A LUT video editor is an editor that can load a LUT file and apply it to your clips, so a look you bought, downloaded or built once can be reused on every video. Most serious editors can, and a few phone apps can too. The part people get wrong isn't loading the file. It's applying it to footage it wasn't made for, at full strength.
This guide covers what a LUT is, which editors take one, and how to apply it so it helps instead of hurts.
What is a LUT in video editing?
A LUT (lookup table) is a file that maps every input colour to an output colour. Put in a slightly flat blue, get back a deeper teal. A .cube file is the standard format: a long list of those mappings in plain text. Some editors also accept .3dl.
There are two kinds, and mixing them up causes most bad results:
| Kind | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Technical (input) LUT | Converts log footage to normal contrast and colour | When you shot in a log profile |
| Creative LUT | Applies a look: warm, faded, teal and orange, film | On normal footage, or after the technical LUT |
If you film on a phone in its normal mode, you only need creative LUTs. If you shot log, apply the technical LUT first, then the creative one, or the look will land on flat grey footage and look wrong.
A LUT also knows nothing about what it's looking at. It changes a face the same way it changes a wall, which is why one LUT flatters some clips and ruins others. Colour grading short video goes deeper on why.
Which video editors can load LUTs?
| Editor | Runs on | Where LUTs go | Intensity control |
|---|---|---|---|
| DaVinci Resolve | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPad | Color page, LUTs panel | Yes, on the node |
| Premiere Pro | Mac, Windows | Lumetri Color panel | Yes, Intensity slider |
| Final Cut Pro | Mac | Custom LUT effect | Yes, Mix slider |
| CapCut desktop | Mac, Windows | Adjustment, LUT section | Yes, intensity slider |
| VN | iPhone, Android, Mac | Filter, custom folder, Import Filter | Check your app version |
| Easy Reels (Ultra) | Browser | Upload your .cube to the library | Yes, intensity slider |
Feature locations come from each vendor's documentation and published guides as of October 2026, and menus move between versions. Two notes worth knowing: CapCut's LUT import is reported to be desktop only, not in the phone app; and VN imports LUTs one file at a time.
How do you apply a LUT to a video?
The steps are close to identical in every editor:
- Get the file. Download or export the
.cube. Check the licence if you're using it for client or commercial work. - Import it into the editor's LUT location from the table above.
- Correct first. Fix exposure and white balance on clips that are clearly off. A LUT on a bad exposure gives you a stylish bad exposure.
- Apply it to the whole edit, not clip by clip. Use an adjustment layer where the editor has one, so every shot passes through the same look.
- Set the intensity (next section).
- Check on a phone, where most short video is watched.
Why apply it once, not per clip?
In a short video cut to music, shots change every second or so. If each clip carries a slightly different grade, the cuts read as flicker instead of variety. One LUT across everything is what makes eight clips look like one video.
How strong should a LUT be?
Almost never 100%. Most creative LUTs are built to be obvious, and at full strength skin turns orange or grey and highlights clip.
- 60 to 80%: the usual answer. The look is there and the footage still reads as real.
- 30 to 50%: for strong footage, or a brand look meant to be subtle.
- 100%: only when the LUT was built for your exact camera and conditions.
The intensity control is what makes a LUT reusable across different footage. The same LUT at 70% on bright outdoor clips and 45% on indoor ones keeps a feed consistent without wrecking either.
Which LUT video editor should you pick?
- Free and the most control: DaVinci Resolve.
- Already on Adobe or Apple: Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, whichever you edit in.
- Phone only: VN.
- Free desktop all-rounder: CapCut desktop.
- The same look on every reel, at volume: Easy Reels.
Easy Reels is a browser editor that cuts short vertical video to music from your own clips. On Ultra ($39 a month or $390 a year, after a 14-day trial with full access that you can cancel before it ends without being charged) you upload your own .cube files and set each one's intensity with a slider, next to the built-in cinematic filters and saved colour adjustments. The LUT becomes part of the template, so every render, including batches of up to 50, gets the same grade. It doesn't have scopes or per-shot grading, so for precise colour work Resolve is the better tool. See pricing, or the wider comparison in color grading app.
Common questions
Can I use LUTs on my phone?
Yes. VN imports .cube files on iPhone and Android, and DaVinci Resolve runs on iPad. CapCut's LUT import is reported to be on desktop only.
Are LUTs free?
Many are free. Plenty of creators and stores give away .cube files, often with a licence that allows commercial use. Read the licence before using one for clients.
What is the difference between a LUT and a filter?
A filter is a look built into one app. A LUT is a portable file that works in any editor that loads it, so the same look follows you between tools. Cinematic video filters compares filters, LUTs and full grading.
Why does my LUT look wrong?
Usually one of three reasons: it was made for log footage and you shot normal video, it's at 100% intensity, or the exposure was off before you applied it. Fix them in that order.