How to Install LUTs

Add LUTs to Any Editor in a Couple of Minutes

A LUT (Look-Up Table, rhymes with “cut”) is a small file that tells an editing program how to shift every color in an image to a new color. Think of it as a color grade you can carry between apps: the same LUT that grades a photo in Photoshop grades video in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Final Cut Pro, and the result matches. That portability is the whole point, and it is why one PHLEARN LUT pack works in a dozen different programs.

Because every app handles LUTs a little differently, this guide is organized by program. Find the app in front of you, follow its five steps, and skip the rest. Each section also tells you how to make the install permanent so the LUTs show up in the app’s own menu every time, and how to dial the strength up or down once a LUT is applied.

It also covers the handful of things that actually go wrong, because a LUT that “didn’t install” is almost always a file that was never unzipped, an app that needs a restart, or the wrong menu.

What’s Inside a LUT Pack

Every PHLEARN LUT pack downloads as a single .zip. Inside are two folders, and knowing which is which saves a lot of confusion.

• Photoshop Quick Install holds one .CUBE file per LUT. Despite the folder name, .CUBE is the format almost every app on this page reads: Photoshop, Camera Raw, Premiere Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Affinity Photo, and most mobile apps. For nearly everyone this is the only folder you need.
• All Formats holds a subfolder per LUT with the same look saved four ways: .CUBE, .3DL (for older or more specialized video apps), .CSP (Cinespace, used by a few grading tools), and .ICC (a color profile, which is how the LUT gets into Capture One). They are identical looks in different wrappers. Grab a file from here only when your app asks for a format other than .CUBE.

You’ll also find a copy of the Photoshop install guide as a PDF, which covers the same steps as the Photoshop section below.

Unzip the download first

No editing app can read a LUT that is still inside a .zip, and a compressed archive is the most common reason an install appears to do nothing. Double-click the .zip on a Mac, or right-click and choose Extract All on Windows, and work from the folder it creates. Keep that folder somewhere permanent, such as Documents, rather than Downloads, since several apps below link to the file’s location rather than copying it.

Install LUTs in Photoshop

Photoshop applies LUTs with a Color Lookup adjustment layer, which means the grade is non-destructive, can be masked, and can be swapped for another LUT at any time. There are two ways to do it: load a LUT directly for a one-off, or copy the files into Photoshop’s presets folder so every LUT in the pack lives in the menu permanently.

Quick install: load a LUT into one document

1. Open a photo in Photoshop.

   Any image works, raw or JPEG.

2. Add a Color Lookup adjustment layer.

   Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup and click OK, or click the Color Lookup icon in the Adjustments panel. It lands above the layer you had selected.

3. In the Properties panel, open the 3DLUT File menu and choose Load 3D LUT.

   The menu already lists Photoshop’s built-in LUTs. Load 3D LUT is the first item.

4. Select a .CUBE file from the Photoshop Quick Install folder and click Load.

   The grade applies immediately. The table is saved inside the document, so it stays with the PSD even if you move the original LUT file.

5. Set the strength with the layer’s Opacity.

   Most LUTs look best somewhere between 40 and 80 percent. Because it is an adjustment layer, you can also paint on its mask to keep the grade off skin, or change the blend mode.

With this method the LUT is only loaded into the current document. Open a new file and you’ll browse for it again, which is fine for occasional use but tedious if you reach for the same pack every day.

Permanent install: add the pack to Photoshop’s LUT menu

1. Open the Photoshop Quick Install folder and select all of the .CUBE files.

   Copy them (Cmd+C on Mac, Ctrl+C on Windows).

2. Open Photoshop’s 3DLUTs folder.

   Mac: Applications > Adobe Photoshop 2026 > Presets > 3DLUTs.
   Windows: C: > Program Files > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop 2026 > Presets > 3DLUTs.
   Substitute the year of your version if it is not 2026.

3. Paste the .CUBE files into the 3DLUTs folder.

   Your computer may ask for your password, since this is an application folder. Say yes.

4. Restart Photoshop.

   Photoshop reads this folder on launch, so the LUTs will not appear until you quit and reopen.

5. Add a Color Lookup adjustment layer and pick the LUT from the 3DLUT File menu.

   PHLEARN LUTs are listed alphabetically alongside the built-in ones, all starting with “PHLEARN” so they group together.

One thing to know: when Photoshop updates to a new yearly version, it installs into a new folder with an empty 3DLUTs folder. Repeat the copy step after a major update. This is a good argument for keeping the original .zip somewhere you can find it.

