Composite supports the American Society of Cinematographers' Color Decision List (ASC CDL). The ASC CDL was developed by the American Society of Cinematographers in a unique collaboration between manufacturers, cinematographers, and colorists. The ASC CDL was developed to ensure that basic color grading adjustments can be shared amongst different manufacturer's systems, from on-set through post-production.
The American Society of Cinematographers CDL color specification defines a common language for primary color correction. A CDL is expressed by nine numbers (three RGBtriplets) representing predefined color functions: offset, slope, and power. The ASC has defined a number of formats in which a CDL may be carried. Composite supports the form where a single set of CDL parameters is stored in an XML file. If you are working on a project in which the cinematographer is making use of CDLs, you can use the 3D LUT tool as a display modifier to preview your work in the context of the cinematographer's intended look—see Applying a LUT or Color Conversion Tool to the Player.
Within the3D LUT tool, the CDL is applied after the (optional) linear to log conversion but before the 3D LUT. Note that you may use the CDL even if you don't select a 3D LUT (and vice-versa).
The ASC CDL defines the color grading metadata, but it does not specify the color management that should be used with it. In order to get the best results, you should check with the provider of the CDLs to understand what color management was being used when they were created. Currently, most CDLs are used in the context of log images being previewed through a print-film simulation transform. If a custom 3D LUT is not provided to you, one of the 3D LUTs from the Lustre Color collection may get you close.
(a) CDL Browser button
