Filmmakers often ask me for advice on achieving day and night looks, so I thought I’d outline my process on the blog once and for all and make my day and night alternation Color grading presets (LUTs) are available for free download.
If you’re not familiar with the term, “day/night” simply refers to a production and post-processing process used to manipulate daytime footage to make it look like it was shot at night.
Shooting at night is expensive and logistically challenging, which is why some filmmakers choose to shoot some (or all) of their night scenes during the day.
While it’s impossible to perfectly replicate true nighttime effects without actually shooting after the sun sets, you can get relatively close to authentic nighttime effects by making the right decisions in production and understanding how to push footage in post.
A few years ago I wrote a short article about the production side, which you can read here .
The article above outlines the importance of lighting, framing and other on-set elements that you need to consider if you want to get the best results in post. For example, if you shoot your talent in harsh, direct sunlight, it will be nearly impossible to achieve day and night looks. One of the tips I outlined in the article above is to shoot during golden hour if possible, or under clouds/shade to avoid exposing yourself.
Assuming you follow the protocol I outlined in my previous post, your footage will be shot in a way that is optimized for both daytime and nighttime looks. This means you can effectively grade your materials for realistic nighttime effects using custom adjustments or automatically using my color grading LUTs.
To learn more about my full line of color grading LUTs, be sure to visit www.CINECOLOR.IO
Here are some before and after examples showing the day and night footage I used.
The first is a photo I took in the car this afternoon. This is the original image, followed by the graded version –
I specifically chose this area to shoot because it is relatively shady and doesn’t have many “daytime” giveaways in my opinion. If I were going for the final look I might add a motorized window in the sky to crush it further, but for the sake of this post I just want to show you a quick look using only the LUT and no other before and after effect adjustments.
Below are a few stock photos to which I applied the LUT. Obviously, neither shot was actually intended for day or night photography, but even so, the effect still creates a unique color palette.
Generally, when shooting during the day and at night, you’ll want to avoid showing bright skies (which is often the biggest leak) as much as possible. But sometimes even if you do display it, you’ll still get a nice look, even if it’s not 100% suitable for night sales –
How to use LUTs correctly
Not only should your footage be shot in a way that is conducive to day-night viewing, but the colors should also be prepared accordingly.
Therefore, I recommend that you apply this LUT as the second step in the color grading process after creating the base grade.
I cover this more in my article on the correct order of operations.
No matter which software you use, your first step should be to establish a neutral base level. In other words, make the necessary adjustments to ensure that color balance, contrast, and exposure are all accurate forward You do anything else.
If your exposure is off, this LUT will not apply correctly, so make sure you take the time to create a base grade before applying. Once applied, you can return to base levels and further fine-tune the exposure.
You’ll get the best results by making these final exposure adjustments on the first layer (the base), rather than on the same layer or node used to apply the LUT.
LUTs come in .cube format (for use in any major video editing/color grading software) and .xmp format (for photographers using Lightroom).
I’ve also provided a 6-page PDF with instructions on how to use the LUT in different software platforms such as FCP X, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Avid.
If you would like to download the LUT, please click on the link below to access it through the CINECOLOR website. Simply add the $0 LUT to your cart to checkout, no payment required.
Free CINECOLOR Day and Night LUT Download
Hope you all like LUT!
Don’t forget to check out the complete collection of LUTs and Film Grain here.
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