Introduction
The thermal look is one of the most striking styles you can apply to your footage. It’s vibrant, surreal, and instantly recognizable — turning skin tones into fiery reds, shadows into deep blues, and highlights into electric yellows. Whether you’re working on a music video, fashion editorial, or experimental art piece, a thermal color grade adds an edgy, futuristic vibe to your visuals.
But how do you achieve it without access to an expensive FLIR thermal camera?
Enter MoonBear’s Thermography LUTs — a pack of 25 handcrafted LUTs that instantly transform your footage into bold, heat-map inspired works of art. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to use Thermography LUTs inside Final Cut Pro (and other editors) to get that perfect look.
Table of Contents
AI Summary
Thermography LUTs simulate the colors of thermal imaging — bright reds and yellows for heat, cool blues for shadows — without requiring special cameras. With MoonBear’s 25-style LUT pack, you can instantly apply the thermal look in Final Cut Pro, Premiere, Resolve, CapCut, and more. Install, apply, adjust intensity, and stack with other LUTs or effects for unique, professional results.
What Are Thermography LUTs?
LUTs — short for Look-Up Tables — are files that remap the colors in your footage. Our Thermography LUTs specifically emulate the palette of thermal cameras, which visualize heat levels using vibrant, false-color imagery.
When applied to footage, these LUTs replace realistic colors with high-contrast reds, oranges, blues, and purples — giving you that infrared, heat-map style without any specialty hardware.
MoonBear’s pack includes 25 unique variations, ranging from subtle, muted looks to intense, psychedelic grades. Each LUT is designed by colorists to maintain good tonal separation, so skin tones, shadows, and highlights all stay legible and cinematic.
Why Use Thermal LUTs in Your Edits
Thermal looks aren’t just trendy — they serve a creative purpose:
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Instantly Eye-Catching: The bold color palette stops viewers from scrolling past your video.
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Perfect for Experimental + Music Projects: Fashion campaigns, music videos, and conceptual art benefit from unusual grading styles.
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Symbolic Storytelling: Use the thermal look to imply heat, danger, intimacy, or emotional intensity.
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Elevates Basic Footage: Even simple handheld clips can look like high-concept art pieces with the right grade.
What You Need Before You Start
To follow along, you’ll need:
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Final Cut Pro (or any major editor): Premiere, Resolve, CapCut, After Effects, and Sony Vegas all work.
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MoonBear Thermography LUTs Pack: Available for instant download at MoonBear.shop.
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Footage with Good Contrast: Thermal looks shine when there’s a clear difference between highlights and shadows.
Optional: A base color correction (white balance, exposure) before applying LUTs, so the effect behaves predictably.
Installing Thermography LUTs
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Download the Pack: After purchase, you’ll receive a .zip file with all 25 LUTs in .cube format.
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Unzip the File: Place the LUTs in your LUTs folder or keep them organized in a dedicated “MoonBear LUTs” folder.
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Restart Your Editor: In Final Cut Pro, this ensures they appear under the LUT dropdown.
Installation is a one-time process — after that, they’ll be available for every project you work on.
Applying LUTs in Final Cut Pro
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Select Your Clip: Drag it into the timeline.
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Add the Custom LUT Effect: In the Effects Browser, search for “Custom LUT” and apply it.
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Choose a LUT: In the inspector, pick one of the Thermography LUTs from the dropdown.
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Adjust Mix/Intensity: Blend the LUT with your original footage to taste.
You should instantly see your image transform into a thermal-style masterpiece.
Fine-Tuning Your Thermal Look
After applying a LUT, you can refine it for maximum impact:
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Exposure: Thermal LUTs can clip if your footage is too bright — bring exposure down slightly.
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Contrast: Boost contrast to make the color separation more dramatic.
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Saturation: Increase for psychedelic results or lower for a more muted, editorial look.
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Blend Amount: Don’t be afraid to dial the LUT mix down to 70–80% for a less extreme effect.
MoonBear LUTs are designed to be flexible — think of them as a starting point, not a fixed look.
Creative Variations + Stacking LUTs
One of the best things about LUT workflows is that you can stack them:
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Thermal + Grain: Adds texture and a gritty, analog vibe.
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Thermal + Glitch Effects: Perfect for cyberpunk or horror aesthetics.
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Thermal + Halation: Combine with MoonBear Film Halation for glowing, sci-fi heat blooms.
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Thermal + Secondary Color Correction: Isolate skin tones and shift them for a unique palette.
Stacking gives you endless combinations — you can create a signature style no one else is using.
Use Cases for Thermography LUTs
Some of the most popular ways creators use our pack:
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Music Videos: Match the color treatment to the beat for a hypnotic, rhythmic vibe.
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Fashion Films: Create bold, editorial looks that demand attention.
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Commercials: Position products as futuristic or high-tech.
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Experimental Films: Push the limits of color to create dreamlike or unsettling moods.
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Social Content: Stop the scroll on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest with heat-map inspired edits.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
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Shoot with Intention: Thermal LUTs look best with strong lighting or interesting contrast.
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Expose for Highlights: Avoid clipping, since blown-out areas will lose detail when recolored.
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Use Adjustment Layers: Apply LUTs to an adjustment layer for faster global tweaks.
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Experiment: Don’t settle on the first LUT — cycle through the pack until you find the perfect one for each shot.
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Stay Consistent: Pick a few LUTs from the set and stick with them to maintain a cohesive look across your project.
Conclusion
Thermal imagery has exploded in popularity because it’s bold, fun, and deeply expressive. But you don’t need a special camera to achieve it — MoonBear’s Thermography LUTs give you 25 unique, handcrafted looks that drop right into your editor and transform your footage in seconds.
Ready to turn up the heat on your next project? Download the Thermography LUT Pack today and give your edits a fiery, unforgettable edge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Will these work in Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, or CapCut?
Yes — our LUTs are in .cube format, which is supported by all major editing platforms.
Q: Can I adjust the strength of the effect?
Absolutely. All editors let you blend LUT intensity or layer them with other effects for a custom look.
Q: Do I need to color correct before applying?
It’s recommended to do a quick base correction first so the LUT behaves consistently across all clips.
Q: Are these LUTs good for commercial work?
Yes — they come with a commercial license and are pre-cleared for use on YouTube and client projects.
Q: Can I combine multiple LUTs?
Yes — stacking LUTs can create unique color palettes that stand out.
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