The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max’s cameras got a serious boost for video production by being able to shoot high-quality 4K Apple ProRes video in Log color profile. That might sound like a big string of jargon, but what it means is professional-standard, beautiful-looking video footage, right out of your phone.
But what do Log and ProRes mean, how is it better, and crucially, is it something you should use? Here’s what you need to know.
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What is ProRes?
ProRes is a video codec created by Apple in 2007 that has been widely adopted by video and cinema professionals. Typically found on high-end video cameras costing many thousands of dollars, ProRes files capture more data when shooting, resulting in better quality footage than you’d typically get from a phone or even some dedicated cameras.
What is Log video?
Log (short for “logarithmic”) is a color profile found on some professional video cameras and which is now also available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Log footage preserves image information in the highlights and shadows, allowing for more flexibility in editing colors and contrast in post production.
Why does Log video look gray and washed out?
Log files straight out of the camera look flat and have low contrast and low saturation. The files are designed to be edited in programs like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve, where colorists will bring back contrast and color tone according to the look they’re trying to achieve, a process called color grading.
The low-contrast look of ungraded footage gives colorists the best starting point to tweak the video image however they want. Log footage always needs to be edited and graded before being used.
How do I edit Log video?
While Apple has yet to implement specific color editing tools for Log footage…
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