Unlock Cinematic Brilliance: Mastering Color Grading for Sony FX3 & FX30 on YouTube, Reels & Films in 2025

Sony FX3 / FX30 S-Log3 Color Grading: Turning Flat Log Footage into a Cinematic Look

If you’re shooting on the Sony FX3 or FX30 in S-Log3, you already know the feeling: the footage looks flat, grey, and lifeless straight out of camera. But that “boring” S-Log3 image is exactly what gives you huge dynamic range and flexibility in post. In this guide we’ll walk through a complete S-Log3 color grading workflow for Sony FX3 and FX30 footage, from exposure on set to LUTs, DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro workflows, and building a consistent look that works on YouTube, Reels, TikTok, and short films.

If you want to shortcut a lot of the trial and error, you can pair this workflow with ready-made cinematic LUTs like our 700+ Cinematic Video LUTs For Your Next Project and the broader Cinematic LUTs for DaVinci Resolve collection. With our Buy 3, Get 9 FREE offer, adding 12 preset or LUT packs to your cart gives you a full color-grading toolbox you can reuse across every project.

Why S-Log3 Color Grading on the FX3/FX30 Matters So Much

The Sony FX3 and FX30 sit in that sweet spot between cinema cameras and compact hybrid bodies. In S-Log3, they capture a ton of information—but that information is “hidden” in the flat image until you grade it. Color grading is where you:

Shape emotion: Warm, golden tones help your vlogs or wedding films feel comforting and nostalgic. Cooler, desaturated S-Log3 grades on the FX3/FX30 lean into tension, isolation, or a sleek commercial vibe.
Build a recognizable brand: A repeatable FX3 / FX30 S-Log3 color grading recipe gives your channel or business a visual signature. When people see your teal shadows and warm skin tones, they instantly know it’s you.
Fix real-world problems: Mixed lighting, green fluorescent casts, and uneven exposure are normal on run-and-gun shoots. S-Log3 plus a solid grading workflow lets you neutralize those issues and bring everything back into line.
Maximize dynamic range: S-Log3 is designed to capture a very wide range of tones. Without proper grading, a lot of that highlight and shadow detail never makes it to the final image.

When I first tested S-Log3 on an FX3 at a dark wedding reception, exposing slightly brighter than “normal” and then pulling the image down in post gave me way cleaner skin tones than trying to nail everything perfectly in-camera with a baked-in profile. That’s the power of a good log workflow.

Dial in the Camera: Essential Pre-Grading Steps for Sony FX3 & FX30

Choose the Right S-Log3 and Color Mode

On the FX3 and FX30, you’ll typically shoot in S-Log3 gamma with a color mode like S-Gamut3.Cine. Sony specifically designed S-Gamut3.Cine and S-Log3 to mimic the response of scanned negative film and give you a wide, cinema-friendly color space that’s easier to grade for Rec.709 delivery. If you want to go deeper into what S-Gamut and S-Gamut3.Cine are doing under the hood, check out Sony’s explanation of S-Gamut and S-Log3 workflows.

Use Native ISOs for the Cleanest Image

FX3 (Cinema Line): Common S-Log3 native ISOs are 640 (low base) and 12,800 (high base).
FX30: For S-Log3, you’ll usually work around 800/2500 or 200/1000 depending on firmware and Cine EI settings.

Staying close to the native ISO values gives you the cleanest signal with the most dynamic range. You can absolutely push and pull exposure later, but starting from a clean S-Log3 base makes grading far easier—especially when you stack creative LUTs on top.

Expose S-Log3 Bright (But Don’t Clip)

Because S-Log3 is so flat, it often looks underexposed on the LCD even when it’s technically fine. That’s why many creators follow an “expose to the right” (ETTR) approach:

Use waveform, false color, and zebras instead of your eyes alone.
Expose skin tones a bit brighter than you would with a baked-in profile, then pull them down in the grade.
Protect highlights—especially sky, white dresses, and specular highlights—so they don’t clip.

