For those who don’t know the developer: Time in Pixels develops colour workflow utilities such as Nobe OmniScope for professional grading. Nobe LutBake works with DaVinci Resolve Studio and is designed for colourists who need to generate LUTs quickly for set, monitoring, or downstream tools.

A small tool with sharp elbows

Time in Pixels has introduced Nobe LutBake, a macOS utility that captures grades from DaVinci Resolve Studio and exports them as 3D LUT files using a global hotkey. The concept is simple and, for working colourists, appealing. Instead of stepping through Resolve’s built-in export dialogue, LutBake allows users to define the part of the node tree to be baked and trigger LUT creation instantly. One key press. One .cube file on disk.

Two nodes and done

LutBake consists of an OFX plugin and a companion macOS menu bar application. The OFX plugin is inserted into the Resolve node graph. Two LutBake nodes are required. One is placed before the grade to be captured, and one after. The user performs grading as usual, including wheels, curves, qualifiers, and other LUTs. When the global shortcut is pressed, LutBake captures the RGB transform between the two nodes and writes it to disk as a standard .cube 3D LUT.

No timeline render is required. No still export. No navigating menus. The system level hotkey means the user remains in the grading interface. This is not a reinvention of LUT theory. It is an attempt to remove repetitive steps from daily prodcution.

Resolution matters

Time in Pixels states that LutBake can generate LUTs up to 100 by 100 by 100 in resolution. In practical terms, a 3D LUT samples the RGB colour cube at discrete intervals. Higher resoultion means denser sampling and potentially smoother transforms, particularly in wide gamut or high dynamic range workflows.

Tom also claims zero interpolation error when matching HALD sizes. A HALD image is a flattened representation of a 3D LUT used for exchange and validation. A free demo version is available with limited LUT resolution (17x17x17 LUT). The full version is offered as a one-time licence for 55€, with launch pricing detailed on the product page.

RGB in, RGB out

Time in Pixels is explicit about the limits. LutBake captures RGB-based colour transforms only. Spatial effects, such as blur or grain, are not preserved in the exported LUT. Temporal processing is also excluded. This is not a software limitation but a format one. A 3D LUT maps input RGB triplets to output RGB triplets. It does not encode spatial context, motion, or texture-dependent operations. For colourists building looks that include noise reduction, halation, or grain layers, this is a necessary reminder. Those elements will not survive the bake.

On set and hardware workflows

LutBake is useful for on-set and monitoring scenarios. It references exporting custom looks from Resolve for use in LiveGrade, Assimilate Scratch and hardware LUT devices such as Flanders BoxIO and TVLogic IS Mini. These devices typically ingest .cube LUTs for display calibration or on-set look management. In such environments, speed matters. A colourist may adjust a look in Resolve and need a matching LUT on a monitor within minutes.

Also: baking complex grading chains into a single LUT to optimise playback performance in other systems. Collapsing a heavy node graph into a single transform can simplify downstream workflows, provided the transform is fully representable in RGB space. Look-sharing between grading systems, NLEs, and compositing applications is another use case.

macOS and Studio only

LutBake runs on macOS 13 or later and requires Resolve Studio with external scripting enabled. The reliance on Studio indicates use of Resolve’s scripting API for communication between the OFX plugin and the external macOS application.

There is no mention of Windows or Linux support yet. There is also no statement about compatibility with the free version of Resolve. The Studio requirement is clear. Studios standardised on macOS grading suites will find this straightforward. Facilities with mixed operating systems will need to review compatibility before deployment.

Naming discipline

The product supports configurable filename templates. This allows users to define how exported LUT files are named. In structured pipelines with strict naming conventions, automated naming reduces manual intervention and the risk of inconsistent file names. This is part of a broader goal of reducing repetitive steps.

A familiar philosophy

Readers of Digital Production will know that we regard Nobe OmniScope as one of the more thoughtfully designed applications in recent years. It focuses on clarity, precision, and usability rather than decorative UI noise. LutBake follows the same philosophy.

