The future of photo editing is undeniably intertwined with artificial intelligence, with companies aiming to replace traditional manual retouching processes with AI-powered automation. Some frequent users of Evoto AI, attest to the significant time savings it has brought to their workflow. What once took hours of manual retouching can now be handled by AI. While Evoto AI itself is a standalone software, it offers a LUT (Look-Up Table) system that can integrate seamlessly into Photoshop, making it a valuable tool for photographers and editors alike.
What is a LUT?
A Look-Up Table (LUT) is a mathematical formula used to map one color space to another. In photo and video editing, LUTs are essential tools that allow you to apply consistent color grades to images, giving them a uniform aesthetic across various projects. They are useful for color correction, creating specific moods, ensuring visual consistency, and speeding up the editing process.
LUTs provide a unique advantage over traditional editing methods. Instead of manually adjusting individual image attributes, such as exposure or contrast, LUTs allow you to apply complex color transformations with a single click. This efficiency has made LUTs indispensable for professional photographers and videographers who need to streamline their editing process.
LUTs vs. Presets: What’s the Difference?
Although LUTs and presets both serve to enhance the visual appeal of photos and videos, they function differently:
- Focus: LUTs are primarily used for color grading and tonal adjustments, replacing colors within an image. In contrast, presets apply a wider range of adjustments, such as exposure, contrast, saturation, and sharpening, and can also incorporate LUTs for color grading.
- Flexibility: Once a LUT is applied, its effect is often final. You can adjust the intensity by altering the opacity of the LUT layer, but tweaking the individual colors within the LUT is not possible. Presets, on the other hand, are more flexible, allowing you to fine-tune each individual adjustment after applying the preset.
- Complexity: LUTs are simple to use and require minimal editing expertise—just load the LUT and you’re done. Presets can vary in complexity. Some presets provide a one-click solution, while others offer starting points for more advanced editing.
- Use Cases: LUTs are ideal for achieving specific color looks or maintaining consistency across projects, making them particularly popular in video editing. Presets are better suited for creating a consistent style across multiple images, especially for beginners who are still getting familiar with the finer details of editing.
Image source: Anonyviet
How to Use LUTs in Photoshop
Using LUTs in Photoshop is relatively straightforward. Follow these simple steps to get started:
- Open Your Image: Begin by loading the image you want to edit in Photoshop. Go to File > Open to select your photo.
- Add a Color Lookup Adjustment Layer: In the Layers panel, click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and choose Color Lookup from the dropdown menu.
- Choose Your LUT: In the Properties panel, you’ll find a menu labeled Color Lookup. From here, you can either select a built-in LUT or load a custom one by clicking on Load 3D LUT.
- Adjust the LUT’s Intensity: After applying a LUT, you can modify its intensity by adjusting the opacity of the Color Lookup layer. You can also use additional adjustment layers like Curves or Levels to fine-tune the color grading.
Are LUTs Worth It?
LUTs are a valuable tool for color grading and can significantly enhance your images. When compared with Lightroom, which also supports LUTs, Photoshop’s layer-based approach provides greater control over individual elements of an image. Lightroom is often favored for batch processing and its non-destructive editing, making it ideal for photographers working on multiple images at once. However, Photoshop’s flexibility in handling layers makes it the go-to choice for more precise adjustments.
In conclusion, while LUTs are available across both platforms, understanding their use in both Photoshop and Lightroom can dramatically improve your editing efficiency, allowing you to achieve consistent and professional results with ease.
