Converting Cineon Files to Linear

When you import footage, the bit depth is initially set to the bit depth of the footage in the Output controls of the Footage operator. For Cineon files, you can make combustion automatically convert the files from logarithmic data to linear data and set the linear bit depth. You can leave the bit depth at 10 bits, or change it to 8 bit, 10 bit, 16 bit, or Float.

To automatically convert Cineon files to linear:

1. Choose File | Preferences, or press Ctrl+; (Window) or Command+; (Macintosh).
2. In the Footage category, click General.

The Footage preferences appear.

3. Enable Log to Linear Conversion.



4. Select a bit depth from the Conversion Depth list.
5. Click OK.

Now, if you import a Cineon image sequence, and look in the Output controls of the Footage operator, Use LUT is enabled, and the Depth list is set to the Conversion Depth in the preferences. If you show the LUT Editor controls, you see the conversion method is set to Log to Linear.

Since a LUT can be saved inside a Cineon file, the Log to Linear method uses the LUT that is in the file, if available.