What is a LUT Look-up table, and How to create them??

Last Updated on 18/01/2026 by Krishna

LUT stands for Look-Up Table. It tells your software to replace one color with another. A LUT (Look-Up Table) maps one color value to another. It’s a compact way to store a color grading “look” so it can be reused across photos, videos, games, or VFX pipelines. You can use LUTs in Video, Image, Game, Camera, and Game Engine Applications, etc.

Why use LUT?

It helps you instantly apply a specific look to your video or photo without manually adjusting every setting. You can create a LUT once and reuse it as needed.

Type of LUT

A LUT maps input color values to output color values.

1. 1D LUT → each channel independently
2. 3D LUT → channels interact together

1D LUT (One-Dimensional LUT)

1D LUTs adjust a single color parameter, like brightness (gamma) or contrast, across the entire image. They are simpler but less flexible, often using “.lut” extensions.

A 1D LUT stores one curve per channel:

R → R’
G → G’
B → B’

Each channel is transformed independently.

Input RGB : (0.4, 0.6, 0.8)
Apply curves:
R' = f(R)
G' = f(G)
B' = f(B)

No channel ever “knows” about the others.

Typical size: 256 entries per channel: Very small & fast

3D LUT (Three-Dimensional LUT)

3D LUTs work in a 3D color space (RGB), managing hue, saturation, and luminance together for complex, nuanced adjustments. These are more powerful and commonly used .cube extensions.

A 3D LUT stores a color cube:

(R, G, B) → (R', G', B')

Each output color depends on all three inputs together.

Input RGB : (0.4, 0.6, 0.8)
Output RGB: (0.45, 0.55, 0.72)

Red can affect green
Blue can affect red
Hue can rotate

LUTs are static by nature

Typical Size:

File Extension of LUT file

A LUT (Look-Up Table) file can use several extensions depending on the software that created it and whether it is a 1D or 3D LUT.

1. .cube: The industry standard for 3D LUTs, compatible with most major video editing software like DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Final Cut Pro.
2. .3dl: A widely used format for professional 3D color mapping, commonly used in Autodesk Lustre and Adobe Premiere Pro.
3. .lut: A generic extension used for simpler 1D color adjustments across various programs.
4. .look: A proprietary Lumetri Look preset format used specifically by Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
5. .vlt: A specialized format used for loading LUTs into Panasonic camera bodies for on-set monitoring.
6. .mga: A 3D LUT format supported by Apple’s Final Cut Pro.
7. .xmp: Used by Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to store LUT data as part of an image’s metadata.
8. .clf: The Common LUT Format, an XML-based standard developed by ACES for high-precision color transformations.
9. .art: Sony’s proprietary 3D LUT format for high-performance color processing in specialized cameras like the VENICE 2.
10. .spi1d / .spi3d: Specialized formats used in color management systems like Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Color Correction vs. Color Grading

While they both deal with color, they have very different goals. Think of it like building and then decorating a house. You use Color Correction to make a video look realistic and balanced, and Color Grading to give it an artistic or cinematic style. LUT is essentially a color grading tool that stores a stack of colors. And when users use it, it automatically changes the color of the source media.

How to create a LUT — Look-up table?

You can use a web-based tool, desktop software, a video editor, an image editor, an open-source git repository, and the Python language to create a LUT. Some platforms are open-source, and some of them are not. So, I have listed the platform name below. You can check it and choose according to your skill, budget, and requirements.

Some given platforms will ask you to upload your image and make changes to it, and export a LUT file in your desired or available file extension. And some will ask for a mathematical function or data. So you can watch the given video to get the steps of creating a LUT.

proprietary: Paid
open-source: Free

Web-Based LUT Creators:

Software Applications (Desktop)

Video Editing Applications (Desktop)

These lists do not completely cover all software and platforms. Because there are so many platforms available to create LUTs. But we have covered the most popular platforms, and you can create from simple to advanced cinematic-level LUTs.

If you want to learn Video Editing, you can check the Kdenlive tutorial. We are continuously uploading videos.

Related posts:

Transforming Ideas into Images: The Power of Prompt-Based Image Generation. 10 useful Windows shortcuts that will make your life easier. Ultimate Latest Of ROG Series Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro 15 Useful Telegram Bots for Everyone. Flipping Flagship Asus Zenfone 8 Flip