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Creating 3D LUTs in Calman

August 3, 2020

Create a detailed, accurate 3D LUT for the color correction of your professional monitor.

calman 3D LUT

Use this step-by-step guide to create a corrective 3D LUT for your monitor with Calman. After creating the 3D LUT, upload the file into finishing programs, such as Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve® and ASSIMILATE SCRATCH®, or, if you have Calman®Studio, into a dedicated 3D LUT hardware device or display.

Getting Started

  1. Open Calman and navigate to the Color Cube (3D LUT) workflow.
  2. From the first page of the Color Cube (3D LUT) workflow, click “Next”
  3. On the Hardware Connect page, connect to your meter by clicking Find Meter and either selecting from the meters listed or, if your meter is not listed, selecting “All meters excepting those listed below,” then click Search.
  4. Make sure to select the display type of the monitor you are calibrating to ensure the meter and software use the correct measurement tables during the calibration.
  5. Click Find Source to connect to your pattern generator. Select the manufacturer and model of your pattern generator and click Connect. Software pattern generators, such as ASSIMILATE SCRATCH and Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve are listed under these drop-downs as well.
  6. Click Find 3D LUT Device. If using a dedicated hardware device, or a supported display, select the manufacturer and model in the Find Display window. If creating a 3D LUT file for a software program such as SCRATCH or DaVinci Resolve, select “SpectraCal” as the manufacturer and “Cube Generator” as the model. Certain 3D LUT devices will require you to select an IP address before connecting. When ready, click Connect.
  7. Check the Hardware Tabs when you are finished to make sure everything is properly connected. The indicator bars on each tab should be green, not yellow, and the name of the connected devices will be displayed across the top of the tab. Double-check that the correct display technology is listed under the name of the connected meter on the Meter Tab.
  8. Center your meter on the screen you are calibrating. For help with this step, click Meter Position at the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen. When ready, click Next.
  9. On the Session Options page, select your desired input level, gamma target and colorspace target for the 3D LUT calibration

Pre-Calibration Analysis

  1. Click the Read Series button to measure display performance before calibration. When finished, the workflow page should have data plotted in all the charts and graphs.
  2. The charts and graphs on this page offer several ways for users to understand their monitor’s native color performance. They are as follows:
    1. CIE 1976 Chart
      The CIE 1976 chart shows the degree to which specific color points vary from the selected colorspace standard. A perfectly calibrated display will have all color points shown inside their respective squares. For the uncalibrated display measured here, many of the color points fall outside their targets.
    2. DeltaE Chart
      The DeltaE provides similar information as the CIE 1976 chart; the colored bars represent luminance and chromaticity error for each color point, based on the selected colorspace standard. In display calibrations, the general goal is to have all error falling below a value of “3.” With a calibrated display, all the bars in this chart would fall below the green line.
    3. RGB Balance and DeltaL Charts
      These charts show your display’s native RGB balance (or, RGB cuts/gains) and luminance error. Calibrated displays will have red, green and blue evenly balanced along “0” in the RGB Balance chart and very little luminance error.
  3. Check the indicators on the right-hand side of the Display Performance Analysis page. If the indicators are red, click Optimize Display in the bottom right-hand corner and follow the instructions in the workflow for adjusting your display’s built-in settings where applicable. If the indicators are green, click Calibrate Cube LUT

3D LUT Calibration

  1. Click the AutoCal button to create a 1D LUT for a dedicated LUT box or display. If creating a 3D LUT for a software program such as SCRATCH or DaVinci Resolve, skip this workflow page by clicking Next.
  2. Click the AutoCal button in the bottom right-hand corner of the Create 3D Cube LUT page
  3. In the AutoCal Setup window, select preferred file format, LUT size, bit depth, and file path for the 3D LUT. If the file path is unspecified, SpectraCal will automatically save the file under C:DocumentsSpectraCalCalman {Version Name}LUTs. Giving the 3D LUT a memorable file name will also be helpful if importing the 3D LUT to a software application.
  4. Click Optimize under Pattern Delay to get an accurate time estimate for the calibration. Be patient as the meter takes a series of readings
  5. Move the Profile Time slider back and forth to select your desired time frame for the calibration. The longer the calibration, the higher quality the 3D LUT
  6. To see 3D LUT options by quality rather than a time frame, change the Calibration Type to IR Profile (point based) and enter your preferred number of calibration points. Selecting Lighting LUT here will create a 3D LUT in five minutes or less, and Matrix LUT is even faster
  7. Select your preferred Video Range and file path for the calibration profile. When finished, click OK.
  8. 3D LUT creation will take some time. When the 3D LUT calibration has completed a window will pop up with the time elapsed and the total reads. Click OK in this window. You have now completed creating a 3D LUT in Calman.
Tags:  3DLUT