Cutsio Blog

Best Way to Color Grade S-Log Footage in DaVinci Resolve

Direct methods for using Color Space Transform nodes, applying technical LUTs, and maximizing dynamic range in DaVinci Resolve.

The best way to color grade S-Log footage in DaVinci Resolve is to apply a Color Space Transform (CST) node, normalize the contrast with a technical LUT, and preserve the highlights before conversion.

Here are the direct methods to best color grade S-Log footage in DaVinci Resolve.

What is the fastest way to normalize S-Log with a CST?

If you shot flat, washed-out S-Log3 footage on a Sony camera, manually adding contrast and saturation with wheels is inaccurate and often breaks the colors.

To quickly normalize S-Log with a Color Space Transform:

  1. Open the Color page and add a serial node at the end of your node tree.
  2. Open the Effects library (top right) and drag a Color Space Transform onto that final node.
  3. Set the Input Color Space to Sony S-Gamut3.Cine and Input Gamma to Sony S-Log3.
  4. Set the Output Color Space and Output Gamma to Rec.709. The footage will instantly snap into a perfect, natural-looking baseline with correct contrast and saturation.

How do you apply a technical conversion LUT?

If you prefer a stylized starting point provided directly by Sony instead of the mathematical CST, you must apply the official camera LUT to the end of the node tree.

To apply a technical conversion LUT:

  1. On the Color page, create a new serial node at the very end of your node chain (Alt+S or Option+S).
  2. Open the LUTs panel (top left).
  3. Scroll down to the Sony folder.
  4. Double-click the SLog3SGamut3.CineToLC-709 LUT (or similar). The flat footage will immediately transform into standard Rec.709 colors.

How do you preserve highlights before the conversion?

If you applied the CST or LUT but the bright clouds and windows suddenly look blown out and harsh, the conversion clipped the data before you could adjust the exposure.

To preserve highlights before conversion:

  1. Ensure your CST or LUT is on the last node in your chain (e.g., Node 3).
  2. Select a node before the conversion (e.g., Node 1).
  3. Use the Offset or Primary Wheels on Node 1 to darken the entire image or pull down the highlights.
  4. Because DaVinci Resolve processes nodes from left to right, darkening the image before it hits the Rec.709 conversion rescues all the hidden cloud detail that was captured in the original S-Log file.