Perovskite La-Ti-O-N thin films have been grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering from a LaTiO2N target. With a very low base pressure in the deposition chamber, two types of films can be obtained: colored oxynitride LaTiO2N films when nitrogen gas is introduced during sputtering or black N-doped LaTiO3 films when deposition is performed in pure argon. On SrTiO3 (0 0 1) substrate heated at 750 degrees C, LaTiO2N films are epitaxially grown, while N:LaTiO3 films are poorly crystallized. With a higher base pressure in the deposition chamber, transparent La2Ti2O7 films are produced. They are (0 1 2) textured on (0 0 1) SrTiO3 substrate. As observed during the reactive sputtering of metallic targets, the evolution of the deposition rate and the nitrogen content in films according to the N-2 percentage in the plasma is abrupt. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.