Hello WendellJ,

Welcome to the ColorDirector forum

I'm not sure I completely understand your issue, but (if I do) all you need to do after checking or unchecking "Apply CLUT" is to click Apply.

The attached screen capture (I think) shows the steps.

If I've misunderstood, could you please clarify?

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Unchecking the CLUT box has no effect on the Before/After images. But that may be just one side effect of whatever is happening, i.e., if I Uncheck CLUT and select Reset on the Manual settings (and never selecting a Preset), I expect the Before image to be the same as the After image. But that's not the case: the AFter image looses most of the detail in the dark areas.

In your video (thanks by the way) once you uncheck the CLUT the two images appear to revert to identical which is what I expect to happen.

So to recap my workflow:
1. open MOV in ColorDirector 2
2. select comparison view
3. notice that Before and After images are different (specifically the After image darker areas have lost detail)
4. uncheck the CLUT
5. The After image does not change
6. Reset the Manual adjustments.
7. The After image does not change

I also tried clearing ALL of the checkboxes under Global Adjustment Tools to see what effect it had on the After images: The After image does not change.

BTW, it's not completely nonresponsive, manual adjustments modify the After image as expected.

If this isn't enough of a clue, tell me what I can do to provide more detail.

I'm very excited to be able to color grade. Just need to get past this unwelcome modification of the images.

Thanks!

I was afraid I hadn't completely understood what was happening there

I'm still not sure I do.

1. open MOV in ColorDirector 2
2. select comparison view
3. notice that Before and After images are different (specifically the After image darker areas have lost detail)

So - there's a difference before you've even applied any adjustment

In Preferences, do you have the CLUT option checked under Color? (i.e. the LUT is applied to all imported clips)

Here, I can't replicate what you've described after trying multiple clips in various formats.

Would it be possible to attach some screenshots showing the problem?

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Problem solved: user error of course! I had set the CLUT in Preferences and didn't realize the checkbox in Adjustments had no effect on it. Now the behavior is what I expected.

But next is evaluating the results of the Technicolor cine CLUT combined with clips made with their own style parameters on the Canon EOS. The "flat" results I'm getting from the camera is great. The CLUT drives the darker areas into black. So this can't be right when compared to other posted examples.

If anyone knows of other links to color grading for the cinema look, please share.

PIX, Thanks so much for pointing out the obvious for the neewbies.

I'm glad you got that sorted out. Don't worry - we're pretty much all newbies with ColorDirector

With LUTs, I'm even more of a newbie. I've very rarely applied them becaue I usually only do manual adjustments.

ColorDirector supports .3dl, .mga, .m3d, .cube and .csp format LUT files

LUTS for Download (some links I've gathered of compatible LUTs) - some free & some commercial

Film Emulation - http://juanmelara.com.au/print-film-emulation-luts-for-download/

Canon EOS CineStyle Profile - http://www.technicolor.com/en/solutions-services/cinestyle

Commercial (only some are compatible)

http://www.colorgradingcentral.com/products

Some free LUTs available (provide name & email) - http://www.colorgradingcentral.com/

PIX PIX YouTube channel

Some further LUT downloads... these are compatible with CDR, but it's important to be aware that many LUTs are made for particular cameras.

Technicolor Process - http://www.tommajerski.com/tcolorbmd.html
Vision T - http://www.tommajerski.com/visiontbmd.html
Film Punch - http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=9521.0
K Tone Kodachrome - http://frankglencairn.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/everything-looks-better-on-kodachrome-k-tone-lut/
5DMkIII - http://nofilmschool.com/2013/06/hunter-hampton-richards-5d-markiii-resolve-alexa-lut/#more-59088

If members are aware of other compatible LUTs for download, please post them here.

For CDR, LUTs need to be .3dl, .mga, .m3d, .cube and .csp

PIX
PIX YouTube channel