As video trends shift towards emotional storytelling, Samsung Electronics has introduced the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, setting the stage for high-quality mobile video production. This innovation raises the question: Can anyone create Hollywood-style videos using a Galaxy smartphone? The answer lies in the Cinematic Look-Up Table (Cine LUT) feature, which adds a unique color style to footage.
Cine LUT democratizes professional color grading, making it accessible to all users. Developed through collaboration between Samsung’s Mobile eXperience Business, Samsung Research, and U5K Imageworks, the feature transforms Samsung Log1 footage into cinematic visuals with professional depth and style. The APV codec ensures visually lossless image quality, while Cine LUT allows users to preview and apply cinematic styles effortlessly.
The development of Cine LUT was driven by the need to simplify color grading for users capturing high-quality Log video on Galaxy devices. The collaboration with U5K Imageworks began with advisory work on Rec. 709 LUTs and evolved into creating multiple versions of Cine LUT across various intensity levels. The result is four core styles—Blockbuster, Coming-of-age, Romance, and Thriller—each designed to enhance different types of scenes.
During development, challenges included maintaining consistent color performance across diverse environments and ensuring the LUTs remained natural under varying lighting conditions. The team focused on creating reliable looks for real-world use, validated through extensive testing.
The chosen styles reflect popular film genres, offering users cinematic options for various scenarios. User feedback has been positive, with many recognizing the creative potential of combining Log shooting with Cine LUTs. Looking ahead, Samsung aims to further establish the Galaxy S26 series as a professional-grade camera system and continues to explore next-generation technologies for video creation.
Cine LUT on the Galaxy S26 series exemplifies how collaboration can make video creation more accessible, enabling users to transform everyday moments into cinematic experiences.
