The two get sold side by side, often in the same pack, so it is easy to assume they are two formats of the same thing. They are not. One is a lookup table, the other is a recipe, and that difference decides where each one works.
What is a LUT?
A LUT, or lookup table, is a file that maps colours. For each input colour it
stores an output colour, and the app reads the answer rather than calculating
anything. A 3D LUT in .cube format is the common one: a grid of colour points,
often 33 by 33 by 33, with the app filling in the values between them.
Two properties follow from that:
- It is fixed. The same input always gives the same output, whatever the photo or clip. That is exactly what a log conversion needs.
- It is portable.
.cubeis a plain-text format that DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop and most editors import.
What is a LUT goes deeper into how the grid works.
What is a preset?
A preset is a saved set of edits for one specific app. A Lightroom preset, for
example, is an .xmp file that says "exposure +0.3, highlights -40, this tone
curve, this HSL shift". When you apply it, Lightroom runs those adjustments on
the photo in front of it.
Because many of those sliders work relative to the image, the same preset gives different results on a bright frame and a dark one. That can be a strength, since the edit adapts. It can also be the reason a preset looks great on the seller's sample and odd on your photos.
A preset only works in the app it was made for. Lightroom presets don't open in Premiere, and Premiere's Lumetri presets don't open in Lightroom.
LUT vs preset at a glance
| LUT | Preset | |
|---|---|---|
| What it stores | A fixed map from input colour to output colour | A list of slider settings |
| File | .cube (also .3dl and others) | .xmp for Lightroom, app-specific for others |
| Works in | Almost every photo and video app | Only the app it was made for |
| Photos and video | Both | Usually one or the other |
| Adapts to each frame | No, same transform every time | Partly, many sliders are relative |
| Can change exposure or white balance per photo | No | Yes |
| Strength control | Depends on the app, often a blend or opacity | Edit the sliders |
| Best for | Log conversion, one look across a whole shoot | Photo edits inside one editor |
When should you use a LUT?
Reach for a LUT when the job is the same transform on everything:
- Converting log footage. D-Log, S-Log3 or C-Log to Rec.709 is a fixed conversion by definition, which is what a LUT is built for. See D-Log to Rec.709 for a worked example.
- Matching photos and video from one shoot. The same
.cubeon both keeps the colour consistent in a way two separate presets can't. - Moving between apps. Grade in one editor, export the look as a LUT, and apply it anywhere.
The catch is that a LUT can't fix exposure or white balance for you. Correct those first, then apply the LUT. Colour grading vs colour correction explains the order.
When should you use a preset?
A preset is the better tool when you live in one editor and want edits that respond to each photo:
- A Lightroom-only photo workflow, where you also want lens corrections, sharpening or masks saved with the look.
- Shoots with mixed light, where relative exposure and tone adjustments get you closer on each frame than a fixed map would.
- Starting points you will tweak by hand on every image anyway.
If you are choosing between free packs, our list of free Lightroom presets and free LUTs covers both.
Can you use both?
Yes, and plenty of photographers do. Lightroom and Camera Raw can load a .cube
inside a profile, then you add your own slider moves on top.
Lightroom LUTs walks through it. The order to keep in
mind: correction, then the LUT, then small adjustments.
Where BatchTone fits
BatchTone works with LUTs, not presets. Drop a folder of photos and video in,
pick a .cube, and every file gets it, previewed on your own frames before
export. Each file has its own strength dial, so the bright shots can take less
of the look without changing the rest. Originals are never written to, and
nothing is uploaded. There is a seven-day trial with everything
unlocked.
Common questions
Is a LUT better than a preset? Neither is better in general. A LUT is better for fixed transforms and for working across apps; a preset is better for adaptive photo edits inside one editor.
Can I convert a Lightroom preset into a LUT? You can capture what a preset does to colour by applying it to a colour test image and building a LUT from the result, but anything relative, such as exposure or local masks, does not survive the trip.
Do LUTs work on photos?
Yes. Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Lightroom through profiles and batch tools all
apply .cube LUTs to stills.
Why does a preset look different on my photos than on the sample? Because many of its sliders are relative to the image. A preset made on a bright, low-contrast sample will push your darker frames somewhere else.
Can a LUT fix bad exposure? No. A LUT maps colours as they are. Fix exposure and white balance first, then apply it.