To color grade iPhone Log footage, first identify whether the file was recorded as Apple Log or Apple Log 2. Apply the conversion intended for that exact color space once, balance exposure and white balance, create the look, then inspect the exported file. If you use the wrong conversion, adjusting contrast or saturation afterward can hide the error without fixing the colors.
This guide is for a standard dynamic range Rec.709 delivery. An HDR master has different output decisions. If you mainly need to transfer and grade Apple Log on a PC, see the separate Apple Log workflow on Windows; the steps below apply across editors.
Check what the iPhone actually recorded
Apple's ProRes recording guide describes how to enable Apple ProRes in Settings > Camera > Formats, then select ProRes Log in the Camera app's Video mode on a supported iPhone. The available frame rates and storage choices vary by model and storage device. ProRes is a codec; Log is a color encoding. A ProRes file is not automatically Log, and a Log file is not automatically RAW.
Apple's Final Cut Camera guide also describes Log recording in HEVC as well as ProRes on supported devices. That is why a file extension alone cannot settle the question. Record the selected color profile at capture, keep the original file and its metadata, and confirm the profile in your editor before grading. A transcoded clip may no longer carry the metadata that identified its source.
If the clip looks flat, that is a clue, not proof of a particular curve. HDR footage interpreted on an SDR display can also look wrong. Check the camera setting and file interpretation before choosing a LUT.
Apple Log and Apple Log 2 are different inputs
| Recording space | Apple's published primaries | Conversion to choose for an SDR project | Leumos input transform today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Log | BT.2020 | Apple Log to Rec.709, or a color-managed Apple Log input | Apple Log is listed |
| Apple Log 2 | Apple Gamut | Apple Log 2 to Rec.709, or a color-managed Apple Log 2 input | No Apple Log 2 transform is listed |
Apple's capture API documentation distinguishes the two sets of primaries. Its Final Cut Pro guide offers separate Apple Log and Apple Log 2 camera LUTs for Rec.709. The iPhone 17 Pro specifications list Apple Log 2 as a recording capability. Check the selected setting rather than assuming every file from a particular phone uses the same profile.
Leumos has a named Apple Log input transform but does not list Apple Log 2. Do not select Apple Log for Apple Log 2 footage. Convert Apple Log 2 in a compatible editor first, verify the prepared video, then bring it into Leumos for selected-shot reference matching, creative refinement and finished rendered export. Leumos does not debayer ProRes RAW.
Make one technical conversion
A technical conversion answers what the camera recorded and what color space your grading application should use. A creative look answers what you want the scene to feel like. Even if both arrive as LUT files, they do different jobs.
In Final Cut Pro, Apple says a camera LUT can be applied automatically when the clip metadata identifies the Log format. If metadata is absent or wrong, check the Camera LUT control in the Info inspector and choose the correct Apple Log or Apple Log 2 option. Apple's guide also says a Wide Gamut HDR library preserves the Log source's full dynamic range while it is processed; a Standard library maps it into a narrower SDR range. Decide on the library and delivery path before building a grade. Apple's camera-LUT instructions show both controls.
In other editors, use either a documented color-managed input for the recorded profile or a technical input conversion that produces the working space you intend. Check what the application has already done before adding a LUT. A clip that was normalized automatically and then receives another Log-to-Rec.709 LUT may show crushed shadows, harsh highlights, and excessive saturation. The Premiere Pro color grading guide explains source, working, and output color spaces separately; the same distinction applies in a Resolve workflow.
For an SDR deliverable, confirm that your monitoring and exported file are actually Rec.709. A correct-looking timeline preview does not establish the color space or appearance of the exported file.
Balance the shot before you add a look
After the correct input conversion, choose a representative frame. Adjust exposure and white balance around the subject, then shape contrast and saturation. A bright window, candlelit face, and colored stage light should not all be pushed to the same neutral target. Preserve the light that belongs to the scene.
Use a waveform to compare shadows, midtones, and highlights, and a vectorscope or RGB Parade to spot changes in color. These displays diagnose the signal; they do not decide whether the director wanted warm skin or cool shadows. The waveform guide and vectorscope guide explain what each display can and cannot tell you.
