S-LOG2 SUCKS!! This is how to FIX IT. (Sony SLOG2 Settings)

I've tried it all: "How to expose for slog2", "sony slog2 settings", "slog2 color grading". And nothing ever made it work. UNTIL NOW! I finally figured out how to fix my sony slog2 settings so that I can get good looking images without so much hassle.

The issue comes down to the files you get from the sony cameras, 8 bit 4:2:0 at 100mbps does not leave a lot of room to push around colors. So every time I would try to grade sony slog2 footage, it would just fall apart with blotchy gross areas. But with a small tweak to my settings, I was able to finally find a way to enjoy working with slog-2 footage.

#slog2 #a6600 #dunnadidit

0:00 - Introduction
0:16 - Overview
1:44 - Problems with SLOG2
3:17 - The Fix
5:38 - Explanation
7:48 - Before and After
10:21 - Conclusion

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[dunnadidit]

**A little disclaimer before you comment** A lot of the explanations in this video are very simplified for the sake of getting to the point and being a bit more accessible to beginners (who a lot of my audience are). I do understand that S-LOG and S-Gamut are not just decreasing contrast and saturation (I tried to make that clear at 5:48). I have tried overexposing for 2 stops, I've tried several different LUTS designed to correct/convert S-LOG/S-GAMUT to REC709 (like the ones I showed in the video and more). Unfortunately, even with those tools, the problems still persisted or new ones arose. However, when I applied this fix (increasing the saturation in S-LOG/S-GAMUT in camera) and then applied those same correction/conversion LUTS. The problem was significantly reduced and sometimes eliminated. My belief is that the problem is not actually S-LOG but the sony codec and bit rate issue. I know I titled it "S-LOG2 Sucks", but I think it probably only sucks at 8 bit 4:2:0 100mbps and as soon as Sony gives us 10 bit 4:2:2... this whole fix will probably be unnecessary. I hope that clears things up for those of you who were about to be like "THIS IDIOT HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT"

Okay bye bye!

[TheHouseofKushTV]

Try this instead: set Gamma to SLOG-2 but change the Color Mode to ITU709 Matrix (rather than S-Gamut). Problem solved, colors are sweet with no weird tint, and can be pushed in any direction without that blotchy stuff. Leave Saturation at 0, in addition to way better color mapping the ITU mode adds just enough Sat to set a solid baseline that can go anywhere.

[blankbrian]

I know this is an older video now but like you said in the video, low contrast and saturation is an over simplification of what slog is. With that in mind, correcting slog is not as simple as boosting saturation and contrast. You need to apply a rec709 lut to correct that because it is doing more "scientific" corrections than just boosting those two things. The outcome of the rec709 lut looks like it's just cranking up saturation and contrast but it is doing it in the "proper" way. BUT in the end I think you're correct with saying that a camera with 8bit color just isn't meant to have that much flexibility in correcting/grading. So yeah just shoot a flat profile that's not log and I think you'll have more options in post.

[gibbsm]

Use S-LOG is bright settings like broad daylight, use a "Cine" profile for dark settings.

[JimRobinson-colors]

So many things wrong with this that I would need a counter video to show you, Your original problem is that you don't seem to comprehend what LOG is to start off. The reason it looks like there is no contrast or saturation is that logarithmic data is not supposed to be view on a rec709 display. The primaries are not placed the same on the gamut - so raising saturation in post is literally just raising the wrong color space in your display. So that is the first thing - you have to convert the colorspace first before attempting to add saturation. Especially using s-gamut which is the default but way too large a gamut for that camera and especially to just blast the saturation. So problem one is not knowing how to color grade.

Next problem - 8 bit footage is a luma value - not a saturation or color value. So in 8 bit recording which only has a maximum of 235 shades from black to white the steps of which is the gradient and is responsible for the dark to light colors as opposed to 10 -bit, where you have 1023 steps of gradient the transition from color to color is much smoother in 10 bit.
Now on somethings you won't notice that, but in shadows or underlit stuff having each stop of 8 bit S-Log2 having only around 20 shades per stop - details in shadows and or gradient blends in color will not be smooth.
To reiterate this fact - You can have a video recorded in black and white in 8-bit and black and white in 10 bit - which of course has no saturation.
And i noticed in your comments below that you someone asked about 10 -bit. There is no possible way to shoot 10-bit with any of the Sony alpha cameras - external recording only helps the chroma value of 4:2:0 to 4:2:2 but - this leads me to what I think part of your problem is which is chroma noise from subsampling in the codec XAVC is a good version of h.264 but some of your chroma problems is underexposing of a delivery codec - if you use your ninja and record Dnx or Prores you see a gain in using that too.
Exposing is more than just the camera too - as you said in your video - you can add a light or a reflection - because only having 8-bits is also about light. Everything you had in this video is underexposed. The one side of your face at 70% is only exposing that side of the face correctly - by not adding a light or reflector - you are really under exposing the other side of the face - and as explained above - if you are in 8-bit you have to concentrate more on getting food light because there is less information to play with.
By the way you can grade the perceived contrast and saturation by using curves with yrgb all on and apply an S-curve as soon as you do - you will see that the contrast and saturation will go up as you apply it. But if you have limitations in your color grading ability - use a technical LUT to get your image from LOG to rec709 and then start grading to taste.

