{"id":11525,"date":"2026-11-07T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/licensing.routenote.com\/blog\/?p=11525"},"modified":"2026-11-06T11:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T11:23:06","slug":"what-is-a-video-lut-colour-grading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/licensing.routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-a-video-lut-colour-grading\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Video LUT, and What Does It Change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A LUT, or lookup table, is a set of instructions that maps input colour and brightness values to output values. In video editing, a LUT can be used to transform footage into a different colour space or apply a particular look. It changes how the image is displayed or rendered; it does not restore detail that was never recorded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technical LUTs and creative LUTs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A technical LUT may be designed to convert footage from a camera\u2019s log profile into a more standard viewing format. A creative LUT is intended to give an image a particular appearance, such as a warmer tone or stronger contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These jobs are different. Applying a creative LUT to footage that needs a technical conversion may produce an unexpected result. Follow the camera manufacturer\u2019s guidance for the profile used to record the footage, and check what colour space your project and delivery require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apply LUTs with a test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A LUT is not a substitute for correct exposure or white balance. Footage captured too dark, clipped highlights or inconsistent lighting can still look wrong after a LUT is applied. The same LUT can also produce different results on different footage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apply it to a test clip first. Check skin tones, shadows and highlights, and compare the result on a reliable display. If the image looks too strong, reduce the LUT\u2019s intensity or adjust the grade rather than forcing the same setting onto every shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For music and sound effects to complete your finished video, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/licensing.routenote.com\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">RouteNote Licensing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A LUT, or lookup table, is a set of instructions that maps input colour and brightness values to output values. In video editing, a LUT can be used to transform footage into a different colour space or apply a particular look. It changes how the image is displayed or rendered; it does not restore detail that was never recorded. Technical LUTs and creative LUTs A technical LUT may be designed to convert footage from a camera\u2019s log profile into a more standard viewing format. A creative LUT is intended to give an image a particular appearance, such as a warmer&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1838,277,282],"tags":[5759,5757,5756,5758],"class_list":["post-11525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","category-tools","category-video-tools","tag-colour-lookup-table","tag-lut-colour-grading","tag-video-lut","tag-what-is-a-lut-in-video"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a Video LUT, and What Does It Change? - RouteNote Licensing Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A LUT maps input colours to output colours. Learn the difference between technical conversion and creative looks.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/licensing.routenote.com\/blog\/what-is-a-video-lut-colour-grading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Is a Video LUT, and What Does It Change? - RouteNote Licensing Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A LUT maps input colours to output colours. 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