it still might make more sense to shoot HLG then, since there is a CST for it in Resolve so simplifies the workflow, no? And sounds like it is not a drawback to use HLG, even though log modes are usually considered the preference when they are actually proper log. It would be really nice if DJI would play ball with BMD and give them the data to add a native D-Log M CST to Resolve...
@@cwichura With my DJI mini 4 and my mated Osmo 3, I just shoot HLG only for the reasons you mentioned. Its a shame that DJI refuse to explain how to grade dLog M other than with a LUT. They aren't exactly very forthcoming on their forums over this issue.
@@cwichura I'm in the exact same boat, I pretty much pretend D Log M doesn't exist, and just use HLG as at least it's a known quantity. If you really must use D Log M, Thatcher Freeman has many DCTL based Input Transforms that can convert D Log M to DWG/I (they are based on testing, trying to reverse engineer the math). That is the only way I would work with it, because even the manufacturer LUT, which is the only official way to convert D Log M, is not ideal IMO. It limits you to only Rec 709, and most of the time they always add some extra stuff to make the image "look good". I really just want the conversions to be accurate, and I can worry about making it look good.
Thanks for uploading the video. Could you upload a special video on how to color grade GoPro footage as well as DJI Hasselblad series drone footage in REC 709? Additionally, many of us shoot content using phones, such as iPhones, where the footage is mostly REC 709. Currently, I am strictly following the guidelines explained in the 'Resolve Color Management EASY - BEGINNERS in under 15 minutes.' Generally, it works well.
Thanks for the video. Informative as always. I was wondering why after the D-Log>Rec. 709 2.4 LUT in the ODT for input gamma you put rec.709 instead of Gamma 2.4?
Thank you for this video! I'm confused. Both dlog-m and normal are rec709. Why is it in dlog-m, you created only an end CST, but in normal, you created both a beginning CST and end CST? Wouldn't you want to create a beginning/end CST to work in Davinci Wide Gamut and Davinci Intermediate in both picture profiles?
Thanks for another video and tips Darren. How about grading HLG in 2100 HLG gamma timeline and output as HLG final? I somehow am not able to replicate the exact look when using remote monitoring on iPhone 15 screen. (max brightness, 1000nits limit on final CST from davinci wide to hlg.
Thanks for this. I’m pretty new to all this and this made sense, other than one thing. Just me being thick of course. I get the right hand side of the tree, totally understand all that, but can i ask why you didn’t use a CST for the D-Log M footage on the left, but did on the standard footage. If both are already Rec709 why didn’t you do the same with both? Thanks again.
That orange background was an excellent tip that I'm going to use from now on. It was a PITA to try and spot a black background when ever I levelled my horizons. I do have one problem which I hope you can shed some light on, which is most probably user stupidity. On my latest project I set the CST to Rec 709 and Gamma 2.2. The project had an awful lot of night time/low light shots and I really concentrated on the waveform to ensure that I did not crush any of my shadows or dark areas. However when I exported to TH-cam, those darks and shadows were living in "Crush City". I have a fairly modest but decent consumer monitor BenQ 3225U and its calibrated with an x-Rite calibrator tool but for some reason I can't work out why my stuff gets crushed in the low end when I export to TH-cam. I'm guessing user stupidity with a setting that I may or may not have got on the Waveform? BTW, nice hoodie :-)
Another great episode - look forward to them all. I'd love to see how you would grade DJI Mavic 2 zoom footage which uses D-Cinelike. I know this is Rec709, but I can never get it to pop without going well over the top.
@@alex__film Thanks. The previous episode was for DJI 10-bit D-LOG and 10-bit D-Cinelike footage. The DJI Mavic 2 zoom footage is all 8-bit D-Cinelike. DJI don't offer a LUT for 8-bit D-Cinelike and I cannot get good results from the standard colour managed workflow. 8-bit is just so hard to get good results from if the initial exposure is anything but perfect.