What is not specified

The announcement does not detail how LutBake handles complex colour management scenarios, such as ACES pipelines or mixed colour spaces within a project. It does not specify how colour space metadata is treated in the exported LUT. Professionals working in scene referred or HDR workflows will need to validate the output carefully. As with any LUT generation tool, testing in context is essential before deployment in live or client-facing environments.

A pragmatic addition

At its core, Nobe LutBake reduces the number of clicks between a finished grade and a distributable LUT. For colourists who iterate frequently on looks for on set monitoring or cross application exchange, that is not trivial.
It will not replace disciplined colour management.
It will not capture spatial or temporal effects.
It will not make a poor grade better.

It removes friction from a well-understood task. For professionals who export LUTs daily, that may be enough.

Nobe LutBake product page
https://timeinpixels.com/nobe-lutbake/

The post Lutbake adds one-key LUT export to Resolve first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

RePro Stream has announced new integrations with Pomfort Livegrade and Nobe OmniScope, connecting live look management, technical signal monitoring, and remote collaboration into a single workflow for film and television productions. The update, released on 4 November 2025, strengthens RePro’s position as a central hub between on-set decisions and postproduction review. According to the company, the new integrations allow creative and technical teams to view the same graded images or playback in real time, regardless of location.

Pomfort Livegrade streams looks directly to RePro

Pomfort’s Livegrade 7 introduces the new Outputs and Streaming extension module. This optional add-on enables DITs to stream live look previews directly through RePro. Remote directors, producers, and colourists can therefore see the same graded signal or playback that is visible on set.

Nobe OmniScope adds low-latency remote scopes

Nobe OmniScope from Time in Pixels now also connects with RePro. The video scope suite provides tools such as False Color, Twin Peaks, and HDR quality control. Through the integration, these scopes can be mirrored remotely, giving distributed teams the same analytical feedback that would normally only be available in a grading suite. OmniScope’s new SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) support allows lower-latency transmission, tighter stream control, and frame-accurate playback up to 60 fps, performance aimed specifically at live monitoring scenarios.

Founder Tom Huczek said the addition of SRT was intended to “give productions lower latency and more control.” He noted that the integration with RePro and the upcoming Live Pack feature (planned to link OmniScope directly with Livegrade) are designed to enable remote signal quality control and monitoring for workflows from colour suites to multi-camera shoots.

Fewer surprises, faster decisions

The unified workflow could help reduce miscommunication between on-set and post teams and lower the risk of costly reshoots caused by mismatched looks or exposure errors. By enabling real-time creative and technical collaboration, the integrations position RePro as a connective layer between capture, grading, and finishing. As with any new workflow feature, productions should test the system thoroughly under production conditions before relying on it for critical monitoring or grading decisions.

The post Nobe OmniScope, Pomfort, and RePro sync up on set first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Sources which don’t need additional hardware are the built-in cameras of the iPad or the Mac. Plus, since until now CineMon only runs under MacOS Sequoia, you will immediately see your iPhone if it’s nearby. Then there are recent hybrid cameras like the Sony A7IV, which deliver a video stream via USB-C, albeit usually limited to HD and fixed frame rates. Other hybrid cameras have similar features. We got HD in 25 fps for PAL from the A7IV or 30 when set to NTSC, independent of the frame rate in the camera. But there’s a catch: you can’t record at the same time, and camera profiles like log don’t work. Obviously, such cameras don’t have the computing power to do it all at the same time.

Computer Load

Thunderbolt Interfaces

For any other sources than streaming cameras you need an interface, because simple adapter cables from USB-C to HDMI are for screens only, not for input. One of the best for a decent price is the small, but sturdy UltraStudio Recorder 3G by Blackmagic Design. It offers both SDI and HDMI inputs, and can transfer uncompressed signals up to 4:2:2 in 10 bit at 60 fps, or even RGB 4:4:4 in 12 bit at frame rates up to 30 fps. But it’ll only work with the laptop via Thunderbolt and up to 2K resolution (from SDI input). Yes, there are iPads with Thunderbolt too, but until now there’s no software support by Blackmagic.

