How to Color Grade iPhone ProRes Log Footage

Apple Log — available on iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max — is a genuine log format with real dynamic range headroom. Unlike standard iPhone footage, Apple Log footage is designed to be graded in post, and it behaves much like any professional camera's log profile.

This guide covers the full workflow from raw Apple Log footage to a finished grade exported as a .cube LUT.

What is Apple Log?

Apple Log is iPhone's logarithmic colour profile, available when shooting ProRes video on Pro models. It works like any other log format — the camera encodes a wider dynamic range by compressing highlights and lifting shadows, producing footage that looks flat and desaturated out of the camera.

The advantage: significantly more detail in highlights and shadows compared to standard iPhone video, giving you real flexibility in post.

Important: Apple Log is only available on:

• iPhone 15 Pro / 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 16 Pro / 16 Pro Max

Standard iPhone models (15, 15 Plus, 16, 16 Plus, 17, iPhone Air) do not support ProRes or Apple Log.

Step 1 — Enable ProRes Log in Camera

On a supported iPhone:

1. Open Settings → Camera → Formats
2. Enable Apple ProRes
3. In the Camera app, switch to Video mode → tap the format indicator at the top → select ProRes
4. After enabling ProRes, a Log toggle appears — enable it

Your footage will now be recorded in ProRes Apple Log.

Step 2 — Get the Apple Log Technical LUT

Apple doesn't publish an official Apple Log → Rec709 conversion LUT in the same way DJI or Sony do. The best approach is to use one of the free community LUTs derived from Apple's documented colour science, or to apply the correction inside a compatible NLE using Apple's built-in colour management.

For browser-based grading in Luttie, a community Apple Log → Rec709 .cube file works well. Search for "Apple Log to Rec709 LUT free download" — several reliable free versions are available from colour science communities.

Alternatively, if you have access to Final Cut Pro, you can export an Apple Log correction LUT from there.

Step 3 — Extract a Frame

Extract a representative frame from your ProRes Log footage:

• QuickTime (Mac): Pause → Edit → Copy → paste into Preview → export as PNG
• VLC: Video → Take Snapshot
• CapCut: Export a single frame

Choose a frame with a good tonal range — sky, shadows, and any important subjects.

Step 4 — Apply the Technical LUT in Luttie

1. Open luttie.app/editor and upload your frame
2. In the Creative section, drag the Apple Log → Rec709 .cube into the LUT drop zone
3. The image should now look neutral — correctly exposed with realistic colour

iPhone colour science is generally accurate and clean. After applying the correction, the image should look like a well-exposed iPhone photo with no cast.

Step 5 — Grade the Look

Apple Log footage is accurate and neutral after correction — a clean starting point for any creative grade.

iPhone-specific considerations:

The iPhone sensor is smaller than dedicated cameras, which means:

• Shadow noise appears faster when you push exposure aggressively
• Highlights recover well — Apple's tone mapping is excellent
• Skin tones are accurate and generally don't need heavy correction

A typical iPhone cinematic grade:

• Master curve: gentle S-curve, nothing extreme
• Shadows: push slightly cool or teal
• Midtones: push slightly warm
• Highlights: keep neutral
• Orange saturation: +5–10 (protect skin tones)
• Blue saturation: -5 to -10 (skies)
• Overall saturation: -5 to -10 for a subtler, more filmic look

Step 6 — Export and Apply

Click Export LUT (.cube) at the bottom of the panel. Apply in your NLE:

• Final Cut Pro: Effects → Custom LUT → assign the .cube
• Premiere Pro: Lumetri Color → Creative → Look → Browse
• CapCut: Adjust → LUT → import

Tips

Keep grades subtle on iPhone. The 1/1.78" sensor on Pro models is capable, but it's not a full-frame Sony or Canon. Aggressive grades — especially heavy shadow lifts or extreme contrast — show sensor limitations faster. Subtle grades look the most filmic.

Use colour match for consistency. If you shoot multiple scenes across a day, use Luttie's colour match feature to match later shots to your hero grade. This is especially useful for run-and-gun shooting where you can't control the light.

Test with the Cinematic Mode alternative. Apple's Cinematic Mode uses a different colour profile. If you're cutting between Cinematic Mode and standard ProRes Log footage, match them in Luttie before exporting a unified LUT.