Guide

What is a 3D LUT?

Updated November 6, 2026

A 3D LUT (three-dimensional lookup table) remaps every combination of red, green, and blue to a new color. That is what makes film-style creative looks possible: hue shifts, soft roll-off, and skin treatment that a simple curve cannot do. Filmsilk looks are standard 3D .cube files built for Rec.709 input.

1D vs 3D in practice

• 1D LUT: each channel is remapped on its own. Useful for exposure/contrast curves and some technical conversions. It cannot move one hue toward another independently of brightness.
• 3D LUT: the table stores an output color for each sampled RGB triplet. Interpolation fills the gaps. Creative looks, print emulations, and many camera conversions use 3D tables.
• Why it matters: stacking two heavy creative 3D looks usually fights itself. One honest creative LUT after a clean technical conversion stays clearer than three stacked cubes.

Cube size: 17, 33, and 65

LUT_3D_SIZE N means N points along each axis, so N×N×N entries:

• 17 (4,913 entries): small, common on monitors and some hardware; coarser between samples.
• 33 (35,937 entries): the everyday default for editing and social delivery; loads almost everywhere.
• 65 (274,625 entries): finer lattice, larger file; some mobile apps and devices reject it.

For most Rec.709 creative looks, 33-point is enough once the editor interpolates. Filmsilk ships 33-point with 65-point versions available for soft gradients when your pipeline accepts them.

When creative Filmsilk looks apply

• Footage (or a converted timeline) is already Rec.709 / display-referred.
• You want a repeatable look across Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut, CapCut, OBS, and other .cube hosts.
• You will A/B skin, sky, and shadows before you commit (amount often 60–80% to start).
• You are not treating a creative Rec.709 cube as an HDR grade or a log conversion.

Log vs display primer: Log vs Rec.709. Role of each tool: LUT vs color grade. Making your own: How to make a LUT. Exporting from Resolve: How to export a LUT from DaVinci Resolve.

Preview before you buy

Drop a still from your own clip into the free LUT previewer (nothing uploads). Try the look on a bright exterior, a dark interior, and a face close-up. If it only works on one frame, pull the amount back or pick another look.

Where Filmsilk fits

Every Filmsilk look is a standard 3D .cube for Rec.709, in 33-point with 65-point versions available. Try every look on your own frame before you buy. The Collection is $29 one-time; Filmsilk Complete is $39 with Studio export so you can tweak a look and save your own .cube.