TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR COLOUR...

Overview
The Light Illusion LightSpace CMS program is a self-installing, stand alone, Windows application (which also works under Mac OS via windows emulation), and includes a separate 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 LightSpace CMS application.

Assimilate, SGO and Quantel have also partnered with Light Illusion to integrate LightSpace CMS into their respective creative systems, allowing one LightSpace CMS system to calibrate and profile all such systems within a facility.

To Start
When installed and started the program will offer the chance to register and license. 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 licensing, just using registration, which will give 14 days usage to allow the various capabilities to be explored. During demo use the system will generate LUTs with a random watermark consisting of a 'solarization' look throughout the image (Click here to see an example of the watermark), as well as showing LUT Previews with black dots scattered throughout the displayed image.

The optional components, including Calibration Interface, LUT Burn-in, Colour Space Conversion, LUT Manipulation, and Profiling (Display Characterisation) & Profile Management options will not function, although the menus will be displayed. The 3D graphical LUT and 1D Grey Ramp displays will function fully.

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

As well as the main LightSpace program, the Java application is also installed in the main software directory (usually: C:\Program Files\Light Illusion\LightSpace\Calibration Client), with the Java application being available from the normal 'All Programs' list.

For remote display calibration and profiling copy this whole folder into a location within the networked PC, Mac or Linux system, and make a link to the .bat file (changing the icon to the included .ico image). See later for network based operation.

Preset Samples
From the 'File' menu a selection of preset-LUTs can be selected via 'Files\Sample Files'. These are general LUTs based on various film stock and display profiles. They are a good starting point for a lot of LUT building.

View
with a number of different LUTs loaded the 'View' menu can be used to change various display options, such as Image/3D Cube/Grey Scale - as well as controlling tool bar displays, window layout/cascade, etc., allowing multiple LUTs to be viewed simultaneously.

LUT Conversion
LUT formats can be converted simply by importing the original LUT, and then exporting in a different format. Simples!

If a LUT cannot be imported for any reason use the LUT Ripping process to import it - see below for LUT importing processes - both direct import and LUT Ripping.

Manual LUT Building from scratch
Select 'new' to initiate the generation of a clean new background calibration image. This image is in effect a default/bypass/zero LUT.

Next, insert a user reference image as indicated, either with the drop-down menu, or via the 'image' button (mountain with red sun). This image is just for a visual reference and has no impact on the actual LUT.

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 LightSpace CMS 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
If the existing LUT format is directly readable by LightSpace, 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 LightSpace can be sent through the external LUT system with the LUT needing improvement being active, 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 LightSpace by combining with other LUTs, for example using the Add, Subtract, and Invert commands under the 'Edit' menu, concatenating LUTs via the LUT Burn-in option, or by adding colour space conversions to them (see later).

Additionally, any LUT that has been imported into LightSpace can be exported as a LUT image (see manual LUT building 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 LightSpace and exporting the new LUT with the modifications included.

The effect of already loaded LUTs can quickly be seen via this preview function, and additional LUTs can be loaded to view their effect via the '+' tab within the viewer.

In this way multiple LUTs can be loaded for direct 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.

A 1D grey scale display is also available by selecting 'Grey Scale'.

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

To rip a LUT the test image generated by LightSpace 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 back into the LightSpace 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, 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.

Existing LUTs already within LightSpace can be used for Burn-in, or new LUTs loaded via the small 'folder' button (many different LUTs can be loaded to enable switching between them).

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 LightSpace systems, or into new Probe calibration interfaces. Simply make the necessary changes to the colour space values in either of the source or destination boxes and use the 'save' button.

LUT Manipulation
Under the 'Edit' menu are a selection of LUT Manipulation tools, including LUT Addition, Subtraction, and Invert. These allow different LUTs to be combined in the ways described...

Using the Calibration Interface
If LightSpace CMS is being used with a compatible 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 instructions to set Dark Calibration if required, and then use 'Probe Options' to set the required parameters for measurement.

The required Calibration tools can then be used as necessary. See HERE for operational information on the Calibration Interface option.

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