Tutorials Video

Log Footage Explained: S-Log, C-Log, V-Log

Advanced · ~30 min

Overview

Log footage looks washed out and flat straight out of the camera, and that's the point. Log (short for logarithmic) colour profiles compress a much wider range of tones into the video file than standard profiles, preserving detail in both highlights and shadows that would otherwise be lost. That dynamic range becomes available when you grade the footage later. If you've ever shot log and thought something was wrong with your camera, this guide explains what's happening and how to work with it.

What You Need

A camera with a log profile (Sony S-Log2/3, Canon C-Log, Panasonic V-Log, Fujifilm F-Log, etc.)
DaVinci Resolve (free version is fine)
The manufacturer's LUT for your specific log profile (free to download)

Steps

What log is and why cameras use it

A camera's sensor captures a wide dynamic range, roughly 12 to 15 stops of light from the darkest shadows to the brightest highlights. Standard recording profiles (like Rec.709) clip highlights and crush shadows to make footage look good immediately, but they throw away tonal information you can't get back. Log profiles map the sensor's full dynamic range into the video file using a logarithmic curve, compressing brighter tones more than darker ones. The result looks flat on a standard monitor, but all the data is there. In grading, you remap that log curve back to a viewable image, and because you have more information to work with, you have far more control.

Common log profiles by manufacturer

Sony: S-Log2 and S-Log3. S-Log3 is preferred. It has more usable shadow information and is closer to the ACES standard. Canon: C-Log (original), C-Log2, C-Log3. C-Log3 is now most common on Cinema EOS and the R-series. Panasonic: V-Log and V-Log L (L is for consumer/mirrorless cameras with less dynamic range). Fujifilm: F-Log and F-Log2. Blackmagic: BRAW with Blackmagic Film colour science. Each has a matching LUT from the manufacturer. Download the correct LUT for your camera and your specific log version before you start grading.

How to expose log footage correctly

Log footage needs to be exposed differently from standard profiles. Because the curve is compressed, what looks like a bright midtone on a log waveform is actually correct exposure. Use a waveform monitor (available in most cameras and in DaVinci) rather than the histogram or LCD. For most log profiles, expose your key subject (a person's skin, for example) so the waveform sits between 40 to 55%. This preserves highlight headroom. The golden rule: expose to the right without clipping. A slightly over-exposed log image retains more usable shadow detail than an under-exposed one, which gets noisy when lifted in the grade.

Applying a base LUT in DaVinci Resolve

Import your footage into DaVinci Resolve. In the Colour page, right-click any node and select LUT > Browse to load your manufacturer's conversion LUT. Apply it on node 1. This converts your log footage to Rec.709. A viewable standard colour space. Your image will now look roughly normal. This is your technical starting point. It removes the log encoding but adds no creative grade. From here, you add new nodes for your creative work: exposure, contrast, colour balance, skin tones.

Grading from your base LUT

With the LUT applied on node 1, add a node 2 for primary corrections: lift (shadows), gamma (midtones), gain (highlights). Get your exposure right first, skin tones in the 50 to 60% range on the waveform for a natural look. Add node 3 for colour balance: offset any unwanted colour casts using the colour wheels. Add node 4 for your creative grade, push shadows slightly teal, roll off highlights warm, crush the blacks slightly. You have all the dynamic range available to you from the log capture, so these adjustments are resilient in a way that grading standard-profile footage never is. See our How to Colour Grade a Talking Head tutorial for the detailed grading workflow.

Pro Tips

Only shoot log if you intend to grade. Log footage delivered ungraded to a client or uploaded directly to YouTube will look terrible.
Use DaVinci's Color Space Transform (CST) effect instead of a manufacturer LUT for a more mathematically precise conversion, especially useful with ACES workflows.
If you're shooting log but don't want to grade every clip, use the log profile for important scenes only and standard profile for run-and-gun situations where grading time is limited.
Monitor assist mode (sometimes called "view assist" or a baked-in 709 LUT for the viewfinder) lets you see a normalised image on the camera monitor while recording log, essential for judging exposure and focus.

Knowledge Base

What You'll Learn

Work with Log footage (flat, desaturated video from professional cameras). Learn how to apply LUTs, correct exposure, and understand why professional cinematographers shoot Log.

What Is Log?

Log (logarithmic) footage is flat and desaturated, nearly no contrast or color saturation. Captures maximum dynamic range in shadows and highlights. Requires color grading to bring to life.

Log Advantages

Maximum flexibility in post-production (more latitude for exposure adjustment).
Preserve detail in shadows and highlights (no clipping).
Consistent starting point for color grading workflow.
Professional standard for serious productions.

Working with Log Workflow

1) Import Log footage (appears flat/washed). 2) Apply LUT (Log to Rec.709 conversion). 3) Adjust exposure/white balance. 4) Grade shadows/mids/highlights. 5) Add saturation and contrast as needed. 6) Export as Rec.709.

LUT Selection

Camera manufacturers provide Log-to-Rec.709 LUTs (Canon, Panasonic, RED, Arri). Use the right LUT for your camera and log format. Wrong LUT produces wrong colors (orange skin tone instead of peachy).

Where This Fits

This guide covers one specific part of colour and grading. The wider picture, grading in Resolve from a technically correct starting point through building a look that holds up across a sequence, is in Color Grading in DaVinci Resolve, which frames the discipline as a whole and links out to the detailed guides underneath it, including this one. If you are starting from scratch rather than solving a specific problem, read that first and come back here.

FAQ

Q: Should I always shoot Log?
A: Professional work benefits from Log. Casual content (vlog, YouTube) in Rec.709 is fine and faster to edit.