Why does my S-Log3 look grey and washed out? (How to fix it)

You shoot S-Log3, open the file, and everything is grey. Don't worry: nothing went wrong. Your image is just waiting to be converted.

BeforeAfter

It's not a flaw

S-Log3 records light with a very flat curve. That way it stores far more information in the highlights and shadows than normal video. The trade-off: when you open it, the image looks grey, low-contrast and desaturated. It isn't meant to be watched as is, but to be converted.

The fix: convert, then grade

1. Convert to Rec.709With a Color Space Transform (DaVinci Resolve), the camera LUT (Final Cut Pro, often automatic), or Sony's official conversion LUT (Premiere, CapCut).
2. Fix exposure and white balancePut blacks and whites back where they belong, then neutralize the temperature.
3. Add your lookYour creative LUT or PowerGrade only comes now.

Step by step in your editor: DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, CapCut.

Still ugly after converting?

• The shot is underexposed: with S-Log3, many videographers expose a little brighter than usual to keep clean shadows.
• Your camera records 8-bit: log quickly shows banding and noise there. Switch to 10-bit if your camera allows it.
• The LUT doesn't match: an S-Gamut3.Cine LUT on a clip shot in S-Gamut3 (or the other way round) shifts the colors.
• You converted twice: Premiere and Final Cut Pro sometimes convert log on their own. If the clip wasn't grey in your editor, remove your conversion LUT.

Shooting on a Sony FX3 or A7S III? Also read Which LUT for the Sony FX3.

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