@@ShootingAndReloading I see. But in any case the point is that if the LUT is not provided we have to grade manually. That’s what I was doing when I had DJI mini 3 pro at least. Now I’ve got mini 4 pro and the LUT from DJI is available, so would follow the suggested by Darren approach :)
Hey would you be able to do a video on grading Ronin 4D D-Log footage? I’ve been struggling to get the results I’m after. I used to grade Sony Log footage with no issues, but D-Log feels different, and I can’t find any detailed walkthroughs specific to this camera. Your other grading tutorials have been super helpful, so I thought you might have some insights. (Side note: I’ve seen you grade drone footage but I feel the behaviour of them are both different even though they are both D-log)
I dont intend to do Ronin 4D anytime soon. Its not asked for a lot and I dont get much come in for grading tbh, But lets see. The drone footage is D-cinelike and the Osmo D-log M - yes they are different. Hope that helps.
@ Thanks for the reply! Is editing RAW always better than LOG? I know RAW lets you adjust settings like ISO, but if I film in ideal conditions, does ProRes RAW offer more flexibility(be more cinematic) for grading compared to D-Log? Just trying to decide if the £900 ProRes license is worth it.
@@patrickbaitmen9290@darrenmostyn it seems we are in the same boat. I’m in a similar situation Darren any advice on if Proes raw offers more in regards to making images more cinematic then D log?
Shouldnt you set input gamma to 2,4 instead of rec 709 in the cst last node where you said you convert gamma 2,4 to 2,2? Honest question, I love your channel
Hi Darren, are u going to post your videos to spotify for creators? i would presume there would be people who would like to watch your videos on Spotify.
I always wanted to ask you this, My monitor is calibrated to DCI-P3(samsung s9) am i supposed to set the output gamma to dci instead of gamma 2.2 or 4?
So, I'm wrong or do you only used rec709 colorspace on d-log m footage just using the DJI lut at the end? Don't you have a better colorspace for work using dwg in davinci intermediate even if you have to adjust your grade because it's a different taste of DJI log m?
Well I could put LUT first then 709 - DWG and then and end one DWG to 709, but it is cleaner because I am FORCED to use a LUT as there is no D-log M in CST's. Hope that helps.
@@DarrenMostyn I was using CST DJI D-Gamut and DJI d-log at the start. Tried using DJI osmo P3 to Rec 709 lut and a CST from Rec709 to DWG, and you are right as always... 😀 Much better natural colors to work until the final transform to rec709 at the end. Now I have to redo some personal videos color grades again!
I hope you are shooting better than this stuff?...I didn't even have an ND filter! It was just to get quick content. Brighton always an easy shoot as its fab al year round! Always kind comments from you anyway, Thanks. Hope you well, Darren
Hi Darren, will this apply to Osmo Action 5 Pro or will you do a video on that too?. PS I'd love some genuine subs to follow my journey on my channel too.
Hi, Darren. Without doubt, you are a very impressive, a big color grading professional and in fact, I always watch your great and useful video. But.. Theres is one BUT: PLEASE, speak little bit slower (to enjoy and catch better your magic! 🙂
Thank you. Very Kind. I speak at the pace I speak naturally so that wont change for anyone. Im not a TV presenter. You can slow down on youtube - surely people know that ? Anyway appreciate the kind words but I wont be slowing down, sorry.
Just seen another comment on this too and its not the first time, but on reflection, I seem faster in this video than normal, so I will take care in future - its very hard to get my point across, film it (Im quite fast and excitable anyway!!) but point noted. Thank you for raising. On a side note - pease dont expect a sudden dramatic speed change in my presentation! - I get a lot of comments that people like I get through it at my pace. Trying my best always, and listening. Thanks, Darren
Thank you for this video, it is just what I have been looking for! A video by a professional, focused on DJI D-Log M, the DJI D-Log M LUT, and also including Normal and HLG. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Man, I gotta google what d-log is.. 😂 this man is obviously a wealth of knowledge.. can't wait to understand these vids ❤
just started the video. but i want to say thank you first. finally one of the pros i follow cover the most popular camera of recent years.
Im seeing it a lot more now in the documentary work i do. Thanks, enjoy.