Build the creative look only after the footage is interpreted correctly. A look LUT designed for already-normalized Rec.709 media should not be asked to decode flat Apple Log at the same time unless its creator explicitly designed it for that exact source. A different camera profile or another Log generation needs its own conversion first.
Match related shots, then watch the edit
Pick a shot with representative light as the scene anchor. Compare the next shot at the cut, not only as a paused image. An iPhone angle can move from shade into a window during a take; one frame may match while the rest drifts. Copying a grade to a related clip is a starting point, not a new analysis of that clip.
For a still-image reference, Leumos can match one selected shot toward that still and show the result in motion. Review skin, highlights, and the neighboring cuts, then refine the grade. You may copy it to another shot and inspect that shot separately. Leumos does not automatically reference-match a whole timeline in one pass, nor does it export a LUT or native editor grade. The selected-shot matching workflow covers that decision in detail.
If the reference is another clip in your edit, your existing NLE may be more direct. Resolve has a clip-to-clip Shot Match and comparison tools; Premiere has Comparison View and Apply Match. Use the tool that fits the reference and the format your project needs at handoff.
Inspect the exported file
Export a short test before processing the whole edit. Reopen it in a clean Rec.709 viewing path and compare the same frames with the graded timeline. Check a face, the brightest shot, a saturated object, a fade, and a cut between lighting setups. If the export differs, first inspect the file's output color-space setting and any extra conversion on reimport. Do not change the creative grade to compensate for a player or display problem you have not isolated.
If the footage will return to an NLE for titles, audio, conform, or multiple deliverables, retain the camera originals and your editing project. A rendered Leumos export is video, not the underlying RAW data or editable node/Lumetri settings. Plan resolution and format against the current Leumos plans.
If the picture looks wrong
| Symptom | Check first | Likely next step |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, low-contrast preview | Was any Log input conversion applied? | Confirm the recorded profile and apply its one intended conversion |
| Harsh contrast or oversaturation | Was the source converted twice? | Remove the duplicate technical transform |
| Apple Log 2 colors look strange | Was Apple Log selected instead of Apple Log 2? | Use the Apple Log 2 path in a compatible editor |
| The grade shifts during movement | Did the target frame represent the whole shot? | Review other moments and refine the shot, or split the treatment |
| Timeline looks right but export does not | Output color space, reimport path, and display | Compare in a controlled Rec.709 path before changing the grade |
These checks do not restore clipped highlights or clean up a source that was badly underexposed. They isolate the interpretation and review mistakes that can make sound footage look wrong.
Questions iPhone filmmakers ask
Do I need a LUT to grade Apple Log?
You need the correct input interpretation, which might be a camera LUT or your editor's color management. You do not need a separate LUT when the editor has already converted the footage correctly. Add a creative look afterward only when it suits the shot.
Is Apple Log 2 the same as Apple Log?
No. Apple documents different primaries and separate conversions. A transform labeled Apple Log should not be assumed correct for Apple Log 2, even when both files look similarly flat. Check the recording profile and use the matching input path.
Can I use Apple Log 2 or ProRes RAW directly in Leumos?
Leumos lists Apple Log but not Apple Log 2, and it does not debayer camera RAW. Prepare Apple Log 2 or ProRes RAW in a compatible editor first. Then import the supported video, refine the grade and export the finished result in Leumos.
Is this different from the Windows workflow?
The color decisions are the same. The Windows-specific guide covers transfer, codec support, and obtaining an appropriate conversion without relying on Final Cut Pro. This page focuses on identifying the correct Apple Log generation and grading the image through an SDR export.
Sources and method
This is a documentation-checked workflow, not a claim that we graded a sample on every listed editor. Sources checked 23 September 2026: Apple ProRes on iPhone, Final Cut Camera Log/RAW guidance, Apple Log 2 color-space definition, Final Cut Pro camera LUTs, and iPhone 17 Pro specifications. Leumos input-transform availability was checked against the current source catalogue and the published capability summary.