What It Does
Most apps force you to stack LUTs sequentially, which means each LUT after the first is applied to already-altered footage rather than a neutral image. LUT Mixer solves this by applying up to five LUTs in parallel, blending them through either summing or averaging before the result hits your image. The output is a single, quality-preserving pass with no generational loss from chaining effects.
Available as an effect plugin in Premiere Pro (CS6 through 2023), After Effects, Photoshop, and Final Cut Pro.
Key Features
Parallel summing and averaging modes. Each loaded LUT gets its own switch to select sum or average mode. In sum mode, color shifts in the same direction add up, while opposing shifts cancel each other out. Averaging mode normalizes the intensity of grouped LUTs to 100%, preventing overdriven colors when multiple similar LUTs are stacked.
Intensity control up to 150%, including negative application. Every LUT can be pushed beyond its default intensity or flipped negative. A LUT that warms the image can be reversed to cool it, or a saturation LUT can be used to desaturate instead.
Skin tone protection. A dedicated section isolates skin tones from the LUT influence. You can protect them during grading and then restore or adjust them separately afterward, which is useful when a cinematic LUT shifts your subject’s skin toward an unwanted hue.
LUT export and cross-host presets. Added in version 2.7.0, you can export the blended result as a LUT and save presets that work across all supported host applications.
Before/after comparison and one-button reset. Quick comparison and reset controls added in v2.7.0 make it practical to evaluate the effect without toggling the plugin on and off manually.
Who It’s For
Colorists and editors who work with LUT systems, such as separating color look LUTs from contrast LUTs and combining them without compounding artifacts. Also useful for anyone who wants to blend two stylistic LUTs at custom intensities rather than stacking them sequentially, or who needs to protect skin tones when applying aggressive cinematic grades.
Pricing
LUT Mixer is a one-time purchase at $129 for the After Effects and Premiere Pro bundle (single user license, installable on up to 2 computers). A free trial is available directly from the aescripts product page. Upgrade pricing may be available for existing customers.