voxivoid/recipe-lab-sony-pmca

What it is

Recipe Lab is a Java app that runs inside Sony cameras supporting PlayMemories Camera Apps, such as the A6000, A6500 and A7 II. It ships 76 color recipes that approximate the looks of Fuji film simulations, Ricoh GR image controls, Leica, Hasselblad, Canon, Nikon, Sony Creative Looks and classic film stocks. The app changes only camera settings you could set manually — Creative Style, saturation, contrast, sharpness, white balance, exposure compensation, DRO and Picture Effect — and stores the chosen look so it persists in every mode, photo and video, after the app is closed.

The A6000 lacks Picture Profile and tone-curve storage, so the recipes are approximations built from what the camera can keep, not exact copies of other brands' color science. Custom recipes are YAML files kept on the memory card and can be shared by QR code or file.

Compatibility

Only Sony bodies with MENU → Application can install it. The README documents tested and reported bodies including the A6000, A5100, A6300, A6500, A7, A7 II, A7R II, RX100 III–V, RX10 III and several NEX models, with known caveats per camera. Newer bodies such as the A7 III, A6400, A6600, A6700 and ZV-E10 cannot run camera apps, so the app cannot be installed on them.

Quick start

You need the camera, a USB cable, a memory card and a computer.

1. Download the Sony-PMCA-RE installer tool from its releases page; on Windows, run pmca-gui.exe without installing it. Linux users need Python 3 and libusb and can clone and install the tool from source.

2. Download the latest RecipeLab.apk.

3. On the camera, set Setup → USB Connection to Mass Storage, insert a memory card, turn the camera on and connect it by USB. The screen should show USB Mode.

4. In the GUI choose Install app from file and select the APK, or run from the Sony-PMCA-RE folder:

   python pmca-console.py install -f RecipeLab.apk
   

   The camera will flicker and switch modes; wait for the computer to print Task completed successfully.

5. Unplug the camera, then turn it off and on. Launch Recipe Lab under MENU → Application → Application List.

Inside the app, turn the wheel to preview recipes, press centre to apply one, and hold MENU for the app menu. The selected look then applies in every mode even with the app closed.

Constraints and risks

• Some cameras hold settings read-only; the app then reports a write failure. The documented workaround is installing OpenMemories-Tweak and unlocking protected settings.
• Memory Recall positions (MR / 1 / 2) override the stored look at power-on; store recipes from P/A/S/M instead.
• Picture Effect recipes are JPEG-only, and the app may ask to switch quality away from RAW.
• Formatting the memory card deletes custom recipes stored in RECIPES.
• Phone transfer of RAWs requires the separate Recipe Lab Studio app and runs at roughly 1 MB/s over the camera's own Wi-Fi.
• The project is GPL-3.0 with an attribution requirement; earlier releases up to v1.7.0 were MIT.

HotRepo's take

On the November 9, 2026 Java monthly list, the project recorded 1,358 stars and 695 stars gained, reaching position 10. That is the only available snapshot, so it establishes a single strong month rather than a trend. What stands out technically is the scope of documentation: a per-camera compatibility table with issue-linked caveats, a full installation walkthrough and a defined recipe file format. The audience is narrow — owners of older, app-capable Sony bodies — but for them the README covers the failure modes that matter, including read-only settings storage, MR dial conflicts and firmware differences on the NEX-5R.