FAQ: Premiere Pro Lumetri Color Custom LUT directory and location

[Kevin-Monahan]

Lumetri Color Custom LUT directory

Common question: Where do I place custom and third party LUTs?
You may have read on the internet that you can add LUTs to the Premiere Pro application folder. DO NOT DO THIS!

Though placing LUTs in folders in the app package can work for a single user within Premiere Pro, the workflow falls apart once you update Premiere Pro to a new version, share a project, or even send a sequence to Adobe Media Encoder.

Beginning in version 12.1.2, follow these instructions for installing custom LUT files and to have them appear in the Lumetri Color panel. You can also share the project and export in AME with this technique.

You can install custom LUT files and have them appear in the Lumetri Color panel. To install custom LUT files, create one or more of the directories listed below and then copy your custom LUT files to that folder.

Adobe Documentation: Install Custom LUT files

Custom LUT directories	macOS	Windows
Available only to the local user	/Users/<user_name>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Creative /Users/<user_name>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Technical	C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Technical
Available to all users	/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Creative /Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Technical	C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Creative C:\Program Files\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Technical

Premiere Pro scans the folders at launch and loads LUT files from these directories. LUTs in the Creative directories appear in the Creative Looks dropdown, and LUTs in the Technical directories appear in the Input LUT menu.

[R Neil Haugen]

That is in the programs/Adobe/COMMON folder, not the program/Adobe/Premiere Pro LUTs folder. And yea, that's confusing for a lot of people.

At first glance it seems the same but it ain't. You need to check the full tree.

I wish they'd put the Technical and Creative folders in the "Common" location and in the other one in the chart, but for some weird reason they don't. I don't know how many of us have told them that, but to the engineer's brain, somehow, it seems wrong to actually put a folder there that is empty when they create it.

Neil

[Baffy19]

I don't have such a thing and the path you indicated is not looking for. Specify the correct folder tree.

[R Neil Haugen]

Look back at the chart above. If you''re using the Programs/Adobe/Common location, simply create the rest of the folders of that 'tree'.

So create the LUTs folder, and inside that, Technical and Creative folders.

Neil

[レオンマ]

You really do need to learn how to explain things accurately rather than repeating yourself "program / package" folder.

No one knows what you are talking about. Why can't you state the incorrect file path, and the correct file path as the guy tried to point out to you with screen shots?

[R Neil Haugen]

In this thread and many others, the chart showing the correct usable locations is displayed. As it is shown in the very first post of this thread! The complete usable locations are SHOWN.

With the full folder-trees.

I have that chart as a graphic in my desktop, and have only put that in something like a hundred different threads over the last couple years. But Kevin started this thread with it.

I don't think it should be that hard to see.

Neil

[Baffy19]

I think everyone has their own opinion on where to put the LUT. I did not understand, since according to my pictures that hang in this topic, it is not so and not right. It's unclear what Kevin meant. 

[R Neil Haugen]

The chart has the full folder trees laid out. Their installation process is (to me) flawed, but the process works if the user follows the charts.

In one of your examples, there are missing folders you would need to add. The Program/Adobe/Common/ pic you showed above is unfortunately missing the LUTs folder. If you add the Tech & Creative folders to the Common folder, it won't work. You have to make the LUTs folder, then inside that folder, add the Technical and Creative folders.

As I've repeatedly said, users unfortunately need to normally add folders to get this to work. At the least, the Technical and Creative folders. They never "make" those on installation, and I've ranted about that omission since they started this setup. On this forum, and in-person at every NAB and MAX event which I do attend when they are "live".

To me, it's just wrong design, easily fixed, and should have been changed long ago. The users should just have a spot to go to, and be able to simply drop their LUTs in.

But again, we users have to create at least the two folders, and for some unknown reason, on some machines, even the LUTs folder needs to be added.

Whatever ... the full path is shown in the charts. As I've stated over and over, users will need to add some folders to make it work. But those folders are shown as needed in the chart.

And once you do set up according to that path, which only takes a few seconds, then it does work as expected.

Neil

[Baffy19]

Neil, thank you. Now it's clear what it's about. I did not specify the LUT folder before creating 2 subsequent folders - Technical and Creative. Now the thought is clear. This should be reviewed for the future. Not everyone will bother with this and try to create folders in order to put third-party LUT there.

[Baffy19]

Neil. A couple more points that I wanted to clarify: 1) Kevin specified two paths - for one user and for all. In which cases will this be correct? 2) What does the placement of LUT along the specified paths in the program affect, except for the correct display of them in chronological order together with standard LUT?
3) Most importantly, will Premiere work incorrectly if the LUT is installed in the wrong folders?

[R Neil Haugen]

1) That chart has the two options, one for 'all users' and one for specified user. For the vast majority of us, just use the 'all users' option. Both will work, but there's no real need of a user-specific LUT location unless two or more users with different workflows, plugins and presets share one computer.

2) Placement in the specified place simply means that placing it there, that Pr, Ae, and Me will all be able to and will access the LUT by name. You can use it in an Ae comp, you can queue exports to Me, and the LUT will simply be used.

3) Installing LUTs elsewhere is ... a problematic thing. Premiere will know the link to the LUT, but will probably not pass the link to the LUT location to either Ae or Me.

Neil

[Baffy19]

Perfect, Neil. Today you are especially on top. Thanks for the nuances.

[Baffy19]

The most important thing is that the installation on the right path will not disrupt the color correction process in dynamic connection with AE and ME. But, as we have already heard here, people will still put it in the wrong place, and then complain about the wrong colors. Therefore, you need to put it as you indicated above. This will be correct from the point of view of the work of third-party Luts.

[R Neil Haugen]

Did you look at the chart? It's there. Clearly. Accurately.

Neil

[Baffy19]

Currently, a limited number of third-party LUTs can be installed on the specified path. People are asking to expand this opportunity to install more LUTs. Everyone understood about the correct installation of LUTs. We are talking about the number of installed LUTs.

[R Neil Haugen]

As in another post, how many LUTs are you talking about? I've known people with a couple hundred installed through this process.

I've had folders of them at times, without troubles. So ... again ... how many?

Neil

[Baffy19]

More than 250 LUTs I didn't count it exactly. I will say only one thing, I have uploaded LUTs (screenshot attached) and Adobe doesn't see them all. It is worth deleting a few others open. This is inconvenient, and I would like all the installed ones to be viewed, not a limited number.

The quarter does not show Premiere. Do you understand what I mean?

[Baffy19]

Another point, it's not very convenient to display LUTs in Premiere right now, since everything is scattered without folders. If I'm not mistaken, in DaVinci everything is structured there and the order of the LUTs is stored in its folders. You don't have to look for them. Do you understand what I mean?

[Baffy19]

And hence the question: what is the maximum number of LUTs I can load so that they are all displayed in Premiere???

[R Neil Haugen]

As to the max number, I don't have a clue. And I'm dazzled by that many LUTs!  😉

My brain would fry trying to keep track of them all, and what's been used where for what. I don't even know any colorist who has that many LUTs in use that I've ever heard of. One said "Oh, I've added a lot to Resolve" ... and on checking, it was about 60. I'm sure some have amazing numbers, though.

But if you have them and use them, you do want the app to just work with them. Understood. I've complained that it's far harder to organize large numbers of LUTs because you don't see the subfolders with contents inside them separately in the listing. Like you can with effects presets, for instance. .

The answer has been ... "We have a sort order established. Adding a subfolder listing process would complicate the coding, and we've not seen enough user requests to spend engineering budget."

There have been requests on their UserVoice system to add subfolder sorting. I would suggest EVERYONE go over to their UserVoice site and search for and upvote any subfolder suggestions.

Neil

[Baffy19]

That's the thing. It is necessary to allow an unlimited number of LUT installations. Structuring by folders in the program itself is needed. It will be much more convenient.

[uneasy]

Same here, limit is pretty low, it should just show all of them, I really don't see reason why not. If I want 5000 LUTs on the list, then that;s on me.
At least it's easier to see which ones are good or not to later decide which ones to keep. 
But this way probably I have to load it in parts then check, and load another part etc.. 
Pretty stupid limit imho.

[Baffy19]

I fully support it 👈It's hard to choose the right LUT at a time. Neil help to move this issue from the dead end. Really need to increase the number to unlimited 

[R Neil Haugen]

I've argued for years that they should allow and respect folders and display them as part of the listing.

I've done everything I can to get a more flexible LUT capability and process. And if you think it's frustrating for us users to be unable to get changes we'd like through, imagine the staffers.

Who also see a lot of things like this they'd love to change. But the upper management (up above the program supervisors) are the ones who set most of those decisions.

We can post on UserVoice, best thing we can all do.

Neil

[tp-doku]

Anyone who works professionally with Premiere will stumble across this poorly programmed error at some point. It is incomprehensible why Adobe does not tackle the problem.

My house has a unique house number on it, not "previous house number plus 1".

[R Neil Haugen]

As someone who uses LUTs professionally in both PrPro and Resolve, I do have some experience.

As is noted above in this and many other threads ... the program/package folder of Lumetri included LUTs is for INTERNAL use only by the programs. ALL the apps ... PrPro, AfterEffects, MediaEncoder, and Prelude. Period. It is expected by the apps to be the same in all of them, is therefore "known" and totally stable in design and usage.

It is not a bad design issue or a problem to be solved. It IS by design. And works exactly as needed, and as it should.

And it is the same process as with any other NLE of Fx app, the user's own LUTs are not stored in the program location. I use Resolve, and none of the LUTs I've made or added for use within that app are inside the storage that Resolve uses for LUTs. I needed to set a user's LUT folder in the preferences.

Adobe gives you a location you as a user are to use to add LUTs. Slightly different from the Resolve model, where you have an option to navigate to and select the LUTs folder that Resolve will use to find user LUTs in.

But Adobe's process accomplishes exactly the same thing: the user has LUTS the program will access, and those LUTs are not in the program folder itself.

Neil