LUT looks wrong in your video editor? 5 common causes
The same LUT looks great in someone else's video and gray, oversaturated or off-color on your Log footage. Most mobile editors, such as CapCut, VN and LumaFusion, can import .cube LUTs. The problem is usually not the LUT. It is one of the following.
1. The LUT expects a different input
This is the most common cause. Some LUTs take log directly (“Apple Log to Rec.709”, or packs labeled “for Apple Log”). Most creative LUTs expect Rec.709 footage that already looks normal.
- Rec.709 LUT on Log: still gray, just tinted.
- Log LUT on regular video: harsh contrast, loud colors.
- Apple Log LUT on D-Log M or Apple Log 2: brightness or color is off.
How to tell which is which: What is a LUT's input color space.
2. The footage was transcoded on import
Some import paths convert 10-bit HEVC Log into 8-bit H.264 and relabel the color as ordinary Rec.709. It is still the same clip to the eye, but no longer the original Log data, so LUTs behave strangely and contrast adjustments band.
Check the resolution, bit depth and codec the app reports. Files forwarded through messaging apps or exported for “Most Compatible” may already be converted. Import the original file from Photos when you can.
3. The conversion happens twice
Some apps recognize the Apple Log tag and convert it automatically on import. Add an “Apple Log to Rec.709” LUT on top and the conversion is applied twice: crushed contrast and oversaturated color. The opposite also happens: the app does not convert, you add only a Rec.709 creative LUT, and the picture stays gray. Check whether the clip is gray or already normal before adding a LUT.
4. HDR vs. SDR projects
iPhones record HDR (HLG) by default, and some editors treat the project as HDR. Most LUTs are built for SDR (Rec.709), so on an HDR timeline they can look washed out or too bright. Use an SDR project and export for creative LUTs, or the app's own HDR handling. More on the choice in Export HDR or SDR.
5. Order of adjustments and 8-bit export
- Adjust before or after the LUT? For Log, exposure and white balance look more natural before the conversion LUT. After it, the same slider clips highlights more easily. Many editors only let you stack adjustments after the LUT, a limitation of the tool.
- 8-bit export. Graded Log exported as 8-bit tends to band in skies and walls. Export 10-bit HEVC if the option exists.
Or grade first, then edit
If your editor keeps hitting these issues, grade in a dedicated app first and edit afterwards. Develop Log applies the official restore LUT for your format automatically, asks what input your own LUTs expect and places them correctly, keeps exposure and white balance under the LUT, and exports HEVC 10-bit to Photos, ready for your editor.
Quick answers
Why does the same LUT look different on my computer and my phone?
Usually one of the causes above: a transcoded file, an automatic conversion, or an HDR project. The LUT is the same; the picture going into it is not.
What strength should a LUT be?
A conversion LUT should be at 100%: its job is turning Log into a normal image. Creative LUTs are a matter of taste, and 60–80% often looks more natural.