If I shot a bunch of footage in Canon Log, does it mean I must use a LUT when color correcting? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought LUT's were just guides that get you 90% there, you can color correct without them if you like.

No LUT required, and yes it gives you an idea of how things are going to look.

I can only refer to my own experience and I've been filming with Canon Log for the last 18 months and have never used a LUT although in many respects the View Assist on the C300 screen must in some way incorporate a LUT.

If you shoot and edit your own material it's a great way of working, providing a lot of latitude in post production and I've got pretty quick at correcting or optimising the files. I use FCPX and end up boosting saturation, sharpness and correcting the levels using the scopes.

The results are very rewarding even though it does take a lot longer than editing with the standard settings that come with the camera. I normally end up doing a lot of secondary corrections.

However within an edit many shots will be very similar and it's possible to save a lot of time with paste attributes and doing some minor tweaks.

Cool, thanks for the reply.
You add sharpening in post? I thought that was something only done on 5Dmk3 footage.

It's certainly something I like to do.

This is what Canon says about Canon Log:

"Canon Log is a log gamma setting that retains maximum image information for post-production. It has high dynamic range and records the image with a flat image quality with subdued contrast and sharpness. This is ideal for color correction"

Here is a link to the Canon Web page I lifted this from:

Canon DLC: Cinema EOS Frequently Asked Questions

Canon DLC: Cinema EOS Frequently Asked Questions (http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources/misc/cinemaEOS_faq.shtml)

You may like to check out 'Film Convert':

FilmConvert - Film Stock and Grain Emulation Software (http://filmconvert.com/)

It has a (downloaded separately) C-Log setting for both C300 and C100.

It's not a 'film look' plug in applied in secondary grading - it's the closest one would get to a 'LUT' for C-Log.

It's not for every shoot, it's not for every shot, but it does some wonderful gamma and colour manipulation that C-Log seems to like. Corporate shooters may want to step away, but I love it.

Edit: BTW, sharpening in post is very, very nice. It can be disconcerting to see unsharpened (minimum detail) rushes, but a little dab of sharpening in post is like the first time you try on your new glasses - oh, so THAT's what it looks like! Sharpening in post is better than in-camera as you can vary it shot by shot, and because it's not done in a fraction of a second, the NLE tends to do a neater, more pleasing job.

I exclusively use c-log with my C300 and don't use any LUTs. It is important to get the shooting parameters right and the post processing doesn't take much time.

Hi guys, im new to the forum. I have been struggling with exporting my short film that was shot on a c300.
I'm getting compression artefacts even on mp4 @ 24 mbps. pixel blocks and round circular bands in darker areas. are there any ways to export the film that will reduce such effects. thanks.