Extract LUT from Image

It reads a HALD image, a special grid of colors that represents every input color in a structured pattern, and converts it into a 3D LUT in the standard .cube format. If that HALD image has been edited with a color grade, the resulting .cube file captures that grade, so you can apply the same look in any software that supports 3D LUTs. It works only with HALD images, not with ordinary photos.

Click the area labeled Drop a HALD image (e.g., 512x512) to extract LUT and choose your edited HALD. The file name appears next to File, along with the Download .cube LUT File button. Click it and the tool reads the colors from the image and downloads the result as exported_lut.cube. If the image is not a valid HALD, the tool tells you so instead of writing a file.

A HALD image is an identity color chart: a square image whose pixels step through the full color range in a fixed order. You open an unedited HALD in your editing software, apply the preset, filter or grade you want to capture, and export it. Running that edited HALD through this tool turns the edit into a reusable LUT.

The tool calculates the LUT size from the image's total pixel count, which must be a perfect cube. A 512 by 512 pixel HALD, the example shown in the tool, holds 64 cubed pixels and produces a LUT with 64 points on each color axis, detailed enough for most photo and video work. A 64 by 64 HALD gives a 16-point LUT. If the pixel count is not a perfect cube, the tool reports that the file does not look like a HALD image. Do not crop or resize the HALD after editing it.

The tool accepts both, but PNG is the safer choice. PNG is lossless, so every color in the grid stays exactly as your edit produced it. JPEG compression slightly alters neighboring colors, which can introduce small errors into the LUT. Also avoid edits that move pixels, such as vignettes, grain, blur or lens corrections, because only color changes translate correctly.

Yes. It is free and needs no software. Your HALD image is read in your browser on your own device and is never uploaded anywhere, so your custom looks stay yours. Access requires one step: confirm you are a photographer and create or log in to a free Imagen account, which unlocks every tool on the site.