Create Film Looks with Custom LUTs and Profiles for Any Photo Editor

Create Film Looks with Custom LUTs and Profiles for Any Photo Editor

Film photography's nostalgic warmth and character continue to captivate photographers working in the digital realm. Creating authentic film looks requires understanding how vintage stocks like Kodak Kodacolor and Fujifilm Superia handled color, contrast, and tone.

This comprehensive workflow shows you how to build these looks from scratch using adjustment layers, then convert them into portable LUTs and profiles that work across multiple editing applications.

Watch the Video

Video by Anthony Morganti. Any links or downloads mentioned by the creator are available only on YouTube

Practical Tips

Master these essential techniques for creating authentic film looks and portable color profiles:

  • Start with a fully edited image before applying film adjustments - work on a JPEG export from your RAW processor for best results
  • Use the alt/option key trick when creating presets in Camera Raw to access the hidden profile creation feature
  • Set grid points to 64 when exporting LUTs for optimal quality and compatibility across different applications
  • Apply grain and vignetting after using your LUT rather than building them into the color lookup table itself
  • Test your profiles on both RAW and JPEG files to ensure universal compatibility across all image formats

Explore these color grading and film simulation techniques to enhance your photo editing workflow:

How to Create and Use Custom LUTs in Photoshop
Custom LUTs let you transform your photos with professional color grading that works across multiple programs. From moody film looks to vibrant cinematic tones, these color lookup tables capture your exact adjustment settings. This technique saves hours of repetitive color work and ensures consistent styling across entire photo sets or video projects. Watch the Tutorial Essential Tips for Creating Custom LUTs Master these key techniques to build powerful color lookup tables that enhance yo
Create your own amazing Color Lookup Tables (LUT) filters in Photoshop
In this video by PiXimperfect, viewers can learn how to create their own color lookup tables and incorporate them into Photoshop. Once the tables are created, users can apply their custom filters with a single click on any image. The process involves combining multiple adjustment layers to achieve the desired effect, which can then be saved as a preset for future use. The author provides step-by-step guidance, making the technique accessible to both novice and experienced Photoshop users. By le
Create a Professional Color Grade in 90 Seconds in Photoshop
Cinematic color grading transforms ordinary photos into visually compelling narratives, creating mood, directing focus, and enhancing storytelling. This subtle yet powerful technique allows photographers and digital artists to infuse their images with the atmospheric depth and professional finish often seen in film. In this concise tutorial, you'll discover a rapid workflow for achieving a cinematic color grade directly within Photoshop. The method leverages the powerful Camera Raw filter as a
Discover ON1's Exciting Free Photography Resources
ON1 is renowned for its professional-grade photo editing software, but it also provides an array of valuable free resources for photographers of all skill levels. Whether you're seeking to enhance your editing skills, experiment with new creative techniques, or simply explore the capabilities of ON1 software, there's something for everyone. Explore a World of Free Presets and LUTs ON1 offers an assortment of free presets compatible with popular editing software like Adobe Lightroom and Adobe
Professional Color Grading Techniques in Photoshop
Color grading transforms ordinary photos into compelling images with professional mood and atmosphere. These non-destructive techniques let you adjust tones, enhance specific colors, and create cinematic looks while preserving your original image data. Master these four essential color grading methods to develop a consistent editing workflow that elevates your photography. Watch the Video Practical Tips These techniques will help you achieve professional color grading results: * Start wi
Create a stunning Film Noir photo effect in Photoshop
The classic film noir aesthetic, popularized by movies like Sin City, offers a dramatic and stylized visual experience. This unique style relies heavily on specific lighting and contrast techniques to evoke a sense of mystery and tension. This video tutorial guides you through the process of transforming your images into a low-key black and white scene reminiscent of these iconic films. You will discover practical methods for enhancing contrast, creating dramatic lighting, and establishing a da
Quick Tip: Create One-Click Photo Effects in Photoshop
Did you know that you can apply one-click color effects to your photos? It is very easy to do using the Color Lookup Adjustment Layer. In fact, it's so easy that even an absolute beginner can apply beautiful color effects just by following this short tutorial. Final image Without getting into too many technical details, a color look-up table (CLUT) is a mechanism used mainly in video or photography to transform a range of input colors into another range of colors. While difficult to create, t
How to Make a Photo look Vintage and Retro Using the Lomograph Effect
Digital photography offers incredible clarity and precision, but sometimes the charm of an older, analog look is exactly what a project needs. This tutorial explores how to transform a pristine digital image into a vintage-style photograph, complete with the imperfections and unique characteristics associated with old film and paper. Viewers will learn a comprehensive workflow in Photoshop, covering techniques such as adjusting color channels for authentic shifts, adding light leaks, creating v
Lighting Effects to Create Drama in Photoshop
In this tutorial, John Whitehead demonstrates how to add dramatic lighting effects in Photoshop to transform flat lighting into something much more dynamic. You'll learn how to use various tools such as lighting effects filters, lens flare, smart objects, and LUTs to completely alter the mood and appearance of your image. If you want to follow along with the tutorial, you can download the provided image and apply the same techniques. This guide is perfect for photographers and digital artists l
Add Shine, Color and Volume to Hair in Photoshop
Transform flat, lifeless hair into vibrant, voluminous locks using three powerful techniques. By combining the Liquify tool for volume, gradient maps for rich color, and dodge-and-burn methods for depth, you can create dramatic hair enhancements that look naturally stunning. These methods work on any hair type and style, giving you complete control over shadows, midtones, and highlights to achieve professional-quality results. Watch the Video Practical Tips Master these essential technique

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Create a 1-Bit Bitmap Effect in Photoshop

The 1-bit bitmap effect transforms modern digital images into stark black-and-white graphics reminiscent of early computer displays and vintage print materials. A bitmap uses exactly one bit of data per pixel, allowing only pure black or white with no gray values in between. This technique works equally well on photographs...

14 New Features in Photoshop 27.6 You Need to Know

Photoshop 27.6 brings significant updates that enhance workflow efficiency and creative possibilities. From improved reflection removal tools to smarter AI models, these features address real challenges photographers and designers face daily. This comprehensive overview covers 14 key additions, including enhanced distraction detection, new AI capabilities, and improved workspace organization...

Create Pixelated Liquid Typography with Chromatic Distortion in Photoshop

Liquid typography combines flowing, organic distortions with digital glitch aesthetics to create text that appears to melt and separate into colorful chromatic components. This technique transforms static letters into dynamic, pixelated designs that suggest movement and technological breakdown. The method uses the Liquify filter to create fluid distortions, then separates...

How to Create Cinematic Color Grading Using Camera Raw Filter in Photoshop

Color grading transforms ordinary photos into cinematic masterpieces by adding mood and visual depth. The Camera Raw filter built into Photoshop provides professional-level color grading tools that rival dedicated editing software, allowing you to adjust shadows, midtones, and highlights with precision. This technique uses smart filters to ensure non-destructive editing,...

Using Foliage Brushes for Photo Enhancement and Digital Art

Transforming ordinary photographs into whimsical, romantic scenes often requires replacing or enhancing natural environments. Foliage brushes offer photographers and digital artists a powerful way to overpaint backgrounds, create dimensional leaf structures, and build entirely new environmental elements that feel both surreal and believable. The key to realistic foliage work lies...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.