How to Use Color LUT Filters in PhotoDirector
Give a photo a new color look, or apply the same look across a whole series.
Updated Oct. 25, 2026 · 5 min read
In a hurry? Use the Color LUT Filters quick guide instead.
PhotoDirector's Filter (Color LUT) changes a photo's colors with a color look-up table (LUT), so the whole picture takes on a new look. Choose from a long list of built-in categories, or import a LUT file you already use. Use it to set the mood of one photo, or give a set of photos the same color treatment.
- In PhotoDirector, open Guided & GenAI, click Effects, and choose Filter (Color LUT) with your photo open.
- Open a category in the list on the left.
- Click a filter, such as Cool Vintage.
- Drag Strength to set how strong the look is.
- Click the side-by-side view button to compare Before and After, then click OK.
- Click Export at the top to save the photo.
Steps to Apply a Color LUT Filter
Step 1: Open Filter (Color LUT)
From the PhotoDirector launcher, choose Guided & GenAI.
Click Open at the top left of the canvas to bring in your photo. Then click Effects in the rail on the left and choose Filter (Color LUT), the first entry under Photo Effects. It opens in its own Filter (Color LUT) window.
Or, with your photo open, click Quick at the top of the rail. Under Recommended Filter (Color LUTs), PhotoDirector suggests a few LUTs for your photo. Click See All above them to open the same Filter (Color LUT) window.
Step 2: Browse the Categories
The filters are grouped by category in the list on the left of the window. Default is open when the window first appears, so click its arrow to collapse it and see the category names. The list starts with Default, My Favorites, and Imported, and continues down to Urban Minimalist. Scroll to see the full list.
Step 3: Pick a Filter
Click a category to open it, then click a thumbnail. Each thumbnail shows that look on your own photo, and the large preview changes as soon as you click one. This example uses Cool Vintage in Default, which turns the warm autumn colors cool and blue.
Or open Landscape HDR and click Cold 05 for a muted look with a gray-green sky and water.
To find a look again quickly, right-click its thumbnail and choose Add to My Favorites. It then shows in the My Favorites category, with an orange heart on the thumbnail.
Step 4: Set the Strength
Drag the Strength slider under the small thumbnail at the top left to set how much of the look you apply. It starts at 50, which gives a subtle change, so this example uses 100 for the full effect.
Step 5: Compare and Click OK
To check the change, click the side-by-side view button above the preview, to the right of the single-view button. The window shows Before and After next to each other. When you like the look, click OK at the bottom right to apply it to the photo.
Step 6: Export the Photo
Back in the main window, the photo shows its new colors. Click Export at the top of the window to save it.
The Result
With Cold 05 at Strength 100 instead of Cool Vintage, the autumn colors fade to muted browns, and the sky and lake turn gray-green.
Steps to Import Your Own LUT
Step 1: Click Import Filter (Color LUT) Files
To use a LUT file from another source, click Import Filter (Color LUT) Files in the Filter (Color LUT) window. It is the second icon under the Strength slider, to the right of the folder icon, and its name shows when you hover over it.
Step 2: Choose Your LUT File
In the file window that opens, find your LUT file and open it. It needs to be in one of these formats:
| Format | File extension |
|---|---|
| Inferno | .3dl |
| Apple Color | .mga |
| Pandora 3D LUT | .m3d |
| Iridas | .cube |
| Cinespace | .csp |
| Nucoda | .cms |
| Tweak RV | .rv3dlut |
| Nuke Vectorfield | .vf |
Step 3: Apply Your LUT
Your LUT appears in the Imported category, below My Favorites in the list on the left, under its file name. Click it to preview the look, set Strength, and click OK to apply it, the same as a built-in filter. This example imports a warm film LUT named Warm_Film_Demo.
To make a new folder, click Add new folder, the folder icon left of Import Filter (Color LUT) Files. In the New Folder window, type a Folder name and click Create.
Steps to Add a Color LUT Layer in Design
Step 1: Add a Filter (Color LUT) Layer
To keep the look on its own layer, open your photo and click Design at the top of the window. Click the adjustment layer button at the top of the layer panel on the right. Then choose Filter (Color LUT) from the menu.
Step 2: Pick a LUT and Click OK
The same Filter (Color LUT) window opens. Pick a LUT, set Strength, and click OK. A new layer named Filter (Color LUT) 1 appears above your photo in the layer panel. Its look applies to the layers below it.
We tested these steps in PhotoDirector 365 version 18.0.10 on Windows.
Don't have PhotoDirector yet? Give your photos a new color mood from built-in LUTs, or bring in the LUT files you already use.
Download PhotoDirector Free →FAQ About Color LUT Filters
A color look-up table maps the colors in a photo to a new set of colors, so the whole color scheme changes at once. Use the same LUT on several photos, and they all get the same look.
Use Batch Editor, the last tab at the top of the window. Click Filter (Color LUT) in its tool list on the left, click a LUT to preview it on every photo, and click Apply. Then click Export to save the set as new photos. See how to batch edit photos.
Yes. In Library & Adjust, check Filter (Color LUT) in the Adjust panel. It opens the same Filter (Color LUT) window as Guided & GenAI, with the categories, Strength, the side-by-side view, and OK.
