Fujifilm F-Log2 color correction: F-Gamut to Rec.709 done right

Fuji shooters live in a strange spot: the film simulations are so good that many never touch log, and when they do, half the tutorials on F-Log2 quietly apply the wrong LUT. Here is the whole picture.

F-Log2 is two conversions, not one

Like every log format, F-Log2 flattens the sensor's dynamic range (13+ stops on the X-H2S) into a gradable file, so straight off the card it looks low-contrast. But Fujifilm also records in F-Gamut, a color space wider than Rec.709. A conversion that handles only the curve leaves colors sitting in the wrong primaries: skin leans green-gray, foliage goes dull, and pushing saturation to compensate breaks everything at once. The correct transform does both legs: F-Log2 curve to display gamma and F-Gamut to Rec.709 primaries.

F-Log vs F-Log2: not interchangeable

Older bodies record F-Log; the X-H2S generation added F-Log2 with a flatter curve and more highlight range. An F-Log LUT on F-Log2 footage (or the reverse) renders contrast and exposure visibly wrong, and it is the single most common F-Log2 complaint traced back to its cause. Check the recording profile in the clip metadata before you convert, especially on mixed-body shoots.

Expose generously, protect the shadows

F-Log2 places middle gray low, and Fuji's sensors reward generous exposure: many shooters run a stop over the meter and bring it down in the grade. Shadows that record near the noise floor stay noisy through any correction; log highlights usually have room to spare. Judge with the waveform or F-Log view assist, never the flat preview.

The correction order that works

1. White balance first, on a gray reference or the vectorscope, while the image is still flat.

2. Convert properly. In Resolve, a Color Space Transform node set to FujiFilm F-Gamut / F-Log2 in, Rec.709 / Gamma 2.4 out, does both legs. A downloaded "F-Log to Rec.709" LUT is the wrong transform for F-Log2; check what yours actually claims.

3. Set exposure with scopes. Bring your over-exposed footage down until skin sits around 60 to 70 IRE and nothing clips.

4. Match, then look. If a film simulation is the destination look, correct to neutral Rec.709 first and apply the look on top; simulating Fuji color on top of a half-converted image is how grades fall apart across a timeline.

Or let the boring half run itself

Everything above is measurement, not taste, which is why Basecut automates it: it detects F-Log2 per clip, applies the full conversion (curve and F-Gamut both), runs a closed-loop white balance and exposure pass, and hands per-clip grades to DaVinci Resolve, all locally on your machine. Culling and color are free on your own footage. See it on real footage.