In this paper we propose look-up table (LUT) based methods for inverse halftoning of images. The LUT for inverse halftoning is obtained from the histogram gathered from a few sample halftone images and corresponding original images. The method is extremely fast (no filtering is required) and the PSNR and visual image quality achieved is comparable to the best methods known for inverse halftoning. The LUT inverse halftoning method does not depend on the specific properties of the halftoning method, and can be applied to any halftoning method. Then, an algorithm for template selection for LUT inverse halftoning is introduced. We demonstrate the performance of the LUT inverse halftoning algorithm on error diffused images and ordered dithered images. We also extend LUT inverse halftoning to color halftones.