how do i import a lut into premiere pro?

you don't have to install it anywhere. select the clip, open the lumetri color panel, and under creative > look choose browse — then point it at the .cube file. to make a lut appear permanently in the dropdown, copy it into adobe's common/luts/creative folder and restart premiere.

what's the difference between input lut and creative look in lumetri?

input lut sits under basic correction and is meant for technical conversions, such as turning log footage into rec.709. creative > look sits later in the chain and is for the stylistic grade. using the right slot is what keeps the two from fighting each other.

how do i apply one lut to every clip?

put an adjustment layer on a track above your footage and apply the lut to that layer instead of to each clip. every clip beneath it inherits the grade, and you can dial the whole look back with the intensity slider.

do luts work in premiere pro without a creative cloud subscription?

luts are a premiere feature, so you need premiere itself. the .cube files are free though, and building your own doesn't need premiere at all — you can grade and export a lut in the browser.

why does my lut look too strong in premiere?

lumetri applies looks at full strength by default. use the intensity slider directly under creative > look to bring it down; most cinematic luts sit better somewhere between 40 and 70.

April 25, 2026·dom @ luttie

how to import luts into premiere pro (add & apply)

how to import a .cube lut into premiere pro with lumetri color, add it to the dropdown for good, and apply it to a clip, an adjustment layer or log footage.

how to import luts into premiere prohow to add luts to premiere prohow to use luts in premiere propremiere pro lutlumetri color lutcolor grading premiere prohow to apply a lutlut for premiere pro

to import a lut into premiere pro, select the clip, open lumetri color, and under creative → look choose browse, then pick the .cube file. to add luts to premiere pro so they stay in that dropdown, copy them into adobe's common luts folder and restart.

this guide covers both, plus applying a lut to an adjustment layer and the right order for log footage.

need a lut to import? grab free .cube luts or a pro lut pack. want your own look instead? build it in the luttie editor and save it as a .cube (grading is free, lut export needs pro).

how luts work in premiere pro

premiere pro applies luts through the lumetri color effect, available in two places:

the creative tab — for look-based creative luts
the input lut dropdown — for technical/conversion luts (applied before any other adjustments)

the distinction matters: applying a creative lut via input lut means it processes before premiere's color corrections, which can produce unexpected results on log footage. more on the correct order below.

importing luts into premiere pro

there are two ways to get a .cube file into lumetri.

browse to it each time. nothing to install: pick browse in the look or input lut dropdown and select the file. the steps are below.

install it so it stays in the dropdown. copy the file into adobe's common luts folder and restart premiere:

macos: /Users/<you>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/
windows: C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\LUTs\

inside that, luts in a Creative folder appear under creative → look, and luts in a Technical folder appear under basic correction → input lut. create the folders if they're missing.

you'll see videos that put luts inside the premiere pro app itself instead. adobe's own faq says not to, because luts stored there are lost when premiere updates. the full steps are in how to install luts so they stay in the menu.

applying a lut via lumetri color

method 1 — creative look (most common)

this is the right place for cinematic, stylistic luts:

select your clip on the timeline
open window → lumetri color
click the creative tab
under look, click the dropdown → browse
navigate to your .cube file and select it
use the intensity slider to dial in how strongly the lut is applied (100 = full strength)

method 2 — input lut (for technical/conversion luts)

use this for log-to-rec.709 conversion luts — it processes before all other lumetri adjustments:

in lumetri color, open the basic correction tab
at the top, find input lut → click browse
select your conversion lut

now all the sliders below it (exposure, contrast, white balance) operate on the already-converted image, which is the correct order for log footage.

applying a lut to an adjustment layer

the best practice in premiere is to apply luts via an adjustment layer so a single lut affects every clip underneath it — keeping your timeline clean and making global grade changes easy.

in the project panel → new item → adjustment layer
set it to match your sequence settings → ok
drag the adjustment layer to a track above all your footage
select the adjustment layer → apply the lut via lumetri color as above

to change the grade later, you only need to update the lut on the adjustment layer — not on every clip individually.

correct order for log footage

if you're working with log footage (sony s-log, canon log, arri log-c, etc.), the right order in lumetri is:

step	where in lumetri	what it does
1. convert color space	input lut (basic correction)	log → rec.709
2. primary corrections	basic correction sliders	fix exposure, wb
3. apply creative grade	creative → look	cinematic look

skipping step 1 and applying a creative lut directly to log footage results in a washed-out, low-contrast image. always convert first.

stacking multiple luts

premiere doesn't support multiple lumetri lut slots natively, but you can stack luts by applying the lumetri color effect multiple times:

select your clip
go to effect controls
apply lumetri color from the effects panel a second time
each instance has its own set of tabs — use one for the conversion lut and another for the creative lut

creating a lut for premiere pro

premiere pro can't export .cube lut files from your grade. if you want to export a reusable lut to use across projects or share with a team, you have two options:

adobe media encoder — can export a lut from a lumetri grade, but requires some workarounds
luttie — grade a frame in your browser and save the look as a .cube, then import it into premiere using the steps above. nothing to install. grading is free, lut export needs luttie pro.

summary

apply creative luts under lumetri color → creative → look
apply technical/conversion luts under lumetri color → basic correction → input lut
use an adjustment layer to apply a lut to all clips at once
always convert log footage before applying creative grades
to make your own lut, grade a frame in the luttie editor and save it as a .cube (lut export needs pro)
for ready-made looks, grab free .cube luts or a pro lut pack