Color Space Transform Support for DJI DLog-M and D-Cinelike

I'm admittedly over my skis on this one, but CSTs, to me, are accurate math. Why not support two DJI formats for color space transforms - DLog-M and D-Cinelike - which are popular 10-bit formats in many of their drones and action cameras?

DISCLAIMER: I do realize that many in these forums find/use LUTs and/or just hand correct these formats but I much prefer working from the exact/official transforms if possible.

My request is to officially support DJI DLog-M and DJI D-Cinelike so that we can use them in color space transforms. In other words, please remove the guesswork with these formats; or perhaps more accurately, do the "math" (correcting) part in a CST and leave the "art" (look) part up to us. The math part should set the exposure such that the picture looks like it did in camera. Today, we must do both the science/math and art on our own.

In my mind the following should work:

Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut (or whatever it is)
Input Gamma: DJI DLog-M
Output Color Space: Davinci Wide Gamut
Output Gamma: Davinci Intermediate

Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut (or whatever it is)
Input Gamma: DJI D-Cinelike
Output Color Space: Davinci Wide Gamut
Output Gamma: Davinci Intermediate


Right now the best input color space setting workarounds seem to be as follows. But these are by definition not 100% accurate which is why this feature request exists.

D-Cinelike - Option 1
Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: DJI D-Log (it's a little dark)

D-Cinelike - Option 2
Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: Canon Log

DLog-M
Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: ARIB STD-B67 HLG

Here are the references - which proves I'm not the only one that wants this !
D-Cinelike CST Reference

DLOG-M CST Reference

For anyone who cares about this, I've landed on using the following until there's official support.

Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: Rec. 2100 HLG (Scene)

Also, please add your voice to the request to DJI to release the requisite information necessary here https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=297669 if you will.

For anyone who cares about this, I've landed on using the following until there's official support.

Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: Rec. 2100 HLG (Scene)

your settings are wrong.

DJI have not released any white paper on the profiles in question. I doubt they will.

Use HLG instead

For anyone who cares about this, I've landed on using the following until there's official support.

Input Color Space: DJI D-Gamut
Input Gamma: Rec. 2100 HLG (Scene)

your settings are wrong.

DJI have not released any white paper on the profiles in question. I doubt they will.

Use HLG instead

Hi Aksim,

Thanks for your reply. I’ve seen some of your work and even emailed you directly about this topic a few weeks back.

Yes, you’re correct that the settings are wrong. That’s why this thread and a few others on DJI’s forum’s that I’ve started exists. Since there’s no official DLOG-M color space transform support we have to choose something that’s not correct to get it close, right?

I’m not clear on what you mean by “use HLG instead”? My camera does not support HLG, it only shoots in DLOG-M and “normal” color. Are you saying I should use some other transform than the one I’ve selected until there’s official support? If so, what color space and color gamma should I be selecting for DLOG-M footage until there’s official support?

Hi Ron,

Apologies I may have missed your email. Will have a look thru again.

The problem is that a number of vendors release pseudo log profiles and only provide a LUT with minimal to no technical information.

I've reached out to DJI before about D-Log M and have had no luck.

The Air 2S drone has D-Log M and HLG for example... So I stick to HLG... but it sounds like you don't have that option. Your best bet with these is a manual artistic correction using a Rec709 base or using their artistic LUTs. Either way, your base will be a color grade rather than a correction.

Hi Ron,

Apologies I may have missed your email. Will have a look thru again.

The problem is that a number of vendors release pseudo log profiles and only provide a LUT with minimal to no technical information.

I've reached out to DJI before about D-Log M and have had no luck.

The Air 2S drone has D-Log M and HLG for example... So I stick to HLG... but it sounds like you don't have that option. Your best bet with these is a manual artistic correction using a Rec709 base or using their artistic LUTs. Either way, your base will be a color grade rather than a correction.

Understood. Yes, the OSMO Action 4 camera does not include HLG. When I apply the DJI D-LogM LUT the colors are too saturated IMHO and it truncates to the Rec 709 color space. If I instead try to correct the image myself I can get it in decent shape but if I use the Color Space Transform with the settings I state above it ends up even better, thus I use that as my starting point. I get that the “math” isn’t 100% correct which is why I too am imploring DJI and Blackmagic for a better solution.

BTW, give that a try with your Air 2S DLOG-M footage and see what you think. It’s gotta be close to the right math. Any theory as to why it might be?

I posted a request on the DJI website for a Lut: dji Dlog-m to DWG/intermediate.

Be interesting to see if DJI are interested in providing this.


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I posted a request on the DJI website for a Lut: dji Dlog-m to DWG/intermediate.

Be interesting to see if DJI are interested in providing this.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It would be. That's one option. I would rather they just produce the math. It's not like it's protecting anything that another camera company would rip off. Or maybe they're hiding something ?

D-Cinelike isn't log. At all. It's simply a low contrast, low sat camera profile. I'm pretty sure you can create identical results by playing with the camera settings. I've seen others do so.

So what's the benefit of it, compared to shooting a regular type profile? Easy. Because it's so low in contrast you have less chance of clipping or crushing things. But only a small amount.

It's pretty easy to create essentially a preset to drop on your clips. Put a clip on a timeline. Raise contrast, sat, and maybe move the Gamma control for best image feel. Save as a still named for what you do.

Maybe make 3-4 alternatives.



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Is anyone is able to take the requisite pictures described here with their OSMO Action 4 - DLog-M and their DJI Mini 3 Pro - DCinelike: https://github.com/thatcherfreem ... c/image_capture.pdf.

It's my understanding that with those we can deduce the math needed and with that there is a DCTL developer who said he'd make a DCTL to convert DLOG-M to DWG/Intermediate and DCinelike to DWG/Intermediate. That might be the best next step.

Would love to see that.

+1!

There’s no way to properly work with DJI D-Log M in an automatically color-managed DWG timeline without manual guesswork. I’ve reverted to shooting in Normal mode on my Mavic 2 Pro, which is a bummer as it’s only 8-but, but the colors look more natural.

+1!

There’s no way to properly work with DJI D-Log M in an automatically color-managed DWG timeline without manual guesswork. I’ve reverted to shooting in Normal mode on my Mavic 2 Pro, which is a bummer as it’s only 8-but, but the colors look more natural.

Try a test of DJI D-Log/Rec. 709 HLG (Scene). That's what I use. Also please add your voice here: https://forum.dji.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=297669

+1 for a Dlog-M color profile

+1!

There’s no way to properly work with DJI D-Log M in an automatically color-managed DWG timeline without manual guesswork. I’ve reverted to shooting in Normal mode on my Mavic 2 Pro, which is a bummer as it’s only 8-but, but the colors look more natural.

The Mavic 2 Pro does HLG. You should use that instead of the DLog-M garbage.