If you haven't seen it Thatcher Freeman has a great pack of DCTL IDTs on his Github including several flavors of DLOG M. I found it recently during a job where the drone op gave us proper DLOG and random DLOG M shots mixed together... It worked like a charm making that awful colorspace into something usable.
Not seen it. Will take a look, Thanks for sharing.
glad someone else mentioned it, that is the only way to really get a working color space, glad you also knew about that :)
I didn't know this! I've used his DCTL for Zlog (Z-Cam) and ACES, so I'm definitely going to give it a try!
@@RogerinFinlandhey! Where I can find a DCTL for zlog? Thanks!
Thank you, Darren! Another great video. I’ve had to shoot a ton of drone footage in my storytelling and I’ve wondered which color profile is best. I’ve been favoring HLG over D-Log M since it seems to have more latitude in color and exposure. Is that what you’ve found also? I’m buying you a pint at the pub. 🎉 Thx again.
Hi. Firstly thank you for your very kind 'pint' you've just bought me!! Really appreciated. To answer, as a pro broadcast colourist of over 18 years I generally have to grade 'what Im given' so my advice cannot be "whats best to shoot" as that is a cinematographer question for best experience. However. If you want quick and easy look - 'normal mode' gives you out of the box! D-Log M is slightly flatter - a little more dynamic range but nothing to write home about IMO, but preferably to the baked and much 'sharper' image of normal mode. HLG is the one really giving you best options but you HAVE to grade it then. Hope that sheds some light and thanks again! All the best, Darren
Love those helpful extra tips, especially the solid color and grid one! Definitely taking notes on that! I can't believe I've been using the monitor line and doing it by eyes...shame shame..Thanks so much for the video, Darren. Such a nice way to start the week!
Thanks Chi!! Have a good rest of the week,.
WOW! Thanks Darren, just bought a Pocket 3 and couldn't understand why the 'D-Log' was so weird - great video and so helpful! My additional takeaway from this is the GRID! Going to save me a load of time! Thanks again!
Hey Daren, I've found out that the HLG gammas are doing a better job converting the footage closer to the original.
Dlog M is far smaller than Dlog gamma, you of course have a larger space to work with but it takes a lot of work to make it look good in comparison to the Rec2100 HLG.
So the workflow is D Gammut Rec2100 HLG to DWG and then to the deliverable format.
I would be very happy to hear from you if you try it!
I did do that in this video? D log M is not as big as D log correct.
the HLG profile uses the Rec 2100 color gamut (which is really just the Rec2020 color gamut). That is the great thing about the published profiles (unlike D Log M) they say exactly what the whitepoint, gamut and transfer function are supposed to be. Darren showcased the CST for HLG at the end.
Darren, you always amaze me as you teach new tricks. Texture Pop was todays' take-away. Thank you.
Great to hear Mike. Its been in Resolve for years and a tool I reach out fairly regularly.
@ As a newbie, I’ve barely scratched the surface of Resolve and rely on you and a few others at TH-cam University. The Texture Pop seems to work my Mac Studio harder but the results are well worth it. I’m an old retired guy that has a hobby business shooting construction sites with my drones and still cameras so I’m always looking at ways to improve.
Thanks for sharing this. As a Pocket 3 user, I really dislike the official DJI conversion LUT. Honestly, all the D-Log M footage really needs is some contrast and possibly a tiny bit of saturation boost. The LUT has been wrecking my footage for months, despite me dialing it back with the key gain.
Mate, try opening the LUT file as plain text, and you see that is just a copy of the LUT for Mavic 3 iirc. The reality is that ALL DJI action cam and drones have different tonality and color response with their different sensor, and somehow the just slap the same D-Log M LUT for everything, which is why it is wrecking all the footages if you use it. But it is indeed the safest bet for anyone but the most nerdy colorist. There exist a range of dctl IDT that were created by the users though, try to seek that out.
OK, the LUT worked well for me - Im not going to say that the footage out of my Osmo is like Arri or any other large format but for what it is Im getting what I expected. Note I didnt even have ND filters on that shoot - but the purpose was not to how to shoot best, but how to grade what you have the best. Thanks, hope that makes sense.
