Color Management

Overview

This is an advanced topic that only applies to input signals that are in a log format, and is only available in PRO. If your input signal is already in a display format (e.g. Rec.709), feel free to skip this whole section.

Some CineMon monitoring functions work in linear light. This works best when the input signal provides a wide dynamic range of tonal and color values, which is usually accomplished by encoding the signal using a log curve and a wide color gamut.

Use Preset Settings to configure your input signal’s Input Gamma and Input Gamut. This will ensure that CineMon’s photometric features work correctly with your video.

Color Space Transform (CST)

CineMon supports a Color Space Transform (CST) function that converts the input signal’s gamma and gamut (Color Space) to a destination space (e.g., ARRI LogC4/ARRI Wide Gamut → Rec.709/BT.709). Some professional video editing and color correcting applications offer similar capabilities, also known as Display Rendering Transforms (DRTs). CineMon’s CST functions are GPU-accelerated, mathematical functions built from official camera vendor specifications for their supported log curves, and color primaries.

When the CST is turned on, the processing happens right after the Calibration LUT is applied, and before any other image manipulation.

Features dependent on linear light processing, such as the Spot Meters and Test Strip will tap the image before the CST is applied.

This feature is commonly used to convert from a camera log profile (e.g. Sony SLog3/SGamut3.Cine), also known as a Scene Referred color space, to a range of tones and colors that look better on standard screens, also known as Display Referred space (e.g. Rec.709).

Scene referred signals usually look flat and washed out, with low color saturation, which can make it more difficult to monitor on set. Applying a CST is a dependable, clinical way to preview the image, without introducing a creative look bias.

Another popular way of achieving a similar result is by applying a Display Lookup Table (LUT), which CineMon supports. However, because of how LUTs work, they always involve a certain amount of creative manipulation by the author. So the transformed image often deviates from the pure mathematical precision of a CST, which may be what you want.

We recommended that you test your Color Management workflow end-to-end before deciding which method is the best fit for your project.

You can still layer a Display LUT after a CST for a creative look. In fact, many popular Display LUTs are built assuming the base image is in a specific Log Space (e.g. ARRI LogC3 or Cineon). The CST doesn’t need to convert from a scene referred gamma to a display referred one. You can convert from a camera-specific log curve (e.g. VLog/V-Gamut) to a different one (e.g. Cineon), to use as a base for further processing. These transforms are high-precision (64-bit), GPU-accelerated math functions that don’t introduce any signal quality loss.

Supported Log Profiles

Associated Preset Settings:

Input Gamma Notes

The following tools are photometrically accurate only if the input signal is in a scene referred gamma, and if the Input Gamma setting matches the input image’s log curve:

• Spot Meters
• Test Strip
• Exposure Adjust
• Color Space Transform

If the input image is not in a log format (e.g. Rec.709), or the Input Gamma setting is not properly configured, these tools will report inaccurate exposure levels.