Past excessive decision, video developments are shifting towards temper and emotional storytelling. Samsung Electronics debuted the Superior Skilled Video (APV) codec on Galaxy S26 Extremely, laying the groundwork for cellular video manufacturing whereas sustaining picture high quality and minimizing loss throughout modifying.
In response, Samsung requested a easy query — can anybody create Hollywood-style movies on a Galaxy cell phone? The reply is the Cinematic Look-Up Desk (Cine LUT) characteristic on the Galaxy S26 sequence. Whereas the APV codec gives the muse for cinema-quality video, Cine LUT brings a definite colour fashion to the footage.
Cine LUT makes professional-level colour grading — as soon as reserved for specialists — accessible to anybody. Samsung collaborated with inner groups and exterior specialists to convey the characteristic to life. The Cellular eXperience (MX) Enterprise led closing digital camera implementation, Samsung Analysis developed core video processing applied sciences and U5K Imageworks — a colorist studio behind globally acknowledged productions — helped form its visible aesthetic.
Following the introduction of the APV codec, which delivers a visually lossless stage of picture high quality, Samsung Newsroom spoke with three key builders behind Cine LUT — Sugon Baek of the Digicam Picture High quality R&D Group on the MX Enterprise, Bomi Kim of the Actuality Media Lab at Samsung Analysis and Taesik Eom, CEO of U5K Imageworks — to listen to the story of its creation.
▲ (From left) Taesik Eom, Bomi Kim and Sugon Baek
Q. What’s a LUT? What units Cine LUT on the Galaxy S26 sequence aside?
Baek: A LUT is actually a “map” that transforms one set of colours right into a desired look. Not like standard filters that merely overlay colour, Cine LUT reinterprets Samsung Log[1] footage to ship the depth and look {of professional} filmmaking.
Kim: It’s optimized for Log video. By leveraging its large gradation,[2] the characteristic exactly reconstructs colour and brightness to protect delicate tonal particulars usually misplaced with standard filters for richer, extra pure depth.
Q. What led to the event of Cine LUT?
Kim: Whereas Galaxy gadgets supported Log video for high-quality seize, colour grading remained difficult for customers. We aimed to make professional-looking outcomes accessible with out superior modifying abilities.
Baek: We wished to create an expertise that lets customers preview cinematic footage in the intervening time of seize, then apply a LUT and share the video with a single faucet within the Gallery.
▲ (From left) Bomi Kim of the Actuality Media Lab at Samsung Analysis and Sugon Baek of the Digicam Picture High quality R&D Group at MX Enterprise
Q. How did the collaboration with U5K Imageworks start? How was Cine LUT developed?
Eom: Our collaboration started two years in the past with Rec. 709 LUT advisory work for Samsung Log video, the place we refined sturdy colours into extra pure tones — an expertise that led to Cine LUT. For this undertaking, we developed a number of variations throughout three depth ranges — impartial, tender and powerful — and examined them in numerous scenes, in the end deciding on 4 core types.
Kim: Constructing on U5K’s colour course, we validated the ideas towards quantitative standards to make sure constant efficiency in numerous environments, refining them by testing till inventive intent and technical high quality aligned.
▲ Taesik Eom, CEO of U5K Imageworks
Q. What challenges did you face throughout improvement?
Kim: We wanted a big dataset to validate efficiency throughout numerous situations. Testing in real-world environments — from pure and indoor lighting to day and night time — and shut collaboration had been key to capturing the nuances of colour.
Baek: Sustaining constant, undistorted colour in numerous environments was difficult. By means of steady testing, we developed a LUT that balances subjective desire with goal high quality.
Q. What was the important thing consideration in creating appears optimized for cell phones?
Eom: Making certain dependable efficiency in real-world situations was key. Since lighting, publicity and white stability consistently differ, we targeted on creating appears that stay pure in any state of affairs.
Kim: High quality was our high precedence. We analyzed every body and validated efficiency utilizing instruments like colour charts, grey stability and vector scopes.
Q. Why had been these 4 types chosen for the Galaxy S26 sequence?
Baek: We analyzed the visible language of in style movie genres and recognized 4 consultant types. From the high-contrast Blockbuster to the recent Coming-of-age, heat Romance and moody Thriller, every colour palette was designed to present on a regular basis scenes an prompt cinematic look.
Q. Which Cine LUT types do you suggest for various conditions?
Eom: There’s no mounted reply — it will depend on the state of affairs. Blockbuster fits high-contrast environments like outside and concrete scenes; Coming-of-age suits tender, stylish settings like cafes or vlogs; Romance provides heat to character-driven scenes; and Thriller creates a extra placing impression.
Q. What stood out to you in person suggestions?
Baek: We anticipated it is likely to be seen as simply one other video impact, however the response exceeded expectations. Customers shortly acknowledged that combining Log taking pictures with Cine LUTs expands inventive potentialities past easy filters. We’re additionally seeing extra customers select types based mostly on the scene, with high-quality movies extensively shared on social media — and even inspiring new methods to create content material.
Q. What are your plans for the longer term?
Baek: We purpose to additional set up the Galaxy S26 sequence as a professional-grade digital camera. We hope to see extra content material that resonates with each creators and viewers and can proceed to set new requirements in video creation.
Kim: Because the world adjustments quickly, our objective is to establish next-generation applied sciences. By means of shut collaboration with enterprise divisions, we are going to work to convey them into merchandise and ship progressive experiences to customers world wide.
▲ Baek, Eom and Kim watch a video with Cine LUT utilized.
Born from shut collaboration, Cine LUT on the Galaxy S26 sequence transforms on a regular basis moments into cinematic visuals. Past its technical achievements, the characteristic marks an essential step towards making video creation extra accessible — reducing limitations as soon as reserved for professionals and enabling anybody to precise themselves.
Heesub Han, a industrial and documentary director, shot a sequence of quick movies on Galaxy S26 Extremely utilizing the APV codec and Samsung Log. Discover the movies under to find the probabilities of Cine LUT by the making-of and quick movies.
[1] A way that makes use of a logarithmic curve to broaden element in darker areas. Whereas digital camera sensors seize brightness uniformly, the human eye is extra delicate to adjustments in shadows. Log helps footage higher replicate pure notion.
[2] The smoothness and precision of tonal transitions in a picture — the way it shifts between gentle and darkish.