TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR COLOUR...

For the Hubble Integration Manual see HERE.

To Start
The Light Illusion 3D Cube LUT Builder is a self-installing, stand alone, Windows .exe application (which also works under Mac OS via windows emulation), and includes a seperate java application for running on networked systems (PC, Mac, or Linux) to enable networked systems to have their monitors calibrated from a single PC running the main LUT Builder application.

When installed and started the program will offer the chance to register. If the program has been purchased, and is not being used just for evaluation, follow the registration instructions for the options purchased.

For demo purposes, continue without registration, which will give 15 days usage, and will generate LUTs with a random watermark consisting of a 'solarization' look throughout the image, as well as showing LUT Previews with black dots scattered throughout the displayed image. The optional components, including Display Characterisation, Calibration Interface, LUT Burn-in, and Colour Space Conversion options will not function, although the menus will be displayed. The 3D graphical LUT display will function fully.

Registration details (and the option to register at a later date) are always available via the 'help' menu.

As well as the main LUT Builder the java application is also installed in the main software directory (usually: C:\Program Files\Light Illusion\3d LUT Cube Builder\Calibration Client). Copy this whole folder into a location within the networked PC, Mac or Linux, and make a link to the .bat file (changing the icon to the included .ico image).

Using the Hubble Calibration Interface
If the LUT Builder has been purchased with the Hubble probe plug in the USB cable, and for best measurements, leave to warm-up for 20 mins.

Select 'Calibration Interface' and follow the on-screen in structions to set Dark Calibration, and then use 'Probe Options' to set the required parameters for measurement.

The required Calibration tools can then be used as necessary. See Hubble Manual for operational information.

Manual LUT Building from scratch
When the program has started select 'new' to initiate the generation of a clean new background calibration image.

Next, insert a user reference image as indicated, either with the drop-down menu, or via the 'image' button (mountain with red sun).

Save this new combined image as a .tiff or .dpx to a selected location, and then colour grade the image to look as required via any colour correction system.

If required, the image can be converted to any other format as some systems cannot work with 16bit tiff or 10bit dpx files, but be aware of the possibility of some colour space differences and less accuracy if going to 8bit - although in the real work such differences are virtually impossible to spot.

When this image is re-load into the LUT Builder via the 'open' command, the software will automatically generate the LUT values ready for output, which are visible in the right hand numerical window.

The application does this by reading the changes made to the graded image, compared to the original frame, using the coloured stripes to the left and right of the ref image.

The 'export' LUT button (small arrow pointing to a 'file') or 'file/export' drop-down menu can then be used to export the desired LUT in the required format, of which there are many.

Importing Existing LUTs
One of the applications that the LUT Builder has been used a lot for is in improving LUTs generated with automated systems that use probes to measure screens and monitors.

The problem with these automated systems is that the probes used are not as good as the human eye in seeing small differences in colour and brightness. Therefore, may users have been using the Light Illusion 3D LUT Builder to improve on the automatically generated LUT.

This is done in two ways.

If the existing LUT format is directly readable by the LUT Builder, the 'import' command (small arrow pointing away from a 'file) or 'file/import' drop-down menu, can be used to directly import an existing LUT.

If the LUT format cannot be loaded, possibly because it is encrypted, the initial 'test image' from the LUT Builder can be sent through the external LUT system using the LUT needing improvement, so that the LUT is burnt-in (this is also the basis for LUT Ripping - see later).

These imported LUTs can then be altered within the LUT Builder by combining with other LUTs, or by adding colour space conversions to them (see later).

Additionally, and LUT that has been imported into the LUT Builder can be exported as a LUT Image (see above) and further manually adjusted via any colour correction system to remove the inaccuracies in the original LUT - less red in the blacks, for example...

This new and improved image can then be used to output a new LUT by loading the image into the LUT Builder and exporting the new LUT with the modifications included.

I really hope all this makes sense, as it's seriously not rocket science!