Tools like Gamma Display Assist let you preview a Rec.709-like image while still recording S-Log3 underneath, making it easier to judge exposure. Sony’s documentation and in-camera help notes are worth reading alongside your own tests.

Keep White Balance Controlled

Set a deliberate white balance instead of leaving it on auto, especially indoors or under mixed lighting. A fixed white balance gives you more predictable starting points in the grade. You can refine it later, but if your FX3 or FX30 jumps between color temperatures mid-shot, you’ll spend a lot more time chasing consistency.

Choosing Your Color Grading Command Center

DaVinci Resolve: Deep Control and Node-Based Power

DaVinci Resolve is a favorite for serious FX3/FX30 color grading because of its node-based workflow, robust scopes, and advanced tools like Resolve Color Management and HDR wheels. If you’re new to Resolve’s Color page, Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve color page overview shows how the interface is laid out and why colorists rely on it for high-end work.

Adobe Premiere Pro & Lumetri Color: Grade Where You Edit

If you’re already editing in Premiere Pro, the Lumetri Color panel lets you stay in one timeline and do both edits and S-Log3 color grading for your Sony FX3/FX30 footage. Lumetri gives you:

Basic Correction controls for exposure, contrast, and white balance.
Curves, Color Wheels & Match, and HSL Secondary for more advanced work.
Lumetri Scopes (waveform, vectorscope, parade) to keep your corrections accurate.

For a straightforward visual walkthrough, see Adobe’s tutorial on using the Lumetri Color panel for color adjustment and grading.

DaVinci Resolve vs Premiere Pro for S-Log3 FX3/FX30 Workflows

DaVinci Resolve: Best when color is your main focus, you want flexible node trees, and you’re comfortable with a dedicated color page.
Premiere Pro: Best when speed and staying inside one app matter more, and you like Lumetri’s straightforward, panel-based approach.
Hybrid workflow: Some creators edit in Premiere and do a dedicated grade pass in Resolve, then round-trip the final graded files.

Whichever NLE you choose, the core S-Log3 principles stay the same: convert to a display space (usually Rec.709), fix the image technically, then layer in your creative look.

Step-by-Step S-Log3 Color Grading Workflow for Sony FX3 & FX30

1. Primary Correction: Make the Image Technically Neutral

Normalize exposure: Use the waveform to bring midtones, shadows, and highlights into a sensible range. In S-Log3, midtones start high, so you’ll often pull them down while preserving highlight detail.
Balance white point: Use a grey card, a neutral object, or an eyedropper tool to get rid of obvious color casts. The goal is a clean, neutral base—especially for skin tones.
Add contrast: S-Log3 is intentionally low contrast. Use curves or contrast controls to add a gentle S-curve, making sure you don’t crush blacks or clip highlights.
Restore modest saturation: Bring saturation up until the image looks natural, not hyper-vivid. You’ll refine this later in the creative phase.

If you want more detail on this “foundation first” approach—especially in a Rec.709 context—our article Unlocking Cinematic Potential: Your Ultimate Guide to Grading Log Footage in Premiere Pro (S-Log, C-Log, V-Log) breaks down the same principles with scope screenshots and examples.

2. Convert S-Log3 to Rec.709 with a Conversion LUT or Color Management

Next, you need to move your S-Log3 image into a display space like Rec.709. You can do this with:

Camera-specific input LUTs: Apply a Sony S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine to Rec.709 conversion LUT on a dedicated node or adjustment layer.
Color management (Resolve): Use DaVinci Wide Gamut / DaVinci Intermediate or ACES and set your input color space to S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine for your FX3/FX30 footage.
Premiere’s color management: In recent versions of Premiere Pro, you can tag S-Log3 clips and let the software handle some of the transform, then fine-tune in Lumetri.

Once your image is sitting in Rec.709 space, you’ll have a more “normal” looking frame with room for creative grading.

3. Layer Creative LUTs for a Cinematic Look

After conversion, you can start shaping a stronger look with creative LUTs designed for Sony and S-Log3. A smart workflow is:

Apply the technical S-Log3 to Rec.709 LUT first.
Place your creative LUT (film emulation, street look, music video, etc.) afterward.
Dial back the LUT opacity or intensity (often 40–80%) until it feels natural.

