LUT

A LUT (Look-Up Table) is a ready-made color translation that lays a certain look over your image in one go. You'll find LUTs mostly in video and color grading, but in Photoshop you can apply them as an adjustment layer too. A LUT doesn't move individual sliders, it recalculates colors directly.

Use a LUT as a quick base for a filmic look, then refine with curves or color balance. In Photoshop you add a Color Lookup adjustment layer and pick a LUT; that layer's opacity controls how strong the effect is. Unlike a Lightroom preset, which sets sliders you can adjust, a LUT is a fixed conversion. For photos, presets often stay more flexible, but a LUT is gold for matching looks between photo and video.

Related terms

Color grading Color wheels Color balance RGB curves Black and white conversion

Prefer a look in one click?

The presets on this site set these adjustments up for you as a starting point, which you then fine-tune to taste.

Cinematische looks (Cinemascope)

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