LUT

What this is about

Two very different jobs travel under the same three letters. A technical LUT converts a camera's log curve into Rec. 709 so the image can be viewed and judged correctly; it is a defined transform, not a taste decision. A creative LUT is a preset look, a starting point a colourist places on top of a properly converted image. Applying a creative LUT to unconverted footage produces clipped highlights and odd skin tones. On set, the same LUT should feed the director's monitor and travel to post as a reference.

A term only helps when everyone on set means the same thing by it — so what follows is how it is used, not a dictionary definition.

What runs differently here

In planning terms, that means:

• Convert first, then style: a creative look belongs on top of a correct technical transform
• Send the on-set monitoring LUT to post as a reference for the intended look
• A LUT is not a grade — it applies the same table to every shot, regardless of exposure

With TillyGen

Look references agreed in the plan stay attached to the project in TillyGen, so the reference the set monitored against is the one review discusses.

Change one constraint and the consequences travel through the whole plan: affected shots are flagged, the call sheet is regenerated, and nobody keeps working from yesterday's version.