Prefer a printable guide? Download the Photoshop install guide (PDF).

Install LUTs in Lightroom Classic

Lightroom Classic cannot open a .CUBE file directly. Instead, it applies LUTs as profiles, the same feature that holds Adobe’s camera-matching and creative profiles. The catch is that the profile has to be created in Camera Raw inside Photoshop, because Lightroom Classic has no tool for building one itself. The good news: it takes about a minute per LUT, you only do it once, and the finished profile shows up in Lightroom Classic, Camera Raw, and (with one extra step) Lightroom on desktop and mobile.

You need Photoshop and Lightroom Classic 7.3 (April 2018) or newer. If you are on Lightroom Classic 7.2 or earlier, update first; profiles did not exist before then.

Turn each LUT into a profile in Camera Raw

1. Open any photo in Photoshop and go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.

   The photo does not matter. You will not edit it, and you’ll close it without saving when you’re done.

2. Click the Presets icon on the right side of Camera Raw to open the Presets panel.

   It is the icon with two overlapping circles. Shift+P also opens it.

3. Hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) and click the three-dot menu at the top of the Presets panel, then choose Create Profile.

   This is the step everyone misses. Without the key held down the menu says Create Preset, which makes a preset, not a profile. Holding Option or Alt changes it to Create Profile and opens the New Profile dialog.

4. Name the profile after the LUT, put it in a group named after the pack, uncheck every box except Color Lookup Table, and load the .CUBE file.

   Use the LUT’s name, such as “PHLEARN Fall Tone Deep Garnet”, so it matches the file. Type a new Group name like “PHLEARN Fall Tone LUTs” so all five land together. In the Color Lookup Table section at the bottom, open the Table menu, choose Load, and pick the .CUBE from the Photoshop Quick Install folder. Leave the color space at its default, then click OK.

5. Repeat for the rest of the pack, then click Cancel to close Camera Raw.

   Five LUTs takes a few minutes. Each profile is saved as an .xmp file in the shared Camera Raw settings folder, the same place Lightroom Classic keeps your presets, so nothing else needs to be moved.

Apply the profile in Lightroom Classic

1. Restart Lightroom Classic.

   Lightroom Classic reads new profiles on launch. If it was open while you worked in Camera Raw, quit and reopen it.

2. Select a photo and open the Develop module.

   Click Develop at the top right, or press D.

3. In the Basic panel, click the Profile Browser icon next to the Profile menu.

   It is the small icon made of four rectangles. The browser opens above the panel.

4. Scroll to your pack’s group and click a profile to apply it.

   Profiles are grouped under the Group name you typed in Camera Raw, so look for “PHLEARN Fall Tone LUTs” or whatever you called it. Hover to preview, click to apply, then click Close.

5. Use the Amount slider to set the strength.

   Every profile you create this way gets an Amount slider at the top of the Profile Browser, from 0 to 200. Around 50 to 80 is a good starting point. Because a profile sits underneath your other edits, all of your sliders stay free for exposure, white balance, and everything else.

Get the same LUTs into Lightroom desktop and Lightroom mobile

The cloud-based Lightroom desktop app and Lightroom mobile do not read the Camera Raw settings folder, but they can import the .xmp profile files you just created, and anything you import into Lightroom desktop syncs to your phone. First find the files: in Lightroom Classic, open Preferences (Settings on newer versions of macOS), click the Presets tab, and click Show Lightroom Develop Presets. That opens the Camera Raw Settings folder in Finder or File Explorer, and your new profiles are the .xmp files named after the LUTs. Then, in Lightroom desktop, go to File > Import Profiles & Presets, select those .xmp files, and click Import. Open a photo, click Profiles at the top of the edit panel, and they appear under your group name. Within a few minutes they are on every device signed in to the same Adobe account, including Lightroom mobile, under Profiles on the edit screen.

Install LUTs in Premiere Pro

Premiere Pro applies LUTs through the Lumetri Color panel. The Creative section is the right home for a color-grading LUT like these; it has a Look menu with a Browse option and an Intensity slider. (The Input LUT menu under Basic Correction is meant for technical log-to-Rec.709 conversions, so leave it alone for a PHLEARN LUT.) You can browse to a file each time, or copy the pack into Adobe’s shared LUT folder so the whole pack sits in the Look menu permanently.