Oh, the simple trick with the orange color block is such a great tip. I could have thought of that myself! That’s why I love TH-cam.
always sharing! Enjoy.
love the extra tip on colour background to check for blanking errors....always informative, easy to to follow...great content as always
Glad it was helpful Graeme! Good to see you here again.
Thank you so much Mr. Mostyn! This video answered my long time question! Your videos are always very valuable to me. One other question: my display is the Apple studio display 27 inch, so for the Resolve color management settings, I set the timeline colorspace to DWG/Dacvinci Intermediate, and the output colorspace to Rec709/Gamma 2.2. Then in the color page of the footage, I set the output colorspace in the final CST node to Rec709/Gamma 2.2 too, assuming the output is for web viewing. Is it correct? I am asking because my final TH-cam video always looks brighter on a PC monitor than on my Mac monitor, so I wonder how I can optimize it to make it look the same on both systems.
Edit: to clarify my question, I use Sony S-log3 footages not DJI.
Great one Darren! Took your course in May this year and I have adapted all the techniques on all projects ever since. Gotta test the DJI LUT for my Action 4 footage, until now I’ve been putting it as Rec709. Thanks and keep up the amazing work!
Thanks for taking my Masterclass and glad its been working well for you. The DJI site has a list of LUTS you need for specific cameras. Enjoy and thanks for the kind words!
Thanks mate. I asked for this a month or so ago after buying an Osmo 3. I really appreciate the video. Have a great day.
Hope it helps. Thanks
I forgot you did the drone video, and I recently struggled with DJI Mini 4 Pro footage. The CST did not work, the LUT did not work, and gave up. Ended up making it work the best I could with contrast and saturation. Now I know that the gamma was probably wrong (2.4) with the LUT and the CST was definitely wrong. Thanks for sharing the knowledge!
very welcome. Drone episode is linked in the description
Wow, this made my Pocket 3 footage SO MUCH NICER. thank you.
Good to hear Jesse
Awesome video! Bookmarked for future reference (as so many of your videos are). I have the same D-Log M Node tree which is modified from your Best Node Tree video. Didn't know how to manage HLG until now! And those sharpening tricks are so simple and effective!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you, appreciated.
Interesting video - as a non-native speaker I used frequently the pause, rewind and play button ;-) One thing I never picked up in your videos: Why do you use the unmanaged color science und use always CST at the beginning and the end (ok, not in this video ...). I understand that as a professional you want full control, but is this relevant for a non-pro?
Fantastic tips about the texture adjustments. Regarding the color management in the first half. Up until the LUT the image is in D-Log M, however the timeline is tagged as DaVinci Intermediate. Therefore all the color space aware grading tools work based on that. I know that there are no official input transforms for D-Log M, but I'd personally rather use something like Rec709 as the IDT with some contrast and saturation adjustments as the starting point, than using the LUT and wrong color space tags.
would be very tricky to mix that with other footage then though. You can manually adjust HDR tool for example to be 709. I see osmo in my work as an occasional format not a primary one, but yes I hear what you are saying but that only applies to D Log M.
@@DarrenMostyn Well but wouldn't it be more tricky to match clips with a LUT (D-Log-M LUT workflow) to clips with a CST (Arri or Red footage or whatever)? This way you'd have two very different display rendering transforms (LUT and CST). I would argue adjusting the contrast before a D-Log IDT manually in order to force the footage into the DaVinci pipeline actually simplifies that process, since after that IDT everything is exactly the same as with the Arri or Red footage.
Luckily I don't have to work with D-Log M often, because the entire DJI color science is a huge mess.
@@NOIRGRADE yes that would work. The main aim of this video was to educate people that D Log-M is not D log in the CST as it is often confused and then show how to use the other two formats HLG and Normal. Its hard to cover all scenarios in one video without getting too deep and getting off topic - appreciate your input.
@@DarrenMostyn fair point. I totally get that. It is super confusing with the naming.
