Third day with the new iPhone 16 Pro Max. Comparing Apple Prores HQ video recording using both the Apple Log (Rec. 2020) and the HDR (Rec. 2020 HLG) color space format.
Internal 4K 25p video recording with the main – fusion – camera set at both 1x and 2x. I am not a colorist ;) and have no experience with log video.
I do have some experience with HDR-HLG recording on both the iPhone and Sony camera’s, and editing HLG in FCP, mostly in standard gamut SDR projects.
Started last night editing Apple log clips , and online found an interesting instruction video by Stalman.
I tested the Stalman procedure (YouTube URL https://youtu.be/OZFtRYnUuoQ ) of changing file settings (Color space override with Rec.709 ; disable Apple’s Apple Log LUT) and color grading before applying the Stalman – Apple Log to Rec709 LUT on my Apple Log clips and saved my color graded video ‘Stalman Apple Log Transform (SALT)’ encoded with Apple Prores HQ.
Next a SDR (Rec. 709) project was used in a new Rec.709 FCP library, for importing native (unaltered) clips — both Apple Log and HDR-HLG iPhone footage — with the automatic FCP color conform setting, and with automatic Apple LUT applied on the Apple Log clips. Using the FCP installed Color adjustments effect I did some minor color editing of these clips. The SALT graded clips were added with no further modifications.

Some video production details

iPhone 16 Pro Max – main camera used at 1x or 2x.
Video storage internally on the iPhone while recording 4K 25p Apple ProRes HQ files with either ProRes Apple Log or ProRes HDR encoding.
Video edited with Final Cut Pro (FCP) 10.8.1 in a ProRes HQ – 4K 25p SDR project (Rec. 709). The Stalman transform and color grade procedure was tested watching instructions at YouTube.

Output for upload ProRes HQ 4K for YouTube, ProRes HQ HD for Vimeo, and HD 1080p, H264, 24,000 kbps for Substack and Instagram.

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What do you think , looks best in this comparison of ProRes Log and ProRes HLG video clips ?

Notes

1. How to color grade LOG in Final Cut Pro (Aug 13, 2024) by Tyler Stalman URL https://youtu.be/OZFtRYnUuoQ
Note : On the Stallman LUTs for LOG in the description. I first bought the new ‘Film LUTs for iPhone (Apple Log).
This wasn’t what was really needed here. A different file was needed : the Apple Log to Rec709 Transform.

Color space override — I wonder : Why apply Color Space Override Rec.709 on the Rec.2020 Apple Log footage, in combination with the Stalman Apple Log to SDR LUT with settings input Rec.709 and output Rec.709 — see Stalman Timeline t5.54 URL https://youtu.be/OZFtRYnUuoQ .
Why not skip the ‘override’ and use input Rec.2020 with that LUT ? I guess it has to do with FCP auto color conform not disabled ? or else the LUT was build for other files ?
See also What is Apple Log and How to Color Grade It (Sep 28, 2023) by Evan Schneider URL https://youtu.be/QMErbsEAgCI

Further experience with file import failure in FCP — iPhone file import in FCP failed again for 3 of the 15 files selected. Each time the last 3 days that I started an import from the new iPhone in FCP (version 10.8.1) I had this issue (see also posts previous days). Today, after using 3 different cables and both of the 2 free USB-C ports in different combinations on my 2021 Macbook Pro M1Max over the past days, I can conclude the issue is either the new iPhone or FCP. I haven’t had any issue with the Macbook before. I believe it is the software – probably FCP causing the failures. I noticed that one of the files imported 2 days ago, with a lenght of 4 minutes , has indeed 4 minutes audio , but only around 1 minute video, and a still image for the rest of the video. File transfer did work for all files eventually when started all-over, restarting FCP and reinserting a cable… Before , over the past years, I noticed issues working with FCP when a new upgrade was about to arrive … yesterday v11 was reported.

Citation info : Video Review #3 ProRes Log vs ProRes HLG from iPhone 16 Pro • Michel van der Burg • Miracles•Media • @1MEMO 20241115 • TakeNode 84e09831-485b-460a-b995-a44547be9448