Quick install: browse to a LUT

1. Select a clip in the timeline and open the Lumetri Color panel.

   Switch to the Color workspace at the top of the program, or choose Window > Lumetri Color. To grade several clips at once, first create an adjustment layer (File > New > Adjustment Layer), drag it above the clips, and select it instead.

2. Open the Creative section.

   Click the Creative heading in the Lumetri panel to expand it.

3. Open the Look menu and choose Browse.

   Browse is at the bottom of the Look menu, below Premiere’s built-in looks.

4. Select a .CUBE file from the Photoshop Quick Install folder and click Open.

   The grade applies to the clip or adjustment layer right away, with a thumbnail preview under the Look menu.

5. Set the Intensity slider.

   It sits directly under the preview thumbnail. 100 is full strength; most footage looks best between 50 and 80.

Permanent install: add the pack to the Look menu

Premiere Pro reads any .CUBE file it finds in a folder called Creative inside Adobe’s shared LUTs folder. That folder usually does not exist until you create it, and the exact path depends on whether you want the LUTs available to just your user account or to everyone who uses the computer.

1. Create the Creative folder if it is not already there.

   Mac (your user only): Users > [your user name] > Library > Application Support > Adobe > Common > LUTs > Creative. The Library folder is hidden; in Finder choose Go > Go to Folder and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs to jump there.
   Windows (your user only): C: > Users > [your user name] > AppData > Roaming > Adobe > Common > LUTs > Creative. AppData is hidden; type %appdata%\Adobe\Common\LUTs into the File Explorer address bar.
   To make LUTs available to every user instead, use /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Creative on Mac or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative on Windows, which needs an administrator password.

2. Copy the .CUBE files from the Photoshop Quick Install folder into Creative.

   Files only, not the folder. Premiere does not look inside subfolders.

3. Restart Premiere Pro.

   The folder is scanned on launch.

4. Open Lumetri Color > Creative > Look.

   The PHLEARN LUTs are now listed alphabetically alongside the built-in looks, and you can arrow through them with the preview thumbnail.

5. Set the Intensity slider as before.

   Same slider, same range.

Do not copy LUTs into the Lumetri folder inside the Premiere Pro application itself. It looks like it works, but it changes which LUT older projects point to and gets wiped on the next update.

Install LUTs in After Effects

After Effects has two effects that read .CUBE files. Apply Color LUT is the simplest; Lumetri Color works exactly like the Premiere Pro panel above and adds an Intensity slider. Either way, put the effect on an adjustment layer so it grades everything beneath it and stays non-destructive.

1. Open your composition and add an adjustment layer.

   Go to Layer > New > Adjustment Layer. It appears at the top of the layer stack.

2. With the adjustment layer selected, go to Effect > Utility > Apply Color LUT.

   A file browser opens immediately. (For an Intensity slider, use Effect > Color Correction > Lumetri Color instead, then Creative > Look > Browse, exactly as in Premiere Pro.)

3. Select a .CUBE file from the Photoshop Quick Install folder and click Open.

   The grade applies to every layer below the adjustment layer.

4. Set the strength.

   Apply Color LUT has no strength control of its own, so lower the adjustment layer’s Opacity (press T with the layer selected). If you used Lumetri Color, use its Intensity slider.

5. Swap LUTs any time.

   In the Effect Controls panel, click Choose LUT next to the effect to pick a different file.

If you also copied the pack into the shared Creative folder for Premiere Pro, After Effects’ Lumetri Color effect lists the same LUTs in its Look menu.

Install LUTs in DaVinci Resolve

Resolve keeps LUTs in a single folder, and the only reliable way to get there is the Open LUT Folder button inside Resolve itself, since the location differs between versions and the Windows folder is hidden. Once the files are in place, the whole pack shows up in the LUT browser on the Color page.

1. Open Project Settings and go to Color Management.

   Click the gear icon at the bottom right of the window (or press Shift+9), then click Color Management in the list on the left.

2. Scroll to Lookup Tables and click Open LUT Folder.

   Finder or File Explorer opens directly to Resolve’s LUT folder.

3. Create a subfolder named after the pack and copy the .CUBE files into it.

   Something like “PHLEARN Fall Tone” keeps the LUT browser tidy. Copy the files from the Photoshop Quick Install folder.

4. Back in Resolve, click Update Lists, then Save.

   Update Lists is right next to Open LUT Folder. Skipping it is the number one reason new LUTs seem to be missing. (You can also right-click inside the LUT browser on the Color page and choose Refresh.)

