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Download My Free Sony A7S II Slog 3 LUT Here + Why I Won’t Use Sony’s LUT

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I’ve been shooting with my new Sony A7S II extensively over the last couple of weeks, and recently developed a LUT that I’ve been using with all of my SLog 3 footage. While I’ve really been enjoying the A7S II, my biggest issue with it so far has been the same as my issue with all of Sony’s other cameras – the color science.

Sony is leading the way in mirrorless innovation at the moment, and I respect what they are doing tremendously. But even though they are ahead of the curve in so many ways, their color science is still far behind companies like Blackmagic Design or Canon.

That’s not to say you can’t achieve beautiful color results with Sony’s cameras, but rather that you need to work a little harder to get there. On my Blackmagic URSA for instance, if I have exposed my shot properly I am able to drop on a LUT in Resolve or FCP X and the image will look fantastic right away. With the A7S II on the other hand, I’ve never had perfect results while using Sony’s SLog 3 LUT on any clip that I’ve shot to date.

Since I will inevitably be shooting more and more with the A7S II as the months go on, I decided to create a new LUT to use in place of Sony’s standard SLog 3 LUT. The goal of course is to save myself a lot of time in the editing room/color suite, and get each shot that much closer to the final look right off the bat.

The new LUT that I created was based off of a hybrid of Sony’s SLog 3 LUT and the Arri Alexa LUT, the former of which works surprisingly well with SLog 3 footage. From there, I brought down the mids a touch, made a slight contrast adjustment, and warmed up the midtones slightly. I tend to find Sony’s mids/skintones have a tendency to look cool or at times even purple, so one of my primary goals with this LUT was to eliminate that issue.

Below are three screen shots showcasing the different SLog 3 looks:

Ungraded SLog 3 Footage

SONY S LOG UNGRADED

Sony SLog 3 LUT

SONY S LOG LUT

Noam Kroll SLog 3 LUT

NOAM KROLL_SLOG_LUT

The difference between my LUT and Sony’s isn’t drastic, but the change is significant enough to save at least one or two steps in the color process when locking in your primary grade.

As is the case with any LUT, you will still want to fine tune your grade to get it looking perfect, but so far I have found that my new LUT helps me to reach the finish line that much faster.

Download the Slog3 LUT through my CINECOLOR platform here.

And don’t forget to check out the rest of my color grading LUTs, film grain, and post-production tools!

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About Author

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

73 Comments

  • scott claxton
    at

    great sir beneficial article thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  • David Jonson
    at

    Great Article Thanks For Sharing Information…

    Reply
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    Great Article Thanks For Sharing the information….

    Reply
  • PRADEEP KUMAR
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    Pradeep

    Reply
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  • Amour keto
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    je veux des luts pour étalonner mes videos de sony A7s ll et A7s lll

    Reply
  • ngassaki
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    J´a vraiment aimé félicitations mais ya que sa pour l’instant gar

    Reply
  • SHU-HSIEN LIN
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    This is awesome!!!!!!!
    It help me a lot!!!!!
    Thank you!!!!

    Reply
  • Apag
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    Thanks for posting this Noam it really helped a lot. Will it be possible to create one for Slog 2 as well?
    thank you.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Yes – I’ve had a lot of requests for this. If possible, please e-mail me some Slog2 shots at info@noamkroll.com and I’ll put out a LUT in the future.

      Reply
  • Shaun Bingham
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    Thanks for posting this Noam. Really appreciate it!

    Reply
  • deck Software
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    Thanks for the LUT file, works great with my footage using A7S2, using Premiere Pro CC in Lumetri color there is an option for select a file, impressive gradation in out of focus background and skin tones

    Reply
  • サウンドを含む 無料の動画編集ツール をまとめてご紹介します
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    […] Tips） – 無料の GH4 Cine-D ルックアップテーブル (Noam Kroll) – 無料の Sony S-Log3 ルックアップテーブル (Noam Kroll) – 無料の 3 Low Contrast FCPX Color Board Presets (Noam […]

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  • Video Editor Toolbox: Over 1,000 Free Video Assets, Plug-ins, LUTs, SFX, and More! - The Shutterstock Blog
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    […] Free Sony a7SII S-Log 3 LUT — Noam Kroll […]

    Reply
  • Pierre
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    Hi,

    Thanks for sharing, this LUT looks great on our Slog3 footage. Quick questions, is this designed to be used as an input LUT or creative LUT?

    I’m referring to how the Premiere Lumetri engine’s panel works where you add an input LUT under ‘Basic Correction’ as opposed to a LUT under ‘Creative’.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Thanks Pierre! I would use it as an input LUT, but it can be used either way depending on your preferred workflow.

