A LUT (look-up table) remaps input colors/tones to output values. In practice, a LUT pack provides a set of curated looks you can apply consistently across images or video.

• 1D LUTs adjust a single channel (e.g., tone curves).
• 3D LUTs remap color in 3D space (hue, saturation, luminance) for creative looks or technical transforms.

For AI-generated anime and comics, LUTs help:

• Unify color across batches and episodes.
• Translate a palette concept into reproducible output.
• Speed up delivery with predictable, tweakable looks.

Typical formats: .cube (most common), .3dl, .csp, .look, and Hald CLUT .png.

Tool compatibility (quick view):

• Photoshop: Color Lookup adjustment layer (.cube, .3dl). No need to copy files into app folders; Load works per-file.
• DaVinci Resolve: Preferences → Color Management → Open LUT Folder → add files → Update Lists.
• Premiere Pro / After Effects: Lumetri Color → Creative → Look → Browse (.cube).
• Final Cut Pro: Custom LUT effect → choose .cube.
• Affinity Photo: LUT Adjustment → Load LUT (.cube, .3dl).
• OBS Studio: Apply LUT filter (.png Hald CLUT or converted .cube via plugin).
• ComfyUI / node-based UIs: Use LUT/Hald-CLUT nodes to apply in a post-processing branch.

Tip: Keep originals in a central library and reference per-project to avoid version drift.

Recommended order for images:

1. Denoise/upscale (if needed)
2. Exposure and white balance
3. Apply creative LUT
4. Fine-tune with curves, hue/sat, selective color
5. Add grain/texture and sharpening last

For video sequences:

• Color match shots first
• Apply show LUT or creative LUT
• Trim with secondaries (skin, skies, highlights)

Avoid double transforms: confirm color space (most AI outputs are sRGB/Rec.709).

Use a balanced test set: faces, foliage, skies, dark interiors, saturated graphics. Check:

• Midtone contrast and black floor (avoid crushed shadows).
• Skin tonality (natural hue drift, not waxy).
• Highlight roll-off (no harsh clipping).
• Saturation control (no neon clipping in reds or blues).
• Stability across exposures (±1 stop should remain usable).
• Banding: test at 16‑bit to reveal posterization.

If possible, preview on different sources: anime frames, line-art color fills, textured renders.

Photoshop (image):

• Layer → New Adjustment Layer → Color Lookup → Load 3D LUT.
• Stack multiple LUTs at reduced opacity for subtle blends.

DaVinci Resolve (image/video):

• Preferences → Color Management → Open LUT Folder → add .cube → Update Lists.
• Apply on a node; use key/output gain for intensity.

Premiere Pro / After Effects:

• Add Lumetri Color → Creative → Look → Browse → select .cube.
• Adjust Intensity; use Curves for trims.

Final Cut Pro:

• Add Custom LUT effect → Choose LUT → set Input/Output color space appropriately.

ComfyUI (post path):

• Insert a LUT/Hald-CLUT node after your image output; control strength with mix nodes.

Batch application: use adjustment layers or node groups to affect entire sequences.

Palette-first design ensures character and background harmony; LUTs translate that palette into continuous color behavior across gradients and lighting.

Workflow:

• Define core hues in an anime palette (skin, hair, uniforms, skies).
• Choose or craft a LUT that preserves those hues while shaping contrast and saturation.
• Lock the LUT as a project baseline; make scene-specific trims on top.

Hald CLUTs are PNG images that encode a color transform. Simple process:

1. Generate an identity Hald (size 8 or 16).
2. Apply your desired grade to the Hald image (curves, color balance, selective color) in any editor.
3. Save the graded Hald; this becomes your LUT.
4. Apply it to art using a Hald-CLUT tool/node.

Why Hald?

• Portable, human-inspectable, easy to version.

Tip: Work in 16‑bit and sRGB/Rec.709 unless your pipeline is ACES. Keep exposure/WB outside the LUT for flexibility.

• Work in 16‑bit (or float) to reduce banding.
• Confirm project color space (sRGB/Rec.709 for most AI stills; ACES/Rec.709 for graded video).
• Avoid stacking LUTs that both alter gamma; use a single creative LUT plus trims.
• If highlights clip, lower exposure pre-LUT or reduce LUT intensity.
• Add grain after LUT to mask minor banding and add texture to flat AI outputs.

Banding/posterization: switch to 16‑bit, add slight noise, or use a gentler LUT. Color cast on skin: add a hue vs hue curve to correct only the skin range. Crushed shadows: raise input exposure slightly or apply a soft S-curve after the LUT. Oversaturated reds/blues: reduce overall saturation or target channels with selective color. Mismatch across shots: normalize exposure/WB first; LUTs are not a substitute for shot matching.

• Keep a master library with semantic folders (film emulations, anime pastel, neo‑noir, retro/CRT, neutral/base).
• Prefix names with intensity and intent, e.g., “AnimePastel_30”, “NeoNoir_Heavy”.
• Store preview thumbnails and a contact sheet for fast auditioning.
• Version control custom LUTs and note the source grade steps.