Question 1

What is a LUT?

Accepted Answer

A LUT (short for lookup table) is a color preset that changes the look of your video by remapping its colors. You can use LUTs to quickly create a cinematic style, keep colors consistent across different camera footage, or speed up your color grading workflow – just apply the LUT in your editing software and tweak from there if needed.

Question 2

How do I use LUTs?

Accepted Answer

After you download a LUT from Uppbeat, it&#39;ll arrive as a .zip file. Extract it, then open the Assets folder and you&#39;ll usually find a .cube LUT file inside.
From there, apply it in your editing software:

Premiere Pro: Open Lumetri Color → Basic Correction → Input LUT → Browse → select the LUT file.
After Effects: Go to File → Apply Color LUT… → select the LUT file from the Assets folder.
DaVinci Resolve: Go to the Color page → in the LUTs panel right-click Import LUT → choose the .cube file → then drag the LUT onto a node to apply it.

Question 3

Can I use LUTs with any footage?

Accepted Answer

Yes – you can apply LUTs to pretty much any video footage, but the results will vary depending on how your clip was shot. LUTs are designed to apply a color grade or look, and they&#39;re often used to create a consistent style across different shots or cameras.
For the best-looking results, we recommend:

Starting with well-exposed footage with a neutral white balance.
If your footage is shot in a Log/flat profile, doing a basic correction or Log-to-Rec.709 conversion first, then applying your creative LUT.
Making small tweaks after (exposure, contrast, saturation) to fine-tune the look.

Question 4

What&#39;s the difference between LUTs and Color Grading Presets?

Accepted Answer

LUTs are files (usually .cube) that apply a specific color &quot;look&quot; by remapping the colors in your footage. They&#39;re a quick way to add a cinematic grade, unify shots, or speed up your workflow.
Color grading presets (like Lumetri presets in Premiere Pro) are saved adjustment settings inside a specific piece of software – things like exposure, contrast, curves, saturation, and more.
In simple terms:

LUT = a color map file you can load into lots of editors.
Preset = a bundle of grading settings that&#39;s usually software-specific and easier to tweak setting-by-setting after you apply it.

Question 5

Can I use LUTs in commercial videos?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what you mean by &quot;commercial&quot;.

Yes – LUTs are fine to use in monetized online content (like YouTube, social, sponsored videos, etc.) as long as you&#39;ve downloaded them on an Uppbeat account and you&#39;re following our usage policy.
For paid advertising or client work, you&#39;ll need Uppbeat Pro, which includes the extended license that covers commercial usage like digital ads and client projects.

Question 6

Which software is compatible with Uppbeat LUTs?

Accepted Answer

Our LUTs usually download as .cube files, so they&#39;ll work in any editing or grading software that supports importing .cube LUTs.
We provide setup instructions for these popular options:

Adobe Premiere Pro (via the Lumetri Color panel)
Adobe After Effects (Apply Color LUT…)
DaVinci Resolve (Import LUT, then apply to a node)

You can double-check an asset&#39;s details by hovering over its preview or opening the asset page before downloading. LUTs labeled &quot;Drag and Drop&quot; are compatible with any software that supports .cube files.

Free LUTs & color grading presets

Aesthetic overlays, cinematic LUTs and color grading presets to easily transform your footage.
All human-made and cleared for your creative projects.Aesthetic overlays, cinematic LUTs and color grading presets to easily transform your footage. All human-made and cleared for your creative projects.

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