Video Editing

What is LUT?

A LUT (Look-Up Table) is a preset color transformation file that maps input color values to output values, used to apply consistent color grades across video footage.

LUT Explained

LUTs come in two types: technical LUTs (converting between color spaces, like LOG to Rec.709) and creative LUTs (applying artistic color grades like film looks). Creative LUTs are popular for achieving cinematic aesthetics quickly: teal-and-orange blockbuster looks, vintage film grain, desaturated documentary styles, and high-contrast social media looks. LUT formats include .cube (most common), .3dl, and .look. While LUTs provide a starting point, they usually need adjustment for each clip's exposure and white balance. Over-reliance on LUTs without understanding color science can produce inconsistent results across different lighting conditions.

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Related Terms

Color Grading

Color grading is the process of adjusting the colors, contrast, saturation, and tonal balance of video footage to achieve a consistent visual style or enhance the mood of the content.

Export Preset

An export preset is a saved configuration of video output settings including codec, resolution, bitrate, aspect ratio, and format, allowing creators to apply consistent export parameters across multiple projects.

Video Format

A video format is a file container specification that defines how video, audio, metadata, and subtitle tracks are packaged together, such as MP4, MKV, MOV, or WebM.