What is a LUT? A Complete Guide to Understanding Look-Up Tables in Video Editing and Photography

How Does a LUT Work?

1. Color Space Translation: LUTs help adjust footage shot in different color spaces like LOG, RAW, or Rec. 709 to ensure consistency across different devices and software. (Read more about the difference between RAW, LOG, and Rec. 709 here).
2. Preset Color Grading: Applying a LUT instantly gives footage a specific mood or style, such as a cinematic look, vintage film style, or high-contrast aesthetic.
3. Efficiency in Post-Production: Instead of manually adjusting each frame’s color settings, LUTs provide a one-click solution for color grading, saving time and ensuring consistency.

For example, a filmmaker may use a Rec. 709 LUT to convert LOG footage into a standard HD color profile. This process enhances contrast and saturation, bringing the footage closer to its final look before finer adjustments are made.

Types of LUTs and Their Uses

1. Calibration LUTs – Used to calibrate monitors and ensure accurate color representation across devices.
2. Transform LUTs – Convert footage from one color space to another, such as LOG to Rec. 709 for proper color correction.
3. Creative LUTs – Apply unique color styles, such as Kodak film emulation, cinematic tones, or iPhone LUTs for mobile video editing.

Each LUT type plays a key role in streamlining the color grading process and enhancing the final visual output, whether for a film, a YouTube video, or a social media post.

1D LUTs vs. 3D LUTs: Technical Differences

Beyond the purpose-based categories above, LUTs also differ in their technical format, and understanding this distinction is essential for choosing the right LUT for your project.

1D LUTs operate on a single axis: they can only adjust luminance (brightness) values. When a 1D LUT is applied, it changes the tonal value of each color channel independently, but it cannot create cross-channel interactions. This means a 1D LUT can make reds brighter or blues darker, but it cannot shift a red toward orange or push a blue into teal. The result is a flatter, more limited color alteration that works well for simple brightness and contrast corrections but falls short for complex creative grading.

3D LUTs use a three-dimensional color cube where each axis represents one of the RGB channels. Instead of adjusting each channel in isolation, a 3D LUT repositions a color’s coordinates within this cube, allowing it to manipulate all three channels simultaneously. This means a 3D LUT can shift hues, adjust saturation, and modify luminance all at once, producing far more accurate and realistic color transformations.

A key measurement for 3D LUTs is the grid size, which defines how many sample points exist along each axis of the color cube. Common grid sizes include 17×17×17, 33×33×33, and 65×65×65. The higher the grid, the more color data points the LUT contains, and the smoother and more precise the color transitions will be. A 33×33×33 grid is the standard for most professional workflows, offering a strong balance between accuracy and file size.

You can often tell the difference just from the file itself: 1D LUTs are essentially flat, one-dimensional lookup tables, while 3D LUTs map colors across a full three-dimensional space. Most professional color grading work relies on 3D LUTs because they provide the depth and accuracy needed for cinematic results. The standard .cube file format supports both types, but .cube files used in professional workflows are almost always 3D.

Why Are LUTs Important in Video Editing?

Key Benefits of Using LUTs:

1. Consistency Across Clips – LUTs ensure that colors remain uniform across multiple shots, even if lighting conditions vary.
2. Time-Saving Workflow – Instead of manually adjusting colors, editors can apply a pre-configured LUT for instant results.
3. Enhancing Visual Aesthetics – LUTs allow editors to achieve professional color grading, such as cinematic, vintage, or film-style looks.
4. Standardizing Color Spaces – Many cameras record in LOG or RAW, requiring LUTs to convert footage to Rec. 709, the industry standard for HD and UHD content. (Learn about Rec. 709 here).

LUTs are widely used in popular video editing software like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and even mobile apps like CapCut. If you’re editing in CapCut, you may want to explore CapCut LUTs for quick and professional color grading.

How to Use LUTs in Your Projects

DaVinci Resolve:

1. Import your footage and go to the Color tab.
2. Open the LUTs panel and browse through the available LUTs.
3. Drag and drop a LUT onto your node graph to apply it.
4. Adjust intensity as needed using the Opacity or Curves settings.

Adobe Premiere Pro:

1. Import your clip into the timeline.
2. Select the Color tab and go to the Lumetri Color panel.
3. Under Basic Correction, click Input LUT and select your desired LUT file.
4. Fine-tune color settings for a more customized look.

CapCut:

1. Open your video project and select a clip.
2. Navigate to the Filters or Adjustment section.
3. Choose a pre-installed LUT or import your own.
4. Adjust contrast, brightness, and saturation for refinement.

Pro Tips:

• Use Transform LUTs to convert LOG footage to Rec. 709 for accurate colors.
• Experiment with Creative LUTs to add unique visual styles, such as Kodak film emulation. (Check out Kodak LUTs here).
• Adjust opacity or blend modes to fine-tune the LUT effect.

Real-World Example: Applying LUTs to LOG Footage

The step-by-step guides above cover the basics of loading a LUT, but working with LOG footage in practice involves a more deliberate pipeline. LOG (Logarithmic) footage is intentionally captured as a flat, desaturated image with maximum dynamic range. It looks unusable straight out of the camera, but that flatness is precisely what gives you the most flexibility in post-production. Here is how a professional LUT workflow typically unfolds when starting from LOG footage.