Amazing lesson, great job Darren :)
Thanks, appreciated.
I have use the grid for this purpose before but I think I added a "Adjustment layer" track on top on the edit page, then added the grid the full extent of the timeline - and turned the track on and off when needed. Obviously both methods work the same - but less jumping back and forth.
on your CST on the first track you did, Going from the DJI to DWG - is the tone mapping on "Davinci" doing anything to the image? I thought that the smaller colorspace into a larger one that the tone mapping should be turned off. If it makes no difference, then I guess it doesn't matter.
I haven't been given or played with any DJI footage yet. But now that you have some valuable tips - I am going to save this tutorial in a "DJI grading" folder and draw this as a reference for future re- review. Thanks again for putting up valuable information for everyone ( as usual ). Great to see. cheers....
Hi Jim. Thanks for solid advice as always. I did look for a grid in the edit page in search and couldn't find, so went for Colour Page one - I was hoping someone might have a less clunky way (I'll looka again tomorrow)!! I usually also set to NONE on input CST but it did affect the image and not in a positive way. This D-Log M is really sensitive and I dont feel had great dynamic range - Id go HLG, but i know a lot of users use D-log M as Ive been asked to do that more as an episode than HLG. I'll post some clips for download over next day or two.
@@DarrenMostyn yes, it's there - under OFX effects - I just tried it. you can even use the alpha on the adjustment layer to see the horizontal below the grid to line it up.
Again, I see the DJI questions all the time - I will as always refer people to your video.
Also I have told people that if they are sitting in a room with lights on to use gamma 2.2 for web delivery as well. I have gotten all kind of blowback on it. Cullen is doing the same as you with the gamma for web.
The standards were set in bt1886 a long time ago, where the end user was watching TV in a dark living room. I personally think that the standards should change for the targeted media.
The challenge is "what does the service uploaded to expect, and are they converting the gamma from 2.4 to 2.2? From what I see they do but the actual footage doesn't change in appearance. I have tested uploading 2.2 and 2.4 tests and they look identical. The logic seems to be that we should grade and render under similar conditions ( environment ) as the end user. So I don't grade in complete darkness anymore and use 2.2.
At least I see what they see.
Thanks again.
Ive only been switching recently between 2.2 and 2.4 as my flanders is now calibrated for both - my old one was just 2.4 (2.2 was there but not calibrated for ).
Yep, that's what I do when I want a grid. Adjustment clip and grid for the length of the timeline.
That shot at the end tho ❤🔥
was out taking pics for a thumbnail can you believe!
This is so helpful. Thanks so much, Darren!
Glad it was helpful!
For this type of footage, wow, what a difference. I learned multiple things to improve my amateurish footage. An idea, suggest a user sends in some graded footage, and then show how it's really done. You might suggest something simple to film. I think this would be a very powerful video. Just a thought mate.
Hi Jamie. Yes I like the sound of that! Let me give it some thought how it might best work! All the best
Darren
Great video thanks. I’ve really struggled with which profile to use on the Pocket 3. Do you think there is a ‘best’ profile to use? I mean normal vs HLG vs d-Log-M
Thats for you to decide as best fit for use. Hope this video helps anyway. Normal mode doesnt need grading , HLG much more dynamic range.
Darren , what dctl and dehancer should i get . Thank you for the heads up about the deals this Black Friday.
Both have free trial versions so you can try them all free.
Awesome tutorial as always. Sent a message a while ago, but would love to see how you'd grade something like Super 8mm film scanned to a cineon curve. I've been struggling quite a bit to find a totally satisfactory way of doing it with the CST node tree due to my numptiness when it comes to grading technique!
THANK YOU! your videos are SOOO valuable. See you in NAB Las Vegas!
I'm booked already! C U there
Thanks a lot! Just one more question: which one do you recommend for an HDR workflow-D-Log M or HLG?