5. On the Color page, open the LUTs panel at the top left, hover to preview, and drag a LUT onto a node.

   Give the LUT its own node (right-click in the node graph > Add Node > Add Serial) after your correction nodes. Right-clicking a node and choosing 3D LUT lists the same files. To reduce the strength, open the Key panel for that node and lower Key Output Gain below 1.0.

If you ever move your LUT collection somewhere else, DaVinci Resolve > Preferences > System > General has a LUT Directories list where you can point Resolve at any folder.

Install LUTs in Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro applies LUTs with the Custom LUT effect. The first time you choose a file it is added to the effect’s own list, so after that you can pick the same LUT from a menu without browsing again.

1. Select a clip in the timeline and open the Effects browser.

   Click the Effects button at the top right of the timeline, or press Cmd+5.

2. Choose the Color category and double-click Custom LUT.

   Or drag Custom LUT onto the clip. To grade many clips at once, apply it to an adjustment layer or a compound clip instead.

3. In the Video inspector, find Custom LUT, open the LUT menu, and select Choose Custom LUT.

   The inspector is on the right; press Cmd+4 if it is hidden.

4. Select a .CUBE file from the Photoshop Quick Install folder and click Open.

   The grade applies. Leave Input and Output set to Rec. 709, which is the space these LUTs were built in.

5. Set the Mix slider.

   Mix scales the LUT from 0 to 100 percent. Choose any previously loaded LUT straight from the LUT menu next time; you do not need to browse for it again.

Install LUTs in Capture One

Capture One has no LUT tool and cannot open .CUBE, .3DL, or .CSP files. What it can do is apply ICC color profiles, and every PHLEARN LUT ships as an .ICC file in the All Formats folder for exactly this reason. Install the profiles on your computer once, and Capture One lists them in its ICC Profile menu.

1. Gather the .ICC files.

   In the All Formats folder there is one subfolder per LUT; each contains an .ICC file named after the LUT. Those are the files you need, one per look.

2. Install them on your computer.

   Mac: copy the .ICC files into Users > [your user name] > Library > ColorSync > Profiles. The Library folder is hidden, so in Finder choose Go > Go to Folder and paste ~/Library/ColorSync/Profiles.
   Windows: right-click each .ICC file and choose Install Profile. (That copies it to C: > Windows > System32 > spool > drivers > color, where you can also paste them directly.)

3. Restart Capture One.

   Profiles are read on launch.

4. Select a photo, open the Color tool tab, and open the ICC Profile menu in Base Characteristics.

   Look under Other, or choose Show All, to see profiles that are not tied to your camera.

5. Select the PHLEARN profile.

   The look applies to the whole image. If you’ll use it often, save it as a Style (Adjustments > Styles > Save User Style) so it is one click next time.

Because the profile replaces the camera profile, it is a global look rather than a layer: there is no opacity slider, and the result can differ slightly from the same LUT in Photoshop depending on the camera. If you need an exact match or the ability to blend and mask, finish your raw processing in Capture One and apply the .CUBE in Photoshop.

Install LUTs in Affinity Photo, ON1, and Mobile Apps

Nearly everything else that supports LUTs reads the .CUBE file straight from the Photoshop Quick Install folder. A few of the most common:

• Affinity Photo: go to Layer > New Adjustment > LUT (called 3D LUT in Affinity Photo 1), click Load LUT, and choose the .CUBE. Set the strength with the adjustment layer’s Opacity.
• ON1 Photo RAW: in Effects, add a LUTs filter, open the category menu, and choose Import to add the .CUBE files. The filter’s Amount slider sets the strength.
• Luminar, Filmora, PowerDirector, HitFilm, and most other desktop editors: look for a LUT, Look, or Color Grading tool with a Load, Import, or Browse button, and point it at the .CUBE. If an app rejects .CUBE, try the .3DL version of the same LUT from the All Formats folder.
• iPhone, iPad, and Android: get the .CUBE files onto the device first (AirDrop, a cloud service, or a cable), then use the import option in your app: Video LUT and 3DLUT mobile import from the Files app or Downloads folder, and LumaFusion imports through the LUT effect’s import button. Each of these apps has its own strength slider.

What Trips People Up

I copied the files into the folder and nothing shows up

Every app on this page reads its LUT folder when it launches, so quit and reopen the program. In DaVinci Resolve, also click Update Lists in Project Settings or Refresh in the LUT browser. In Premiere Pro, double-check the folder is named Creative and that the .CUBE files are loose inside it, not in a subfolder.

