LUT gets thrown around a lot in photography and video, usually without anyone explaining it. Here is the plain version.
A LUT is a color recipe
LUT stands for Look-Up Table. It is a file that maps every color in your image to a new color. Feed it a blue and it might hand back a slightly teal blue. Apply the same LUT to any photo and you get the same consistent shift, which is why LUTs are how films and photographers keep a steady look across a whole project.
It only changes color. A LUT never touches the content, the sharpness, or the composition of your image.
.cube and 3D LUTs
The file you will see most often ends in .cube. That is a 3D LUT, which maps color across all three channels at once, red, green, and blue.
Because it works in three dimensions, a 3D LUT can do nuanced things, like desaturating reds only when they appear in the shadows. That subtlety is why .cube LUTs are the standard for creative color grading. They typically range from 17 to 33 points per axis, where more points means a smoother result.
LUT versus preset
People mix these up, so here is the difference:
- A LUT (
.cube) is pure color mapping. It is portable and works the same in many photo and video apps. - A preset (a Lightroom
.xmp) is a saved set of slider adjustments, which can include exposure, contrast, the tone curve, and even grain. It is tied to the way Lightroom's tools work.
Both give you a one-tap look. A LUT is more universal, a preset can carry more than just color. If you have Lightroom presets, see using them on iPhone.
How to use a LUT on your photos
You need an app that applies a .cube file to a photo. On iPhone, see how to apply a .cube LUT to a photo. RAWCraft does exactly that, on full-quality ProRAW, and it also reads Lightroom .xmp presets, so your LUTs and your presets live in one place.
Where LUTs come from
You can create them in tools like DaVinci Resolve or Photoshop, export them from a grade you like, or buy ready-made packs. As long as they are standard .cube files, they will work.