LookRecipe
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Product boundaries

Guidance, not auto-grade.

LookRecipe turns source, reference, and intent into a reviewable grading recipe. The operator stays responsible for judgment, manual application, and final acceptance.

See example recipeView pricing

Boundary model

source / reference / intent -> recipe

01
Source

truth of scene

subject, lighting, objects, protect conditions

02
Reference

mood only

palette, contrast, atmosphere, texture

03
Intent

operator brief

what to prioritize and where to stay restrained

04
Recipe

reviewable guidance

diagnosis, nodes, controls, protect, stop

Operating model

What the recipe is, and what it is not.

The core boundary stays simple: LookRecipe creates reviewable guidance, and the operator owns the grade.

What LookRecipe does

LookRecipe gives operators a practical recipe they can inspect before touching the grade.

  • Turns source still + optional reference + intent into an explainable grading recipe.
  • Gives diagnosis, node strategy, starting controls, protect conditions, stop conditions, warnings, and copy-friendly export.
  • Helps users make better grading decisions faster without hiding the reasoning.
  • Uses recipe language an operator can review, adapt, and apply manually in Resolve.

What LookRecipe does not do

The boundary is part of the operating model: guidance stays separate from final grade authority.

  • Does not auto-apply a grade.
  • Does not guarantee perfect reference match.
  • Does not copy reference objects into the source scene.
  • Does not replace human review.
  • Does not behave as a Resolve plugin in the current workflow.
  • Does not batch grade full videos in the current product.
  • Does not provide LUT/DRX/PowerGrade export unless that feature is actually implemented.
Read data handlingSee example recipe
Operating principles

Boundaries that keep the recipe useful.

These are not panic warnings. They are the operating rules that make a recipe legible and practical.

Source

Source still is the truth

The source still defines the scene, subject, objects, lighting, and protect conditions. The recipe should not import scene vocabulary from the reference.

Reference

Reference informs mood only

Reference can guide palette, contrast, atmosphere, warmth/coolness, texture, and overall direction. It should not drive node names, masks, qualifiers, protect conditions, or object-specific tasks.

Operator

Human review required

LookRecipe provides a starting recipe. Users must review in Resolve and adjust based on footage, lighting, monitoring, camera profile, and scene continuity.

Expectation

No perfect match guarantee

Even good references may differ in lighting, camera, lens, exposure, color management, and subject. The product communicates practical guidance, not guaranteed replication.

Still-based guidance

Know when the signal gets weaker.

A useful recipe still needs operator judgment, especially when the source or reference is a weak proxy for the footage.

Limits of still-based recipe guidance

A still can be a strong creative anchor, but it cannot stand in for every shot, setup, or monitoring condition.

  • A still does not represent every shot in a sequence.
  • Mixed lighting and camera changes may require per-shot trims.
  • If project color management is unclear, recipes may include assumptions.
  • Final grade decisions require human review.

When to trust the recipe less

The recipe remains useful, but these inputs should make an operator slow down and review more carefully.

  • Source still is heavily edited/exported.
  • Reference is from a very different lighting/camera situation.
  • Footage color management is unknown.
  • Faces/skin are underexposed or heavily stylized.
  • Scene has major lighting changes across the sequence.

Use the boundary as a workflow advantage.

Start from scene truth, borrow only reference mood, and review the recipe manually before treating it as production guidance.

See example recipeView pricingRead data handling

Product boundary

source truth / reference mood / human review

The recipe is a starting point. It gives structure, not final authority.