# Color grading in Photoshop: four ways, and which to use > How to colour grade in Photoshop: Camera Raw's Color Grading wheels, Color Lookup LUTs, Curves and Gradient Map, which to use when, and grading a whole folder of photos. Canonical: https://batchtone.com/blog/photoshop-color-grading 22 October 2026 · 4 min read Photoshop has four good ways to colour grade: the Color Grading wheels inside the Camera Raw Filter, a Color Lookup adjustment layer with a LUT, Curves per colour channel, and a Gradient Map on a soft blend mode. For one photo, use adjustment layers so the grade stays editable. For a folder, record the grade as an action and run it with File > Automate > Batch, or apply the LUT in a batch tool. Photoshop does not have one colour grading panel. It has several tools that can each produce a look, and that is why grading in Photoshop feels harder than in Lightroom. Pick the right one for the job and it is quicker than it looks. ## What are the ways to colour grade in Photoshop? | Method | Where it is | Best for | Editable later? | |---|---|---|---| | Camera Raw Filter, Color Grading | Filter > Camera Raw Filter | Shadow, midtone and highlight tints, like Lightroom | Yes, as a Smart Filter | | Color Lookup | Adjustment layer | Applying a LUT (`.cube`, `.3dl`, `.look`) | Yes, with opacity | | Curves | Adjustment layer | Precise contrast and per-channel colour | Yes | | Gradient Map | Adjustment layer on Soft Light or Color | Strong stylised looks, duotones | Yes | Selective Color, Color Balance and Hue/Saturation are useful too, for fixing a single colour inside a grade. ## How do you colour grade with Camera Raw in Photoshop? Camera Raw has the same Color Grading panel as Lightroom: wheels for shadows, midtones and highlights, a global wheel, and Blending and Balance sliders. 1. Convert the layer to a Smart Object (right-click the layer, Convert to Smart Object), so the filter stays editable. 2. Open **Filter > Camera Raw Filter**. 3. Correct white balance and exposure in the Basic panel first. 4. In **Color Grading**, push the shadows and highlights a short distance towards your colours, and use Blending to soften the split. 5. Click OK. Double-click the filter in the Layers panel to change it later. [Colour grading in Lightroom](https://batchtone.com/blog/lightroom-color-grading) goes through the wheels in more detail; they behave the same in Camera Raw. ## How do you apply a LUT in Photoshop? Use a **Color Lookup** adjustment layer: 1. Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Lookup. 2. In the Properties panel, open the 3DLUT File menu and choose **Load 3D LUT**. 3. Pick your `.cube`, `.3dl` or `.look` file. 4. Lower the layer's opacity if the look is too strong. Opacity works as a strength dial. The LUT applies to every layer below it. [What a .cube file is](https://batchtone.com/blog/cube-file) covers the format, and [what a LUT is](https://batchtone.com/blog/what-is-a-lut) covers the idea. ## How do you colour grade with Curves? Curves is the most precise tool, and the basis of most classic looks: - **RGB curve:** a gentle S for contrast. Lift the bottom-left point for faded blacks. - **Blue channel:** raise the shadows for cool shadows, lower the highlights for warmer highlights. - **Red channel:** small lifts in the midtones warm skin. Small moves are enough. A Curves layer set to the Color blend mode changes colour without changing contrast. ## When is a Gradient Map the right tool? For strong, stylised looks. A Gradient Map replaces each tone with a colour from a gradient, dark to light. On its own that looks extreme; on the **Soft Light** blend mode at 10 to 30% opacity it becomes a subtle tint across the tonal range. It is also the fastest way to make a duotone. ## What order should a Photoshop grade follow? 1. Correct white balance and exposure. 2. Add contrast with Curves. 3. Add the look: Camera Raw Color Grading, a LUT, or a Gradient Map. 4. Fix single colours (skin, sky, greens) with Hue/Saturation or Selective Color. 