Frequently asked questions
How do I install EMUL8 on my Mac?
After purchase, download the .zip file and unzip it. Then double click the installer to install.
Once installed, open Final Cut Pro and search for EMUL8 in the “Effects” panel under “CINEM8.” Drag and drop the "EMUL8 Look Development" preset onto your adjustment clip or drag the "Grading & Match" preset onto your single clips.
Please watch the Quick Start Guide before you start using EMUL8 to really understand its features and get the most out of it!
Which license do I need to buy?
If you’re an individual filmmaker, YouTuber, freelancer or part of a small production team with fewer than six people, choose the Creator License. Even if you earn money with your video production.
If your company, agency or studio has six or more employees, you’ll need the Business License.
Both licenses include lifetime updates and can be installed on all Macs you personally own.
Does EMUL8 work on older Intel Macs?
Yes, EMUL8 runs on Intel Macs as long as they support Final Cut Pro 11.1 or newer. However, performance may vary depending on your system’s GPU, CPU and available memory. Real-time playback with effects like Halation or Bloom may be slower on Intel machines.
For the best experience and optimal performance, we strongly recommend using an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, or M3) with at least 16GB of RAM.
Will EMUL8 work with DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro?
The current version is exclusive to Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Premiere Pro is not yet supported.
Can I use EMUL8 on more than one computer?
Yes. Your EMUL8 license is per user, not per device. You can install and activate EMUL8 on as many Macs as you personally own.
Which Final Cut Pro version do I need?
EMUL8 requires Final Cut Pro 11.1 or newer. It runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs using macOS Ventura or later.
For best performance you should use an Apple Silicon Mac (M1,M2,M3 etc.) with at least 16GB RAM.
Does EMUL8 work with any camera?
Yes. EMUL8 supports Log footage from most professional and consumer cameras, including Sony (S-Log3, S-Log2), Canon (C-Log3, C-Log2), Panasonic (V-Log), Nikon (N-Log), RED (Log3G10 / LogFilm), Fuji (F-Log) and DJI (D-Log). For non-Log cameras models, simply choose “Rec.709” as the camera profile.
Which color spaces does EMUL8 support?
EMUL8 has profiles for almost all cameras out there. If you work with HDR/HLG footage, your Final Cut Pro settings need to be set up correctly. Then, EMUL8 will work with this footage, too.
What if I’m mixing footage from different cameras?
Use EMUL8 Camera to match different cameras. It takes care of everything technical for you, making Sony, Canon, iPhone and basically any other cameras blend seamlessly in the same project.
Can I use EMUL8 with my iPhone Log footage?
Yes. Apple Log footage is fully supported (Apple Log & Apple Log 2).
Do you offer a trial version?
No, there’s no free trial.
We chose to not implement any licensing or activation so you can install EMUL8 on as many Macs you personally own. Not offering a demo version is the trade-off we needed to make.
However, you can request a non-commercial NFR license if you’re a reviewer, educator or want to test EMUL8 for professional evaluation as an affiliate partner!
Just contact us at info@cinem8.co or apply here as an affiliate!
Can I use my own LUTs with EMUL8?
Yes and no. EMUL8 is not designed to work with other creative LUTs as it depends on the exact colour science we used to build our looks.
However, if you want to use a custom LUT to transform your footage (for example the Phantom LUTs), you can do this. Just apply your personal transformation LUT using a custom LUT effect and then inside the Look Designer select "Rec709" in EMUL8 camera. Important: Your custom colour space transformation LUT needs to output Rec.709.
Release notes
Every update of EMUL8 will be listed here with details on what’s new or improved. Whenever a new version is released, all customers will automatically receive an email notification. Simply download the latest version and install it over your existing one to update EMUL8.
Released on 2026-02-03
- Changed the name of EMUL8 Checker to EMUL8 Check layer
- Added Look Preview HTML for previewing LUTs (Preview Film Looks.html)
- Minor clean-ups and improvements
🚀 New Features
Introducing three new modules
CHROMA
Adds realistic chromatic aberration to the edges of your frame.
BASIC
Improved clip level grading with controls for Exposure, Contrast, Balance and Light in one single module.
CHECKER
Get perfect white balance and skin tones instantly with the Neutrals Checker and the Skin Tone Checker.
Introducing Library Wide Color Management
EMUL8 Camera is now available directly inside Final Cut Pro’s Camera LUTs dropdown menu. This workflow replaces the EMUL8 camera module on each clip and is faster, easier and more reliable overall.
⚠️ Please see our updated tutorial if you work with mixed footage!
🛠️ Improved
Changes in Modules:
Grain
- Adjusted grain sizes in presets
- Chroma Defaults to 0 (better for Social Media delivery)
Halation
- Threshold fine tuned.
- Improved user interface for a smoother experience.
Bloom
- Default changed to 1/4 instead of 1/8
- Improved user interface for a smoother experience.
Look Designer
- Improved tool tip legibility
- Film Compression slider updated from a 0 to 100 range to a -100 to +100 range with a starting point at 0. The new starting point applies a subtle amount of film compression by default to improve highlight roll off. If you want to disable it completely, drag the slider to -100
Changes in Presets:
Clip Level Preset
- Basic module added
- Basic replaces the Color Inspector adjustments for Exposure, Contrast, Balance and Light.
Updated presets for EMUL8 x CMG and EMUL8 x EL.
Other Improvements
- Adds support for Creator Studio version of Final Cut Pro
- Unified version numbers of all modules to v2.0
- Installer now automatically cleans up old and unused EMUL8 files on your device
- Separate installers for Business and Creator licenses
- New higher resolution module icons
🛟 Fixed
Minor clean ups across the plugin
Released on 2025-10-28
Grain Module
- New Grain Process for even more realistic grain
- Performance improvements
- More natural grain texture and projection
- Better image splitting and recombination for control and aesthetics
- Fixes an issue where the grain size wouldn’t adapt when choosing a different preset
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New Film Looks
4 new Film Looks added (Aero, Anderson, Cinestill, Boho)
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Look Designer Module
Adjust the strength of your look with our new Intensity Slider in the developer section.
Added new Output section for color space transformation (always select Rec.709 to see your image properly).
The Contrast slider is now more expressive, giving you a wider range to push or pull contrast.
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Camera Module
Added Sony S-Cinetone profile
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Camera LUTs
Added dedicated S-Cinetone Camera LUTs for all looks
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Other fixes and improvements
Fixed an issue where the presets, looks and camera profiles wouldn’t show up in FCP after the installation
General performance improvements
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⤵ You can now download the latest version by logging into your account at www.cinem8.co.
Just install the new version over your current version. It will automatically replace EMUL8 1.0.0 inside Final Cut Pro.
Released on 2025-10-13
Our first version launched in October, 2025. EMUL8 1.0.0 is compatible with Final Cut Pro 11.1 or later.
⚠️ Known issues:
Performance loss when EMUL8 is applied within a multicam clip.