The effect of pre-loaded LUTs can quickly be seen via this preview function or, if the LUT Preview function is opened without LUTs being loaded first, LUTs can be loaded after an image to view the LUT effect on is first loaded via the '+' tab.

Multiple LUTs can be loaded for comparison.

Using the left mouse button the cube can be rotated, with 'Shift' left mouse providing zoom controls, and 'Ctrl' left mouse providing positional control. The right mouse button provides control for sphere and grid size, as well as restoring the cube display to its default position.

LUT Ripping
Many LUT generation systems make LUTs encrypted for use within single systems. The 3D LUT Builder can 'rip' these LUTs for used in any other system.

To rip a LUT the test image generated by the Light Illusion 3D LUT Builder is passed through the third party LUT system, or through a grading system using an installed LUT generated by a third party LUT calibration system, which 'burns-in' the third party LUT settings into the 'test' image.

This altered 'test' image now holds the LUT data within its applied correction, and can be loaded into the LUT Builder software where the burnt-in LUT data is extracted and a new 3D LUT generated in any format required, unencrypted and unencoded.

This new 3D LUT will be a 100% match to the original LUT, and can be used within any 3D LUT capable system.

LUT Burn-in Option
The LUT Burn-in capability can be found within the 'Tools' menu, when a LUT has been added, and allows for any LUT to be burnt in to any other images, including via batch processing of a folder with many images, plus image format changing and re-sizing.

First, open the selected LUT or LUTs (many different LUTs can be loaded to enable switching between them) using the 'open' command. The various LUTs can be seen via the 'window' menu, or by shrinking them so they can all be viewed within the software window.

Next select the LUT Burn-in option from the menu, which pops-up a new sub-window with options to load images for processing. The options are fairly self explanatory!

Any image within the loaded image list can be viewed via the 'view image' button, which pops-up a viewer window with tabs along the top showing the 'original' image selected, with the following tabs showing the application of each of the active LUTs.

Closing the viewer window again reveals the LUT Burn-in window, with buttons at the bottom allowing for processing of the selected images with the LUT selected from the drop-down menu list, including image format save formats and image resize options.

The 'execute' button will bring up a window for the selection of a destination folder for the rendered images to be save in.

This enables the batch processing of images for format conversion, re-sizing, sharpening, without the addition of any LUTs. With LUTs loaded the same capabilities exist, but with the added capability of applying a LUT during the batch processing.

Combining LUTs
The LUT Burn-in option also provides for the combination of LUTs. To do this, a test image with a LUT already burnt in is loaded as an image via the LUT Burn-in option window, and active LUTs within the system can then be applied on top of the existing LUT image and the new combined image saved and reloaded to make a new LUT via the export LUT capability.

Colour Space Conversion Option
The Colour Space Conversion option provides for the generation of Colour Space Conversion LUTs, surprisingly!

The Colour Space Conversion option is opened via the 'Tools' menu, which opens a new window with the covert from-to options.

To generate a Colour Space Conversion LUT simply set the 'source and 'destination' Colour Space values, either via the pre-set drop-down menus, or via the user value boxes, select 'create new' to generate a new Colour Space Conversion LUT, or 'use existing' to burn the Colour Space Conversion values into an existing LUT (concatenate the LUTs) as required.

Enter a new name for the Colour Space Conversion LUT via the 'name' box, and click 'ok' to generate the new LUT image.

If you just need to export a LUT for Colour Space Conversion simply export the LUT in the desired format.

You can also use the 'Manage' option to save user defined colour spaces and export them to other LUT Builders, or into new Hubble Probe calibration interface. Simply make the necessary changes to the colour space values in either of the source or destination boxes and use the 'save' button.

Hubble Probe Calibration Interface
The Hubble Probe Integration has its own User Manual HERE.

As with everything to do with Light Illusion, Steve Shaw is more than happy to answer questions - feel free to contact him on: steve@lightillusion.com.