Reference level

3D LUT calibration

A colour management system adjusts six colour points and interpolates between them. A 3D LUT corrects the entire colour cube, with up to 16,777,216 grid points per LUT rather than a handful of controls.

Only worthwhile if your setup can load LUTs: madVR Envy, Lumagen Radiance or an LG OLED TV with internal 3D LUT support.

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Price from €1,999 LG OLED Master · including VAT, plus travel costs
Resolution up to 256³ = 16,777,216 grid points per LUT
Verification Over 1,000 points Verification scope of the reference packages; results depend on the device

What makes a 3D LUT different?

  • The entire colour gamut, rather than six points

    A conventional colour management system adjusts red, green, blue, cyan, magenta and yellow. Everything in between is interpolated, including skin tones. A 3D LUT places a grid across the entire colour cube and corrects each region individually.

  • Errors a conventional CMS cannot address

    Colour shifts that occur only at particular combinations of luminance and saturation cannot be fully corrected with six controls. For a LUT, these are simply additional points in the grid.

  • Separate SDR and HDR correction

    A separate LUT is calculated for Rec.709 and for BT.2020 or DCI-P3. The device or processor then switches automatically, avoiding a compromise between the two colour spaces.

  • Correction in the signal chain

    With madVR Envy and Lumagen, correction is applied in the video processor to the sources routed through it. LUT format and resolution are chosen to suit the model and firmware. The correction is calculated in ColourSpace Pro and then verified in the intended signal chain.

Requirements – please check in advance

A 3D LUT requires hardware that can load and apply it. Without this capability, the Premium package is the appropriate and considerably less expensive choice.

  • LG OLED with internal 3D LUT support – LG OLED Master package from €1,999
  • madVR Envy in the signal chain – madVR 3D-LUT Complete from €2,299, with LUTs up to 256³
  • Lumagen Radiance in the signal chain – also madVR 3D-LUT Complete, using native 17³ LUTs
  • A display or projector stable enough for LUT correction to be effective
  • Time: the measurement runs for a complete LUT calibration take considerably longer than a standard calibration

Not sure whether your setup qualifies? Tell me your display and signal chain. We will establish whether a 3D LUT is worthwhile or conventional calibration is sufficient.

When the upgrade pays off, and when it does not

The increase from €599 to €1,999 is substantial and is not worthwhile for everyone. The honest answer is that it pays off when conventional calibration leaves visible errors that a CMS cannot address, and you already own the necessary hardware.

If you already have a madVR Envy or Lumagen in your rack, you have made the expensive decision. LUT calibration then puts a capability you have already paid for to use. Conversely, buying a video processor solely for calibration rarely makes sense.

If conventional calibration already achieves small residual deviations across the relevant test range, a 3D LUT may offer little additional benefit. The deciding factors are the measurements, your use case and the available correction options, rather than the package tier alone.

Frequently asked questions

A 1D LUT corrects the three colour channels independently across the luminance range, essentially providing a very fine white balance adjustment. A 3D LUT works in three-dimensional colour space and can also correct errors that depend on combinations of hue, saturation and luminance.
Significantly longer than a standard calibration. Building the LUT requires extensive measurement runs, followed by verification at over 1,000 points. I will confirm the expected time for your setup when arranging the appointment.
With madVR Envy and Lumagen, the LUT is stored in the video processor. A display update can still change colour reproduction and make further verification necessary. Internal LUTs in LG OLED TVs may be reset by changes to the device. Whether stored corrections remain suitable is assessed against the current performance.
TV & display calibration Projector calibration HDR & Dolby Vision
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Tell me your display and signal chain, and I will explain in advance whether a LUT is likely to provide a measurable benefit.

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