Philadelphia Filmmaker and Podcast Producer
Today marks a pivotal moment in the history of Arch Pro: It's (self-imposed) LAUNCH DAY!
Introducing https://archpro.studio
As you're no doubt aware, I've been a ride-or-die fan of Blackmagic cameras since 2020 when I first developed Arch Pro LUTs specifically for them. Back then, the LUTs were made as a way to deliver the best possible color to livestream viewers for local orchestral and theatrical productions. I can't quite remember why everyone was staying indoors around that time, but I'm sure it was no big deal.
The idea to bring the very same color magic to other camera brands and LOG profiles began developing (pun very much intended). However, I realized that this would be a pretty heavy lift. At minimum, it required me to at least have access to every camera I wanted to include, set up a color checker chart, expose properly for the various LOG profiles of each camera, and then somehow bring it all together.
As video professionals, we all know each camera manufacturer's color science has its unique... let's call it "charm". Sony goes for technical precision, Canon is all about those captivating skin tones, and Blackmagic delivers jaw-dropping detail. So, I set out on a mission to blend the very best elements from each into one package.
Imagine a montage: Me with 25 different cameras from June through August, color charts galore, countless hours in DaVinci Resolve, gallons of coffee consumed, and many late nights
Let's be clear—I'm not a professional colorist but as many of you know: it's often part of the gig. I also don't think you need to be a colorist to appreciate good color. Gorgeous skin tones, seamless highlights, and vibrant colors are things we all appreciate, whether we're in the editing chair or watching content on streaming or in the theater.
Nowadays, my work is evenly split between editing my own shoots and editing footage from various sources. Until now, getting them to match was an uphill battle and so I built Arch Pro as a solution that can be used on any system quickly and easily. Whether you're editing in Resolve or LumaFusion, LUTs work everywhere. Are they dumb? Yes. But as long as you have the camera and LOG profile, you can get a 90% match in a snap. This frees you—and your clients—to focus on what truly matters: making the content shine instead of dealing with color discrepancies.
The truth is I could've spent another year fine-tuning Arch Pro, but I chose a random Monday in September to set it free. "Perfect is the enemy of done." was my guiding mantra for this project, especially as days became weeks and weeks became months. To those who invested in Arch Pro LUTs when they were exclusive to Blackmagic (keep an eye on your inbox for a surprise!), I'm truly grateful. For everyone else who stumbles upon this, please consider purchasing or sharing within your video groups. Every single editor or one-man-band will love having the extra time to not have to worry about how they're going to color match the C70 to the R5 C (or whatever other camera footage comes sliding into your inbox).