Using an iPad

Apple’s iPads are quite popular with professional videographers for their great image quality. Some even tend to give them to important clients to make sure that they see the intended picture. They can’t be calibrated, but the reference mode in recent models is getting quite close to Rec. 709 or HDR Rec. 2020. Unfortunately, third-party developers may still need to do some more work on HDR, which is visually stunning on the tablets too. For an iPad with USB-C you’ll have to look at one of the numerous solutions primarily aiming at game capture, if you don’t want to invest in an AJA U-TAP device, which cost over 600 € each for only one kind of input. 

There are very cheap devices for HDMI sources starting at 12 €, all the way up to brand products like Elgato for well over 100€, the latter claiming UHD processing up to 30p. You can even find a no-name (they don’t even care to invent one) with SDI for about 55€. This one will need an active adapter from USB-3.0 A to USB-C, aka OTG, but you can also use a hub. For about 150 € (plus taxes) you can get the AVMatrix UC2018, which offers both SD and HDMI input and claims to transfer YUY2. It weighs over 200 grams, though. We didn’t have this device for testing.

And then, there’s a Chinese brand called Acasis, which earned itself a decent reputation with NVMe enclosures, RAIDs and hubs combined with some storage. This company is also making capture devices, which are not easily found in Europe. Albeit on Ebay they have their own shop: acasis-official-store. We tested the small HD33 model for only 25 €, and the more recent VC-003 for around 35 €. Please note that all of these devices are shipping from China, so you’ll need to pay VAT on import. 

Both models offer the same connections, looping their HDMI input through to an output for other monitors or recorders, and they have an USB-C connector on the other side. So, they need no separate power supply or adapters, other than devices with USB-3.0 type A. Three tiny blue LEDs inform you of the presence of a signal. They are light and small enough to tape them to an iPad with some Velcro and connect with a short U-shaped USB-C cable. We tested both of these devices. BTW, all devices deliver color bars when there is no input signal.

The main questions are: how much do you need to pay for quality, and how bad are cheap solutions? It’s hard to find any solid reviews for the purpose at hand, since most tests on the internet are aimed at gamers. But CineMon is supposed to be a measuring device, so your adapters better be precise or the whole arrangement would be pretty useless. We tested with a DSC chart, white balance fixed on grey, and both a Sony A7IV and a Blackmagic UMP 4.6K with log signals.

Right from the start, our cheap capture devices for HDMI had difficulties getting the frame rate right. Both HDMI versions could only handle up to 30 fps, independent of our feed in 30, 50 or 60 fps. But they were advertised as 60p, which obviously just means you can feed that, not that you’ll get it through. Our SDI model, OTOH, showed everything as 60p, regardless of the input frame rate. It even has an active HDMI output, but a video monitor didn’t synchronise to that, while computer monitors did and also detected 60p.

The standard used for USB is called UVC (USB Video Class), and UAC for the audio counterpart. Initially mainly developed for webcams, it now includes quality levels up to uncompressed YUV 4:2:2 (aka YUY2). Many adapters are not constructed for lossless transfer, they use compression and may also degrade the signal substantially. The meagre Chinese manuals (if any) don’t tell much about such detail, but usually this is M-JPEG (Motion JPEG) compression, an outdated and quite inefficient method with pretty bad color sampling at 4:2:0 (aka NV12).  

Signal Quality

Such compression shows clearly in CineMon. The scopes look coarse already when being fed Rec. 709 from a camera with an internal display LUT or recording straight Rec. 709. But things get worse when feeding a log signal, in particular a very flat one like Sony SLog3. CineMon is offering options to add an input LUT and a display LUT separately, and you can even choose if it’s added before or after the scopes. Weaknesses in signal transfer will get exaggerated by the LUT conversion to Rec. 709. While the image still looks acceptable with a display LUT, the scopes tell a different story. If a device can only process the signal in compressed 4:2:0, both waveform and vectorscope are very discontinuous, the display of a color chart in the vectorscope is so coarse that you can hardly read the information, even at maximum trace intensity. 