      Reply
  • Andrew
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    Hello Noam,

    thank you for your work. I’ve tried to import your preset to premiere pro cc on my mac but the application doesn’t recognise your LUT. Is there any particular reason why this might be?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hey Andrew! That’s strange as I haven’t heard of anyone else having this issue. Which version of Premiere are you on?

      Reply
  • Mack
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    Hi Noam, is the LUT designed to ‘fix’ Sony’s colours to serve as a basis for further grading or is it designed to give the footage a particular stylistic look? By this I mean, would I be able to use this LUT and apply further grading to make it more contrasty or make certain colours pop, etc? From your screen caps it appears further grading won’t be a big issue, but I’m just seeking confirmation 🙂

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Hey Mack! It is designed to fix the Sony look and essentially give you a good baseline/starting point to work from.

      Reply
  • Kat
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    So, I just had a shoot with the A7S II and we grabbed my old A7 for b-roll…I thought the cam ops were shooting the same, but in the heat of an active set…we were shooting Slog-3 and Neutral…I’m really having a hard time grading it in Premiere…thoughts?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      If the issue is matching the footage, I would aim to get one camera looking perfect first, and then match the other to it. If you go back and forth too much, it will be really hard to ever find a good match with them!

      Reply
  • Video Editor Toolbox: Über 1000 kostenlose Assets, Plug-ins und mehr!
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    […] Kostenloses Sony a7SII S-Log 3 LUT — Noam Kroll […]

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  • Ian
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    Hey Noam! Thanks so much for this LUT, I look forward to shooting with it. I am still new to the Sony world so a few questions if you don’t mind? When shooting with this LUT in S-Log three what color mode do you prefer? Do adjust any of the Black Levels or Black Gamma?

    Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hey Ian! Thanks for the note. I actually haven’t shot with the A7S II in a while now, so I’m not sure which color mode to recommend. That said, I never messed with the black levels/gamma at all as I’ve found doing so can degrade the image quality when recording internally. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  • Richard Crook
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    Very nice. I use it on FS7 slog3 footage, and I notice it’s exactly one stop too bright, shooting proper exposure on the camera. Other than that it look really great

    Reply
  • Eric
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    Hi Noam,

    Thanks so much for the LUT. It looks fantastic! I did have a question I wanted to ask though. I’m having difficulties dealing with noise at Slog 3. I’ve tried using the Denoiser ll plugin from Red Giant, but it doesn’t seem to be cleaning up the noise as well as I would have liked. Do you have any tips on how to make the image a bit clearer? Sorry for the beginner question. It’s my first time working with Slog 3.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Any time Eric! In terms of noise in Slog 3, I would recommend shooting your footage just slightly overexposed so that you can crush it more in post. The more contrast you can add, and the darker your blacks become, the less noise you will see. That said, be sure not to overexpose too much or you may clip your highlights!

      Reply
  • Scott Lansing
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    Hey I downloaded your LUT, Not sure how to upload it into premiere though…please explain

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Hi Scott! You can use the Lumetri color panel in Premiere to load LUTs.

      Reply
  • Gerry Pischel
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    Hey Noam,
    I want to use your LUT in Premiere Pro CS6 (not CC).
    Would it work in combination with Redgiant Magic Bullet LUT Buddy?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Absolutely Gerry! The LUTs come in .cube files and are compatible with almost any LUT loader or plugin, including LUT Buddy. Enjoy them!

      Reply
  • Gabriel
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    Hey Noam can this LUTS be used on my slog 3 Sony A6300? and how can it be used on Final cut?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hey Gabriel! Yes the LUTs will work with footage from any camera. You might still want to use an Slog3 – Rec 709 LUT to bring the contrast back into your image before applying the creative LUTs in my pack, depending on how you like to work.

      With regards to Final Cut – there are many plugins available that allow you to load LUTs right inside of the software. When you purchase my LUT pack, you will receive installation instructions that will provide you with options for using LUT loaders/plugins in FCP (and other software). Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any other questions! Enjoy!

      Reply
  • Rico
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    Thank you very much, my friend.

    Reply
  • Javier
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    How can i use this lut in fcpx
    Please help

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Hi Javier – You simply need to install a LUT loader plugin for FCP X. There are instructions in the 4 page PDF guide that you will receive when purchasing the LUTs.

