I like to purchase those luts set. They looks beautiful on their demo video. The problem is when I apply those luts to my footage, it always not perfect.

I do not have great skill to color grade my footage using adobe premiere pro, the editing software I use now. It just lack some freedom to edit color. Since the color come out my Sony a7s always looks a bit off, it require more grading skill. I always wonder why can’t I grading video as easy as grading photo. In photoshop, everything can be done so fast and simple. A few days ago, a guy on facebook group shared his technique of how to use photoshop to create lut. This become the biggest discovery for me recently. I want to share it with everyone now.

1. you export a frame of the video clip you want to grade in premiere pro (I think every editing software can do it)

2. you import this frame/image to photoshop (I suppose only cc 2014/2015 has the feature to create lut)

3. also very important step. We need make this layer as background layer otherwise it won’t let you export at end.

4. you doing your grading. You can only use non-destructive adjustment layer. You can not use filter.

5. export as lut

6. Using lumetri filter in premiere pro to apply lut (Other major video editing software can apply luts as well).

Ok cool done!!!

Compare to original

God, I love this technique. Why do we still need to buy those luts. First of all those lut are designed for particular scene the people shot with. We still need to do grading after apply those lut or it will not be a perfect fit. If you have photography background, you are very familiar with photoshop, the possibility is endless. You can create so so many looks. Yes it is time consuming, but color grading is anyway. And for me using photoshop is much faster. In premiere if I added a lot of effects, it get very slow. It is just not the ideal environment to do color grading for me.

I hope you are as happy as me. Keep shooting!!