Your LUTs, Presets, and Templates Are Gone — Here's How to Get Them Back

Lost creator assets recovery is possible for most asset types — LUTs, presets, motion graphics templates (.mogrt), sound effects, fonts, and plugins can often be recovered without touching recovery software at all. Start by logging into your vendor account (Adobe, Envato, Motion Array, Pond5) to check your purchase history before attempting any disk scan. Only assets that were custom-built or purchased outside a re-download platform require file recovery software.

Part 1. What Creator Assets Can Be Lost and Why

Creator assets include a wide range of files that live outside your main project files. Understanding what was lost — and where it was stored — determines the fastest recovery path.

Common creator asset types:

Assets disappear for several common reasons: accidental deletion, OS reinstall without backing up AppData, drive format, or an app update that resets default paths. Knowing the cause helps you pick the right recovery layer.

💡 Tip: Before doing anything else, check whether the app itself has a "Restore Defaults" or "Re-import" option in its preset manager. Some apps like Adobe Lightroom store a backup of built-in presets and can restore them in one click.

Part 2. Check Your Vendor Account First — Re-Downloadable Assets

Many purchased creator assets are stored in vendor cloud accounts and can be re-downloaded instantly. This is the fastest recovery method and should always be your first step.

Platforms that support re-download:

🗣️ r/premiere user: "I accidentally deleted my preset folder and lost months of custom effects — turns out most of the purchased ones were re-downloadable from the vendor, but my custom-built ones needed a recovery tool."

Log in, navigate to your download history, and re-download any assets purchased through that platform. This works even if your local drive has been formatted, as long as your subscription or purchase is still active.

💡 Tip: For Adobe Fonts (Typekit), activated fonts auto-sync back to your machine when you re-open the Creative Cloud app — no manual download needed.

Part 3. Find Asset Folder Paths on Windows

If your assets were custom-built or purchased outside a cloud platform, they live in specific app data directories. These folders are hidden by default on Windows.

How to show hidden folders: Open File Explorer → View → Show → Hidden items.

Windows asset folder paths:

⚠️ Important: Never use Windows Search to find these folders — it often skips AppData even with hidden items shown. Paste the path directly into the File Explorer address bar using the %AppData% variable, which resolves automatically to your user profile.

If the folder exists but appears empty, the files may still be recoverable from disk — deleted files remain on the drive until overwritten. Stop using the drive and move to Part 5 for software recovery.

Part 4. Find Asset Folder Paths on Mac

On macOS, creator app assets live inside the user Library folder, which is hidden by default.

How to show the Library folder: In Finder, hold Option and click Go → Library.

Mac asset folder paths:

🗣️ r/Lightroom user: "The AppData folder is hidden and most people don't know where their presets actually live until they're gone — always back up that Develop Presets folder."

If you recently upgraded macOS or migrated to a new Mac via Migration Assistant, check whether the Library folder was transferred correctly. Some app support folders require manual migration.

💡 Tip: On Mac, you can drag any Library subfolder path directly into Terminal and press Enter to open it — useful when Finder navigation is slow for deeply nested paths.

Part 5. Recover Non-Re-Downloadable Assets with File Recovery Software

Custom-built presets, locally created LUTs, purchased assets from one-time download stores, and SFX libraries you assembled yourself cannot be re-downloaded. For these, you need file recovery software to scan the drive.

When to use recovery software:

• Asset was custom-built (not purchased from a cloud platform)
• Vendor does not offer re-download (one-time download purchase)
• Drive was formatted or OS was reinstalled without backing up AppData
• Files were permanently deleted (Shift+Delete or Recycle Bin emptied)

Recovery software can find these asset types:

• .cube and .3dl LUT files
• .xmp and .lrtemplate preset files
• .mogrt motion graphics templates
• .wav, .mp3, .aiff audio files (SFX libraries)
• .otf and .ttf font files
• .aex and .ofx plugin files

The recovery window is time-sensitive. Once the drive space is overwritten by new data, deleted files become unrecoverable. Stop writing to the affected drive immediately.

Part 6. Recover Lost Creator Assets Using Ritridata

Ritridata is a file recovery tool for Windows and Mac that can scan drives and recover deleted creator asset files including LUTs, presets, templates, fonts, and audio files.

Step 1 — Select the drive or folder where your assets were stored (e.g., the AppData volume or an external drive)

<Media src='/select-the-original-location.jpg' width='800px' alt='Select the Original Location'/>

Step 2 — Run a safe scan to find deleted files without overwriting existing data

<Media src='/run-a-safe-scan.jpg' width='800px' alt='Run a Safe Scan'/>

Step 3 — Preview recovered asset files and save them to a different drive or folder

<Media src='/preview-and-recover.jpg' width='800px' alt='Preview and Recover'/>

After recovery, reinstall assets through the app's import workflow rather than copying files directly — this ensures the app indexes them correctly. For Lightroom, use File → Import Develop Profiles and Presets. For DaVinci Resolve, use Color → LUTs → Refresh.

Part 7. Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover LUTs and presets after formatting a drive? In many cases, yes — file recovery software can retrieve deleted .cube, .xmp, and .lrtemplate files from a formatted drive if the data has not been overwritten. The sooner you scan after the format, the higher the chance of recovery.

Are Envato Elements assets re-downloadable after my subscription ends? No. Envato Elements requires an active subscription to re-download assets. If your subscription lapsed, you will need to renew it or use file recovery software to retrieve locally cached files.

Where are Premiere Pro .mogrt templates stored on Windows? Motion graphics templates are stored at %AppData%\Adobe\Common\Motion Graphics Templates\. Paste this path directly into the Windows File Explorer address bar to navigate there.

Can I recover custom-built presets that were never purchased from a vendor? Yes, provided the files still exist on the drive and have not been overwritten. Custom presets saved as .xmp or .lrtemplate files are recoverable by file recovery software the same way any other file type would be.

What happens to Adobe fonts if I uninstall Creative Cloud? Activated Adobe Fonts are removed from your system when Creative Cloud is uninstalled. Re-installing Creative Cloud and signing in will re-sync your activated fonts automatically — no manual download is needed.

Do I need to re-import recovered presets into Lightroom manually? Yes. Placing .xmp files back into the Develop Presets folder is not always enough — Adobe Lightroom Classic requires you to use File → Import Develop Profiles and Presets for the app to recognize them.

Can creator asset files recovered by software be corrupted? Partially overwritten files may open incorrectly. Preview the recovered files in the recovery software before finalizing — most tools including Ritridata show a preview so you can verify the file is intact before saving.

References

• Adobe Creative Cloud — Manage assets and files
• Adobe Lightroom Classic — Import develop profiles and presets
• Blackmagic Design — DaVinci Resolve LUT management
• Microsoft — View hidden files and folders in Windows