LUTLINE
Coming soon

Workflow

How to use LUTs on iPhone

By Yakup Pekdemir · Published · Updated

Direct answer

To apply a LUT to video on iPhone: import the clip into a LUT app such as LUTLINE, let the app convert any Log profile to Rec.709 first, correct exposure and white balance, then choose a creative LUT (bundled or your own .cube) and set its intensity. Export at a size and frame rate that suit the source. The whole process runs on the phone; no desktop software is needed.

The steps below use LUTLINE, but the order — convert, correct, look, export — is the same in any tool that respects how LUTs are built. If you are new to the terms, read what a LUT is first.

  1. Get the clip onto the phone

    Record with the iPhone camera (Apple Log recording needs an iPhone 15 Pro or later, enabled in the Camera formats settings), or bring a file from a DJI, Sony, Canon, Fujifilm, GoPro, Insta360 or Leica camera into Photos or Files. LUTLINE reads clips directly from Files, including a connected SSD, though copying long clips to the phone is faster.

  2. Create a project

    Tap New Project in LUTLINE and pick the clip through the system photo picker or the Files browser. The app never asks for your whole photo library, and it never modifies the original file — every project writes a new export.

  3. Check the Source stage

    The Source chip sits under the picture. Auto reads the file's color tags (Apple Log), recording metadata (Sony, when the file carries it) or naming (DJI D-Log M) and applies the manufacturer's conversion LUT. If Auto says "Standard" for a clip you know is Log, tap the chip and choose the brand, camera and profile, or search for the camera. Standard Rec.709 clips need no conversion. Every camera conversion is free.

  4. Correct before you style

    Open the Adjust tab. Fix exposure, then temperature and tint, then contrast. A creative LUT is a fixed mapping built for a correctly exposed Rec.709 image; it cannot rescue a stop of underexposure or an 800 K white-balance error. Corrections in LUTLINE live between the conversion and the look, which is where they belong.

  5. Choose a look and set the intensity

    Open the Looks tab and pick a folder — Cinema, Golden, Film, Moody, Bright, After Dark, Retro or Mono. The thumbnails are rendered from your own clip, so you compare real results, not stock images. Tap a look, then drag Intensity — 100 % is the full table, lower values blend toward the corrected image. Double-tap the ruler to reset. Favorites and recents keep the ones you return to. Pro looks can be tried on your clip before you decide.

  6. Use your own .cube (optional)

    In the Looks tab, open the Custom LUTs folder and tap Import LUT. LUTLINE validates the file (size, line count, value range) and previews it on your clip with the same intensity control. With Pro the file stays in your library with a name and favorite, as a creative look or a finishing LUT.

  7. Compare and read the recipe

    Press and hold the picture to see the original; VoiceOver offers the same as a Compare Original action. The Recipe chip under the picture sums up the grade — the look and its strength, the finish, and how many adjustments and film effects are on — and opens the Recipe sheet, which lists every stage in the order it is applied; every stage after Source has a switch to hide it. Save as Recipe keeps the grade for your next clip.

  8. Export

    Tap Export, choose Photos or Files, and check Export Settings: H.264 or HEVC, 1080p / 2K / 4K (never upscaled), 24–60 fps where the rate divides the source evenly, a quality tier and audio on or off. The sheet shows the estimated size and the free space before you start, and the result can be shared from the share sheet. The export is rendered by the same graph as the preview.

Which step do people skip?

Step 3. Log footage that has not been converted looks flat and gray, and a creative LUT on top of it looks muddy and wrong. If your Apple Log or D-Log M clip does not "pop" after a look, check the Source chip first. Everything else in the chain assumes it is right.

Free vs. Pro in this workflow

The Free tier covers the whole flow: Standard and every camera Log conversion, all 12 basic adjustments, 6 looks, saved recipes, and watermark-free export at 1080p or 2K. Pro adds the full 68-look catalog, the finishing LUTs, the 7 film effects, the tone curve, masks and vignette, 4K and Higher Quality export, and the library for your own .cube files. Every Pro look and tool can be previewed on your own clip before you decide.

Frequently asked

Can I apply a LUT to a video already in my Photos library?

Yes. LUTLINE imports from Photos through the system picker and writes the export back as a new item; the original stays untouched.

Does the LUT change the video's resolution or frame rate?

No. A LUT only maps colors. Resolution and frame rate are chosen at export; LUTLINE never upscales and never invents frames — a lower frame rate keeps one source frame in two, three or more, at its original timing.

Why does my exported file look different from the preview in some apps?

Usually because the app renders the preview and the export through different code paths or at different bit depths. LUTLINE runs one render graph for both, and its color stages are tested against a CPU reference.

Can I use LUTs from Resolve or Premiere on the iPhone?

If they are exported as .cube files, yes. Import them in the Custom LUTs folder. Remember that a look built for Rec.709 needs the Log conversion in front of it, just as on the desktop.