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How to Add LUTs to CapCut (Desktop and Mobile)

Editing a video clip on a smartphone at a cafe table

The short answer: You can import your own .cube LUTs into CapCut, but only in the desktop app. Open the Adjustment panel, choose LUT, click Import, and select your .cube files. The mobile app does not let you load custom LUTs at all, it only has the built-in filters. If you are editing on your phone and need custom LUTs, use an app that supports them, such as LumaFusion or DaVinci Resolve for iPad.

Import a LUT in CapCut on desktop

  1. Open your project and drop your clip on the timeline.
  2. Select the clip, then open the Adjustment panel on the right.
  3. Find the LUT section and click Import.
  4. Browse to the folder with your .cube files. You can select several at once.
  5. Click the LUT to apply it, then use the intensity slider to dial it back if it is too strong.

CapCut desktop accepts both .cube and .3dl files. Imported LUTs stay in your library, so you only have to do this once.

Why the mobile app cannot do it

CapCut on iOS and Android does not have a custom LUT import. The Filters tab looks similar but it only contains CapCut’s own presets, and there is no way to point it at a file on your phone. This is a limitation of the app, not a problem with your LUT files.

People often assume the file is broken because nothing happens when they try to open a .cube from the Files app. The file is fine. The app simply has nowhere to put it.

What to use instead if you edit on your phone

If you want to stay in CapCut, the workaround is to grade on desktop, export, and finish the edit on your phone. It is clumsy, but it works.

Log footage needs a conversion LUT first

If your clip was shot in Apple Log, S-Log3, C-Log3 or any other log profile, apply the conversion LUT before any creative look. The conversion turns the flat log image into normal Rec.709 colour. Putting a creative look straight onto log footage gives you a washed out, low contrast result and people often blame the LUT for it.

In CapCut desktop, stack them by applying the conversion first and then adding an adjustment layer with the creative look on top.

Log footage before and after a conversion LUT

Looks worth loading into CapCut

See it in motion

CapCut on desktop reads .cube, which means a proper LUT pack behaves exactly like it would in Premiere or Resolve. The CINEMA LUT pack is 24 graded looks plus the conversions for seventeen log formats, so the same folder covers both the correction and the look no matter what you shot on.

What’s included

Cinematic looks 24, retro, moody and black & white
Conversion LUTs 17 log formats, C-Log3 and S-Log3 included
Monitor versions 17×17, for on-set preview
Installation guide step-by-step PDF
Works in Premiere, DaVinci, Final Cut, LumaFusion

$29.95$44.95instant downloadGet CINEMA

Free LUTs to test with

All of these are .cube files and work in CapCut desktop.

Fixing the usual problems

The Import button does nothing. Check that the file really ends in .cube. Files downloaded inside a zip sometimes keep a .txt extension after being opened in a text editor.

The look is far too strong. Lower the intensity slider. Most LUTs are built for a neutral starting image, so footage that is already graded will get double treatment.

Colours go strange and oversaturated. You probably applied a creative look to log footage without converting first. See the section above.

The LUT disappeared after restarting. Do not move or delete the original .cube files after importing. CapCut references them where they sit on disk.

FAQ

Can I import LUTs into CapCut on my iPhone?
No. Custom LUT import only exists in the desktop version. The mobile app has built-in filters only.

Does CapCut support .cube files?
Yes, on desktop, along with .3dl.

Is CapCut good enough for colour grading?
For social content, yes. It applies LUTs correctly and has basic curves and wheels. For finishing work with scopes and node based grading you want DaVinci Resolve.

Why does my footage look flat and grey?
It was shot in a log profile and has not been converted yet. Apply a conversion LUT for your camera first.

Want creative looks on top of the conversion? The Cinematic Mega Bundle has 145 looks across four packs, all as .cube files that import straight into CapCut desktop.