LUT (conversion vs creative)

A LUT (look-up table) is a file that remaps every color to a new one. A conversion LUT does a defined technical job — e.g. Sony S-Log3 → Rec.709 — and camera makers publish official ones. A creative LUT is a subjective look someone designed (a teal-orange feel, a film emulation). The cardinal rule: a conversion is not a look. Normalize with a conversion first; apply a creative LUT later, after correction, if at all.

First used in: 1.5 · Log, LUTs & normalization

Used in: Print-film-emulation LUTs are built and applied with understanding in 2.10.