Nikon shooters are set to get an early Christmas present this year. The company has revealed that it is going to release a new Nikon | RED imaging recipe on December 10. You can use imaging recipes with Nikon’s Z50 II, Z5 II, Zf, Z6 III and the new ZR mirrorless cameras.
What has Nikon said?
Nikon added a brief post to its Imaging Cloud website earlier this month. It announced that a new Nikon | RED imaging recipe is set to be released on December 10 this year. So far, the company hasn’t revealed any details or sample images. However, Nikon said, “The fusion of RED and Nikon technology has created a unique and more attractive expression than ever before. We’ll give you unprecedented recipes that will unleash your power of expression.”
What are imaging recipes?
With Nikon imaging recipes, you can effectively color grade your images in-camera. Imaging recipes are custom camera settings that you can download for free. They adjust your camera’s picture settings, including contrast, highlight, shadow, white level, black level, and saturation. Some imaging recipes also alter the sharpening settings. As a result, you get different looks similar to using a LUT. You can create and save your own recipes.
In addition, Nikon has published a wide range of recipes from photographers, filmmakers and creators that you can download free of charge.
RED-inspired LUTs
Nikon released a set of LUTs for use with N-Log video footage created in conjunction with RED last year. The company said that the LUTs enable users to apply the essence of RED’s color science to Nikon’s mirrorless camera video workflows. Although LUTs aren’t the same as imaging recipes, they might give some hints about the looks the new imaging recipes will deliver. The RED-inspired LUTs included a low contrast monochrome as well as two warm color film looks and a bleach bypass option.
What we think
Since Nikon acquired RED back in March 2024, we have been watching to see what the partnership delivers. So far, there has been the set of LUTs and, two months ago, the launch of the Nikon ZR Cinema series camera. Now, with the imminent release of the Nikon | RED imaging recipe, Nikon shooters will have a RED-inspired look directly from their cameras. If you use a compatible Nikon mirrorless camera, you should mark December 10 in your calendar and download the recipe when it goes live.
Pricing and availability
Nikon has already created a placeholder on the recipes page of its Imaging Cloud website. The link is set to go live on December 10, 2025.