      Reply
  • Herve
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    Hi Noam, why would you choose to shoot in Slog3 more than any other pic. profile? I am going to be shooting in subways and was wondering if you had a recommendation in terms of pics profile. Cine 2? Slog 3? etc. Thanks for your advice.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hi Herve – I like Slog 3 mainly because it gives me the flattest image straight out of the camera. I don’t love the colors it generates, but with a little extra work in post (and using this LUT) I’m able to generate a nicer color palette than what it delivers natively. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  • Site
    at

    ALister did you ever complete the workflow and SLog-2 guide for the A7s I don t see it on your website?

    Reply
  • Oscar
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    Thanks for sharing,

    Reply
  • Hitesh
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    hi there, is it for sgamut3 or sgamut3 cine??

    Reply
  • Ash Tailor
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    Hey Noam,

    Long time reader, often comment. Just wanted to say thanks for this. Question – when you made this LUT, what exposure were you basing this from? Normally i expose two stops over which seems to work out well.

    It seems as though this is a bit different? If you could tell me that would be awesome. Would help work with this LUT for correction.

    Ash

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hi Ash – Anytime, and thanks for reading! To answer your question, I believe this was used on footage that was exposed about a 1/2 stop to a stop over. Like you, I tend to expose to the right to maintain cleaner shadows. Hope this helps clear things up…

      Reply
  • XexeX
    at

    If I apply your LUT to Premiere Pro, I need to “browse” the file every time, refer to this post:
    https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1876861?tstart=0
    the LUT can be add to Premiere Pro pull down menu, so it save a lot of time.

    It need Adobe Speedgrade to covert the LUT to Looks file format. However, I don’t know how to use Speedgrade.

    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Aravind Muthuswamy
      at

      hey, I’m finding it hard to install it on premiere pro CS6. can you pls explain the process of using LUTs in premiere

      Reply
      • Noam Kroll
        at

        The easiest way is to use the Lumetri color panel in Premiere. In older versions of Premiere that don’t support Lumetri, you can always download a free 3rd party plugin such as mLUT from motionvfx.com – good luck!

        Reply
  • XExeX
    at

    Thanks! Your LUT work great in PP!

    I’d like to ask that do you have the “looks” file so I can select your LUT in pull down menu.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Thanks so much! Can you clarify your question though? Not sure exactly what you are trying to do.

      Reply
  • Mikael
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    Hey and thanks for the free LUT. Just started to work with LUTs. How do apply it in premier?

    Reply
  • Brian
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    I’m not too techy, but I was wondering if it would be possible in a future thread to go over how to create personalized luts or the process?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Absolutely, that’s a great suggestion. Which color platform do you use?

      Reply
  • RGP
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    Hi, Could it works for Sony A7RII SLog2 ?

    * By the way, where you got Sony’s SLog 3 LUT?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hey There! It’s actually designed for S Log3 so it wouldn’t work properly on S Log2. As for the LUT, I had it installed on my DaVinci system, but I’m sure you can get it through Sony’s website.

      Reply
  • Mate Papp
    at

    Thanks for sharing your findings and the LUT!

    Can you please link some videos you made with A7s II where you used your new LUT and also tell us how time consuming was to color correct them?

    I’m about to invest in the A7s ii, but im quite afraid of i would only get nice colors if sit for long hours in front of PP/AE/Davinci – so im really curious if its possible to get nice image out of the camera with just putting the LUT on a correctly exposed footage

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Absolutely – I will keep this in mind for a future article, and thanks for the suggestion!

      Reply
  • Jimmy
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    Wow, Fantastic. I just tried your SLog3 LUT. Very nice! Thanks for sharing it

    Reply
  • Jason
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    I am for sure thinking about switching from my gh4 to the a7s I I. I have never got the look I want with vlog even with a 10bit recorder and shooting inside is kinda getting hard to do. Looking forward to your review on it before making th jump.

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Thanks Jason! Will be sure to post it as soon as I can.

      Reply
  • Chad Isaacs
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    How well do you think the slog 3 footage with your lut would mix with c100 markii footage? I’m not great with color correction and am currently using Shane Hurlbut’s c100 mark ii sic profile. I love the way it looks without much grading at all. My GH4 has always been a lot more work for me, especially with skin tones. Do you think the a7sii would be easier to get great skin tones and match the c100mark ii footage?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
      at

      Hi Chad,

      Great questions. I do think the Slog 3 footage would match better with the C100 footage as compared to the GH4. That said, the color science and overall look from Sony is quite different from Canon across the board (in my opinion), so you will still need to do some grading to match them. I would say that as long as you spend enough time in the color suite, you should be able to get them to intercut pretty seamlessly.

      Reply
  • Joe S
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    Hi Noam- have you tested this on the Sony a7s?

    Reply
    • Noam Kroll
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      Not yet, but would love to hear if it works well! I don’t have an A7S to test with unfortunately…

      Reply

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