How to use LUTs?
LUTs have been added to the VFB so that you can load .cube and .3dl LUT files to apply to your renders. The CoronaOutput map now also supports LUT processing, which can be used to apply LUTs to a bitmap or procedural map for use in your materials.
What is it?
LUT (Look-Up Table) files are widely used for image processing. They change the color of each pixel based on its original value, thus creating an effect of color grading and contrast change.
See: Lookup Table on Wikipedia
Some examples of one render with three different LUTs applied:
LUT: GroundControl_Warm1
LUT: GroundControl_Grunge
LUT: Adanmq_Ilford_Delta_3200
Where to find it?
In Corona, all post-processing options, including LUTs, can be adjusted in real-time during and after rendering. This applies to both regular and interactive rendering.
LUT controls can be found in:
The Corona VFB
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"Post" tab > Tone Mapping > + >LUT > Opacity
This enables/disables the LUT effect, and also allows changing its opacity (intensity).
LUT settings in the Corona VFB
Render Settings
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Render Setup > Camera > Postprocessing > LUT
This allows: enabling/disabling the LUT effect, changing the folder from which the LUT files are loaded, manually choosing the specific LUT file, changing its opacity (intensity)
LUT settings in the Render Setup window
Are there some LUTs bundled with Corona?
Corona comes with more than 80 LUTs bundled in the installer – we’d like to thank Adan Martin for providing his LUTs, Ground Control for designing 10 LUTs, especially for Corona, Kim Amland (also known as Dubcat) for creating photographic LUTs, and Martin Nabelek for providing the LUTs he used in the making of award-winning short film OFF.
To enable the default LUTs, simply activate the LUT option in Corona VFB or in Render Setup > Camera > Edit Tone Mapping >+> LUT.
The pre-installed LUT files can be found in C:\Program Files\Corona\lut.
LUTs and Corona Output map
The CoronaColorCorrect map also supports LUT processing, which lets you apply LUTs to bitmaps, procedural maps, etc for use in your materials.
There is also an "Input LUT is in Log color space" checkbox, which should be enabled only in case the LUT effect is displayed incorrectly for the currently chosen file.
LUT processing can be enabled in the CoronaColorCorrect map
The result of applying different LUTs to a single texture