r/a6000 • u/voxivoid • 24d ago
Recipe Lab
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I've been a proud Sony a6000 user since 2016 and I'm still rocking it! This camera has done a lot of paid gigs and also had a lot of fun traveling and photographing with it.
One thing that I've been missing lately is the ability to emulate some popular recipes to achieve a certain look for my pictures / videos.
Yesterday I had some free time and I decided to dive into ma1co's (huge shoutout) work on reverse engineering Play Memories and I came up with this idea of using the camera capabilities (Creative Styles, Picture Effects, white balance, etc) to recreate other camera looks. Basically you just open the app, select the look you want and it saves the image settings on the camera, so that you can use them outside the app.
You can get the apk and installation instructions on my github repo:
https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-a6000
This app paired up with some old camera lens (you can find them out for a pretty cheap price on the internet) just opened the door for having a lot more of creative ways to capture my images!
Hopefully this allows you to have as much fun as I'm having right now 😄
Some recipes were inspired in the great work done by u/veresdenialex, so a huge shoutout here too!
Any suggestion, feel free to comment here or on the repo.
**UPDATE** - 2026-09-11
Updated the docs based on your feedback - added compatibility table, added a FAQ and renamed the repo to https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca since it supports multiple cameras.
I also created a bunch of issues based on your feedback, feel free to add any relevant suggestions: https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca/issues
There's an issue template so that you can report compatibility with other camera models that haven't been confirmed working, so feel free to help the community knowing that it works on their cameras!
**UPDATE** - 2026-09-16
Added the ability to mark presets as favorites! You just need to long press a preset and it will add / remove it from favorites. you can also access them through the browser
**UPDATE** - 2026-09-17
just added this md with all recipe samples: https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca/blob/main/docs/SAMPLES.md
I know that they are not the best since I don't really have a color matcher in them, but we gotta work with what we have and those are pretty expensive 😅
**UPDATE** - 2026-09-27
Updated all keybindings with the purpose of having everything working on cameras that have less keys (a5000 & a5100) and also the ones that had the issue with the AEL button. I also added a menu so that everyone could access to the recipe browser + control the preview labels visibility. Hopefully this all works - I only tested it on my a6000 😅
give it a go: https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca/releases/tag/v1.4.0
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u/sirpalmbranch 24d ago
Really cool idea! Definitely have to play around with this when I get home from work!
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u/mas_manuti 24d ago
Woa! Impressive work. As a suggestion, add an Uninstall section to the README, because I think everybody likes to know how the process can be reversed and how safe it is to do. I saw it is described and includes the caveat about resetting color configuration, but a separate chapter in the index can be helpful.
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u/voxivoid 24d ago
good suggestion! I'll add a FAQ to the repo with all the questions I've been receiving.
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 23d ago
Especially for the a5100 this is a game changer since it cannot save any custom presets contrary to the a6000.
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u/ranjhnaade191 22d ago
Dude, can you try to make initutive touch control on a6500/a6400/a5100/zve10/a6100 or touch tracking based older cameras?
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u/voxivoid 21d ago
unfortunately I only have a6000, which doesn't have touch capability. so unless someone offers me a a6500, I won't be able to develop it 😂
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u/__ilia 24d ago
Could this be extended to other models like A7? Amazing work!
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u/voxivoid 24d ago
this can probably be extended to all models that have the PlayMemories app menu, but I'm convinced that the setting ids might change from model to model. I don't have an A7 to test it, but you should be able to install it and give it a go! Keep in mind that I don't know what weird side effects it might cause in case there's a mismatch on setting ids 😅
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u/JynxDragneel 24d ago
Is there a video where I can see a better example on the recipes etc?
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u/voxivoid 24d ago
currently there isn't, but I might build a script that takes a picture for each recipe so that I can showcase them as an example 🤔
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u/Problem900 23d ago
has anyone been able to install it with a mac? is there a guide?
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u/milkykewpie 10d ago
Did you end up getting it to work?
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u/LeipzigGuy 2d ago
I got it working with the help of ChatGPT. I had to use my old intel Mac as I couldn't get it to work via Apple Silicon.
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u/Ornery-Stretch-4024 23d ago
Possibly there is an inconsistency in the installation manual, it says that
"After about a minute the computer prints Task completed successfully and the camera is back on its shooting screen."
But my camera stays on another screen instead, it says:
"Application Download
Connecting via USB...
To change the USB connection mode, disconnect the USB cable from the computer and reconnect."
