How to color grade iPhone Apple Log footage

To color grade iPhone Apple Log footage, first convert it to a normal display image with the correct input transform (Apple's own Apple Log to Rec.709 LUT, or a colour-managed conversion from Apple Log to Rec.709), and only then grade. Set exposure before colour, balance something neutral, shape contrast gently, and judge skin last. Many "plastic" iPhone grades come from skipping the input transform and pushing contrast and saturation by hand to make a flat image look normal.

This guide covers what Apple Log is, how to get a clean starting point in any tool, and the order of corrections that keeps faces looking human.

What Apple Log is, and why it looks grey

Apple Log is a logarithmic recording profile available on recent iPhone Pro models. In the built-in Camera app it is tied to ProRes recording; some third-party camera apps can record it in other codecs, so check what your app supports. Instead of baking contrast and saturation into the file, it spreads the scene's brightness range across the available code values. That keeps more highlight and shadow information for grading, which is the whole point.

The cost is that the raw file is not meant to be watched. Open it on a normal timeline and it looks washed out, low in contrast and low in saturation. That is not a problem with the footage. It simply has not been transformed to a display yet.

Two practical notes before you start:

• Check which Apple Log version you recorded. Newer iPhone models introduced an updated Apple Log profile. A transform built for one version will not be exactly right for the other, so check your phone's documentation and use the matching LUT or colour-space setting.
• Keep the original files. Grade from the camera originals or a high-quality ProRes copy. A re-encoded, compressed copy throws away the very information Apple Log was meant to keep.

Step 1: set the input transform first

The input transform is the single most important decision in an Apple Log grade. It maps the log curve and wide gamut into the space you are delivering, usually Rec.709 for web and most streaming.

You have two common routes:

1. A conversion LUT. Apple publishes an Apple Log to Rec.709 LUT for its log profile. Applied first in the chain, it turns the flat image into a sensible, neutral starting point. This works in almost any editor that accepts .cube files.
2. Colour-managed conversion. In editors with colour management, you tell the software the source is Apple Log and the output is Rec.709, and it builds the conversion for you. Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve both handle Apple Log in recent versions; check the release notes for your exact version and settings.

Either way, the rule is the same: the conversion goes before your creative grade, not after it. If you grade on the log image and then put a conversion LUT on top, every adjustment you made gets stretched by the LUT, and small exposure moves turn into clipped highlights or crushed shadows.

Avoid using a "creative look" LUT as your input transform. Look LUTs downloaded from the internet are often built for a specific camera and exposure. On iPhone footage they can turn skin orange or green and push contrast so far that faces lose shape.

Step 2: fix exposure before colour

Once the image looks normal, check exposure on a waveform rather than by eye. Phone screens and bright laptop displays make footage look brighter than it is.

• Place mid-tones first. Skin on a lit face usually sits in the middle of the range, a little above middle grey. Get the face to a natural brightness, then look at the rest of the frame.
• Protect the highlights. Apple Log keeps more highlight detail than the standard iPhone look, but it is still a phone sensor. If the sky or a window is clipped in the source, no grade will bring it back. Roll highlights off gently instead of pulling them down hard.
• Watch the shadows. Small sensors are noisier in deep shadows. Lifting dark areas a lot will reveal noise and blotchy colour. If a shot was underexposed, accept a darker, moodier result rather than forcing it bright.

Some shooters expose Apple Log slightly brighter, then bring it down in the grade for cleaner shadows. Test this with your own phone before relying on it.

Step 3: balance a neutral

Find something in the frame that should be neutral: a white wall, grey pavement, a white shirt, overcast sky. On an RGB parade, neutral areas show red, green and blue at roughly the same height.

• Adjust temperature (blue to amber) first, then tint (green to magenta).
• Mixed lighting is common in phone footage, for example a window on one side and a warm lamp on the other. Balance for the main light on the face, and let the other source keep its own colour. That contrast often looks more natural than a fully neutral frame.
• If the iPhone shifted white balance during the shot, you may need keyframes or a tracked correction rather than one global fix.

Step 4: shape contrast with restraint

Apple Log footage converted to Rec.709 already has a normal contrast curve. You do not need to add much.

• Set black and white levels so the image uses its range without clipping important detail.
• Shape the middle with a gentle S-curve rather than a heavy one. Strong contrast is the fastest route to the plastic, over-processed look.
• Keep some texture in the shadows. Pure black blocks behind a subject make phone footage look cheap, not cinematic.

Step 5: saturation and skin

Set saturation after contrast, because contrast changes how saturated an image looks.

Then look at skin, and treat it as the final judge:

• Skin should not look waxy. Over-smoothed, over-saturated, high-contrast skin is the main reason iPhone grades look plastic. Pull saturation back a little and soften the contrast on the face if it looks like a mannequin.
• Watch the orange push. Many popular looks push skin towards orange and shadows towards teal. A light touch can look good; a heavy one makes everyone look sunburnt.
• Use a secondary for skin if needed. A qualifier or a soft window on the face lets you fix skin separately from the background, so you can keep a bold background grade without wrecking faces.

Step 6: match the rest of the scene

Grade one hero shot first, then match the other shots of the scene to it. Matching each shot independently to an idea in your head produces a scene that drifts. If you are cutting iPhone footage with a dedicated camera, convert both through their own correct input transforms first, then match them on scopes. We cover the process in detail in shot matching to a reference still.

Grading Apple Log in cinemaOS

cinemaOS runs natively on Apple silicon Macs, and its grading happens in the Finisher workspace. A typical Apple Log workflow looks like this:

1. Open Finisher, then Grade and Color.
2. Set the Input LUT to the camera transform that matches your footage. Only set an Input LUT when it actually matches the source; footage that is already a finished display image should not get one.
3. Shape the picture with the COLOR and LIGHT controls, following the order above: exposure, balance, contrast, saturation, skin.
4. Refine balance with the Momentum Dial as a colour trackball while you watch the picture, and check the result on scopes.
5. Play the shot in motion before you decide. A grade that looks right on a paused frame can feel heavy at speed.

The short grade in one minute tutorial shows the Input LUT check, COLOR and LIGHT, and the Dial trackball in sequence.

A few honest limits: a colour transform is only as correct as the source colour space you declare, so if your phone recorded a newer Apple Log version, make sure the transform you set matches it. If you need deep node-based grading, DaVinci Resolve is the more established choice; our comparison of color grading software for Mac covers where each option fits.

Common mistakes with Apple Log

• Grading the flat log image by hand instead of applying an input transform.
• Putting the conversion LUT after the creative grade instead of before it.
• Using a creative look LUT as the camera conversion.
• Lifting underexposed shadows until noise takes over.
• Adding heavy contrast, saturation and sharpening, which together produce the plastic look.

FAQ

Do I need a LUT to grade Apple Log footage?

You need an input transform, and a LUT is the simplest way to get one. Apple publishes an Apple Log to Rec.709 LUT, and editors with colour management can do the same conversion from a colour-space setting. What you should not do is grade the flat log image by eye without any conversion.

Should I shoot Apple Log for every video?

No. Apple Log pays off when you plan to grade, when the scene has a wide brightness range, or when you need to match other cameras. For quick social clips with no time to grade, the standard iPhone look is often the better choice, and the files are easier to share straight away.

Why does my Apple Log grade look plastic?

Usually because of too much contrast, saturation and sharpening applied to compensate for a flat image, often without a proper input transform. Start again from a correct Rec.709 conversion, keep contrast gentle, pull saturation back on skin, and leave sharpening alone.