DJI D-Log M color grading in DaVinci Resolve

How do you color grade D-Log M in DaVinci Resolve?

Correct exposure and white balance on a first node, apply DJI's official D-Log M to Rec.709 LUT for your model on a second node, then shape contrast, skin and the look on the nodes after it. If your version of Resolve lists D-Log M in the Color Space Transform, you can use that in place of the LUT. Do not use the DJI D-Log setting, which is a different curve.

The rest of this guide covers why D-Log M needs its own treatment, where the official LUTs are, and how to deal with the shadow problem the LUT route is known for.

D-Log vs D-Log M: why the D-Log transform does not fit

DJI uses two flat profiles with nearly the same name.

• D-Log is the profile on DJI's professional cameras. Resolve's Color Space Transform has a matching entry: DJI D-Gamut / DJI D-Log.
• D-Log M is the profile on consumer drones and Osmo cameras. It is a different curve, and DJI has not published the maths behind it.

That second point matters. A Color Space Transform is built from a manufacturer's published specification. Zeb Gardner, who measured the profile on a Mini 4 Pro, describes D-Log M as "basically black box" in his D-Log M grading write-up because DJI has declined to document it. What DJI does provide is conversion LUTs.

Step 1: Get the official LUT for your model

DJI's LUT download page lists a D-Log M to Rec.709 LUT per product. At the time of writing that includes the Mavic 3, Air 3, Air 3S, Mini 4 Pro, Avata 2, Flip, Osmo Pocket 3, Osmo 360, Osmo Nano, the O4 Air Unit series and the Osmo Action 4, 5 and 6. Some products get a "vivid" version with stronger colour.

Use the LUT made for your camera. The profile is tuned per product, so a Mavic 3 LUT on Osmo Pocket 3 footage is a guess. Install it through File > Project Settings > Color Management > Open LUT Folder, then press Update Lists. The LUT guide walks through installing and blending LUTs.

Step 2: Build the node tree in the right order

• Node 1, correction. Exposure with the Offset wheel, white balance with Temp and Tint. This sits before the LUT, while the image is still flat.
• Node 2, conversion. Right-click the node, choose LUT, and pick the DJI D-Log M to Rec.709 LUT for your model.
• Node 3, contrast. A gentle S-curve or the Contrast and Pivot controls.
• Node 4 onwards, secondaries and look. Sky, foliage, skin, then any creative grade.

The order is the point. A LUT is a fixed table, so anything it clips or crushes is gone for every node after it. Corrections made before the LUT change what the LUT receives, which is the only place you can protect highlights and shadows. The general LOG workflow explains the same order for cameras that use a Color Space Transform.

Step 3: Fix crushed shadows before the LUT

The best-known complaint about the official LUTs is shadow detail. In Gardner's Mini 4 Pro test, DJI's LUT left the darkest region "basically crushed to pure black", and he published his own measured conversion as an alternative.

You can deal with it without leaving the official LUT. On Node 1, lift the shadows or raise the whole signal slightly with Offset until the dark areas sit above the range the LUT crushes, watching the waveform as you do it. Then set your black level on Node 3, after the LUT, where you control exactly how deep it goes. If you lower the LUT's strength with the node's Key Output Gain, some flatness returns and shadows open up, at the cost of contrast you then add back by hand.

Step 4: Fix the problems D-Log M tends to show

• Blown skies. A drone frame often holds bright sky and dark ground together. Expose for the sky when shooting; a clipped sky cannot be graded back.
• Noisy shadows. Small sensors get noisy when lifted. Lift less, or use temporal noise reduction, which needs Resolve Studio (see free vs Studio).
• Oversaturated greens and blues. Common after the vivid LUTs. Pull the offending colour back with a Hue vs Sat curve after the conversion.
• It does not match the main camera. Convert each camera first, then match the drone to the main camera in Rec.709, starting with white balance and contrast.

Common D-Log M mistakes

• Using the DJI D-Log transform, or a D-Log LUT, on D-Log M footage.
• Using a LUT made for a different DJI model.
• Correcting exposure after the LUT instead of before it.
• Putting a creative LUT built for Rec.709 directly on unconverted D-Log M.
• Stacking two conversions, such as the DJI LUT and a Color Space Transform.

Matching drone and action-camera footage to the main camera is part of every finished edit I deliver. See YouTube video editing, or compare with the Sony S-Log3 workflow for a camera that converts with a Color Space Transform.

FAQ

Is D-Log M the same as D-Log?

No. D-Log is the profile on DJI's professional cameras and has a matching DJI D-Gamut / DJI D-Log entry in DaVinci Resolve's Color Space Transform. D-Log M is a different curve used on consumer drones and Osmo cameras, and the D-Log transform does not convert it correctly.

Does DaVinci Resolve have a Color Space Transform for D-Log M?

Check the Input Gamma list in your version. If D-Log M is not listed, use DJI's official D-Log M to Rec.709 LUT for your model instead. Do not substitute the DJI D-Log entry, which is a different curve.

Where do I get the D-Log M to Rec.709 LUT?

DJI publishes free conversion LUTs on its LUT download page, one per product, including the Mavic 3, Air 3, Air 3S, Mini 4 Pro, Avata 2, Osmo Pocket 3 and the Osmo Action series. Use the one made for your model.

Why are my shadows crushed after applying the DJI LUT?

A LUT is a fixed table and cannot recover what it maps to black. Lift the shadows or raise exposure on a node before the LUT, so the detail sits above the range the LUT crushes.

Should I shoot D-Log M or the normal profile?

Shoot D-Log M when the scene has bright skies and dark ground in the same frame and you will grade the footage. For quick turnarounds with no grade, the normal profile is faster and safer.