Search for LUTs on iPhone and almost everything you find is about video. If you just want to drop a .cube look onto a photo and save it at full quality, the advice is surprisingly thin. Here is the simple way to do it.
What a .cube LUT is, in one line
A .cube file is a color recipe. It remaps the colors in your photo to a specific look, like a film stock or a cinematic grade, without touching the content of the image. If you want the longer version, see What is a LUT?.
Why it is awkward on iPhone
Most apps that mention LUTs are video editors, and the ones that do photos often bury the feature or only work on regular JPEGs. For the best results you want an app that takes a standard .cube file and applies it to a full-quality photo, ideally an Apple ProRAW one, where there is the most color to work with.
How to apply a .cube LUT with RAWCraft
- Get your
.cubefile onto your iPhone, from Files, iCloud Drive, or AirDrop. Your library starts empty, so the looks you add are entirely your own. - Open RAWCraft, go to the LUTs tab, and import the
.cubefile. You can bulk-import a whole folder at once. - Open a photo, tap the look to apply it, and slide the intensity until it feels right.
- Export. Choose JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, or AVIF, in sRGB or Display P3. Your original photo is never changed.
A few tips for better results
- Shoot ProRAW for the most room. A LUT has far more to work with on a ProRAW file. See editing ProRAW on iPhone.
- Pull the intensity back. A look at 60 to 80 percent often reads more naturally than full strength.
- Mind video LUTs. A
.cubebuilt for log or HDR video footage can look off on an ordinary photo. Looks made for stills behave best. - Doing a whole set? See applying one look across a batch.
Where to get .cube LUTs
You can make your own in tools like DaVinci Resolve or Photoshop, or buy LUT packs from creators. RAWCraft uses the standard .cube format, so anything you already own will work.
RAWCraft is a one-time $14.99 with a free export so you can try it on your own photo first.