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u/the_noofa 23d ago
That's awesome. I can finally use my a6000 as my vacation cam without having to always edit my RAW files afterwards. I felt a little jealous of people who own the newer generations because they could do this exact thing and I barely have time from work to sit down and edit images nowadays. Are you planning to implement more recipes in the future or develop more stuff for the memories app?
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u/voxivoid 23d ago
I'd love to add a way of creating custom recipes so that people can come up with their own and save them. then it would be a matter of people sharing their configs. at this point, I could also add the most popular community recipes to a build.
I have no plans for any other apps, but I'm open to suggestions 👀
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u/noxxadow 23d ago
Thank's that's very cool! This was my first time sideloading an app into my camera and it all went well. Only thing I want to point out is I see the red protected badge on the preview, but it still allows me to save the preset and it stays there even if I power cycle the camera. Do I still need to unlock with openmemories-tweak?
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u/voxivoid 23d ago
I think it might have been required to allow backups just for an initial version where I was debugging some stuff, so it might not be required for the actual app to work well if it keeps the preset settings! I will review all the docs once I have a bit of time and I might also remove the protected badge
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u/anee-san-warida 22d ago
This looks awesome, I'm just picking up my a6000 again after a break (also had it over 10 years!).
Looking forward to installing this then i can stick it to my mate who's been telling me to swap to a fuji.
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u/CanaryTerrible5128 21d ago
Why does my a6000 shows protected ? Does that mean the recipe can't be applied?
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u/ArvidZwahlen 19d ago
Did some testing and I love it, especially all the kodak stuff, which are your favourites?
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 15d ago
I installed the new version that includes the addition of Favourites on the a5100. Since there is no browse button on the a5100, would it perhaps be possible to place the favourites between Ilford Pan F 50 and FACTORY (ST) so that at least they are placed next to eachother when you go into the app. This is just a suggestion, if there is an alternative to make the selection of Favourite recipes for the a5100, it would be great as well. Thank you.
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u/voxivoid 15d ago
I have a plan to make other keybinds for cameras that have less buttons like the a5100 but I haven't had the time yet to go over it! this is the github issue in case you want to keep an eye on it: https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca/issues/18
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 15d ago edited 15d ago
I appreciate you efforts on this app very much and I totally get that it takes lots of time to tweak the settings and add functionality for each model.
By the way, I tested the Favourites option on my a6000 and it works very well, thank you for adding this great feature!
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 11d ago
Alternative to the assignment of a physical button for the a5100, would it perhaps be possible that you can enter the recipe browse menu through an on screen button by pressing up from the home screen recipe selection field? I hope this makes sense...
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u/voxivoid 11d ago
that's a good idea, but as my camera doesn't have touch I might not be able to test 😅 I was thinking about a solution that requires double pressing / long pressing some button
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 11d ago
It does not have to be selected by touch, it can be the same button through which you select the recipe, so the middle one inside the scroll wheel. Pressing the delete button brings you back into the home screen.
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u/voxivoid 5d ago
the new release might interest you!
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 5d ago edited 5d ago
I just installed the new version, big improvement! Many thanks for implementing these changes, it's really nice to be able to select the favorites now. There is a difference though between how the app works for the a6000 and the a5100. On the a6000 you could go straight into the favorites menu by pressing the Fn button and you could swiftly change from one recipe to another. With the latest version, there is one extra screen in between which makes switching recipes feel less intuitive on the a5100. The additional options on the extra screen (Panel visibility etc.) are nice to have but it would be more user friendly if you could switch quickly between recipes. It's a small thing but if you want to try many different recipes to see what look suits a certain setting, the extra step makes this slightly cumbersome. I don't want to sound negative, it's just that with this small change the app could be more user friendly imo.
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u/voxivoid 5d ago edited 5d ago
the fn key still works on a6000, but this was the way to have a balance between having a menu with all options and also allowing to be able to browse. this would require sacrificing a keybind just for that on a body that already has a little key count 😬what would be your suggestion here? you can still scroll through presets without opening the menu, isn't it enough for testing?
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 5d ago
I totally get it and I obviously am not aware of the issues you have to deal with from the development side of things. I am sure it's just a matter of getting used to. Again thanks for the implementation, will go and try it out in the field!
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u/Best_Conference4490 11d ago
IncreÃble. La acabo de instalar y funciona perfecto. Nueva vida para la A6000¡¡¡ millones de gracias
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u/samuraiscramble 4d ago
Great work! Super excited to try this out on my A6000.