HLG
Thanks Darren, your videos are a huge help to me! One question/answer that I have looked for on your channel is how can I export a project to HDR? I seem to get very dull or overly vibrant colour when I do this. I can't work out what it is that I'm doing wrong. Any help would be greatly appreciated 👍
Mate, I just bought the Osmo pocket so this video has perfect timing! One question tho; would you recommend always shooting on D-Log or is normal enough to work with?
you have to be the judge of that. i dont know your scenario. I think this video shows the three oprions well enough. Normal mode can go ungraded if that helps.
Thank you so much! This is what I was looking for!
perfect!
Interesting.. I'm just going through all the options for a decent video camera that can do some sort of 10 bit LOG and is small enough to take on my motorbike and I didn't even consider the Pocket 3. Good to know you can grade it nicely, even if it's not LOG
would work. The HLG option on osmo is log and wide range and gives superior results to D LogM.
Hi Darren, I really appreciate the great content you always provide-your knowledge shines through in every video. As a beginner in video post-processing, I sometimes find the pace of your tutorials a bit rushed, making it hard to keep up. Also, the full monitor screen captures often make it difficult to see the finer details of what you're demonstrating. I totally understand if your channel is aimed at a more advanced audience, but it’s a bit unfortunate for beginners like me, as I truly believe you’re one of the most knowledgeable creators out there. Just some feedback from a fan who’d love to learn more from you!
Noted thanks.
Awesome tips! Just when I think I'm starting to get a handle on color, I find out I don't really know anything. I have the pocket3 and I'm looking forward to using this technique. I also have an Air2s drone and I seem to have a magenta shift in the footage, most noticeable when shooting snow. I'll try the LUT from DJI and see if that helps.
Glad I could shed some light! All the best, Darren
Danke Darren für dieses gute Video.
welcome.
i'm doing a lot of work for social media Ads what is the proper gamma for social media on phones thank you and also love your channel i learn so much
Since you mention that D-Log M is really closer to Rec 709 "under the hood", are we better off shooting in HLG on the Pocket 3? Or is the quasi-log 709 nature of D-Log M still better for grading with?
HLG has more dynamic range but this is not prime lenses here so really depends what you shooting on osmo for.
@DarrenMostyn Seems like it still might make more sense to shoot HLG then, since there is a CST for it in Resolve so simplifies the workflow, no? And sounds like it is not a drawback to use HLG, even though log modes are usually considered the preference when they are actually proper log.
It would be really nice if DJI would play ball with BMD and give them the data to add a native D-Log M CST to Resolve...
@@cwichura With my DJI mini 4 and my mated Osmo 3, I just shoot HLG only for the reasons you mentioned. Its a shame that DJI refuse to explain how to grade dLog M other than with a LUT. They aren't exactly very forthcoming on their forums over this issue.
@@cwichura I'm in the exact same boat, I pretty much pretend D Log M doesn't exist, and just use HLG as at least it's a known quantity.
If you really must use D Log M, Thatcher Freeman has many DCTL based Input Transforms that can convert D Log M to DWG/I (they are based on testing, trying to reverse engineer the math). That is the only way I would work with it, because even the manufacturer LUT, which is the only official way to convert D Log M, is not ideal IMO. It limits you to only Rec 709, and most of the time they always add some extra stuff to make the image "look good". I really just want the conversions to be accurate, and I can worry about making it look good.
The footage out of this tiny thing is insane, used it last summer .
Still getting used to it TBH, but great for throwing in a kit bag. I'll be using mine for vlogging more. I have a few trips coming up!!
Most important thing I learned is that DLOG M is not LOG. Never loved my my DJI colors with DLOG M. Thanks for the vid
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for uploading the video. Could you upload a special video on how to color grade GoPro footage as well as DJI Hasselblad series drone footage in REC 709? Additionally, many of us shoot content using phones, such as iPhones, where the footage is mostly REC 709. Currently, I am strictly following the guidelines explained in the 'Resolve Color Management EASY - BEGINNERS in under 15 minutes.' Generally, it works well.
Hi Thanks. I have episodes on using iphone and drones. Enjoy.
Colorist are todays modern day super heroes
ujuuu!!!! 😃 D-Log M and HLG are the same color profile from my DJI Air 2S, Thank you so much Darren I will try it right now!!😃😃😃
Hope you like it!
