LUTs vs. Presets: Your Guide to Getting a Consistent Look

What is a LUT?

LUT stands for “Look Up Table” and is commonly programmed for video editors and filmmakers. It is essentially a simple way to alter an image’s color and tone. LUTs rework and remap the color science of an image from its original state onto a target output. They are simple by nature and can either target a single color or a multitude of colors.

LUTs are commonly used in the filmmaking world to make sharper, more clinical-feeling digital footage look like older motion picture film stock. This is an excellent way to make your footage look more cinematic and Hollywood-style.

But, while they are more common for filmmakers, you can also use LUTs for still images. They can be easily adjusted to manipulate select hues. However, they target a narrower set of image parameters. Though — a preset, on the other hand, adjusts a much wider range of parameters. A preset can contain a LUT, but a LUT is not generally referred to as a preset. But we’ll get into that in a second…

Like image presets, LUTs can also be applied as layers, allowing the user to adjust the opacity to further edit the look. They are incredibly powerful and easy-to-use image editing tools and footage manipulators.

What Is a Preset?

Cultivating a consistent look for an Instagram feed is all the rage in the modern technological world. Influencers and creatives alike prefer to create a consistent vibe to their body of work.

Presets are custom looks applied to photo editing software, like Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. Unlike a LUT, presets manipulate a wider set of image parameters than simply color or tone.

While the two terms are often interchanged, filters are different from presets. Filters often change basic settings, like exposure or color tone, whereas a preset can be modified and integrated into specific programs with more advanced editing changes (RGB, curves, etc.). Filters are typically seen as an overlay, whereas a preset is an interlinked manipulation tactic of the image’s data property.

Presets are an excellent way to hone your style as a digital creator. Because each preset can be uniquely different, you can be universally creative when editing your image based on your set parameters.

They are an excellent strategy to create that consistent look while simultaneously marking your brand.

Creating a Consistent Look

Every photo differs in subject, tone, light, and composition. But if you edit every image in a batch differently, you’ll end up with a body of work that is inconsistent and frankly messy.

However, by adding a preset to all of the images and only customizing where it’s needed, your batch will now have a tonal theme and universal style. Presets set the tone for every image in your batch. There is a standard foundation to follow and presets will tie everything together.

The uniquely exciting part about presets is the creators and individuals that make them. The possibilities are endless when creating a style or look for your body of images. Presets range from different lighting techniques to skin tone, moodiness, etc. There is quite literally an infinite amount of possibilities to choose from.

Your time as a photographer or filmmaker is valuable. I cannot stress enough how incredibly important presets are in saving you time. With gained efficiency and practice, it generally takes me no more than a few minutes to edit an image correctly in Lightroom or Photoshop.

Possibilities Are Endless

The uniquely exciting part about presets is the creators and individuals who create them. The possibilities are endless when creating a style or look for your body of images. Presets range from different lighting scenes to skin tone, moodiness, etc. There are—quite literally—an infinite amount of opportunities to create what you envision. Even the slightest movement of a parameter or curve level might drastically shift the color science of your photo.

Influencers, photographers, famous filmmakers, and classic color-grading scientists have created a multitude of different looks available to the public today. Style your images just like your favorite account on Instagram, or create something entirely by yourself with just a few clicks of a button.

It’s really that simple.