LUT Generator from Image

It is a free tool that turns the color grade of one reference photo into a Look-Up Table. It analyzes a reduced copy of your image in the Lab color space and measures three things: its black and white points, which show faded blacks or rolled-off highlights; the color tint it carries at each brightness level, such as cool shadows and warm highlights; and how muted its colors are. It bakes exactly those into a .cube file.

Pick a reference photo with the grade you want, then click the area or drop the image onto it. Give the LUT a title, which is written into the file, and choose 33x33 (Standard) or 64x64 (High Res). Click Generate .CUBE LUT and the file downloads. Import it into any photo or video editor that supports .cube LUTs and apply it to your images or footage.

Generic presets apply the same settings to every image and may not match the look you are after. A LUT built from your own reference captures that image's specific toning, such as tinted shadows, warm highlights, faded blacks or a muted palette. LUTs are also portable: the .cube format works across many photo and video applications, which helps keep a consistent look on mixed photo and video projects.

After basic corrections. First set white balance, exposure and contrast so the image is neutral and well balanced, then apply the LUT to add the creative look. A LUT applied to an underexposed or color-cast image exaggerates those problems and can push skin tones off. Starting from a clean, normalized image lets the LUT add the toning the reference had and nothing else.

First lower the LUT's opacity or intensity in your editing software to dial back the effect. Then check your base image: correct exposure and white balance before the LUT, not after. If the result is still too strong, the reference may have an extreme grade, such as deeply crushed blacks or a heavy tint, so try generating a new LUT from a reference with a gentler, more consistent look.

A Lightroom preset is a saved set of slider positions, such as exposure, shadows and color adjustments, that only that software understands. A LUT is a table that maps every input color directly to an output color, without any sliders. Because it is just a table of numbers, a .cube LUT can be loaded by many photo and video programs, while a preset stays tied to the application it was made in.

For the reference, use any image your browser can open, such as JPEG, PNG or WebP; raw files are not supported, so export a JPEG first. The output is a .cube file, the most widely supported LUT format, with your title in the header and a size of 33 or 64 points per channel. The LUT assumes standard sRGB images, so it suits finished, display-ready photos and footage.

No. A LUT is for color grading, not correction. Applied to an image with heavy underexposure, blown highlights or a strong color cast, it simply transforms those flawed pixels and often makes the problems more obvious. Correct exposure, recover shadows and highlights, and neutralize white balance first, then apply the LUT to a clean, well-exposed and properly balanced base image.

Choose a photo with a clear, consistent grade and a full range of tones, from shadows through highlights. The tool separates a grade's tint from the subject's own colors by checking how much colors agree within each brightness zone, so a strongly colorful subject has less influence than a uniform tone. Avoid heavily compressed or extremely exposed images, and pick a reference whose lighting resembles your own photos.

Copyright generally protects the specific expression of an image, such as its composition and subject, rather than a set of color values or a general style, so analyzing a photo's color grade is not usually a copyright issue. This is general information, not legal advice. It is still good practice to build LUTs from images you own or have licensed, and using your own portfolio keeps your looks original to your brand.