LOOK / LAB / PRINT
DCTLS
MONO
LOOK
MONO
LAB
MONO
LOOK
DCTL
The MONO-LOOK DCTLs are inspired by the classic aesthetics of Kodak and Fuji film. This pack includes three carefully designed negative film emulations, each capturing the unique color characteristics of analog film.
My goal in developing this tool was to closely replicate the essence of film without being rigidly bound by it. I focused on recreating film’s most appealing characteristics while maintaining flexibility, allowing users to refine and shape the look further during grading. Each look is built on a foundation of 40 finely tuned parameters.
While the MONO-LOOK DCTLs are designed to work without extensive adjustments, they include a single “Skin Bias” slider. This allows for subtle fine-tuning of skin tones, shifting them slightly toward magenta or green based on user preference.
The checkboxes (Monroe, ARRI LogC3, MONONODES) are purely labels for reference—they have no effect on the image or grading process.
MONROE
MONO-LOOK MONROE is inspired by the distinctive character of classic film. The name Monroe comes from a district in Rochester, New York, home to Kodak’s headquarters.
NAGANO
MONO-LOOK NAGANO takes its name from a region in Japan known for its natural beauty and traditions. It is located near Tokyo, where Fuji’s headquarters is in Akasaka, Minato.
RIDGEFIELD
MONO-LOOK RIDGEFIELD is inspired by the scenic surroundings of Rochester, home to Kodak’s headquarters.
LAB
DCTL
The “MONOLAB DCTL” allows users to precisely fine-tune the look of their footage, providing detailed control over color grading for a more refined and personalized visual aesthetic.
The Exposure slider functions identically to the Exposure control in the HDR grading wheels.
The “LAB” DCTL is currently available not only for ARRI Alexa LogC3, but also for DaVinci Wide Gamut Intermediate (DWG).
FILMIC CONTRAST
Contrast & Pivot
These work in tandem to shift tones around a chosen anchor, letting you intensify or soften the overall image balance.
Shadows & Shadow Range
These sliders refine darker areas without losing important detail, offering nuanced control over the low end.
Black Point
Sets the darkest threshold, allowing you to anchor deep blacks or introduce a subtle lift.
Highlights
Manages how bright details roll off at the top, preventing overly harsh transitions into white.
Tone Compression
This process selectively reduces contrast in the brightest areas, smoothly rolling off highlights without clipping or flattening the image. The pivot value ensures midtones remain stable, allowing only the upper range to be compressed into a softer, more filmic curve.
SUBTRACTIVE
SATURATION
& DENSITY
Subtractive Sat
This tool adjusts hue values through subtractive color adjustments.
Deep Sat
Excludes the brightest portions of the image from the subtractive saturation effect.
RGBCMY Density
Individually adjust the brightness of Red, Green, Blue, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow, allowing you to lighten or darken specific hues with fine control.
Deep Density
Limits the impact of the density sliders on highlights, allowing you to focus density adjustments primarily on midtones and darker regions without affecting brighter details.
DESAT HIGHLIGHTS
In negative film processing, highlights can exhibit a unique quality where intense light results in lower saturation, a feature that digital sensors don’t naturally replicate. This quality contributes to what many describe as a “filmic” look, which is often sought after in digital color grading to emulate the aesthetic qualities of traditional film. The Desat Highlights Slider is designed to mimic this aspect of film behavior, allowing digital footage to achieve a similar aesthetic quality. By desaturating highlights, it helps in creating an image that resonates with the soft, natural feel typical of film imagery.
TWO STRIP
The Two-Strip Technicolor process was an early color film technique that used red and green filters to create its signature look. Our Two-Strip slider lets you apply this effect to your digital films, adjusting the intensity of those classic tones for an authentic vintage feel.
BLEACH BYPASS
Bleach Bypass is a film processing method that skips the bleaching step, leaving silver in the emulsion. This reduces color saturation while boosting contrast, creating a gritty, high-impact look often used for dramatic effect.
DCTL
This DCTL links to the original LUTs provided for free in DaVinci Resolve but gives you more control. It allows you to separate the LUT into Color and Luminosity components.
LUTs often slightly lift the black point, and this DCTL lets you adjust the black level—bringing it down for deeper blacks or raising it for a softer look. The Shadow slider, along with individual Red, Green, and Blue shadow controls, allows you to neutralize any color shifts in the shadows caused by the LUT or introduce a subtle tint if desired.
COLOR
This setting affects only the image’s colors, adjusting hues, saturation, and color balance without influencing brightness or contrast.
COLOR & LUMINOSITY
Setting both the Color and Luminosity sliders to 100% applies the LUT in its entirety, without separating its components.
LUMINOSITY
This setting impacts the image’s brightness and contrast, adjusting lightness and darkness without altering colors.
LOOK DEVELOPMENT
The DCTLs provide a fast and flexible approach to look development, making it easy to create a wide range of aesthetic styles. Whether you’re aiming for soft, low-contrast, vibrant visuals or a harsher, bleach-bypass-inspired look, these tools allow for quick experimentation and efficient workflow.
NODE TREE
WORKFLOW
The LOOKS are designed specifically for ARRI Alexa LogC3. If you’re working with a different camera, use a Color Space Transform (CST) to convert your camera’s Log space to ARRI Alexa LogC3 before applying a LOOK.
Workflow Overview
- Apply a LOOK: Designed for ARRI Alexa LogC3 footage.
- Refine with LAB: Use LAB-ARRI-LogC3.
- Transform from ARRI LogC3 to Rec.709 / Cineon Film Log using a CST.
- Apply PRINT: The final step to achieve a high-quality film print look.
You can introduce additional grading between the LAB and PRINT stages for fine-tuning. These steps are guidelines—feel free to adapt and experiment!
NODE TREE / Using “LAB DWG”
1. Node: CST – Convert your camera’s Log to ARRI LogC3
2. Node: Apply a LOOK designed for ARRI LogC3
3. Node: CST – Convert from ARRI LogC3 to DWG
4. Node: LAB-DWG – Apply LAB adjustments in DWG space
5. Node: CST – Convert from DWG to Rec.709 / Cineon Film Log
6. Node: PRINT.dctl – Final print film look
NODE TREE / Not Using Any LOOK
1. Node: CST – Convert your camera’s Log to DWG
2. Node: LAB-DWG.dctl – Apply LAB adjustment
3. Node: CST – Convert from DWG to Rec.709 / Cineon Film Log
4. Node: PRINT.dctl – Final print film look
This pack is fully compatible with other DCTL packs from MONONODES,
including Color Shift, Hue Twist, RGB Crosstalk, and RGB Split Tone.
VIDEO
YouTube: https://youtu.be/DOgziUrwgbY
FREE DEMO VERSION
ko-fi.com / 500 KB
This version includes a watermark, displayed as a grid
of black plus signs on the image. The demo version is perfect
for users who want to explore the software’s features
and functionalities before making a purchase.
INSTALL GUIDELINES
PDF / 340 KB
Copy the MONO-LPP folder directly into your LUT folder
(e.g., /LUT/MONO-LPP). Do not nest it inside extra subfolders
(like /LUT/Mononodes/MONO-LPP). If it’s placed incorrectly,
PRINT.dctle will not work.
LOOK / LAB / PRINT
FULL VERSION
One-time payment.
No subscription.
Free updates.
Format: Encrypted DCTL
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€ 249,00incl. 19% VAT