Dark Skin Tones LUT Pack (Free Download)
Director/Cinematographer Gabrielle Blackwood released her all-new GB LUTs Pack and we couldn’t be more excited! They are comprised of dark skin tone lookup tables dubbed: Blue Mahoe, Cinnamon, and Hazelnut.
Gabrielle recognizes that lighting and color grading for dark skin tones is subjective. Growing up in the Caribbean and being exposed to varying shades of skin tones has shaped Gabrielle’s eye. However, this view may differ wildly from someone who grew up in a completely different environment.
Authenticity and lived experience help us avoid stereotypes. For example, just because you’re in a tropical environment doesn’t mean the image should just have a yellow wash to it.
On the contrary, Gabrielle sees multiple shades instead of just one or two. She lives in the world of red-browns, yellow-browns, blue-blacks, gray-blacks, and even gray-brown-blacks. The shades depend on the lighting conditions.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR LOOKUP TABLES
Lookup tables (LUTs) offer filmmakers a powerful tool for achieving consistent color grading, creative looks, and efficient workflow optimizations by allowing quick and precise adjustments to the color and tone of their imagery.
Here’s what Gabrielle recommends that you consider before using LUTs.
- Camera Color Science: Different cameras have different color sciences that reflect differently in terms of how skin tones react to your lighting setup and your camera settings.
- Lens Colors: Do they cast a certain shade?
- Filter Colors: Do the filters cast a certain shade or affect the skin tones?
- Post-Production: What needs to happen in post-production to correct certain images?
- Set Design: How saturated or desaturated are the images within the environment? How does the imagery compare with the skin tones?
- Wardrobe & Makeup: What changes will the makeup artists need to make to fit with the mood and tone of the project, or within the particular setting?
- Lighting: What kind of lights are you using to illuminate the project? Different lights have varying CRI which reflect differently on skin tones. Are you using practicals or artificial lighting?
- Locations: Are you shooting outside or in a sunny environment? Are you shooting in a warm environment?
GB DARK SKIN TONE LUT PACK
Gabrielle started out creating LUTs for her needs. Then, she discovered others like her were frustrated with their imagery from post-production.
Or, perhaps production didn’t allocate enough time to color grading and it just went to an editor for a general grade. LUTs are also great for filmmakers just starting out who are not used to color grading and require some extra assistance.
A few years ago, Gabrielle developed her first set of dark skin tone LUTs: Dark Pecan I & II, Dark Syrup, and Tawny.
With all this in mind, LUTs are not a simple fix. It’s not a simple stamp-and-go operation. You must adjust the LUTs based on the considerations listed above.
We hope you enjoy Gabrielle’s free GB LUT Pack! She encourages everyone to feel free to use and share them as they wish — and we encourage you to tag her: @emeraldpicturesco
The Dark Skin Tone LUTs are here to help you. So, adjust them and play around with them until you have the image that best suits your project!