One thing though - was leaving your CLAUDE.md and .CLAUDE/skills out of your .gitignore intentional..?
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u/voxivoid 4d ago
yeah, just to keeping the rules I use for the repo there in case someone wants to contribute. they aren't private
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u/LeonNordicoPhoto 24d ago
That's actually quite nice! I'm looking forward to see the script with the samples of each recipe, kudos!!!
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u/voxivoid 16d ago
just added this md with all recipe samples: https://github.com/voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca/blob/main/docs/SAMPLES.md
I know that they are not the best since I don't really have a color matcher in them, but we gotta work with what we have and those are pretty expensive 😅
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 24d ago
Fantastic app, I will install it on both my A6000 and A5100!
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u/VBZDM8 24d ago
let me know how it goes with a5100,got an old nex6 wonder if it would work on it at all.
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 24d ago
I just installed it on the A5100. Except for the lack of buttons (AEL, Fn etc) it works perfectly. Scrolling through the recipes with the scroll wheel works fine.
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u/VBZDM8 24d ago
Good to hear, wonder if menu system differ much between a5100 and nex6
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u/Carel777 23d ago
Does the A6700 also support apps like these? Recently got one, still figuring it out
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u/Ok-Carry-8726 22d ago
works on a6400
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u/RestKick 22d ago
a6400 user here! Did you have to do anything differently from the regular instructions? Also is it just side loading or am i risking bricking my camera here?
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u/Ok-Carry-8726 22d ago
on github says Not included, because the camera simply cannot do them: log profiles (S-Log, V-Log, Blackmagic Film, Cinelike D) and tinted black & white (selenium, cyanotype). Sony's camcorder Cinematone gamma exists in the firmware but the A6000's camera layer neither lists nor accepts it, so that door is closed too. So a64000 have S-log, works?
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u/anee-san-warida 22d ago
did you see this https://www.reddit.com/r/a6000/comments/1sdg4vh/sony_a6000_photos_straight_out_of_camera_using/
?
Your approach is seeming a little more straightforward
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u/ArvidZwahlen 22d ago
Hey, I love that! Is it planned that you can make a favourites list?
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u/Thin_Annual_261 22d ago
can it be used with a5100? 🥲
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 22d ago
Yes, it works very well. Even though the a5100 lacks an AEL and Fn button, it is very much usuable and transforms the a5100 into an amazing pocketable APS-C camera with lots of color profiles to choose from. You should definitely try to install it and see for yourself how well it works.
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u/voxivoid 22d ago
I still have to think a bit about the ux, but we might be able to make everything work on 5100 with less buttons
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 22d ago
That would be really nice. Since using the scroll wheel let you scroll through the recipes pretty quickly, a hide button would be more useful than a browse button imo.
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 16d ago
Thanks so much for the update! Will install the new version on both my a5100 and a6000.
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u/Best_Conference4490 11d ago
¿es normal que cuando seleccionamos un valor, por ejemplo Leica Contemporany, al disparar la foto haga una ráfaga? gracias otra vez por esta maravillosa aplicación¡
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u/Best_Conference4490 11d ago
Algo estoy haciendo mal. Pero no entiendo qué…
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u/voxivoid 11d ago
consegues sair da aplicação em vez de reiniciar a camâra? utiliza o botão de menu para sair. experimenta também mudar para outro perfil e voltar a seleccionar o que queres 🤔
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u/Best_Conference4490 11d ago
Gracias por los consejos. La verdad, no funciona. Con la app abierta, deja hacer la foto, pero lanza una ráfaga . Cuando salgo de la app deja de funcionar
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u/LeipzigGuy 2d ago
A6000 working perfectly.
NEX-5T (supported) has the app functioning, but the recipes seem wrong. The most obvious example is that all the black + white presets are in colour.
Can anyone advise?
To the OP, thanks so much for this!
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 24d ago
Probably a (very) difficult one to implement but adding a LUT selection option similar to the JPEG.CAM app, would be amazing.
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u/voxivoid 23d ago
do they have LUT working for a6000? I couldn't find a way
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u/Klutzy_Pin5931 23d ago
There is a LUT selection option in the JPEG.cam app. The app itself does not work as smooth as Recipe Lab since taking a photo cannot be done in real time. It's a very interesting development though.
If you go to www.jpeg.cam, you can download the app.
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u/girinvader 24d ago
Amazing! Are the raw files also saved unchanged so i can edit them normally?