Using LUTs in Aurora HDR 2019

[CP Anson]

This is an article I wrote for Photofocus.com. I hope this is helpful.


The new Aurora HDR 2019 offers you many new features one of which is the ability to use LUTs in processing your photographs. In this article, I’m going to take a look at the new feature and I will be using this image with Aurora HDR 2019 initial processing on it, but I will not make any other changes. Then I will apply 9 different look up tables or LUTs to it so you can see how much variety LUTs can provide you with. Of course, once the LUT is applied, you make other changes, add layers and fine tune to your heart’s content.

You'll find the full article here:
Using LUTs in Aurora HDR 2019 | Photofocus

 

[rmb]

This is an article I wrote for Photofocus.com. I hope this is helpful.


The new Aurora HDR 2019 offers you many new features one of which is the ability to use LUTs in processing your photographs. In this article, I’m going to take a look at the new feature and I will be using this image with Aurora HDR 2019 initial processing on it, but I will not make any other changes. Then I will apply 9 different look up tables or LUTs to it so you can see how much variety LUTs can provide you with. Of course, once the LUT is applied, you make other changes, add layers and fine tune to your heart’s content.

You'll find the full article here:
Using LUTs in Aurora HDR 2019 | Photofocus

So Chris,

As you might recall I was the first to reply to your first post about this product. I was inquiring about batch processing so that I could see if it could be used with DNG sequences generated from my x5s. You were helpful in pointing me to the support folks (who pointed out that that feature does not in fact work yet, but you were conspicuously quiet on the overarching discussion. And now that I saw that you too fly an I2 with an x5s camera, let me ask you directly. Do you think that this product could be a good companion to Davinci or even a stand-alone color grading solution for DNG RAW sequences? In fact below is my original posted question/concern about using it. I think as a Photographer and Videographer using a x5s, you would be uniquely qualified to comment on this. Below is my originally-posted question.

Original Post:
Even once they get the batch feature working I think that color grading DNG sequences might be a 50/50 shot at best. The reason that I say that is for the same reason using auto exposure doesn’t ever work well. Every time the image's brightness percentage changes a bit the camera adjusts and it can be arresting. With the Aurora tool my worry would be that as you pan toward the sun or toward shadow that the program would try to compensate dynamically and cause inconsistencies in exposure from frame to frame. That being said, that is just a guess. And if that would be the case, could you use Aurora to work on 1 representative frame and then export a LUT for DaVinci to use?

Anyway as a fellow color grader and x5s shooter, I am anxious to hear your thoughts if you get a moment

thanks, rb

 

[CP Anson]

So Chris,

As you might recall I was the first to reply to your first post about this product. I was inquiring about batch processing so that I could see if it could be used with DNG sequences generated from my x5s. You were helpful in pointing me to the support folks (who pointed out that that feature does not in fact work yet, but you were conspicuously quiet on the overarching discussion. And now that I saw that you too fly an I2 with an x5s camera, let me ask you directly. Do you think that this product could be a good companion to Davinci or even a stand-alone color grading solution for DNG RAW sequences? In fact below is my original posted question/concern about using it. I think as a Photographer and Videographer using a x5s, you would be uniquely qualified to comment on this. Below is my originally-posted question.

Original Post:
Even once they get the batch feature working I think that color grading DNG sequences might be a 50/50 shot at best. The reason that I say that is for the same reason using auto exposure doesn’t ever work well. Every time the image's brightness percentage changes a bit the camera adjusts and it can be arresting. With the Aurora tool my worry would be that as you pan toward the sun or toward shadow that the program would try to compensate dynamically and cause inconsistencies in exposure from frame to frame. That being said, that is just a guess. And if that would be the case, could you use Aurora to work on 1 representative frame and then export a LUT for DaVinci to use?

Anyway as a fellow color grader and x5s shooter, I am anxious to hear your thoughts if you get a moment

thanks, rb

Hey rb,

For me the biggest issue, is the issue you raised, that you aren't likely (won't know without testing it) to get a consistent result as light changes since it doesn't know that this is a series of related frames. Also, its output is limited to jpg, png, tiff, jpeg-2000, Photoshop, and PDF. So this doesn't look like a viable solution to me.

In reference to your comment 'And if that would be the case, could you use Aurora to work on 1 representative frame and then export a LUT for DaVinci to use?' checkout Image 2 LUT from Picture Instruments. They say you can take a reference image, bring it into their software, fine tune it further there, apply it to test images, and when you like what you have, you can export a LUT. Please note that I have not used this product. I just recently saw it and haven't had time to evaluate it but wanted to share it, in case you'd like to check it out. it. NoFilmSchool also did a piece on it here. If you do check it out, let me know how it worked or didn't work for you.

Chris