Here's a useful report covering what these formats are, why you'd convert one to the other, and the available tools/methods.

[Load Base Image in Photoshop] │ ▼ [Apply Color Lookup Adjustment Layer (.CUBE)] │ ▼ [Open Camera Raw Filter] │ ▼ [Create Profile -> Check 'Color Lookup Table'] │ ▼ [Saved Automatically as .XMP] Step 1: Prepare a Gradient Base Map

Once you have your .xmp file from the converter, how do you use it?

You might wonder, "If Cube is the industry standard, why convert it?"

Whether you choose a quick online tool or utilize Photoshop’s hidden native profile creator, mastering this conversion process will save you hours of manual color-matching work.

A CUBE file is a type of 3D Look-Up Table (LUT) . In essence, it's a mathematical formula contained in a text file that acts as a color map, telling your software to change every specific color value in an image to another, predefined value. It's a universal standard for color exchange, supported by nearly every major video and photo editing application, including DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Affinity Photo. If a high-end Hollywood colorist creates a "look" for a film, it will often be shared as a .CUBE file.

Because .cube and .xmp handle color data differently, you might occasionally notice that a converted profile looks slightly different on a photo than it did on a video. Keep these factors in mind: