Lightroom presets store editable instructions for a raw-processing application. A 3D LUT maps input color values to output color values inside a compatible photo or video workflow.
Matching names do not guarantee matching results. Input color space, camera profile, tone mapping, exposure, and white balance all affect what reaches the creative look.
What the Lightroom preset controls
An XMP preset can include tone, curve, HSL, Color Grading, detail, optics, masks, and profile choices. It works inside Lightroom’s rendering pipeline and can remain fully editable.
A well-designed creative preset may leave Exposure and White Balance untouched so each RAW file can be corrected before or after the look.
What a LUT controls
A LUT transforms color values. It does not understand faces, recover clipped highlights, set white balance, or know the camera and color space unless the surrounding workflow supplies the expected input.
For video, normalize or color-manage the camera footage first, balance exposure and white balance, then apply the creative LUT at a controllable strength.
Build a related look, not pixel identity
Match broad characteristics: highlight warmth, shadow direction, green behavior, saturation, and contrast. Photo and video tools process images differently, so exact identity is rarely the most useful target.
Test skin, bright signs, foliage, and gradients. A look that survives those subjects is more valuable than one perfect comparison frame.
Document the expected workflow
State the applications tested, input assumptions, and adjustment order. Users should know whether a LUT expects a normalized image and whether a preset changes the camera profile.
Tokyo Film pairs three XMP presets with matching creative LUTs, while keeping photograph- and clip-specific exposure and white balance outside the look.