To sell LUTs online, build each look on varied footage, export it as a .cube file, test it across editors, and sell the pack with honest before-and-after previews from your own store or Etsy. The detail that trips most sellers is the input: conversion LUTs only work on one camera's log footage, while creative LUTs expect standard footage, so label every file with what it needs.
To sell LUTs online, grade a set of looks, export them as .cube files from Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, test them on several cameras and editors, and sell the pack from Gumroad, Payhip or Etsy with before-and-after previews. Every LUT must say what footage it expects, log from a specific camera or standard Rec.709, because a LUT applied to the wrong input looks broken and turns into a refund.
Checked October 2026 against Adobe's help page on adding LUTs in Premiere, the Pexels license, Etsy's digital listings help and fees policy, and the Gumroad and Payhip pricing pages.
LUT packs look like the easiest digital product in video: one grade, many files. The sellers who get refunds are the ones who skipped the technical part. A LUT is a precise transform with a defined input, and buyers increasingly shoot log on phones and mirrorless cameras. This guide covers the distinction that trips sellers, the file you actually ship, and the licensing of the footage on your sales page. For the general product-building process, start with our complete guide to creating a digital product.
How to sell LUTs online: the system
- 01Pick buyer and input
Which cameras, log or Rec.709
- 02Grade the looks
On varied footage, not one hero clip
- 03Export .cube
From Premiere or Resolve
- 04Test
Three editors, several cameras
- 05Package
Named files, guide, previews
- 06Sell and update
Own store or Etsy, version releases
The LUT-vs-preset distinction that trips sellers
A LUT (look-up table) maps every input colour to an output colour and stores that map in a file, most often .cube. Because it is just a colour map, many video and photo apps can read it. That portability is the selling point, and also the limit: a LUT cannot store anything that depends on where a pixel sits in the frame. Vignettes, power windows, masks, grain, blur, sharpening and noise reduction are not in the file, however they looked in your grade.
- Works across many editors and apps
- Stores colour and tone only
- Same result on every clip with the same input
- Cannot hold vignettes, masks or grain
- Works in one app only
- Stores that app's own slider settings
- Can include grain, sharpening, vignettes
- Settings adapt as the buyer tweaks them
So grade your LUTs with colour and tone tools only, or export from a version of the grade with the spatial effects switched off. If the look depends on grain or a vignette, say so in the guide and tell buyers how to add them in their editor. Photographers sell presets instead for exactly this reason; the same split applies.
Log conversion vs creative grading: what each LUT works on
| Type | Expects | Produces | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion (technical) LUT | One camera's log profile | A standard Rec.709 image | Only that log profile; wrong results on anything else |
| Creative LUT | Rec.709 or converted footage | A stylised look | Strength depends on exposure and white balance going in |
| Combined look LUT | One camera's log profile | Converted and stylised in one step | Convenient, but locks the buyer to one camera and one look |
A conversion LUT is built for one camera's log profile and colour space. On any other footage it produces wrong colours and contrast. A creative LUT applies a look and usually expects footage that is already in a standard Rec.709 image, either shot that way or converted first. Mixing the two up is the most common reason buyers say a LUT "doesn't work".
If you sell creative LUTs, tell buyers to correct exposure and white balance first, then apply the LUT, then adjust its intensity. If you sell combined LUTs for a specific camera, list the exact log profiles supported, and ideally ship a Rec.709 version of the same looks for everyone else.
How to make LUTs in Premiere and Resolve
- 1Collect test footage
Daylight, tungsten, skin tones, greenery, night. Your own footage where possible.
- 2Grade with colour tools only
Curves, wheels, saturation, hue. Leave out vignettes, masks, grain and sharpening.
- 3Check the look on every test clip
Expected result: the look holds without clipping skin or crushing shadows.
- 4Export the .cube
Premiere: Lumetri panel menu, export as .cube. Resolve: right-click the clip on the Color page and generate a LUT.
- 5Re-import and compare
Load the file on an ungraded clip and compare it with the original grade.
- 6Test in other editors
Premiere, Resolve and Final Cut Pro at minimum.
To load a LUT in Premiere, Adobe's LUT help page shows the Input LUT menu in the Basic Correction tab of the Lumetri Color panel, where Browse lets you pick a LUT saved on your system (checked October 2026). Put that in your buyer guide with screenshots for each editor you support.
Licensing demo footage for your sales page
Your previews are the product page. Before-and-after clips sell LUTs, and every frame you show needs a licence that covers it. Your own footage is safest. Free stock libraries can work for previews: the Pexels license lets you use and modify its videos for free without attribution, but says you must not imply endorsement by people or brands in the footage and must not resell or redistribute the clips themselves (checked October 2026). So use stock clips on the sales page, never inside the pack.
- Log demos need log footage. Most free stock video is delivered as a finished, standard image, not in log, so it cannot honestly demonstrate a conversion LUT. Shoot your own log clips.
- Show the same clip before and after. Split screens or wipes on identical footage are more convincing than graded hero shots alone.
- Show a difficult clip. Mixed light or skin tones in shade show buyers the look survives real footage.
Building a LUT pack business
A pack of looks with a clear theme sells better than a random folder. Build around a use case (wedding films, travel vlogs, real estate walkthroughs) or a camera family, and keep the looks related so the pack feels designed. A narrow pack also makes the listing easier to write and the previews easier to film.