5. Check skin at 100%. [Skin tones](https://batchtone.com/blog/skin-tones-color-grading) are the part a grade must not break. ## How do you colour grade a whole folder in Photoshop? Photoshop can repeat a grade, but it takes setup: 1. Record an **Action** while you apply the grade to one photo, including Save As. 2. Run it with **File > Automate > Batch** on a source folder, with a destination folder for the results. It works, and it applies exactly the same grade to every photo with no per-photo strength. [Photoshop batch edit](https://batchtone.com/blog/photoshop-batch-edit-lut) walks through the action and its usual errors. If the grade is a LUT, BatchTone is a Mac app that applies one `.cube` to a whole folder of photos and clips, with a live preview and a strength slider on each file. Originals are never modified and nothing is uploaded. It has no layers or masks: keep retouching in Photoshop and use it when one look has to go on hundreds of files. The seven-day trial has everything unlocked; after that it is one in-app purchase. [Download BatchTone free on the Mac App Store](https://batchtone.com/download) ## Common questions ### Does Photoshop have a colour grading panel? Not as a separate panel. The Color Grading wheels are inside the Camera Raw Filter, the same ones as in Lightroom. ### Can Photoshop open .cube LUTs? Yes. A Color Lookup adjustment layer loads `.cube`, `.3dl` and `.look` files through Load 3D LUT. ### What is the best way to colour grade in Photoshop for beginners? The Camera Raw Filter on a Smart Object. It has sliders and wheels instead of channels and blend modes, and it stays editable. ### Is colour grading in Photoshop better than in Lightroom? Lightroom is faster for a set of photos. Photoshop is better for one photo that also needs retouching, masks or compositing. ### Can I save a Photoshop grade as a LUT? Yes. With the grade made from adjustment layers, File > Export > Color Lookup Tables saves it as a `.cube` you can use in other apps. [How to create a LUT](https://batchtone.com/blog/how-to-make-a-lut) covers this and the other ways. **About this article.** Written by the team that builds BatchTone, a macOS app that applies .cube LUTs to whole folders of photos and video. Spotted something wrong or out of date? Write to [support@batchtone.com](mailto:support@batchtone.com). ## Read next How-to 20 October 2026 · 5 min read ## [Colour grading photos: one look across the whole set](https://batchtone.com/blog/color-grading-photos) Colour grading photos means giving them a deliberate look after they are corrected: a palette, a contrast curve, a mood. Correct exposure and white balance first, then build the look on one representative photo. Save it as a LUT or a preset, apply it to the whole set, and turn it down on the few photos it does not suit. [Read it](https://batchtone.com/blog/color-grading-photos) How-to 18 September 2026 · 4 min read ## [Photoshop batch edit: applying a LUT to a folder](https://batchtone.com/blog/photoshop-batch-edit-lut) Record an action that adds a Color Lookup layer with your .cube loaded, then run File → Automate → Batch over the folder. It works, and the setup is the cost: an action per LUT, and no way to vary the strength per photo without editing each result. [Read it](https://batchtone.com/blog/photoshop-batch-edit-lut) Explainers 19 September 2026 · 4 min read ## [What is a LUT? The whole idea in five minutes](https://batchtone.com/blog/what-is-a-lut) LUT stands for lookup table. In video and photo editing, a LUT is a file that says, for a grid of input colours, what each one should come out as. Applying a LUT means looking up every pixel in that grid and interpolating between the nearest entries. [Read it](https://batchtone.com/blog/what-is-a-lut) Explainers 20 October 2026 · 4 min read ## [What is a .cube file? Opening and using one](https://batchtone.com/blog/cube-file) A .cube file is a LUT (lookup table) saved as plain text: a list of numbers that tells software how to change every colour in an image. You do not open it like a document; you load it into a photo or video app such as DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Photoshop or a LUT tool, and the app applies it to your footage or photos. [Read it](https://batchtone.com/blog/cube-file) ## One look. A whole shoot. BatchTone applies your .cube LUTs across photos and video at once, with a strength dial on every file. Seven-day trial, everything unlocked. [Download for macOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/batchtone/id6821727167)