Thanks for the video. Informative as always. I was wondering why after the D-Log>Rec. 709 2.4 LUT in the ODT for input gamma you put rec.709 instead of Gamma 2.4?
you can put either. same result
@ ok thanks 👍
Thank you for this video! I'm confused. Both dlog-m and normal are rec709. Why is it in dlog-m, you created only an end CST, but in normal, you created both a beginning CST and end CST? Wouldn't you want to create a beginning/end CST to work in Davinci Wide Gamut and Davinci Intermediate in both picture profiles?
Thanks for another video and tips Darren. How about grading HLG in 2100 HLG gamma timeline and output as HLG final? I somehow am not able to replicate the exact look when using remote monitoring on iPhone 15 screen. (max brightness, 1000nits limit on final CST from davinci wide to hlg.
Thanks for this. I’m pretty new to all this and this made sense, other than one thing. Just me being thick of course.
I get the right hand side of the tree, totally understand all that, but can i ask why you didn’t use a CST for the D-Log M footage on the left, but did on the standard footage. If both are already Rec709 why didn’t you do the same with both?
Thanks again.
No CST for D log M - REC 709 wont work as it has a DJI profile.
you are the absolute best.
Glad you are enjoying my channel, Appreciated
Great video, thanks ❤. Can you do one on Fuji F-Log 2 C?
Thanks. I'll stick it on my list if requested enough. Thanks
That orange background was an excellent tip that I'm going to use from now on. It was a PITA to try and spot a black background when ever I levelled my horizons.
I do have one problem which I hope you can shed some light on, which is most probably user stupidity. On my latest project I set the CST to Rec 709 and Gamma 2.2.
The project had an awful lot of night time/low light shots and I really concentrated on the waveform to ensure that I did not crush any of my shadows or dark areas. However when I exported to TH-cam, those darks and shadows were living in "Crush City".
I have a fairly modest but decent consumer monitor BenQ 3225U and its calibrated with an x-Rite calibrator tool but for some reason I can't work out why my stuff gets crushed in the low end when I export to TH-cam. I'm guessing user stupidity with a setting that I may or may not have got on the Waveform?
BTW, nice hoodie :-)
Thanks Frank. The orange background makes it really easy.
@@DarrenMostyn Solved my problem. I went through your back catalogue of "Greatest Hits", and went over the scopes again.😀
Another great episode - look forward to them all. I'd love to see how you would grade DJI Mavic 2 zoom footage which uses D-Cinelike. I know this is Rec709, but I can never get it to pop without going well over the top.
I believe another Darren’s episode for drone footage colour grading covers that - there was a link at the end of the video
@@alex__film Thanks. The previous episode was for DJI 10-bit D-LOG and 10-bit D-Cinelike footage. The DJI Mavic 2 zoom footage is all 8-bit D-Cinelike. DJI don't offer a LUT for 8-bit D-Cinelike and I cannot get good results from the standard colour managed workflow. 8-bit is just so hard to get good results from if the initial exposure is anything but perfect.
@@ShootingAndReloading I see. But in any case the point is that if the LUT is not provided we have to grade manually. That’s what I was doing when I had DJI mini 3 pro at least. Now I’ve got mini 4 pro and the LUT from DJI is available, so would follow the suggested by Darren approach :)
Hello! How can I work in DaVinci WG on my MacBook? If I use Output Gamma - Gamma 2.2, I will have issues with color shift after rendering.
Great video, perfect, thanks.
Could you just put this all in a LUT...🙄 I would definitely buy it.
hah. I wont be releasing LUT packs when you do this easily yourself for free!
Hey would you be able to do a video on grading Ronin 4D D-Log footage? I’ve been struggling to get the results I’m after. I used to grade Sony Log footage with no issues, but D-Log feels different, and I can’t find any detailed walkthroughs specific to this camera. Your other grading tutorials have been super helpful, so I thought you might have some insights.
