Introduction to LUTS
As someone who is very interested videography, Color Grading is one of the most important techniques to achieve a certain look / feeling within a video. Although I usually color grade most of the videos from scratch, there is a cheatcode called a LUT or Lookup Table (LUT) that allows you to apply someone else’s standard grade to your videos.
In photography and videography, LUTs (Lookup Tables) are preset color grading tools used to quickly and consistently adjust the color and tone of images or footage. They act like filters but are more precise, mapping specific input color values to desired output values. LUTs are commonly used to:
- Correct color (e.g., converting flat log footage to a standard color profile like Rec.709)
- Stylize visuals by applying a specific mood or cinematic look
- Maintain consistency across scenes or projects
A Note about LUTS
Before we go any further, if you are not shooting in a flattened picture profile, more likely than not, you will not need to use a LUT or do any advanced color grading.
Types of LUTS for
There are two main types:
- Technical LUTs: used for color correction or camera profile conversion (rec709, etc)
- Creative LUTs: used for artistic color grading and stylization More often than not, the technical luts will often ship with the software while the creative luts are up to you to configure/use.
LUT Recommendations
I really like the look and feel of Phantom Luts by Joel Famularo.
Linked Map of Contexts