# Cinematography Lookbook > Soleil Clusters is a cinematography lookbook on a shared canvas: collect film frames and lighting references by scene, note lens and light beside each, check values in black and white, and sample palettes. The director, gaffer and colourist work in the same board live, and a view-only link shows it to anyone without an account. _Source: https://clusters.soleilpictures.com/tools/cinematography-lookbook · Updated 2026-10-02_ Collect the frames, light and lensing you are after, check them in black and white, and keep the director, gaffer and colourist on the same board. ## Frames, light and lens on one board A lookbook is an argument about how the film will look, made with other people’s pictures. In Clusters each look gets a cluster, and inside it the frames that define it sit beside the notes that make it repeatable — lens, height, source, diffusion. Reference clips play on the board as video cards, so movement and camera behaviour live in the same place as the stills. - A cluster per scene or look - Lens and lighting notes beside each frame - Reference clips as playable video cards ## Check values, not just vibes Flip any reference to black and white to read where its values actually sit, and nudge warmth, contrast and saturation to compare it with your tests. The adjustments are non-destructive, so the original frame is always one click away. Sample swatches off any frame with the eyedropper to hand the colourist a concrete starting point. - Black and white for reading values - Warmth, contrast and saturation, non-destructively - Swatches sampled off any frame ## Director, gaffer and colourist on the same page A lookbook only helps if the people executing it see the same thing. Invite the gaffer, the key grip and the colourist as editors — free on every plan — and they work in the board live. The director comments on the exact frame, and a vote card beside each settles “this one or that one” before the tech scout instead of during it. ## From lookbook to shot list Keep the shot list in a document beside the frames — a table of shot, lens and movement — and the storyboard sequences in a grid in the same project. The look, the frames and the plan stay linked instead of living in three apps. ## What it does not do Clusters is not a shot-design or previs tool — there is no 3D camera simulation or lens calculator — and it does not manage camera reports. Use it for the look and the agreement on it; use your previs and reporting tools for the rest. ## How a DP builds one 1. **A cluster per scene or look** — Night exteriors, the apartment, the flashback — each look gets its own cluster. 2. **Collect the frames** — Film stills, photographs and your own tests — select them all in the folder and drag them in together; reference clips as video cards. 3. **Read the light** — Flip any frame to black and white to read its values; nudge warmth and contrast to compare against your tests. 4. **Note lens and setup** — A note or caption beside each frame: focal length, stop, height, source, diffusion. 5. **Bring in the team** — The gaffer and the colourist edit free; the director comments on the exact frame. ## What it costs Start free. Pay when you outgrow it. **Free — $0 forever** - **50 cards** to build with - No separate limit on clusters — each one counts as one of your cards - Free collaboration — invite editors to any cluster **Creator — $25/mo, or $20/mo billed annually** - Unlimited cards - Any file type - No size limits, on a 100GB drive One Creator plan covers the whole workspace — everyone you invite builds at your limits, and there are no per-seat charges. Compare the plans side by side: https://clusters.soleilpictures.com/pricing ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a cinematography lookbook? A collection of reference images — film frames, photographs, tests — that defines how a film will look: light, contrast, colour, lensing and movement, organised by scene or look, with notes on how to achieve each. ### How do I make a DP lookbook? Make a cluster per scene or look, drop in the defining frames, note lens and lighting beside each, check values in black and white, and share it with the director and the team. The steps above walk through it. ### Can I put reference clips in it? Yes. Video cards play on the board beside the stills. The free plan caps each clip’s size and length; Creator lifts that. ### Can the colourist see it without an account? Yes, through a view-only link that opens in any browser and can expire after 7 or 30 days. To comment, invite them — free on every plan. ### Is it free? Free for 50 cards — each cluster counts as one — with free editors. A full lookbook can outgrow that; Creator removes the cap for the whole workspace. See “What it costs” on this page.