[luka]

tested on my sony rx 100 V and it is perfect!!!! tested it in resolve . Slog2 Sgamut saturation to +32 camera setting is great handling the lack of saturation issue in such a poor codec. I dial saturation down to 30 in resolve and now i can actually play with the footage without fear of braking it too soon and results are amazing ether playing with your own grades or using luts, no more fear of using full power of slog2. THANKS DUDE!!!

[dalelavender]

I've been looking for this video for 3 years, I've been avoiding slog for this exact reason. 💯 % subscribing.

[Curtis-Randall]

This is the first time color profiles has made sense. Thank you for explaining this in normal human terms! 😁😁

[frankyfantasticmedia]

Yes! You are the winner!!!! I tried 7 different YouTubers colour profiles and you was right! For some reason all of them resulted in horrible footage with very difficult ways to be adjusted. Your profile is simply applying the rec709, turn saturation down a bit and job done! Thank you so much! And i also tried cine4 and hlsg(if I’m not wrong) and for some reasons my footage was over exposed (probably it needed very high ISO). But yeah yours was test n.3 I made and if absolutely perfect! Thank you so much!😊😊😊

[scottyzepplinphotography]

This great Dunna, If you're white that is. I have gone trough everything and as a black person having darker skin just results in madness in color so a fix for darker skin is you simply need to add a fill light to illuminate you and it should hold us pretty well.

[zachatillo]

In my experience, I usually use slog for bright shots and use cine 4 for darker ones, I usually find that I get better results with that. If you want to make a video comparing the two profiles on different environments and listing detailed specs (pp, gamma, black level, etc), I think that would be great! I'm trying to do that myself but it's nice to have a second opinion and I'm also second guessing whether to film it.

[kalef]

BRAVO dude. I cannot describe how this has been helpful. Such a simple approach to the problem you had and what to do to fix it. I like it

[ThomasWilliamson]

Funnily enough I ended up doing the same thing but I was a bit more conservative with the saturation in camera. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this problem! Thanks for your help.

[jakelarntz]

The extra Canadian way you said "Maybe a bit too much spray tan ther Dunna" killed me.

[rizzo-films]

WOOOAH this worked! Tried it in S-Log3 as well, works there too. I can't tell you how great this is, man. Instant subscribe from me! This was the MAIN reason I try not to use any of the S-Logs on my Sony because of these botchy artifacts. But this setting with S-Log2 fixes some other color artifacts as well within gradients in darker areas. Of course, I see see the 8-bit banding rolloff, but without the color artifacts it's actually not bad and is useable. My workaround used to be applying the HSL secondary controls in Premiere Pro and just selecting the botches, reducing saturation and matching the color to the rest of the skin, but that is time-consuming. As of now, it seems that I won't have to do that. One of the most valuable YouTube videos I've watched in a long time LOL. Thanks for that!

[robbyhadinata]

iv been using a6300 for the past 2 years and sometimes shoot with slog2, and i always get this problem, i thought thats my fault until i watched your video, thank you so much

[JussiAlexander]

I've never really enjoyed the workflow of color correcting and colorgrading S-Log. Also my results have not really been the as good as I wanted, but that saturation tip seems helpful. Thanks! 👍

[BrunoMPagani]

I'm am SO glad youtube reccomended me this video!! i've had exactlly the same issues with my a6300 and even tho i understood all the issue with not having 10-bit color or 4:2:2, there are plenty of people that use it and report no problems (like you said). One of the things i found out on my experiments, that you didn't metion and can maybe try is that by adjusting the contrast using CURVES instead of the slider, i had WAY more control over the "blockyness" and separation of colors (to the point where many times i got rid of it)! it must have something to do with luminance values of colors being torn apart by the codec and enhanced by the contrast slider or the luts, but i'm not sure.
Now i'm gonna try your solution, and maybe i will finally have peace using it, so thank you ❤ you just earned one more subscription.

[blackbird]

I literally just redid your test and came to the exact same result (on an a7iii !). It kinda makes sense in theory. now, there might be some camera pro out there pointing out that some other incamera settings are completely wrong for shooting Slog (my guess is it has to do with colour mode, conversion or import settings) but it is definitely a huge improvement for my current situation!! thx so much for this. One thing I did however felt was a loss of sharpness.
Shooting on an A7iii I personally use HLG3 for the most part as I felt from the beginning that it offers the best look with minimum post effort, but you will struggle to expose shots like in a house where there's a lot of windows.

[loudandclearmedia]

After struggling with SLOG2 a couple years I came to the conclusion that the best looks for Sony A7 series cameras are the baked in looks, like cine 2 and cine 4. The logs are just too robust for the 8 bit codec. Then, I bought a RED, and wow. Yes, I know that’s like comparing a BB gun to a Howitzer, but RED raw files are nuts. No longer do I have to struggle with grading because they pretty much take whatever you throw at them and then some.