But recently the developer has added the functionality to control the settings for the hardware devices from CineMon, which we have not yet found in competing software. If set to YUY2, you’ll also see deviations in luminance, contrast and color fidelity clearly, but you may add a correction LUT to the incoming signal.

The cheapest device tested needs an active adapter. We used one that is extremely small, but still offers an USB-C socket on the side, so you can input power or connect external storage. This device was a surprise at first view, since it actually seemed to let us switch to 422. But this didn’t work reliably, and it normally fell back to 5 fps when trying. Latency with NV12 is around 3 frames, but we can’t recommend it, since color in particular is off in the yellow/green region, even influencing skin tone.

The HD33 by Acasis seems to have the same chip inside. It can also be switched to YUY2, but then resorts to 5 fps only. Waveform is not too far off, colors are slightly too satured, but at least hues are close. The Macrosilicon VC-003 finally can handle 25, 30, or 60 fps in YUY2 pretty well out of the Sony A7IV. This camera is actually sending NTSC frequencies as 29.97 or 59.94, and 24p as 23.98. The interface doesn’t use the latter, you’ll get a picture, but only at one of the other frame rates. Latency is just a tad over 1 frame for 25 or 30 fps.

The SDI model is looping out an HDMI signal that doesn’t sync properly on video monitors, though it does on computers. While color bars generated by both HDMI devices are exactly at 100% targets, the ones from this model are between, higher than 75%, but under 100. The device outputs only 30 or 60p with latency of 4 frames. It can’t be switched to YUY2, so the signal is very coarse und vectors hardly readable. The picture is lighter, more contrasty and overly saturated for some colors.

What’s Missing?

Until now, playback of video files is limited to H.264, H.265, and ProRes, while Windows users may miss DNxHD/HR support. You can already control playback with the space bar, hopefully the developer will support JKL and single frame by arrow keys too. While many apps for the iPad may be somehow running on laptops with Apple silicon too, operation of CineMon has been well adapted for such use, so we have no doubt there’s more to come. NDI is already planned as an alternative to capture devices, as are video recording and more scopes.

Competition?

We have already reviewed Nobe OmniScope, which is very deep in its functionality, but primarily aiming at post-production. It is priced at up to 400 US$ for the Pro version and covers all kinds of video quality controls. OmniScope is complex and needs solid knowledge of video technology and nomenclature. It works even on older Macs and PCs too, but not on an iPad. This is the only other software we have tested extensively.

Video Assist by Auron Studios is iPad only and is aiming at similar use cases as CineMon.The price is 180,- € or 150 US$, depending on your App Store. It does video recording (which is planned for CineMon too) and recording can be triggered automatically when the camera is recording. Since trigger signals via HDMI don’t come across USB-C capture, it is analysing the status information of most high-end cameras to start recording. This changes the use case, though, since all recordings will contain status information too. Instead of a clean feed, you are going to record dailies with all the information burnt in.

CamX by Touchbits is free and has quite a few positive reviews. It is limited to HD and can record, including corrections to the image. HDMI Monitor – Orion by Lux Optics is from the makers of the highly respected photo app Halide. There are no reviews yet, neither for UVC Capture – HDMI Monitor by Kenneth Kao, which claims to support the reference mode and recording up to 4K.

Recommendations

For professional use, a base model Mac mini M4 with a ViewSonic VP16-OLED will cost less than one thousand US$ (some more in Europe). Together with an UltraStudio Recorder 3G and CineMon it is a viable solution for monitoring on set. For semi-professional use with any camera that offers an output by HDMI, an iPad with USB-C can be a very useful solution. 

