What is a CUBE file?
A .CUBE file is usually a 3D Color Look-Up Table (LUT). Video editors and photographers use these files to store color grading instructions. The file contains a grid of RGB values that map original colors to new colors. Originally created by Iridas, the format is now an industry standard used by DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Adobe Photoshop.
Less commonly, a .CUBE file is a Gaussian Cube File. Scientists use this format in computational chemistry to store 3D volumetric data, such as electron densities.
How to open CUBE files?
If the file is a 3D LUT, you can import it into color grading panels in software like DaVinci Resolve or Skylum Luminar. Because .CUBE files are saved as plain text, you can also open them with basic text editors like Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code to view the underlying data array. If it is a Gaussian data file, you need specialized scientific software like GaussView.
Best practices and troubleshooting
Because .CUBE has multiple possible meanings, we recommend using viewer.online/cube to identify the actual format of your file. viewer.online/cube can analyze .CUBE files to identify the exact format and creator software, inspect the file structure, extract readable text, and check whether an online preview is available.
Summary
If you need to change the file format, we recommend file conversion to sensible target formats on convert.guru. For example, you can convert a 3D LUT into other profile formats like .3DL or .CSV.
Ultimately, viewer.online/cube is useful for identifying, inspecting, and understanding .CUBE files without installing heavy video editing software or dealing with compatibility problems.