What it means to shoot log on an iPhone

What is log video, and why do my clips look flat and gray?

Log is a way to record video that keeps more highlight and shadow detail than a standard picture profile. The ungraded recording looks flat and low in contrast; grading restores contrast later. Log Cam: RAW 4K Video Camera is an iPhone app that records log video in any of seven log profiles.

Highlight and shadow detail

Dynamic range is the distance between the brightest and darkest parts of a scene the camera can record. A standard profile applies its contrast curve during capture and discards some of that range. A log profile records a wider range for later grading. That matters in scenes such as a face against a bright window or a street at dusk.

Why ungraded log footage looks flat

An ungraded log clip has lower contrast and saturation than the finished picture.

In your editing app, start with the conversion made for the log profile you recorded in, then adjust contrast and color to taste. You can also grade by hand. Either way, the extra recorded range gives you room to darken a bright window or lift a shadow and keep its detail.

Choose a log profile for your workflow

Manufacturers use different log curves. This app offers Apple Log, Apple Log 2, S-Log3, Log-C3, V-Log, F-Log and F-Log2. Choose a log profile that fits your editing workflow. If you don’t already use a particular log profile, Apple Log is a good place to start.

When to use a standard profile

Log is worth it if you will edit the clip, or if you bake a LUT into the recording. If you do neither, and you post a clip the way it leaves the phone, a standard profile looks better with no work. Log is for the video you intend to spend time on.

Preview log footage with a LUT

With the viewfinder on Look, Rec.709 assist shows a normal-looking image while the recording stays log. You can import a .cube LUT for your own preview. Bake the LUT into the recorded clip when you want a finished look in the file; that change cannot be undone.