If you’re new to LUTs in general, What Are LUTs? The Complete Beginner-to-Pro Guide explains how they work, where they fit in the pipeline, and common mistakes to avoid.

To move faster, many FX3/FX30 creators lean on curated packs like our 700+ Cinematic Video LUTs For Your Next Project and the Cinematic Videography LUTs Pack. These are designed to work across Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and other editors, so you can drop them onto S-Log3 footage, adjust intensity, and get a polished look in minutes.

LUTs vs Manual Color Grading: What’s the Smart Approach?

Manual grading only: Gives you maximum control but can be slower, especially if you’re grading a full YouTube channel or series shot on the FX3 and FX30.
LUTs only at 100%: Fast, but can look harsh or “plastic” because every shot is different.
Hybrid approach (recommended): Use a technical LUT for S-Log3, add a creative LUT at controlled intensity, then fine-tune with curves, color wheels, and HSL tools.

When I pushed a rich teal-and-orange LUT on an FX30 drone sunset shot, it looked too extreme at first—clipped skies and nuclear skin tones. Dropping the LUT intensity to about 60% and then gently adjusting the blue channel curve gave me a cinematic grade that still felt natural.

4. Refine the Look: Color Wheels, Curves, and HSL Secondaries

Color wheels: Add warmth to highlights, subtle cool tones to shadows, and tweak midtones for skin. Keep an eye on the vectorscope so skin stays on the “skin tone line.”
Curves: Use RGB curves to fine-tune contrast and gently shift color in specific tonal regions (for example, cooler shadows, warmer highlights).
HSL secondary: Isolate specific hues—like a blue jacket or neon sign—and adjust saturation or hue without destroying the rest of the image.
Local adjustments: Use windows and tracking on faces, skies, or backgrounds to subtly lift exposure, direct attention, or tame bright elements.

For a more step-by-step look at LUT workflows inside Premiere Pro, our article Unlock Cinematic Color: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Using LUTs in Premiere Pro walks through a full project from import to export.

Building a Signature FX3/FX30 Look That Fits Your Brand

Study References and Reverse-Engineer Them

Pick a few favorite films, music videos, or YouTube channels shot on Sony cinema line cameras and pause on key frames. Look for:

Overall color temperature (warm/cool/neutral).
Shadow color (neutral, teal, green, blue).
Highlight behavior (soft roll-off vs punchy contrast).
Saturation level and skin-tone treatment.

Then try recreating those vibes with your own FX3/FX30 S-Log3 footage, using your scopes and reference images side by side.

Turn Your Favorite Grade into a Reusable LUT

Once you’ve dialed in a look you love, you can save it as a preset or export it as a LUT to reuse on future FX3/FX30 projects. Our guide Unlock Your Creative Vision: Crafting Custom LUTs in Premiere Pro shows how to do this inside Lumetri so your channel has a consistent “fingerprint” from video to video.

Adapt the Look Without Losing Consistency

Your signature grade shouldn’t be a prison. You can still adapt it for:

Overcast days vs golden hour.
Urban street scenes vs nature or travel content.
High-energy music videos vs intimate talking-heads.

Think of your look as a recipe: the core ingredients stay the same, but measurements shift slightly depending on the “dish.” If you want help designing that overarching palette, check out Unleash Your Channel’s Vibe: Crafting a Consistent Color Style That Wows.

Common S-Log3 Color Grading Mistakes (and Quick Fixes)

Over-saturation and extreme contrast: S-Log3 gives you room to push, but too much saturation or contrast looks cheap fast. Back off your global saturation and soften your contrast curve, then compare before/after.
Crushed blacks / clipped highlights: Watch the waveform. Keep a little detail in the deepest shadows and brightest highlights so the image feels rich, not brittle.
Unnatural skin tones: If skin drifts towards green or magenta, use HSL secondaries to isolate skin and nudge hue/saturation until it looks healthy again.
Ignoring scopes: Your monitor might not be perfectly calibrated. Use the vectorscope, waveform, and parade to make objective decisions, especially with FX3/FX30 log footage.
Chasing trends instead of story: The teal-and-orange blockbuster look isn’t right for every project. Let the story and mood guide your grade.
Never testing on multiple devices: Check your final grade on at least a phone and a laptop. S-Log3 grades that look subtle on one screen can feel too strong on another.

