How to use LUTs in Pinnacle Studio

In order to enhance your colors, you may need to know how to use LUTs in Pinnacle Studio. This is a very straight forward video editing software, and you will be surprised to see how easy it is to add basically any LUT.

LUTs are also known as Look-Up Tables, and they are an important process of color correcting and grading, as well as developing your own editing style that you can apply on many projects. Let’s now go ahead and see how you can add LUTs in Pinnacle Studio and what you need to know when it comes to it. 

Important Guidelines Before Using LUTs

• Ensure white balance is correct when using LUTs! This will dramatically change the look of the LUT.
• Ensure your exposure is correct when using LUTs. You can use a histogram to help in camera or editing software.
• When using LUTs, your footage may need small adjustments to get optimal results, such as exposure, saturation, contrast, etc. depending on your preference.
• Shooting conditions such as lighting, weather, locations etc. can vary which can drastically affect a LUTs look. Some LUTs will work better in different scenarios. It’s best practice to experiment with which LUTs work best for your style and scenes.

How To Use LUTs In Pinnacle Studio

1. Download and unzip the files

In order to be able to add the LUT into the program, you first need to download some LUTs and unzip them in an easily accessible folder. You can find some pretty impressive LUTs in our online store, so don’t forget to also check that out!

2. Identify the color editing panel

The first thing you need to do in order to add a LUT in Pinnacle Studio is to go into the 'Effects' tab and chose 'Color'. From that screen, you can either choose an already existing LUT or import your own. 

3. Import your LUTs

In this screen, you will see all the pre-existing LUTs in Pinnacle Studio, and you can also import your own. The import button is above the main screen.  

What’s great about Pinnacle Studio is the fact that you can sort your LUTs based on their names, date, tag and you can even rate them so you know exactly what you like.

4. Apply The LUT

The last step is, of course, applying the LUT to your project. You can easily do that by dragging and dropping on your footage. Additionally, you can set keyframes, and create neat transitions.

If you encounter any problem with your LUTs, let us know. You can do it by sending us an email using the form on the contact page.

Note:

As every video is different (exposure, white balance, etc.), small adjustments are recommended to achieve an optimal result. Again, please ensure your White Balance is correct before applying a LUT. This can drastically change the LUTs look.