- Every LUT tested on the input it is labelled for
- No spatial effects baked into the grade
- Files named with look and expected input
- Rec.709 versions included if you sell camera-specific looks
- Guide with install steps for Premiere, Resolve and Final Cut Pro
- Before-and-after previews on licensed or own footage
- Licence summary: personal and client work, no resale of the files
If you already sell video templates, LUTs make a natural add-on; our guide to selling video templates covers the template side. For the wider business, product choice, storefronts, pricing and launches, our Digital Products program walks through it step by step.
Where to sell LUTs
| Platform | Fees checked October 2026 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gumroad | 10% + $0.50 per direct sale; 30% on Discover sales | Large files, buyer emails, version updates |
| Payhip | Free plan 5% per sale; Plus $29/month at 2%; Pro $99/month at 0%, processor fees extra | Buyer emails, bundles, coupons |
| Etsy | $0.20 listing, 6.5% transaction fee, processing by country | Search traffic; .cube must go inside a ZIP |
Sources: Gumroad pricing, Payhip pricing and Etsy's fees policy. Etsy's digital listings help allows five files of up to 20MB each, says digital items must be made or designed by you, and does not list .cube among supported types, so zip your LUTs (checked October 2026). Our list of file types you can sell on Etsy covers the details. Your own store also lets you email buyers when you add looks, which turns one pack into a series; see where to sell digital products for the full comparison.
The buyer guide and licence that cut refunds
Most LUT complaints are not about the look. They are about installation, the wrong input, or a result that seems too strong. A short guide answers all three before the buyer has to ask. Write it in the order they work:
- Install. Where to put the files in each editor you support, with one screenshot per step.
- Prepare the footage. Which input each LUT expects, and why exposure and white balance come first.
- Apply and adjust. Where to apply the LUT and how to lower its intensity, for example with an adjustment layer or by reducing the effect strength.
- Troubleshoot. The three fixes for "it looks wrong": wrong input, wrong order, too strong.
Add a plain-language licence too. Buyers want to know whether they can use the looks on client work and paid videos, and you want to make clear that the .cube files themselves cannot be shared, resold or bundled into someone else's pack. Keep it short, put a summary on the listing, and include the full text as a file in the download. If you are unsure how to word licence tiers, our terms of use template for digital products is a starting point.
Mistakes that sink LUT sellers
- Grading on one hero clip. A look that only works on a single sunset shot fails on the buyer's footage.
- Baked-in spatial effects. Vignettes and grain do not survive export, so the pack never matches the preview.
- Previews the LUT cannot reproduce. If the preview had extra grading on top, say so or remove it.
- No input label. Unlabelled files leave buyers guessing between log and standard footage.
A 90-day plan for your first pack
- 1Weeks 1 to 2: pick the buyer
One use case and one input type. Collect test footage.
- 2Weeks 3 to 5: grade and export
Eight to twelve related looks, exported and re-tested.
- 3Weeks 6 to 7: previews and guide
Before-and-after clips, install guide for three editors.
- 4Week 8: launch
Store page live, preview clips posted as short videos.
- 5Weeks 9 to 12: listen and extend
Fix the guide where buyers get stuck; add camera-specific versions people ask for.
Pricing is covered in our guide on how to price a digital product; anchor against similar packs for the same use case rather than against the number of files.
Making and selling LUTs: FAQ
How do I sell LUTs online?
Grade a look on varied footage, export it as a .cube file from your editor, test it in Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro, and package the pack with a guide and before-and-after previews. Then sell it from your own store on Gumroad or Payhip, or on Etsy inside a ZIP. Say clearly whether each LUT expects log footage or standard Rec.709 footage, because that decides whether it works for the buyer.
What is the difference between a LUT and a preset?
A LUT is a colour transform stored in a file such as .cube that maps input colours to output colours. It works across many video and photo apps, but it cannot hold anything that depends on where a pixel sits, such as vignettes, masks, grain or sharpening. A preset, like a Lightroom preset, stores the app's own slider settings, so it only works in that app but can include those extra adjustments.
Do LUTs work on log footage or normal footage?
It depends on how the LUT was built. A conversion or technical LUT turns one camera's log footage into a standard image, and only gives a correct result on that exact log profile. A creative LUT applies a look and is usually built for footage that is already in Rec.709 or has been converted first. Sell them as separate products, and name the input each LUT expects in the file name and listing.
Can I make LUTs in Premiere Pro?
Yes. Grade a clip in the Lumetri Color panel, then export the result as a .cube file from the panel menu. Premiere also loads LUTs: Adobe's help center shows the Input LUT menu in Lumetri's Basic Correction tab, where Browse lets you choose a LUT saved on your system. Many sellers build in DaVinci Resolve instead, which can generate a LUT from a clip's grade on the Color page.
Can I use stock footage in my LUT previews?
Often, if the licence allows it. Pexels' license, for example, lets you modify and use its videos for free without attribution, but forbids implying that people or brands in the footage endorse your product and forbids reselling the footage itself. Use clips for previews only, never inside the pack, and prefer your own footage for log demos, because most free stock clips are not delivered in log. Checked October 2026.
Can I sell LUTs on Etsy?
Yes, if you made them. Etsy requires digital items to be made or designed by the seller and accepts up to five files of up to 20MB per listing. The .cube format is not on Etsy's supported list, so put your LUTs inside a .zip file, which is supported, along with a PDF guide. Etsy also does not allow variations on digital listings, so separate packs need separate listings. Checked October 2026.
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