LUTs are a great way to change the overall appearance of an image in just one click, kind of like a filter.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create and save custom LUTs in Photoshop and discuss why you would need them. Let’s get started!

What Is a LUT?

LUT is short for “lookup table” and is used for color-grading. Think of it as a photo filter like the ones you’d find in other editing programs, presets, and social media platforms like Instagram. Essentially, LUTs are “looks” that change the overall appearance of an image.

Why Would You Need a LUT?

LUTs are great tools for large batches of images where you’d like to apply the same look to create a consistent style. A great example of this is weddings. A photographer can create one or a few LUTs that can then be applied to hundreds of images. This saves a lot of time when tackling a large number of images in Photoshop.

LUTs are also a great way to create your own style and keep it consistent. The style of an image can be highly determined by the way it was originally photographed, but many qualities of an image can be manipulated with the use of LUTs.

In this tutorial, we use a cool color pallet. But your options are endless; you can go for high-contrast, black-and-white, matte, or saturated looks. Whatever you can think of. And in the long run, you get to discover your style which will cement your brand on the platforms where you share your work.

How to Create and Save Custom LUTs in Photoshop

Creating and saving a LUT requires several steps. Let's jump right in.

1. Create the Adjustment Layers for the Custom LUT

To get started, we’ll be adding several adjustment layers in a stack that will become our LUT. Our objective for this image is to lower the color temperature.

You can download the image we’re using for this tutorial on Pexels if you’d like to follow along.

To create the adjustment layers:

  1. Ensure the Background layer is locked; there should be a padlock icon. If not, go to New > Layer > Background from Layer.
    Layer from Background
  2. Create a Photo Filter adjustment by clicking the adjustments icon at the bottom right corner of Photoshop. All of the adjustment layers are accessible from there.
    Photo Filter
  3. Change the Photo Filter to Deep Blue and the Density to 80.
    Change Photo Filter
  4. Create a Color Balance adjustment layer and change the values to something similar as shown below. It doesn't need to be the exact same, simply set the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights from the drop-down menu to your liking.
    Color Balance
  5. Create a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer and change Saturation to +15 and Lightness to -20.
    Hue Saturation
  6. Create a Black and White adjustment layer and change the Blend mode to Luminosity.
    Black and White
  7. Change the values of the sliders in the Black and White adjustment layer to your liking or similar to what we’ve done.
    Sliders in Black and White
  8. Create a Curves adjustment layer, shaping the curve similar to what’s shown below.
    Curves
  9. With the Curves layer active, press and hold the Shift key and select the Photo Filter layer. This will highlight all the adjustment layers we’ve created.
    select layers
  10. Click on the Folder icon to group the layers together. Or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + G.

You can easily see the differences between the before and after when toggling the eye icon.

Before:

Before Adjustment Layers

After:

After Adjustment Layers

2. Create and Save the LUT

Now we’re ready to create the LUT and save it.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open up the Group 1 folder and highlight all the adjustment layers.
    Highlight adjustment layers
  2. Go to File > Export > Color Lookup Tables.
    Color Lookup Tables
  3. In the menu, leave the default at Medium and check only the CUBE option. Click OK.
    Export LUT
  4. Name the LUT and choose where you’d like to save it. Press Save. The LUT has now been saved to your computer as a .lut extension file.

To access the custom LUT in Photoshop for future use:

  1. Go back to the adjustments folder and choose Color Lookup Table.
    Access Custom LUT
  2. From the properties box, choose Load 3D LUT.
    Load 3d LUT
  3. Locate the custom LUT you’d like to use. It will appear as a single layer called Color Lookup 1.

Applying Your Custom LUTs to Other Images

You might want to create a LUT as a once-off thing or use it for a batch of images. We're also going to remind you that your LUT can be applied to other images that have similar characteristics as the one you've originally created the LUT with.

For example, if we applied the same LUT we've just created to another portrait where the subject has a similar skin tone, we'd get that same cool-tone effect. Here's what our LUT would look on the new subject:

New Subject Example

Notice how the color palette is similar to the first image, yet maintains its own essence? That’s the beauty of LUTs.

Fine-Tune Your LUTs

When you’re creating LUTs, it’s okay if the effect is a little intense. You can always reduce the opacity later on, as shown below.

Opacity Reduced to 50 percent

We recommend fine-tuning a LUT that you're using on a batch of pictures because a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always work in the world of filters. This includes adjusting the color, lighting, and exposure values.

Use Blend If for Selective Application

Blend If is a great tool for applying the LUT to specific areas of the image. For example, you can apply the LUT to only affect the shadows, midtones, or highlights. Keep in mind that you'll get the most out of your custom LUTs when you apply them to images with similar characteristics.

In the example image below, the color pallet is on the cool side thanks to the LUT. However, with Blend If, you can protect the shadows and midtones from the LUT to retain the original skin tones of the subject.

Blend If Skin Tones

Experiment With Blend Modes

We recommend experimenting with Blend Modes when using your LUTs on different types of images. And if you're using the preset LUTs in Photoshop, you'll probably discover that most of them are unusable on your images if you don't change the Blend Mode and reduce the opacity dramatically.

Below is an example of our previous LUT that's been altered with Blend If in Soft Light Blend Mode.

Soft Light mode and Blend If

Create Unique Styles for Your Pictures

The great thing about creating your own custom LUTs in Photoshop: they're yours. It will set your work apart from that which uses Instagram or smartphone filters.

Try your hand at making a LUT with the help of this article, and watch your pictures transform before your eyes.