Same clip — before and after
The Cinematic Formula
A LUT enhances good footage — it cannot fix bad lighting, composition or exposure. Everything below follows this exact order.
01Lighting
Lighting creates the depth, contrast and atmosphere of your footage before editing even begins. For the strongest cinematic look, film during golden hour and position the sun in front of you or slightly to the side. A thin layer of clouds can look especially cinematic because it softens the sunlight while keeping the sky detailed and atmospheric.
Avoid: Harsh midday light, completely flat lighting and filming with the sun directly behind you. These conditions create a flat image with less depth that even strong color grading cannot fully fix.
02Camera Settings
Record in 4K, 30 FPS, D-Log M 10-bit and Ultra-Wide, with stabilization enabled. For 30 FPS footage, set the shutter speed to 1/60 to create natural motion blur. Use a fixed manual white balance and keep the ISO as low as possible, preferably never higher than ISO 800 to prevent visible noise and grain.
Use approximately ND8 during golden hour or late afternoon and ND16 in brighter afternoon light. Always adjust the ND filter to the current lighting conditions and check your exposure before recording.
Avoid: Automatic white balance, high ISO, disabled stabilization, an incorrect shutter speed or using the same ND filter in every lighting condition. If the original footage is noisy, heavily overexposed or lacks natural motion blur, the final result will never look completely clean.
03Composition
Look through corners and use curves, road markings, mountains, buildings, trees and other surroundings as natural leading lines. Intentional head movements make POV footage more dynamic, especially during wheelies, where changing your head position creates a much more interesting shot than simply leaning back and holding the same framing.
Nearby foreground elements create a stronger sensation of speed. Position the camera so the road, barriers, trees or other objects pass close to the edges of the frame. The increased motion blur and parallax make the footage feel significantly faster. (Always maintain a safe riding line and never sacrifice your safety margin for the shot.)
When filming another rider with an Ultra-Wide lens, use a close but controlled distance. Ultra-Wide makes everything appear much smaller and farther away, so a rider who is too far ahead will almost disappear inside the frame.
Avoid: Long, straight and empty horizons with nothing around them, just a flat road without mountains, buildings, trees or other foreground elements. These shots usually feel boring and make the speed appear much slower. Also avoid keeping the other rider too far away or using the exact same static head position throughout every clip.
04Basic Correction
Basic correction means adjusting each individual clip before applying the Creative LUT. Every clip was filmed under different lighting conditions, so there are no universal settings that work perfectly for everything.
If a clip is too dark, increase the exposure. If the dark areas look completely black and contain no visible detail, raise the shadows or blacks. Contrast can usually be increased to give the image more depth, and highlights can often be raised to create a brighter, more powerful look.
However, if the sky or sunlight is already overexposed, something that often happens when filming directly toward the sun, lower the highlights to recover as much detail as possible. Finally, adjust the temperature and tint until the white balance looks natural.
Avoid: Applying exactly the same correction settings to every clip or immediately adding the LUT without balancing the footage first. Always look at the individual clip and correct what that specific image needs.
05LUT
The Creative LUT is applied after the basic correction, never before. It sets the final look and the color character of the image, but it can only work with the image you give it. A clean, balanced clip takes the LUT beautifully. An unbalanced one just gets a strong look layered on top of a broken image.
Apply the LUT at full strength first to see what it actually does, then pull the intensity back to around 80%. From there make small corrections only: a touch of exposure if the LUT lifted or crushed the image, a little contrast for depth. Use the same LUT across every clip of one reel so the edit feels like a single piece.
Avoid: Applying the LUT before the basic correction, running it at 100% on every clip, stacking several Creative LUTs on top of each other, or switching looks between clips in the same reel. If you find yourself fighting the LUT with heavy corrections, the problem is almost always the basic correction underneath.
06Final Polish
Final polish is everything after the look is set: the last small adjustments, the export and the optional quality pass. Watch the reel one more time from start to finish and check that brightness stays consistent across the cuts, that no single clip jumps out and that there is no color shift between shots.
Export with the included presets in Premiere Pro, or with H.264 at 20 Mbps via Quick Export in DaVinci Resolve. If you want maximum sharpness and detail, run the exported file through Topaz AI afterwards. This step is optional and your reel is already finished without it. Upload with the original quality settings enabled and let the platform finish processing before you post.
Avoid: Over-sharpening, adding heavy effects or grain at the very end, and exporting at a low bitrate. Instagram and TikTok compress your video again on upload, so anything that is already soft or noisy will only look worse after their encoding.
