Color Grading Landscape Photography with Photoshop LUTs

Cinematic color grading effects have long been popular with filmgoers. But how can the photographer or landscape photographer adopt this technique? In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to apply Color Grading in Photoshop using Color Lookup Tables or LUT’s.

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By applying a LUT to a photograph in Photoshop you can completely change the colours in a scene. Here a sunset landscape photo has the color grading effect applied using some of the LUTs that come with Photoshop. Also demonstrated are techniques you can use to modify the effect further such as blending and masks. Finally, the effect is then exported to create a new Color Lookup Table. The resulting custom LUT can then be applied to other images to achieve a consistent Color Grading effect.

LUT’s are not just for cinematic work, they can also be applied to photography with great effect. If you are a landscape photographer, you should consider how this technique could improve your work.

#robinwhalley #lenscraft #lenscraftphotography

[annthomstad]

Hi Robin - really interesting video, which opened my eyes to yet more of the possibilities for enhancing sunset images in PS! Thanks so much for sharing :-)

[annegoodall]

Hi Robin, excellent tutorial. My question is if I then create a new profile in Camera Raw with that exported cube lookup table, and then apply that profile in Lightroom 7.3, will the shadow areas of the new photo (in Lightroom) continue to be protected, as you created the lookup table using a blend if layer style and a luminosity mask?

[EDDIEGARAGE]

thank you, how do you come to the conclusion for this edit

[EDDIEGARAGE]

Oh, where is last week video, thanks

[tonybennett]

Hi. I've just found this and am very impressed. However, the LUTs appear to be very saturated and unusable as initially seen. They need to be heavly worked on to bring out a previsualised effect, which is not immediately obvious. Do you have any favourites that are go-to LUTs for different kinds of images. You have demonstrated a sunset; what about portraits, street scenes at night or abstracts where you want to create a particular 'house style'?
Tony

[annegoodall]

Just tried it, and the protection to the shadow and dark areas does not translate over to the new created profile.

[ireneleongkl]

Where did you get the Teal Magenta Gold LUT from? My Photoshop doesnt come with it!