Free LUT generators compared: ChromaMimic, fylm.ai, LUTBuilder.ai, Imagen, Luttie and SammaPix
Every tool on this page says it is free. What "free" gets you varies from unlimited .cube downloads to a watermarked preview and a sign up wall. This is the comparison we wished existed when we built ChromaMimic, so it includes the things that make ChromaMimic look worse as well as better.
Prices, limits and features were checked on each product's public pages on 24 September 2026. They change. Check before you buy.
The short version
- You want a .cube for free without making an account: ChromaMimic (grade and preview with no account, three downloads a month with a free account), Imagen's tool, SammaPix (17 point only), AICreate (sliders, no image matching).
- You want to match your footage to a reference, not just extract a look from one image: ChromaMimic, LUTBuilder.ai (paid for .cube), fylm.ai Colour Match (paid), Picture Instruments Image 2 LUT (desktop, one off purchase).
- You need your frames to stay on your machine: ChromaMimic, SammaPix, AICreate and the desktop apps. fylm.ai and Mitte are cloud by design. Others do not say.
- You want a full grading suite with collaboration and storage: fylm.ai. It is a different kind of product and this page is not the place to pick it.
The table
| Tool | Match type | Free tier gets you | Paid from | Account to grade? | Where it runs | Exports | LUT sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChromaMimic | Two frames: original plus reference | Grade and preview, no account. 3 .cube downloads a month with a free account | US$5 a month or $39 a year, unlimited | No | In your browser, nothing uploaded | .cube, .dng, .png, .xmp | 17, 33, 65 (Pro) |
| LUTBuilder.ai | Two frames, plus text prompt | 5 generations, watermarked PNG preview, no .cube | US$5.99 a month for 10 downloads; $14.99 for 50; $29.99 unlimited | Yes for the free tier as far as we can tell | Homepage says frames stay in the browser; the AI step is not documented | .cube (paid), PNG | Not stated |
| fylm.ai | Colour Match (two frames, paid) and Colour Extract (one image) | 3 projects, 1 GB, images capped at 2048 px, no LUT import or export | US$7 a month billed annually (Lite), $15 (Pro), $30 (Team) | Yes | Cloud | .cube, .xmp, ICC, camera log outputs | Not stated |
| Imagen AI LUT Generator | One reference image | Free .cube, no sign up | None for this tool | No | Not stated (Imagen is a cloud photo company) | .cube | Not stated |
| Luttie | One reference image, plus curves, wheels and a text prompt grader | Grade in browser, watermarked exports, no .cube | US$12 week pass, $21.99 a month, $109 lifetime | Yes, even for free | Says client side | .cube (Pro), PNG, JPEG | Not stated |
| SammaPix Color Match | One reference image | Free .cube, 50 photos a session, no sign up | Pro tier, price not shown | No | In your browser, states no upload | .cube | 17 only |
| Picture Instruments Image 2 LUT | Two frames | Trial | US$46 one off, desktop | No | Local desktop app | .3dl, .cube 17, .cube 32, .mga | 17, 32 |
| AICreate LUT Generator | None (eight sliders on a test image) | Everything, unlimited, no sign up | None | No | In your browser | .cube | 17, 33 |
What each one is actually for
ChromaMimic
A frame pair matcher that runs entirely in the browser. You drop an original and a reference, it learns the transform with three colour science methods (Reinhard, histogram matching, optimal transport), you refine with grade controls, and you export. The free tier is real: you can do the whole job without an account and only need one to download. It is honest about log footage and writes a reminder into the .cube. It is not a full grading suite and does not pretend to be. Built by Nunik Co. in Canberra.
LUTBuilder.ai
The closest product in mechanism: two frames in, LUT out, with a text prompt option and a chat assistant on higher tiers. The free tier is a demo. You cannot get a .cube without paying, and the cheapest plan caps you at ten downloads a month. If you make a lot of LUTs the Pro tier is competitive; if you make a few, ChromaMimic's free tier covers you.
fylm.ai
A cloud colour grading platform where LUT generation is one feature among many. Colour Extract pulls a look from a single image; Colour Match learns from a pair. The free plan lets you try the interface but not export a LUT. It stores your projects in the cloud, which is the point of the product and also the reason it is the wrong choice if your footage is under NDA.
Imagen AI LUT Generator
A free single image tool on a large photography company's site. No account, straight to a .cube. Because it is single reference it cannot know your starting point, so results vary by camera. Processing location is not stated.
Luttie
A browser colour grader with curves, wheels, grain and halation, plus a reference match feature and a text prompt grader. It has the best written guides in the category. It requires an account for everything, including the free tier, and .cube export is Pro only. Good if you want to grade in the browser; expensive if you only want a LUT.
SammaPix Color Match
Free, no account, client side, single reference, 17 point only. Built for photographers batch matching stills rather than for video. Fine for a quick look, limited for a timeline.
Picture Instruments Image 2 LUT
The original two frame matcher, as a desktop app. One off price, runs locally, exports several formats. If you want a permanent desktop tool and do not mind paying up front, it is a sound choice. It is not in a browser and it is not free.
AICreate LUT Generator
Not a matcher at all: eight Lightroom style sliders that you adjust on a preview, exported as a .cube. Genuinely free and unlimited. Useful when you know the look you want and do not have a reference frame.
How to choose
Ask three questions. Do you have both an original and a reference, or only a reference? Does your footage have to stay on your machine? How many LUTs will you actually make this month? If the answers are "both", "yes" and "a few", ChromaMimic is the free option that fits. If the answers are "only a reference", "no" and "one", Imagen's tool is a fine free choice. If you make dozens a month, compare ChromaMimic Pro at $39 a year against LUTBuilder.ai Pro at $29.99 a month.
Questions
- Is there a free LUT generator with no sign up at all?
- Yes. ChromaMimic lets you load frames, build, preview and refine with no account, and needs one only to download. Imagen's tool, SammaPix and AICreate export with no sign up. fylm.ai, LUTBuilder.ai and Luttie require an account and none of them export a .cube on their free tier.
- What is the difference between an AI LUT generator and a colour matcher?
- Marketing, mostly. ChromaMimic, Image 2 LUT and SammaPix use colour science (statistics of the two images) which is deterministic and instant. LUTBuilder.ai and Luttie add text prompt generation on top. Neither approach is better in every case; the pair match is more predictable and the prompt approach is more flexible when you have no reference.
- Which tool is best for wedding videographers?
- One that keeps client footage private, works fast, and does not charge per LUT. ChromaMimic was built for that brief. If you grade every wedding from scratch in a browser, Luttie's suite is worth a look.