- runs in your browser
HaldCLUT Generator
Generate an identity HaldCLUT, grade it in your color tool of choice, then drop it back in here to preview on a real image. Nothing you upload ever leaves your machine.
Level 12: 1728 × 1728 px
You can also paste an image (Ctrl/⌘ + V).
or try a sample image
Drop a graded LUT and a test image to see the result.
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
how it works
What a HaldCLUT is
A HaldCLUT is a PNG that holds every color a LUT can map, laid out as a grid. The untouched version is called an identity image: it changes nothing. Edit it with color tools, and the edited image becomes a lookup table that reproduces the same color change on any other picture.
How to make and test a look
- Choose a level and download the identity PNG.
- Open it in an editor that can change colors and keep the exact pixel size, such as Photoshop, Affinity Photo or GIMP. It must be able to export a PNG.
- Grade it as you would a photo: curves, color balance, hue and saturation, a film emulation. Turn off anything that works on neighboring pixels (blur, sharpening, grain, vignettes, noise reduction, local adjustments), and do not crop or resize.
- Export it as an 8-bit PNG at the original size. Do not use JPEG, because compression changes the colors the LUT depends on.
- Drop the graded PNG into the preview, add a test image, and compare the original with the graded result.
- Happy with it? Choose a size and download the look as a .cube LUT.
faq
Which level should I choose?
Level 12 (1728 × 1728 px) suits most looks. Choose level 8 (512 × 512 px) for a small, quick file, or level 16 (4096 × 4096 px) for the smoothest gradients. Level 16 is a large image, so it is best on desktop.
Are my images uploaded?
No. The identity image is generated in your browser, and your LUT and test image are read and previewed in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Why was my graded image rejected?
The image must keep the exact size of a HaldCLUT, for example 512 × 512, 1728 × 1728 or 4096 × 4096 pixels. If your editor resized or cropped it, export it again at the original size. The tool accepts PNG or JPEG, but export as PNG, because JPEG compression alters the colors a LUT depends on.
Which edits work in a HaldCLUT?
Color and tone edits: curves, levels, color balance, hue and saturation, and film-style looks. Effects that depend on neighboring pixels, such as blur, grain, sharpening, vignettes, noise reduction and local adjustments, cannot be stored in a LUT. If you apply them to the identity image they alter its pixel values and corrupt the LUT, so turn them off while grading.
Can I use the graded image in DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro or Photoshop?
Not as a PNG: those apps do not read HaldCLUT PNGs. Load your graded image into the preview and download it as a .cube LUT instead, which Resolve, Premiere Pro and Photoshop's Color Lookup can load. ImageMagick, FFmpeg, RawTherapee and darktable can use the HaldCLUT PNG as it is.
Which .cube size should I choose?
33 points suits most software. Choose 17 for a smaller, faster-loading file, or 65 for the most precise one. The graded image is an 8-bit PNG, so the .cube carries that precision, however many points you pick.