LUT vs. Preset: What's the Difference and Which Should You Use?
“LUT” and “preset” get used interchangeably in tutorials and marketplaces, but they are fundamentally different objects — and choosing the wrong one for the job causes real frustration.
The one-line version: a preset is a recipe (editable instructions), a LUT is a finished sauce (a baked transformation).
What each one stores
A preset (like a Lightroom .xmp) stores slider positions: exposure +0.3, shadows +25, this curve, these HSL shifts, even masks. Apply it and all those controls remain live — you can see them, adjust them, learn from them.
A LUT (.cube) stores only the end result as a color table: this input color becomes that output color. Compact, fast, universal — and opaque. You can't open a LUT and see 'how much contrast' it adds; that information was consumed in the baking.
Strengths, honestly compared
Each format wins in its natural habitat:
- ·Editability: preset ✓ — every slider stays adjustable; LUT ✗
- ·Works in video editors: LUT ✓ — Premiere, Resolve, FCP; preset ✗
- ·Local adjustments/masks: preset ✓; LUT ✗ (color-only, spatially blind)
- ·Real-time on set / in OBS: LUT ✓
- ·Learning how a look was built: preset ✓ — it is the documentation
- ·Adapting to different exposures: preset (semi) — a LUT applies identically even when the shot needs different treatment
Use both: recipe → LUT
The professional pattern is a pipeline, not a choice: develop the look as an editable recipe, then export a LUT for the places that need one (video timelines, streaming, on-set monitors). RawCut automates the pair — every look can leave as an .xmp preset and as a baked .cube LUT of the same grade.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the same LUT look wrong on some shots?
A LUT assumes its input resembles the footage it was designed on. Under- or over-exposed shots feed it different colors, so it answers with a different look. Normalize exposure and white balance first.
Can a LUT contain masks or grain?
No. A LUT transforms colors one at a time with no knowledge of position or texture. Vignettes, grain and dodging live in presets or manual edits.
Which should I sell or share as a creator?
Both, ideally: presets for photographers who want to learn and tweak, LUTs for videographers and streamers. They serve different audiences with the same look.
Build a look once in the RawCut Sandbox and export it as .xmp and .cube — recipe and LUT from the same grade.
Get both from one look