About
Online LUT Creator
Online LUT Creator (OLC) is a simple tool that turns your color edits into a .CUBE LUT you can use in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Lightroom, Final Cut Pro, and more. The goal is straightforward: make LUT creation accessible without needing complex grading setups, expensive plugins, or a specific editing app.
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Why OLC exists
LUTs are everywhere — but making one has historically been annoying. A lot of creators learn color through Lightroom presets, Photoshop curves, mobile filters, or “looks” they already love… and then hit a wall when they want the same look inside a video workflow.
OLC exists to bridge that gap: it lets you take the way you already edit (Photoshop, Lightroom, mobile, anything that can export an image) and convert it into a LUT. It’s not trying to replace professional grading tools — it’s trying to remove friction so you can move faster.
How it works: the Identity PNG method
The “Identity PNG” is an image that contains a structured map of color values. Think of it as a color grid where each pixel represents a known input color. When you apply your edits to that image, you are effectively describing a color transformation. OLC reads the changes and converts them into a 3D LUT.
Step 1
Download Identity PNG
This file contains the full color information needed to generate a LUT. Don’t resize it. Don’t crop it.
Step 2
Apply your look
Edit in Lightroom/Photoshop (or anything). Export as PNG (best) or uncompressed JPEG.
Step 3
Upload + Generate
OLC generates a .CUBE file so you can apply the same look to video.
This method is popular because it’s predictable: you are editing a known reference, and the output LUT describes that exact transform.
Best practices for accurate LUTs
If you want the LUT to match your intended look as closely as possible, treat the Identity PNG like a calibration target.
- Don’t resize or crop. Resizing interpolates pixels and breaks the exact mapping.
- Export PNG when possible. PNG avoids compression artifacts that can introduce small color errors.
- Avoid heavy sharpening/noise reduction. Those are spatial effects, not pure color transforms — they won’t translate cleanly.
- Keep edits “color-only” when possible. Tone curves, HSL, RGB curves, split toning, calibration, etc. translate well.
If your LUT looks different in a video editor than in Lightroom, it’s usually a color management mismatch (log vs Rec.709, timeline settings, input transforms). That’s normal — and fixable. Check Tutorials for the recommended workflow.
Supported software & workflows
OLC outputs standard .CUBE LUT files, which are widely supported. Most creators use the LUT in one of these contexts:
Video
DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects — apply as a creative LUT or in a LUT node/effect.
Photo
Photoshop and other editors that support LUT-based color lookup tables can use .CUBE looks too.
The best result depends on your pipeline. If you shoot LOG, you’ll usually want a proper transform (LOG → Rec.709 / working color space) before applying a creative LUT, or the LUT may behave differently than expected.
Privacy & files
OLC is designed around a single purpose: converting your edited Identity PNG into a LUT. If you’re using OLC as intended, you are uploading the edited Identity image (not personal photos, not client footage).
If you ever run into something that feels off — a bug, a weird export, a LUT that looks wrong — you can report it directly by emailing onlinelutcreator@gmail.com.
FAQ
Why does my LUT look different in Resolve than in Lightroom?
Most of the time it’s color management. Lightroom edits a photo in its own color pipeline. Resolve depends on your timeline color space, input transforms (LOG vs Rec.709), and display settings. If you apply a creative LUT directly to LOG footage, it will often look “wrong” compared to your photo edit. Use a proper transform first, then apply the LUT as a creative look.
Should I export PNG or JPEG?
PNG is best. JPEG can work if it’s uncompressed or high quality, but compression can introduce small color changes. If you care about accuracy, go PNG.
Can a LUT recreate sharpening, grain, or blur?
Not really. LUTs are for color mapping (and sometimes tone mapping). Spatial effects like sharpening and noise reduction don’t translate as a LUT.
What’s the difference between a LUT and a preset?
A preset can include many tools and rules inside an app. A LUT is a portable color transform. LUTs travel between software easily, but they’re not a perfect replacement for every type of preset.
Where should I start?
Start here: Create a LUT, then check Tutorials for workflows (LOG footage, Rec.709 footage, Resolve node setups, etc.).
Build your look once. Use it everywhere.
If you’re experimenting, keep it simple: tone curve + HSL + subtle split tone. Generate a LUT, test it on a few clips, refine, repeat. That’s the loop.