By James Milne, FilmLight's Lead Developer on Prelight
Prelight & Prelight ON-SET 4.4m1 are now available. Visit our Web Store to buy or try.
When the industry moved to digital cameras, the temptation was to think that it would be easy to view what you were shooting on screen, and that the workarounds from the old days of film shoots - where cameras had to be modified to fit in a video assist so directors and DoPs had some idea of what they had just shot - were gone.
We quickly discovered that it was not that simple.
Digital cinematography cameras shoot with far greater dynamic range than can be accommodated on a video screen. If you just take the camera output, it looks very flat; to get a viewable picture, you have to apply a mathematical transform to the signal, which converts colour values in the camera's raw format to colour values in the display format. To do this the processor uses a look-up table, and so we have all become familiar with the idea of the LUT.
The other huge shift from film days, where colour controls were limited, is that LUTs then moved on from a simple transfer to becoming part of the creation of the look of the movie. Fast forward to today, where the look is created in the grading suite by the colourist, using powerful tools like Baselight.
So where does the DoP now sit in this process?
DoPs often take reference stills in the pre-production stage of a project. Using Photoshop, they will modify these to the grade the director is seeking. These are invaluable tools, yet they are often used simply as visual references that then have to be recreated from scratch in the grading suite.
Once production begins, their craft is in using light and lenses to make pictures that underline, and often drive, the story forward. These skills are what make it art and not a YouTube video. And to be able to concentrate on making those beautiful pictures, they need to be able to see something on set that is quite close to the finished image. But the danger is that this comes at the cost of getting too involved with the colour science, which may take them away from their primary objective. While the DIT can help a little, they too have a demanding role in data wrangling and do not necessarily have the skills or knowledge in grading.
Rather than just imposing a LUT on an image so the DoP can see that it is framed correctly and that there are no serious lighting errors, what would be ideal would be a visual way of setting a look on set that is simple, not time-consuming, and most importantly can be done without specialist knowledge of colour management.
The need is for an application, too, that can capture the underlying colour transformations in the original reference still, then apply them to the output of a digital cinematography camera in real time. As well as making the scene match the pre-visualisation as it is shot, the grading information should be saved and delivered to the colourist upstream, as the foundation of the grade.
Other workflows will see the director, DoP and colourist working on the look of the movie in pre-production, perhaps with the benefit of some test shoots. At that point, the colourist (backed up by the post house's colour scientists) can define the LUTs to be used, and set some basic looks. As with the reference stills, these can be used on set so that the video assist output of the camera has the foundations, at least, of the finished grade.
To achieve this, there has to be consistency in the way that the grade is imposed, and some degree of control over the display devices, so you are making a reasonable comparison. There is no point setting a look on set if the monitor you are using has a very different performance to projection. Similarly, there is no point in setting details on set if there is no way of guaranteeing that they will be precisely carried through to the final grade.
The ASC CDL was an attempt at making a portable format, but in truth it is a limited set of instructions. In practice, it puts a brake on creativity rather than enhancing workflows. But the need for complete and accurate capture of grading decisions from the camera to the final deliverables is vital.
The FilmLight approach is to use a common file format that describes every aspect of the grade.
This format describes not just colour decisions but also windows, vignettes, shading, position and all the other tools the colourist has. The BLG format (Baselight Linked Grade) operates on the basis of cumulative metadata: nothing is baked into the raw footage until the point of rendering the final deliverables. Any decision can be altered or rolled back at any time.
To meet the needs of DoPs and DITs on set, FilmLight has now taken its colour science and the BLG format and wrapped it into a simple package, called Prelight. This has the full grading power of Baselight, along with all its colour science, but in a very simple shell so that it can be used on set without getting in the way of the shoot.
There are two versions. One - Prelight - is a free download, and gives the DIT the ability to load looks and tweak the grade using stills. The full version - Prelight ON-SET- puts a lot of power on set.
First, it applies the look to the camera output in real time, either through an external device or, in the case of cameras like the ALEXA SXT, in the camera itself. Because it incorporates all of the Baselight colour science, it can impose one transformation for the display device - there might be an HDR screen for playback on set - and another for the HD output, so the material going to editorial looks right, too.
Once connected, the DIT and DoP can do as much or as little as they want.
They can simply accept the LUTs and maybe any looks pre-set by the colourist. They can choose to match to reference stills. Or, if they want to, they can adjust the grade, usi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
By James Milne, FilmLight's Lead Developer on Prelight