The file browser shows the LUTs grayed out

Two likely causes. Either the pack is still zipped, in which case unzip it and try again, or the app is asking for a format other than .CUBE. Open the All Formats folder and choose the .3DL, .CSP, or .ICC version of the same LUT.

Camera Raw made a preset instead of a profile

You clicked Create Preset without holding Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows). Delete the preset, then hold the key down while you click the three-dot menu so it reads Create Profile. Only a profile can hold a LUT.

The profile is in Camera Raw but not in Lightroom Classic

Restart Lightroom Classic; it only reads new profiles on launch. Then open the Profile Browser and scroll: the group is named whatever you typed in the Group field, not “User Profiles”. Also make sure Store presets with this catalog is off in Preferences > Presets, or Lightroom Classic looks in the wrong folder.

My LUTs vanished after an update

Photoshop installs each yearly version into a new folder, so anything you copied into the old 3DLUTs folder stays behind. Copy the .CUBE files into the new version’s folder. Premiere Pro’s Creative folder and Resolve’s LUT folder are outside the app and survive updates, but re-copy from your original .zip if anything ever goes missing.

The LUT looks way too strong

That is expected at full strength. Every app has a control for this: layer Opacity in Photoshop, After Effects, and Affinity Photo; the Amount slider in Lightroom Classic; Intensity in Premiere Pro and Lumetri Color; Mix in Final Cut Pro; and Key Output Gain in Resolve. Start around 60 percent and tune from there.

The colors look wrong on my video

PHLEARN LUTs are built for normal, display-ready footage (Rec. 709 or sRGB). If you shot in a flat log profile such as S-Log, V-Log, or C-Log, the LUT is being applied to washed-out footage and the result will look muddy. Convert the clip to Rec. 709 first, with your camera’s conversion LUT in the Input LUT menu (Premiere Pro) or a Color Space Transform node (Resolve), then apply the PHLEARN LUT on top.

Using Your LUTs

A LUT expects a properly exposed, neutrally balanced image, because it was built on one. Fix exposure and white balance first, apply the LUT last, and then back off the strength until the color feels like part of the photo rather than something laid on top of it. Those three habits are what separate a grade that looks “applied” from one that looks like your own work.

In video, the same idea keeps a project consistent: correct each clip to a neutral starting point, then apply one LUT across all of them, ideally on an adjustment layer or a shared node so the grade lives in one place. Any clip that still looks different from its neighbors needs an exposure or white balance tweak, not a different LUT.

And because the file is the same everywhere, you can grade a still and a video from the same shoot with the same PHLEARN LUT and know the colors will match between them.

Free LUTs to Try

Now that you know how to install LUTs, here is a pack to practice with. The free sample pack includes five LUTs from five different PHLEARN packs, in every format above, and it is open to everyone. Every pack in the full PHLEARN LUT library installs exactly the same way.

• Free LUTs for Photo & Video: Sample Pack
• Browse all PHLEARN LUT packs

All PHLEARN LUT Packs by Category

Every one of these 34 packs installs exactly the way this guide describes, in every app above. Five LUTs per pack, in every format. Start with the free sample pack if you want to try the workflow first, or browse the whole LUT library in one place.

Warm & Seasonal

• Fall Tone LUTs
• Summer Tone LUTs
• Warm Tone LUTs
• Sweet Caramel LUTs
• Copper Vibes LUTs
• Rustic Tone LUTs
• Earthy Tones LUTs
• Halloween Tone LUTs

Cool & Winter

• Cool Tone LUTs
• Winter Tone LUTs
• Snowy LUTs
• Beach Blues LUTs
• Crisp Grey LUTs

Moody & Cinematic

• Film Tone LUTs
• Moody Vibe LUTs
• Moody Urban LUTs
• Deep Black LUTs
• Film Noir LUTs

Bright & Soft

• Bright & Airy LUTs
• Pastel Tone LUTs
• Matte Tone LUTs
• Minimal Indoor LUTs
• Bold & Vibrant LUTs
• Vibrant Nature LUTs

People & Weddings

• Portrait LUTs
• Family Vibes LUTs
• Newborn LUTs
• Maternity LUTs
• Soft Wedding LUTs

Black & White

• Black & White LUTs
• Black and White Wedding LUTs

Food & Real Estate

• Bright Food LUTs
• Moody Food LUTs
• Real Estate LUTs