Everything starts here. If your setup and your riding are right, the footage already looks strong straight out of camera — and the grading later takes minutes instead of hours.
1.1 — My Complete POV Setup
This is my exact setup — mount, angle, camera settings, ND filter and microphone. Copy it 1:1 and your footage is already 80% there.
1. Camera Position & Angle
• Position on the helmet: chin mount — the best and most natural POV angle.
• Camera angle: slightly tilted down towards the front wheel, so bike and road are both in frame.
• Any stable chin mount works. Stability beats everything — a loose mount ruins the clip.
2. Action Camera Settings
• Resolution: 4K 16:9
• Frame rate: 30 fps
• Shutter: 1/60
• ISO: 100–800
• White balance: Auto
• Stabilization: RockSteady
• Lens: Ultra Wide
• Color profile: D-Log M (flat profile) — needs a conversion LUT to recover!
3. ND Filters
ND filters are a must have. Without them your footage becomes too bright and forces a high shutter speed. ND filters allow you to:
• Keep proper shutter speed
• Maintain natural motion blur
• Avoid overexposed footage
Recommended: ND8–ND32 — depending on light.
4. Microphone & Placement
Mic placement is really important. Place it where it captures the engine clearly but is protected from direct wind. I place it under my backseat, covered in deadcats.
After connecting the mic to your action cam, set audio gain to -12 and noise reduction to max to avoid clipping.
1.2 — Lighting & Location: What Makes Footage Cinematic
Before any grading happens, two things decide how cinematic your clip looks: when you ride and where you ride. In this video I show direct before/after comparisons — same bike, same settings, completely different result.
1. Time of Day: Midday Sun vs Evening Sun
• Midday sun: harsh, straight from above. Hard shadows under the bike, blown-out highlights on the road, flat and lifeless colors. No LUT can fix this.
• Evening sun (golden hour): low and soft. Long shadows, warm highlights on the tank and helmet, natural depth in the image. This is where cinematic starts.
Rule: the lower the sun, the more cinematic the shot.
2. Sun Direction: Behind You vs In Your Face
• Sun in your back: the road is evenly lit but flat. Everything looks correct — and boring. Your own shadow often ends up in frame.
• Sun in front (filming against the sun): you get flares, glowing highlights on the road, rim light on the bike and real separation between subject and background. This is the single biggest difference.
Always film against the sun. This is very important for cinematic footage.
3. Location: Great Spot vs Boring Straight Road
• Boring: a straight road with no curves, no horizon, nothing moving through the frame. Nothing happens — the viewer scrolls away.
• Cinematic: curves, elevation, open roads, mountains or trees passing through frame, a clean background without traffic and signs.
It's about dynamic footage — not speed.
1.3 — How I Capture Cinematic POV
With a chin mount your head is the camera operator. How you move it decides whether the clip feels cinematic or like a shaky helmet cam.
1. Head Position in Wheelies & Corners
• High head position: you look down onto the bike from above. The horizon sits high, the frame feels static and small — it looks like a normal ride.
• Low head position: chin down, closer to the tank. The road rushes past right under the lens, the horizon opens up and the bike fills the frame.
• In corners: look through the corner, not at the front wheel. The camera follows your eyes — that's what creates the lean and the flow.
• In wheelies: keep the head steady and let the bike come up into frame instead of tilting your head back with it.
2. Speed Is a Camera Setting
The lower your head sits to the ground, the faster everything looks. Same speed, completely different feeling — because the road passes closer to the lens.
You don't need to ride faster. You need to sit lower.
3. Smooth vs Abrupt Head Movements
• Abrupt: fast head turns, looking around, checking mirrors. Stabilization can't save it — the clip is unusable.
• Smooth: slow, deliberate movements. Move the head like a camera on a gimbal — start slow, end slow.
Decide before the clip where you want to look. Then hold it.
The fastest possible start: install the LUTs, apply them, set the intensity. If you only have five minutes, this is the chapter you need.
2.1 — Installing and Using the LUTs
1. Install in Premiere Pro
Place the LUT files (.cube, included in the pack) into your Premiere Pro LUT folder, then restart Premiere Pro.
Your LUTs will now be available under:
Lumetri Color → Creative → Look
2. Install in DaVinci Resolve
Open the Color page, right-click in the LUT browser and choose Open File Location. Copy the .cube files into that folder, then hit Refresh.
Your LUTs will now be available under:
Color Page → LUTs → your folder
3. Sequence & Project Settings
Make sure your timeline matches your footage.
