How to convert Apple Log to Rec.709 (iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro, 17 Pro) in Premiere, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut

If you shot with Apple Log on an iPhone Pro, the footage comes out grey and flat. That is on purpose: the phone keeps more detail in the sky and the shadows so you can choose the look later. To see it properly on a normal screen you convert it to Rec.709. I am a video editor and colorist; this is how I do it in each app.

How to tell your clip is Apple Log

It is turned on in Settings › Camera › Formats, in the ProRes recording options. Apps like Blackmagic Camera and Final Cut Camera can also record log. If the clip looks washed out both in the iPhone gallery and in your editor, it is log. Apple Log uses the Rec.2020 gamut, which matters when converting.

In Premiere Pro

1. Recent versions read the iPhone metadata and convert automatically when the sequence is Rec.709. Right click the clip › Modify › Interpret Footage › Color Management and check that it says Apple Log.
2. If your version does not recognize it: Lumetri › Basic Correction › Input LUT › Apple's official LUT (AppleLogToRec709, free on Apple's developer site).
3. Convert once: never the automatic conversion and the LUT together.

In DaVinci Resolve

1. First node: Color Space Transform. Input Color Space Rec.2020, Input Gamma Apple Log. Output Rec.709, Gamma 2.4.
2. Tone Mapping set to DaVinci so highlights do not clip.
3. Exposure and white balance in nodes before the CST. The look in a node after it.

In Final Cut Pro

Final Cut recognizes Apple Log on its own. If it does not, open the Info inspector › Camera LUT › Apple Log.

Exposing on the iPhone

• iPhone log struggles in the shadows: shoot it dark and you get noise when you convert. Expose a little brighter than looks right on the grey screen.
• In hard sun, keep the sky from clipping: tap to lower exposure, or use an app with zebras (Blackmagic Camera has them).
• Lock white balance so it does not shift mid shot.
• ProRes Log is heavy: one minute of 4K is several GB. Record to a USB-C drive if your iPhone supports it.

After converting: the look

The conversion gives you a correct but neutral image. The style goes on top with a creative LUT, at 40 to 80%. Some LUTs include the Apple Log conversion and go straight on the clip; those only work if they were made for Apple Log, not for another camera's log.

Summary

1. Apple Log = Apple Log gamma + Rec.2020 gamut.
2. Convert once: your app's color management, a CST, or Apple's LUT.
3. Exposure and balance first, then the look.
4. When shooting: a bit more light, no clipped sky, locked white balance.

Also shooting on a Sony? See S-Log3 to Rec.709.

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