Guide

What is Rec.709?

Updated November 6, 2026

Rec.709 (ITU-R Recommendation BT.709) is the common high-definition display color space for SDR video on the web, YouTube, social, and most broadcast HD delivery. Creative LUTs, including Filmsilk looks, are usually built for Rec.709 input, which is why a log clip looks wrong until you convert first.

What Rec.709 covers

• Color primaries and white point for HD television and common SDR delivery.
• A transfer curve (often called the Rec.709 / BT.1886-style gamma family in practice) so midtones look normal on a standard display.
• SDR, not HDR. HDR deliveries (PQ / HLG, Rec.2020 containers) are a different conversation; do not treat a Rec.709 creative LUT as an HDR grade.

Why creative LUTs care

A LUT is a fixed table. If the input is still log-flat, a look built for Rec.709 midtones will look muddy, gray, or oddly saturated. If you apply a log→Rec.709 conversion twice, the image goes harsh and neon. Matching the LUT to the footage is the whole game.

• Log footage → technical conversion to Rec.709 first (camera maker LUT or CST).
• Rec.709 footage → creative look next (Filmsilk Collection / Complete).
• Preview on your own still before you buy: free LUT previewer.

How to tell what you have

• Camera / NLE label: Apple Log, S-Log3, D-Log, V-Log, C-Log, and similar are log. Rec.709, BT.709, and many “Normal” / “Standard” profiles are already display-referred.
• Eyeball test: log looks flat and desaturated before a conversion; Rec.709 already has normal contrast on a regular monitor.
• Still unsure: read Log vs Rec.709: when to apply a LUT, then try the clip in the LUT previewer.

Where Filmsilk fits

Every Filmsilk look is a standard 3D .cube built for Rec.709 input, in 33-point with 65-point versions available. Convert log first, then load the look in Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut, CapCut, OBS, and other editors that accept .cube. App steps: How to use a LUT. Format notes: What is a .cube file?. Try every look on your own frame before you buy. The Collection is $29 one-time; Filmsilk Complete is $39 with Studio export.