• Resolution: same as your clips (4K recommended)
• Frame rate: same as footage (30 fps)
4. Apply & Set Intensity
Select the clip in your timeline, apply the LUT, then dial in the strength.
Start at 100%, then pull it back to around 80%. The LUT should support the image — not take it over.
Remember the formula: the LUT is step 05. Do your basic correction first (Chapter 3), otherwise the LUT has nothing clean to work with.
This is where your footage gets its final look. With a few targeted steps, flat D-Log M material becomes a clean, cinematic image. Stick to this exact workflow.
3.1 — Complete Premiere Pro Color Grading
1. Basic Correction
Before applying the LUT, fix your base image.
Go to:
Lumetri Color → Basic Correction
• Exposure → balance overall brightness
• Highlights → get some highlights in
• Shadows → lower for darker shadows
• Contrast → add depth
Goal: a clean, balanced base image before applying the LUT.
2. Apply Your LUT
Go to:
Lumetri Color → Creative → Look
Select your LUT from the list.
3. Fine Adjustments
After applying the LUT, fine-tune the image. Adjust:
• Intensity (LUT strength)
• Exposure (if needed)
• Contrast (for more depth)
Keep it clean. Don't over-edit — the LUT does most of the work.
3.2 — Complete DaVinci Resolve Color Grading
1. Create Your Node Setup
Select your clip and go to the Color Tab.
Create 2 Nodes and connect them.
• Node 1 → Basic Correction
• Node 2 → LUT Application
This keeps the workflow clean and simple.
2. Basic Correction
Before applying the LUT, fix your base image.
Adjust:
• Exposure → balance overall brightness
• Highlights → recover bright areas
• Shadows → adjust darker areas
• Contrast → add more depth
Important:
Basic correction changes from clip to clip. Every lighting situation is different, so always adjust accordingly.
Goal: a clean and balanced image before applying the LUT.
3. Apply Your LUT
Select the second node and apply your LUT.
The "DOOM" LUT works especially well with:
• Cold Tone
• High Contrast
• Strong Highlights
Keep it simple — the LUT does most of the work.
4. Final Adjustments
After applying the LUT, make small adjustments if needed:
• Exposure
• Contrast
• LUT intensity
Do not over-edit the footage, and maybe put the LUT at 80% intensity.
4.1 — From Raw Footage to Final Cinematic Reel
One video, start to finish: raw clips off the SD card to the finished reel live on Instagram. No cuts, no skipped steps — exactly how I do it every single time.
1. Import Your Footage
Pull everything off the card into one project folder and import it. Keep the raw files untouched — never edit directly on the SD card.
2. Select the Good Moments
Watch everything once and mark only the strong moments: clean corners, good light, a wheelie that actually landed. Be brutal here.
A 15 second reel needs maybe 8 clips. Everything else is noise.
3. Set Your Music
Drop the track in first, before you cut anything. The music sets the pace of the whole reel — not the other way around.
4. Cut to the Beat
Mark the beats on your audio track and place every cut on a marker. This one step is what makes an edit feel professional.
5. Basic Correction
Balance exposure, highlights, shadows and contrast on every clip — see Chapter 3. Every clip is different.
6. Apply the LUT
Now the look goes on. Around 80% intensity, consistent across all clips so the reel feels like one piece.
7. Export
Export with the settings from Chapter 5.
8. Topaz AI
Optional last step for extra sharpness and detail — see Chapter 5.3.
9. Upload to Instagram
Upload the final file, keep the original quality settings on, and let it process before you post.
5.1 — Best Export Settings for Instagram + TikTok / Premiere Pro
Once your edit is finished, export your video using the included presets.
Go to Export and simply select the preset from the pack. No need to manually adjust anything.
Select the preset, export — done.
5.2 — Best Export Settings for Instagram + TikTok / DaVinci Resolve
Once your edit is finished, export your video using these simple settings.
Go to the Quick Export tab.
Select:
• Format: H.264
• Bitrate: Lock to 20 Mbps
That's it. Simple export settings already give excellent quality for Instagram and TikTok uploads.
5.3 — Topaz AI: Optional Quality Enhancement
This is where you push your footage to the next level. Completely optional — your reel is already finished without it.
Topaz AI allows you to increase sharpness, detail and overall image quality. Use this step after editing and exporting your video.
Upscale
Export your video from Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve and import it into Topaz AI.
Apply the settings from this guide.
Done.
6.1 — Cinematic Story Workflow
This chapter is being filmed right now and will be added here.
As a Mastery owner you get every new chapter automatically — no extra cost, nothing to do. Just come back to this page.