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.

Every app loads LUTs a little differently, so this guide is organized by program. Here is the whole job in three steps.

Prefer a printable guide? Download the PHLEARN LUTs install guide (PDF). It is also its own download on every pack page.

What’s Inside a LUT Pack

The Photoshop Quick Install folder holds one .CUBE file per LUT, and despite its name it is the folder nearly every app on this page needs. The All Formats folder holds the same looks as .CUBE, .3DL (older or specialized video apps), .CSP (Cinespace) and .ICC (a color profile, which is how a LUT gets into Capture One). No app can read a LUT that is still inside the .zip, so unzip it and keep the folder somewhere permanent, such as Documents: several apps link to the file where it sits.

Install LUTs in Photoshop

Photoshop applies LUTs with a Color Lookup adjustment layer, so the grade is non-destructive, can be masked, and can be swapped for another LUT at any time. Load a LUT directly for a one-off, or copy the pack into Photoshop’s presets folder so every LUT lives in the menu.

One thing to know: each yearly Photoshop version installs into a new folder with an empty 3DLUTs folder, so repeat the copy after a major update. A LUT loaded the quick way is saved inside the document, so it stays with the PSD even if you move the file.

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.) To grade several clips at once, put Lumetri Color on an adjustment layer above them.

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 DaVinci Resolve

Resolve keeps LUTs in a single folder, and the reliable way 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.

Give the LUT its own node (right-click in the node graph > Add Node > Add Serial) after your correction nodes. If you ever move your LUT collection, 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. To grade many clips at once, apply it to an adjustment layer or a compound clip.

2 Tips for Using LUTs Well

Using Lightroom Classic, After Effects, Capture One or another app? The steps for those follow below.

In video, 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. A clip that still looks different from its neighbors needs an exposure or white balance tweak, not a different LUT.

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 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 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.