How to Use Curves in Final Cut Pro to Enhance Sony SLOG2, SLOG3 & Cine4 Footage


If you shoot with a Sony camera using SLOG2, SLOG3, or Cine4 picture profiles, you already have footage with great dynamic range and flexibility. However, to fully unlock the potential of your footage, mastering curves in Final Cut Prois essential.

Curves allow precise control over brightness, contrast, and color. When used correctly, curves can enhance your footage by recovering details in highlights and shadows while improving color accuracy.

In this post, you will learn the most effective tips for using curves in Final Cut Pro to enhance your Sony footage. For a detailed walkthrough, watch the full tutorial here: Using Curves in Final Cut Pro.

1. Start With a Neutral Base

Before adjusting curves, apply a basic LUT or perform a primary color correction to normalize your log footage. This ensures you work with an image that reflects accurate exposure and color, making curve adjustments more effective.

2. Use the RGB Parade to Analyze Colors

The RGB Parade scope in Final Cut Pro is a valuable tool for analyzing your footage’s color channels. Use it to identify color imbalances or clipping in shadows and highlights before you begin curve adjustments.

3. Create an “S” Curve to Enhance Contrast

Adding a subtle “S” curve on the luma channel boosts contrast naturally:

  • Lower the shadows slightly

  • Raise the highlights moderately

This increases depth in your image without losing important detail.

4. Adjust Specific Colors with Hue Curves

Hue curves allow you to fine-tune saturation and luminance of individual color ranges. For example, you can enhance skin tones or reduce unwanted color casts without affecting the rest of the image.

5. Use Curves to Recover Highlights and Shadows

Curves provide delicate control over highlight recovery and shadow lifting. This is especially important with SLOG footage, which often retains hidden detail that can be revealed through careful grading.

Why Curves Matter for Sony SLOG2, SLOG3, and Cine4 Footage

Sony’s log and cine profiles maximize dynamic range but require precise color correction to reach their full potential. Final Cut Pro’s curves tool offers intuitive control that helps you achieve a polished, cinematic look efficiently.

Watch the Full Tutorial

This post covers the basics, but to see these techniques applied step-by-step on actual Sony SLOG2, SLOG3, and Cine4 footage, watch our full tutorial here: Using Curves in Final Cut Pro.

Final Thoughts

Mastering curves in Final Cut Pro will transform your grading workflow and elevate your Sony footage. Whether you’re working with SLOG2, SLOG3, or Cine4, curves give you the precision needed to achieve stunning, professional results.