How to use LUTs in CapCut (desktop): import a .cube, set the intensity and avoid the fake look

A LUT is a .cube file that changes the colors of your video in one go: it gives it a look (warm, filmic, teal and orange) without moving ten sliders. CapCut accepts them, but not everywhere, and most people use them at 100%, which is exactly what makes the video look fake. I am a video editor and colorist; this is how to get it right the first time.

Where it works and where it does not

• CapCut desktop (Mac and Windows): yes, it loads .cube LUTs.
• CapCut on mobile: at the time of writing there is no option to load your own .cube. If you edit on your phone you have two paths: move the project to the computer for color, or apply the LUT in another app before importing the clip.
• Depending on version and region, CapCut sometimes marks some color tools as Pro. If it asks you to pay, update the app before deciding.

How to import the LUT (desktop)

1. Unzip the file you downloaded. CapCut needs the loose .cube file, not the zip.
2. Put the clip on the timeline and select it.
3. In the right panel go to Adjust › LUT.
4. Click Import and pick the .cube. It stays saved for your next projects.
5. Select it in the list and lower the intensity (see below).

If you want the same look on the whole video, instead of clip by clip add an Adjustment layer on top of everything and apply the LUT there. You change it in one place.

Intensity: the trick almost nobody uses

A creative LUT almost never goes at 100%. Between 40% and 70% it looks like a look; at 100% it looks like a filter. Watch the skin: if faces turn orange, green or grey, lower it until skin looks healthy again.

The order that works

1. Correct first: exposure and white balance with the basic adjustments until the clip looks natural.
2. Then the LUT, at low intensity.
3. Last, small touches (a bit of contrast or saturation) if needed.

If the clip is too dark or too blue, no LUT fixes it: it exaggerates it. That is why correction comes first.

If you shot log (iPhone Apple Log, Sony S-Log3)

A log clip comes out grey and washed. A normal creative LUT (made for corrected, Rec.709 video) applied straight on log looks wrong. Use a LUT made for your exact curve with the conversion inside, or convert first. I explain it in Apple Log to Rec.709 and S-Log3 to Rec.709.

Common mistakes

• The file does not show when importing: it is still inside the zip, or it is not a .cube (for example a Lightroom .xmp preset, which does not work in CapCut).
• It looks burnt or oversaturated: intensity too high, or the clip already had a phone camera filter.
• Every clip looks different: a LUT does not match shots; match exposure and white balance first, then apply the same LUT on an adjustment layer.

Summary

1. .cube LUTs in CapCut desktop: Adjust › LUT › Import.
2. Intensity between 40% and 70%, watching the skin.
3. Correct first, LUT after.
4. Log footage: a LUT for your curve, or convert before.

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