Even a cheap capture device can suffice for PAL, if you find one with the right electronics inside. The mid-level Acasis VC-003 is decent, even for log sources, but also small and light enough for an iPad. These avoid additional adapters and work really well with CineMon if you add your own correction LUT, which we’ll explain in our next article. Given the short lifespan of models from Chinese production, you may need to test a few samples with your specific camera, though. 

The post Hardware for CineMon (et. al.) first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.

We had a close look at the public beta, which should be close to general release.

Instruments and Features

CineMon is offering all the features you’d expect from a full featured monitor, like Grids, Center Mark, Safe Areas, Framing/Blanking, Flip/Flop/Rotate, anamorphic De-squeeze, Focus Peaking, and Zebras. All of these are highly configurable, e. g. separate Zebras can be freely adjusted for a lower and upper limit in different colors. De-Squeeze has not only all the usual ratios, but is also freely adjustable with a slider.

False Color allows the choice of a few versions from high-end cameras, but you can also define your own with unlimited flexibility. These can be saved in the program or exported, to be used by others with the same software. The same applies to complete presets for your own needs in CineMon, both of such settings are saved and read as .json files. Individual presets are indispensable in the light of such impressive flexibility of the toolset.

Dual Spot Meter

A unique feature is the dual spot meter in photometric EV values. This tool allows you to check middle grey at 0 EV or measure the contrast ratio of specific zones by placing a second spot. It works with gamma 2.4 (for Rec. 709) or with log profiles, which are pretty much complete for all manufacturers, from Arri to Sony. They are integrated and can be chosen directly in the software, while LUTs have to be imported first.

Another photometric tool based on log video input is an exposure slider. If you expose to the right (ETTR) to reduce noise, you can use this to see how your footage will look like when corrected in post. This is particularly useful with some hybrid cameras, like older Sonys, which force you into overexposure when shooting log (SLog2 in particular).

These image adjustments will also simulate changes to contrast or saturation. Of course you can also use LUTs. They should come as .cube files with 33 point lattices, and they can be used as input LUTs or as display LUTs. On the iPad, you can compare looks by swiping between your presets.

The built-in organizer allows renaming or rearranging presets in the list, which also applies to LUTs or false color versions. If a setting has been changed from the saved status, it’ll show in orange. The context menu will give you the option to revert, to save the new status or duplicate under a new name.

If needed for a busy scene with much detail, focus peaking can show edges only. Framing is optionally shown with dimmed look-around blanking areas. Overlaying a freeze from a live source or a loaded still supports precise placement of the camera or objects.

Or you choose a reference frame to match exposure, contrast, color, etc. with the camera settings for the current scene. The CineMon video scopes will process the mixed frame in this case. The difference mode, with a user-defined contrasting color, will immediately show if something has changed in a scene. This will help to spot a missing or misplaced object immediately.

Color Key Preview

Color key preview is not a full quality chroma keyer, but a real-time preview over a checkerboard or background still you have read in. It helps in spotting uneven lighting of the background color or adapting the foreground lighting to the planned environment. It’s even good enough to show problem areas to wardrobe or make-up artists. You can find a video showing all the tools here: cinemon.app

As you may have expected, CineMon has professional scopes, which can be placed and arranged freely, even with adjustable transparency as an overly to the live feed. They adapt to vertical video, but can also be switched to be shown fullscreen. You’ll find a histogram, waveform, and vectorscope with all the usual features and options. If compared with the scopes in DaVinci Resolve with the help of a video read in, they also look very precise. But, obviously, this raises the big question:

How precise is the incoming signal?

If you are using a MacBook, precision interfaces are coming from Blackmagic or from AJA, and they work as expected. But those from Blackmagic need Thunderbolt and don’t work with an iPad, and those from AJA may cost as much as the iPad itself. So, next we’ll look at alternative solutions.

The post CineMon 1.0 (Beta) for iPad and Mac first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.