Step 1: Open Lumetri Scopes Before Touching Anything

Before making any adjustments, open your scopes (Waveform, Histogram, or Vectorscope depending on your software). The scopes provide a mathematical representation of your footage’s luminance and color values that is accurate regardless of your monitor’s calibration. In Premiere Pro, switch to the Color workspace to have Lumetri Color and Lumetri Scopes side by side. In DaVinci Resolve, the Scopes panel in the Color page serves the same purpose.

The key thing to watch: luminance values hitting 100 mean overexposure, and values at 0 mean pure black. Your goal is to bring the flat LOG image into a usable range before applying any creative LUT.

Step 2: Basic Correction First (Before the LUT)

Start in the Basic Correction panel. LOG footage needs contrast recovery as the first priority:

• Increase contrast to counteract the inherent flatness of the LOG profile.
• Raise highlights to restore brightness in naturally bright areas.
• Lower shadows to add depth and dimension back into the image.
• Pull down whites if any areas are overexposed (common with direct sunlight or practical lights in the shot).
• Adjust saturation upward, since LOG footage is deliberately desaturated.
• Leave blacks alone in most cases. With many LOG profiles, adjusting the blacks slider introduces unwanted artifacts without meaningful improvement.

Only adjust exposure directly if the footage was genuinely over or underexposed during capture. Otherwise, let the highlights, shadows, and contrast sliders do the work.

Step 3: Apply the Transform LUT

Now apply a Transform LUT to convert the LOG footage into a standard color space (typically Rec. 709). This single step brings the footage from its flat, technical state into a natural-looking baseline. In Premiere Pro, this goes in the Input LUT dropdown under Basic Correction. In DaVinci Resolve, apply it as a node before your creative grading nodes.

At this point, the footage should look natural and properly exposed. If it does not, go back to Step 2 and refine your basic correction before proceeding.

Step 4: Fine-Tune with Secondary Corrections

With the baseline established, you can now make targeted adjustments:

• HSL Secondary: Isolate specific color ranges for adjustment. A common use case is selecting the red-orange range (which corresponds to skin tones) and brightening it slightly to make faces more natural and flattering.
• Color Wheels: Use the three-way color wheels to adjust the color cast of shadows, midtones, and highlights independently. For example, pushing shadow tones toward warm amber while keeping highlights neutral creates a common cinematic feel.
• Curves: Fine-tune the contrast curve to shape the overall tonal response. The top portion controls highlights, the bottom controls shadows, and the midpoint controls overall contrast.

Step 5: Apply Creative LUT (Optional)

If you want a specific stylized look, apply a Creative LUT on top of your corrected footage. Keep the intensity moderate — most creative LUTs are designed to be applied at full strength but look more professional when dialed back to 60–80% opacity. This is where tools like Pixflow’s Colorify LUT packs can save significant time by providing pre-built cinematic looks that work well on properly corrected footage.

Step 6: Final Polish

Add subtle sharpening if needed (never to the point of visible artifacts), adjust vibrance for color richness without oversaturation, and do a final check against your scopes to ensure nothing is clipping.

Why This Order Matters

The sequence — scopes → basic correction → transform LUT → secondary corrections → creative LUT → polish — is not arbitrary. Each step builds on the previous one. Applying a creative LUT to uncorrected LOG footage will produce unpredictable and usually poor results because the LUT expects a properly exposed, standard-range input. Getting the foundation right first ensures that every subsequent adjustment works as intended.

Where to Find Free and Premium LUTs

Free LUTs:

• Pixflow Blog – Offers free LUTs for filmmakers and photographers.
• DaVinci Resolve & Premiere Pro – Both provide built-in LUTs for color grading.
• Online Creative Marketplaces – Websites like Behance and Gumroad feature free LUT downloads.

Premium LUT Packs:

• Camera-specific LUTs Collection – Professionally crafted LUTs for cinematic look in different cameras like Blackmagic cameras. (Check out premium Blackmagic LUTs here).
• Kodak Film LUTs – Designed to recreate the look of classic Kodak film stock. 
• iPhone LUTs – LUTs optimized for mobile video editing. (Check them out here).

When choosing LUTs, consider the color style you want to achieve and ensure that the LUT is compatible with your editing software.

Advanced Tips for Using LUTs Effectively

1. Always Color Correct Before Applying LUTs

LUTs work best when applied to properly balanced footage. Make sure to adjust exposure, white balance, and contrast before applying a LUT for better accuracy.

2. Use Adjustment Layers for Flexibility

Instead of applying a LUT directly to a clip, use adjustment layers in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. This allows you to fine-tune the LUT’s effect without permanently altering the footage.

3. Blend Multiple LUTs for Unique Looks

You can layer multiple LUTs at different opacities to create a unique look. For example, combining a cinematic LUT with a Kodak film LUT can create a vintage, high-quality film effect.

4. Modify LUT Strength for a Natural Look

Most LUTs apply a strong effect by default. Reduce intensity using the opacity slider or blending modes to get a more subtle, professional-grade look.

5. Match LUTs with the Right Footage Type

Some LUTs are designed specifically for LOG footage, while others are made for Rec. 709 footage. Using the wrong LUT can result in overly dark or oversaturated colors.

Conclusion

Key Takeaways:

• LUTs help convert RAW and LOG footage into vibrant, professional-quality visuals.
• They save time by automating color grading while ensuring color consistency.
  
• You can use Rec. 709 LUTs for standard color grading and creative LUTs for stylized looks.
  
• Find free and premium LUTs online, on pixflow.net/color-luts

If you’re new to LUTs, experiment with different styles and blend multiple LUTs to find the perfect look for your projects.