Bransford MediaWhat the camera records
Sony describes S-Log3 as a gamma curve with film-like characteristics, meant for pictures that will be processed after shooting. It is paired with the S-Gamut3.Cine or S-Gamut3 color space.Source
Panasonic describes V-Log as similar to a log scan of negative film, with 18% grey recorded at 10-bit code 433.Source
Apple Log pairs BT.2020 color primaries with an Apple-defined log curve.Source
Apple Log 2, on iPhone 17 Pro and later, uses Apple Gamut primaries instead, so it is a different color space from Apple Log and needs its own LUT.Source
On the DJI Mini 4 Pro, D-Log M records 10-bit H.265, where the normal color mode can be 8-bit.Source
Why it looks flat
Shown as it is on a normal screen, log looks flat and washed out. A LUT on the monitor gives a close idea of how the shot will look once it's graded.Source
What a conversion LUT does
A conversion LUT maps one camera's log curve and color space to Rec.709, the standard for regular HD and web video. Each free LUT here is built from the manufacturer's published curve and gamut and the ACES 2.0 SDR Rec.709 output.
ACES 2 is the second major release of the Academy Color Encoding System; its biggest change is a redesigned set of output transforms, the part that turns scene color into a picture for a display.Source
Use the LUT that matches what the camera recorded. An S-Log3 LUT on D-Log M footage, or an Apple Log LUT on Apple Log 2 footage, will look wrong.
Where a camera maker hasn't published its log curve and color space, there's nothing to build an exact conversion from. That camera's page links the maker's own free LUT instead, and our looks' Rec.709 versions go on after it.
When the editor already converts
Final Cut Pro, Premiere and DaVinci Resolve (in its color-managed mode) can convert log clips they recognize on their own. Use one conversion, not both: each install guide shows how to switch the editor's own conversion off for the clip.
33-point or 65-point
Each free download has both. Use the 65-point file for editing, and the 33-point file for monitoring on a camera or in an app, or in an older app that won't load the larger file.
The Blackmagic Camera app, for example, takes 17- and 33-point LUTs.Source