(Side note: I’ve seen you grade drone footage but I feel the behaviour of them are both different even though they are both D-log)
I dont intend to do Ronin 4D anytime soon. Its not asked for a lot and I dont get much come in for grading tbh, But lets see. The drone footage is D-cinelike and the Osmo D-log M - yes they are different. Hope that helps.
@ Thanks for the reply! Is editing RAW always better than LOG? I know RAW lets you adjust settings like ISO, but if I film in ideal conditions, does ProRes RAW offer more flexibility(be more cinematic) for grading compared to D-Log? Just trying to decide if the £900 ProRes license is worth it.
@@patrickbaitmen9290@darrenmostyn it seems we are in the same boat. I’m in a similar situation Darren any advice on if Proes raw offers more in regards to making images more cinematic then D log?
Shouldnt you set input gamma to 2,4 instead of rec 709 in the cst last node where you said you convert gamma 2,4 to 2,2? Honest question, I love your channel
Thanks. You'll get the same result anyway. technically the Gamma applies to the output and not source but either would work.
Hi Darren, are u going to post your videos to spotify for creators? i would presume there would be people who would like to watch your videos on Spotify.
Didn't know it was a thing ? I use spotify for steaming music.
I always wanted to ask you this, My monitor is calibrated to DCI-P3(samsung s9) am i supposed to set the output gamma to dci instead of gamma 2.2 or 4?
How come in 13:26 your input gamma is set to 2.4 but previously it was set to rec 709? Does it matter or do we have to change it?
same outcome. switching it makes no difference in this scenario bt its correct to mark as REC709 as input and assign gamma 2.2 or 2.4 on output.
impressive technic
Thank you.
So, I'm wrong or do you only used rec709 colorspace on d-log m footage just using the DJI lut at the end? Don't you have a better colorspace for work using dwg in davinci intermediate even if you have to adjust your grade because it's a different taste of DJI log m?
Well I could put LUT first then 709 - DWG and then and end one DWG to 709, but it is cleaner because I am FORCED to use a LUT as there is no D-log M in CST's. Hope that helps.
@@DarrenMostyn I was using CST DJI D-Gamut and DJI d-log at the start. Tried using DJI osmo P3 to Rec 709 lut and a CST from Rec709 to DWG, and you are right as always... 😀 Much better natural colors to work until the final transform to rec709 at the end. Now I have to redo some personal videos color grades again!
I aspire to be “not a cinematographer “ of this caliber. 🎉
I hope you are shooting better than this stuff?...I didn't even have an ND filter! It was just to get quick content. Brighton always an easy shoot as its fab al year round! Always kind comments from you anyway, Thanks. Hope you well, Darren
I wish the Osmo was weather sealed!
What happens if you put a 2.4 delivery on the web? I always deliver in 2.4 and see no difference, but maybe it's just my devices 😬
NICE
Thank you very much.
Hi Darren, will this apply to Osmo Action 5 Pro or will you do a video on that too?. PS I'd love some genuine subs to follow my journey on my channel too.
Hi, Darren. Without doubt, you are a very impressive, a big color grading professional and in fact, I always watch your great and useful video. But.. Theres is one BUT: PLEASE, speak little bit slower (to enjoy and catch better your magic! 🙂
Thank you. Very Kind. I speak at the pace I speak naturally so that wont change for anyone. Im not a TV presenter. You can slow down on youtube - surely people know that ? Anyway appreciate the kind words but I wont be slowing down, sorry.
Just seen another comment on this too and its not the first time, but on reflection, I seem faster in this video than normal, so I will take care in future - its very hard to get my point across, film it (Im quite fast and excitable anyway!!) but point noted. Thank you for raising. On a side note - pease dont expect a sudden dramatic speed change in my presentation! - I get a lot of comments that people like I get through it at my pace. Trying my best always, and listening. Thanks, Darren
he grades before the lut. No need gamma 2.2 transform. Is your phone 2.4 or 2.2? Do you really know? Do you really care?
Yes I care. I didn't spend 18 years as a colourist to not care about a gamma shift.
Find music that fits a busy kitchen scene is not a thing.... that could literally be anything....... c'mon son, be better.