LUTs

Import .cube LUT files and apply them via CineEI monitoring or Picture Profile recording

LUTs in CineEI vs Picture Profiles

LUTs serve different purposes depending on your shooting mode.

CineEI / Log Shooting (Select LUT)

In CineEI, CineEI Quick, or Flexible ISO mode, the camera always records S-Log3 — the raw log data is never altered. The selected LUT (base-look-value) controls what you see on the viewfinder and monitoring output to help you expose and frame, but the recorded file remains flat S-Log3.

Embed LUT File writes the LUT as metadata only into the recorded file — post-production tools can read it, but the actual video data is still S-Log3.

Properties used:

Property	Purpose
base-look-value	Select active monitoring LUT — shows real names like “s709”, “User5:February.cube”
embed-lut-file	Embed LUT metadata in file for post reference (On/Off) — does not bake the LUT

LUT slots: 3 preset base looks (S-Log3, s709, 709(800%)) + up to 16 user slots for imported .cube LUTs.

# See all available LUTs with real names
curl .../properties/base-look-value

{
  "available_values": [
    { "value": "0x1", "formatted": "S-Log3" },
    { "value": "0x2", "formatted": "s709" },
    { "value": "0x3", "formatted": "709(800%)" },
    { "value": "0x101", "formatted": "User1:Portra+.cube" },
    { "value": "0x102", "formatted": "User2:Venice.cube" }
  ]
}

Picture Profile with PPLUT (Non-Log)

Without CineEI/Log Shooting, LUTs are used through PPLUT slots in Picture Profiles. The standard PP1-PP11 presets do not use LUTs — they are gamma/color/detail presets (including S-Log2/S-Log3 gamma curves, but applied as the recording pipeline, not as a separate LUT).

To apply an actual .cube LUT in non-log mode, you use PPLUT1-PPLUT4 (Custom slots 0x41-0x44). The Sony help guide states: PPLUT slots “shoot and record movies with the user LUT applied” — the LUT is baked into the recorded file.

Properties used:

Property	Purpose
picture-profile	Select PP1-PP11 (no LUT) or Custom 1-4 (PPLUT, LUT baked in)
pp-lut-base-look	Select which PPLUT slot (1-8) to use as base look

Key difference:

	CineEI (Select LUT)	PPLUT (Picture Profile)
Recording	Always S-Log3 (flat)	LUT baked into recording
LUT purpose	Monitoring/viewfinder only	Applied to recorded video
Post flexibility	Full — grade from S-Log3	Limited — LUT already applied
Embed LUT File	Writes metadata only	N/A — LUT is the pipeline

# Set Custom 1 profile (PPLUT)
curl -X PUT .../properties/picture-profile \
  -d '{"value": "0x41"}'

# Apply PPLUT slot 1 as base look — this LUT IS the recording
curl -X PUT .../properties/pp-lut-base-look \
  -d '{"value": "0x1"}'

pp-lut-base-look is only writable when picture-profile is set to a Custom slot (0x41-0x44). It may appear read-only in getAllProperties — use an individual GET for accurate state.

---

Import LUT File

method · POST

POST /api/cameras/{cameraId}/lut/import

Upload a .cube LUT file to the camera. The file is imported asynchronously — the endpoint returns 202 Accepted immediately and the result is delivered via the lutImportResult SSE event.

filePath · string · required

Absolute path to a .cube LUT file on the server’s filesystem.

slot · integer · required

LUT slot number on the camera (1-16).

curl

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/cameras/D10F60149B0C/lut/import \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"filePath": "/path/to/MyLUT.cube", "slot": 1}'

SSE Result

The import result is delivered asynchronously via the lutImportResult SSE event:

Success

{
  "slot": 1,
  "status": "success"
}

Error

{
  "slot": 1,
  "status": "error",
  "error": "invalid_file"
}

Error codes:

Code	Description
general_failure	Unspecified import failure
invalid_filename	File name not accepted by camera
device_busy	Camera is busy (recording, etc.)
storage_full	Camera storage is full
invalid_parameter	Invalid slot number or parameter
invalid_file	File is not a valid .cube LUT
invalid	Generic validation failure

On macOS with SDK V2.01.00, the OnWarning callback for LUT import results may not fire. The import itself succeeds — verify by checking the camera’s LUT slot directly.

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CineEI LUT Workflow

Import a LUT and apply it as the monitoring base look for CineEI recording.

1. Enable CineEI

   Set movie-shooting-mode to 0x0301 (CineEI). See CineEI setup for full details.

2. Import LUT

   POST /api/cameras/{id}/lut/import with your .cube file and slot number (1-16).

3. Select the active base look

   Set base-look-value to the imported LUT slot. GET the property first to see available values with real LUT names (e.g. “User1:MyLUT.cube”).

4. Enable LUT embedding (optional)

   Set embed-lut-file to 0x2 (On) to write LUT metadata into the recorded file for post reference.

curl

# 1. Import LUT
curl -X POST .../lut/import \
  -d '{"filePath": "/path/to/MyLUT.cube", "slot": 1}'

# 2. Select the imported LUT (User slot 1 = 0x101)
curl -X PUT .../properties/base-look-value \
  -d '{"value": "0x101"}'

# 3. Enable LUT embedding
curl -X PUT .../properties/embed-lut-file \
  -d '{"value": "0x2"}'

---

PPLUT Workflow

Apply an imported LUT as the base look for a Picture Profile. This is for non-log shooting — the LUT is baked into the recorded image.

1. Import the LUT

   POST /api/cameras/{id}/lut/import with your .cube file and a slot (1-16).

2. Set Picture Profile to a Custom slot

   Set picture-profile to Custom 1-4 (0x41-0x44).

3. Select the LUT as base look

   Set pp-lut-base-look to the PPLUT slot (1-8) that maps to your imported LUT.

curl

# 1. Import LUT to slot 1
curl -X POST .../lut/import \
  -d '{"filePath": "/path/to/MyLUT.cube", "slot": 1}'

# 2. Set Picture Profile to Custom 1
curl -X PUT .../properties/picture-profile \
  -d '{"value": "0x41"}'

# 3. Select PPLUT 1 as base look
curl -X PUT .../properties/pp-lut-base-look \
  -d '{"value": "0x1"}'

pp-lut-base-look is only writable when picture-profile is set to a Custom slot. It may appear read-only in getAllProperties — use an individual GET for accurate state.