What are LUTs, and why have they become so useful in photography? A LUT, short for look-up table, changes the colors in an image according to a prepared set of values. In simple terms, it gives a photo a new visual direction. The whole process can be completed in a few clicks, making it especially appealing to beginners.
LUT photography also helps photographers learn how colors impact emotions. Say you are trying to edit a street picture on a grey, cloudy afternoon; your photo can be calm and dull, or warm and energized. It’s your call, as you cannot define what ‘good’ or ‘bad’ color is. It is all about the story you want to tell.
In this guide, we are going to answer a few questions: What is a LUT in photography? How does it work? When and how should you apply it to keep the results compelling and believable? You will also learn to use the tables in Luminar as part of a simple and flexible post-processing workflow.
LUTs, Presets, and Filters: What Is the Difference?
While LUTs, presets, and filters can all transform the look of an image, they aren’t the same. Here’s what each one does and how they compare:
- LUTs warm the highlights, cool the shadows, mute bright greens, or give the whole frame a softer film-like appearance. The changes are applied as a single coordinated look rather than as selective adjustments. Beginners can explore various look-up tables and choose options designed for portraits, landscapes, travel scenes, or cinematic styles.
- A preset can combine changes to exposure, white balance, contrast, sharpness, structure, and other settings. Presets often include color grading options, but their functionality is not limited to them.
- Filters can be used to achieve a quick, obvious result. There is often very little scope for variation, and they tend to look excessive at their maximum strength, leaving little possibility for adjustment, unlike LUTs. The finished image may even lose its recognizable qualities when the filters are applied excessively.
You can use LUTs in different photo and video editors. The following walkthrough uses Luminar as one practical example, but you can apply these basic principles across multiple post-processing workflows.
How to Use LUTs in Luminar
As we said, look-up tables can instantly transform the color and mood of your photos. In Luminar, LUTs for photography offer a quick way to apply creative styles while still allowing for fine adjustments. Here is how to use them:
Step 1: Prepare Your Image
Open your picture in Luminar. Check the exposure, white balance, crop, and horizon. LUT color grading is only really possible based on the colors already present in a photo. So an underexposed or heavily colored picture can give an uneven result. Make sure you start from a balanced picture.
Step 2: Apply a Look
In the Edit tab, scroll down to the creative tools. Open up Mood and then click the “choose LUT” menu. You have both a pre-made assortment and the option to download your own files as .cube, and any purchased LUT packs can be added to this list once installed.
Test a few options on the same photo. The colors may look pretty, but they are not enough. Pay close attention to your main subject. It should be shown in the best light and not overpowered by the effects. For example, a cool look may suit a rainy street scene but make a warm family portrait feel distant.
Step 3: Adjust the Result
Reduce the Amount slider until the effect blends naturally with the original photo. Then use Contrast and Saturation to control dark areas and intense colors. Luminar provides these three settings directly within the Mood tool.
Switch the tool on and off to compare both versions. Check faces, skies, white clothing, and other familiar colors. If these areas look unnatural, lower the strength or select another option.
Create a Consistent Look
LUTs in photography are also great at combining shots from completely different situations to tell a powerful visual story. Think of photos taken during your trip: a sun-drenched scene shot outside, dark images captured in the corner of the café, and a golden portrait taken at sunset. Applying the same LUT across a series can provide a consistent visual foundation, but its intensity and supporting adjustments should still be tailored to the lighting and exposure of each photograph.
Do not copy the exact settings without checking each result. A LUT that looks subtle in daylight may appear too strong indoors. Reduce its intensity when skin tones turn unnatural, or shadows lose detail. You may also need small exposure or white balance corrections for individual frames.
Avoid stacking several intense looks. Too many competing effects can flatten details and make the final image feel confusing. A strong effect may seem impressive at first, but it can quickly make skin tones, skies, or plants look unnatural. Do not judge the result only while zoomed out. View the photo at full size before exporting it.
Conclusion
LUTs allow creatives of all levels to start their journey into creative coloring without adding complexity to their workflow. The beauty comes in the experimentation: try out a look, see how it affects the emotion in your image, and save the tweaks that truly enhance your original concept. Through exploration, you will be on the path to understanding which tones enhance your own visual story. Luminar makes that an exploration and an enjoyable process that remains entirely up to you.