PresetBridge Help Guide

Finding Your Presets

The left side of PresetBridge displays the drives available on your computer. Select the drive containing your presets.

The right side displays the files and folders contained on the selected drive. Navigate to the folder containing your .xmp preset files.

You can also use Add Folder to select a preset folder directly.

Folders and Subfolders

Preset libraries are often organized into several folders, for example:

• Landscape
• Portrait
• Black & White
• Infrared
• Film Looks

When recursive or subfolder processing is enabled, PresetBridge can search through the selected folder and its subfolders automatically.

This lets you process larger organized preset collections without opening every folder individually.

Choosing a LUT Size

Selecting the Output Folder

Choose where PresetBridge should save the converted LUT files.

For easier organization, consider creating a folder called PresetBridge LUTs or Converted Presets.

For example:

Autumn Colors.xmp  →  Autumn Colors.cube

Starting the Conversion

Before starting, confirm that you selected:

• The correct preset folder
• The desired LUT size
• The correct output folder

Start the conversion and PresetBridge will process the compatible XMP files it finds.

Processing time can vary depending on:

• The number of presets
• The selected LUT size
• Your computer's performance
• Storage drive speed
• The number of folders being scanned

Using Your Converted LUTs

PresetBridge creates standard .cube LUT files.

CUBE LUTs can be used by many compatible photo, video, and color-grading applications.

Examples may include:

• GIMP with compatible LUT support
• darktable
• RawTherapee configurations with compatible LUT tools
• DaVinci Resolve
• Other photo editors supporting CUBE LUT files
• Video editing and color-grading applications

The exact method used to load a LUT depends on the destination application.

What PresetBridge Can Convert

Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw presets can contain many different types of adjustments.

A LUT is primarily designed to reproduce color and tonal transformations.

Adjustments that commonly translate well

• Color changes
• Tonal adjustments
• Color grading
• Channel-based adjustments
• Many curve adjustments
• Creative color looks

Adjustments a LUT cannot fully reproduce

• Sharpening
• Noise reduction
• Lens correction
• Cropping
• Rotation
• Perspective and geometry correction
• Healing and spot removal
• Local adjustment brushes
• Subject masks
• Sky masks
• AI-generated masks
• Radial masks
• Linear gradients
• Image-specific corrections

Why a LUT May Look Different

The final appearance can vary because of:

• Camera profile
• White balance
• Exposure
• RAW processing
• Color space
• Adobe-specific adjustments
• Local and AI masks
• The destination application's color-processing system

For the most consistent results, start with an image that already has reasonable exposure and white balance.

Batch Conversion

Batch processing is one of PresetBridge's primary features.

Instead of converting XMP files individually, PresetBridge can process folders containing many presets.

This is especially useful for photographers with:

• Hundreds or thousands of presets
• Commercial preset collections
• Multiple preset packs
• Presets organized into subfolders

Protecting Your Original Presets

PresetBridge creates new LUT files. It does not need to replace your original Adobe preset files.

We recommend keeping both:

• Your original .xmp presets
• Your converted .cube LUTs

Always keep a backup of important preset collections.

License Activation

Some versions of PresetBridge require license activation.

Enter the license key supplied with your purchase when prompted.

PresetBridge license keys use a format similar to:

PB1-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

Enter the key exactly as supplied and avoid adding spaces before or after it.

Activation Problems

If activation fails:

• Check that the license key was entered correctly.
• Confirm that the computer is connected to the internet.
• Make sure a firewall is not blocking PresetBridge.
• Restart PresetBridge and try again.
• Check whether the permitted number of activations has been reached.

Troubleshooting

No Presets Are Found

Check that:

• You selected the correct folder.
• The folder contains .xmp files.
• The presets are not located only inside unselected subfolders.
• Recursive or subfolder processing is enabled when needed.

One Preset Will Not Convert

The XMP file may contain unsupported data or may not be a compatible Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw preset.

Try converting another preset. If other files convert successfully, the issue may be limited to that particular file.

The Converted LUT Looks Different

This does not necessarily indicate a problem.

Adobe presets can contain settings that cannot be represented by a LUT. PresetBridge converts the compatible color and tonal information.

Conversion Seems Slow

Processing may take longer when:

• Converting a very large preset collection
• Using 65-point LUTs
• Reading files from a slower storage drive
• Searching many folders and subfolders

For most users, a 33-point LUT provides excellent results with faster processing.

The Output Folder Is Empty

Verify that:

• Compatible XMP files were detected.
• The correct input folder was selected.
• The correct output folder was selected.
• The output folder allows files to be written to it.
• The conversion completed successfully.

Also check for any error message displayed by PresetBridge.

PresetBridge Cannot See a Drive

Confirm that the drive is recognized by Windows or Linux.

For an external drive:

1. Disconnect the drive.
2. Reconnect it.
3. Wait for the operating system to recognize it.
4. Restart PresetBridge.

Quick Reference