If you want a more technical view of exposure and color management before grading, Adobe’s guide to color management and Lumetri Color is a helpful reference when you’re mixing S-Log3 with other formats.

Using LUT Packs to Speed Up Your FX3/FX30 Workflow

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, leveraging high-quality LUT packs gives you a massive head start. For cinematic Sony FX3/FX30 S-Log3 work, creators often combine:

700+ Cinematic Video LUTs For Your Next Project for a broad variety of dramatic and filmic looks.
Cinematic Street Film Look LUTs Pack for gritty urban and nightlife content.
Cinematic Videography LUTs Pack for clean, modern commercial and lifestyle projects.
1000+ Master Lightroom Presets Bundle if you also shoot stills alongside your FX3/FX30 video work and want the same vibe in your photos.

Because of our Buy 3, Get 9 FREE offer, you can combine FX3/FX30-focused video LUTs with photo presets and specialty packs (wedding, drone, music video, etc.) and build a complete color toolkit in a single order.

Bringing It All Together

To recap, a solid S-Log3 color grading workflow for Sony FX3 and FX30 footage comes down to:

Exposing S-Log3 correctly and using native ISOs for a clean base.
Converting S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine to Rec.709 via LUTs or color management.
Fixing the image technically (exposure, white balance, contrast, saturation).
Layering creative LUTs and refining with color wheels, curves, and HSL tools.
Saving your favorite looks as reusable presets or LUTs to keep your brand consistent.

If you’re ready to apply everything you’ve learned and move faster on real projects, explore the Cinematic LUTs for Premiere Pro collection alongside flagship packs like 700+ Cinematic Video LUTs For Your Next Project. With Buy 3, Get 9 FREE, you can build a full library of looks tailored to your FX3/FX30 S-Log3 workflow and reuse them on every video you publish.

FAQ: Sony FX3 / FX30 S-Log3 Color Grading

Do I always need to shoot S-Log3 on my Sony FX3 or FX30?

No. S-Log3 is ideal when you want maximum dynamic range and plan to color grade seriously, but for fast-turnaround content in controlled light, a baked-in profile can be quicker. Many creators use S-Log3 for hero shots and important projects while using simpler profiles for behind-the-scenes or quick social clips.

What’s the best LUT for S-Log3 to Rec.709 on the FX3/FX30?

There’s no single “best” LUT, but you should always start with a proper S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine to Rec.709 conversion LUT or a well-set color management pipeline. After that, layer creative LUTs—like cinematic, street, or music video looks—and adjust their intensity until they complement your footage instead of overpowering it.

Should I grade S-Log3 footage in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro?

Both work. DaVinci Resolve offers deeper color tools and a node-based workflow, which is fantastic if color is your main focus. Premiere Pro is great if you want to stay in one app and use Lumetri Color for both editing and grading. The most important thing is that you understand your S-Log3 to Rec.709 conversion and use scopes to keep the grade consistent.

How do I keep skin tones looking natural when grading S-Log3?

Start with accurate white balance and a good conversion LUT, then watch the vectorscope to keep skin tones near the skin line. Use HSL secondaries to isolate skin and make subtle adjustments, and avoid heavy global saturation boosts that can push skin into neon orange or magenta.

Can I reuse the same grade across multiple FX3/FX30 projects?

Yes, and that’s one of the biggest advantages of a solid S-Log3 workflow. Save your favorite combination of conversion, curves, and creative LUTs as a preset or export it as a custom LUT. You can then tweak it slightly per scene while keeping your overall style consistent from project to project.

Written by Asanka — creator of AAAPresets (10,000+ customers).