If you’ve ever tried to shoot video on your iPhone and thought the colours looked a bit too sharp or the lighting felt off, there’s a setting that can help with that — it’s called Apple LOG.
Apple LOG on iPhone gives you more flexibility when filming, especially with colour and contrast.
It’s a tool that lets your videos look more natural, or more cinematic, depending on how you use it.
Whether you’re making casual content or just want your videos to look better, here’s what Apple LOG does — and how to use it to get cleaner, more cinematic results straight from your phone.
What Is Apple LOG?
Apple LOG is a video format available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max (and newer).
It’s designed to give you more control when editing your videos — especially if you want to get better colour and detail out of your footage.
When you record in Apple LOG, your video will look a bit flat and desaturated at first — and that’s on purpose.
It’s capturing more information in the bright and dark areas, so you can fine-tune it later.
Think of it like the video version of shooting in RAW for photos.
It’s less about how it looks right away, and more about how much you can do with it afterward.
Why Apple LOG Feels Different from Normal iPhone Video
When you shoot regular video on iPhone, everything’s baked in — colour, contrast, brightness.
It looks decent straight away, but you don’t have much room to change it later.
With Apple LOG, the footage starts off more flat and neutral — but that’s the point.
It gives you a cleaner base to edit from, so you can shape the look yourself afterward.
It’s basically the difference between a finished clip and a flexible one.
| Format | Look | Editing Flexibility |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Video | Sharpened, contrasty, ready to post | Limited — colours are locked in |
| Apple LOG | Flat, low contrast | High — you shape the final look |
Why Use Apple LOG?
If you’re just filming casual stuff for your camera roll, you probably don’t need Apple LOG.
But if you care about how your footage looks — or want more control when editing — it makes a big difference.
Here’s what it gives you:
- More detail in bright and dark areas — great for tricky lighting like sunsets or shadows
- More flexibility with colour — you’re not locked into the iPhone’s default look
- Easier to match footage — useful if you’re mixing clips from different cameras
- Works great with LUTs — you can apply a colour preset and instantly get the look you’re after
It’s basically for when you want to go beyond point-and-shoot, without needing a full camera setup.
How to Enable Apple LOG on iPhone
To use Apple LOG, you’ll need:
- One of the later Pro or Pro Max model iPhones
- Apple ProRes turned on (LOG is part of the ProRes format)
Here’s how to enable it:
- Go to Settings > Camera > Formats
- Turn on Apple ProRes
- Under ProRes Encoding, select LOG
You’ll now be shooting in Apple LOG whenever ProRes is enabled.
If you want to save space, you can also record to an external SSD via USB-C — this is helpful because ProRes files are large.
How to Edit Apple LOG Footage
When you import Apple LOG footage, it’ll look flat and low contrast at first — that’s normal.
To bring it to life, you’ll need to colour grade it.
You can do this manually, or by using a LUT.
What’s a LUT?
A LUT (short for Look-Up Table) is basically a colour preset for video.
It applies a certain look to your footage in one step — kind of like a filter, but way more accurate.
It’s an easy way to get a polished, cinematic result without having to edit everything from scratch.
Use Apple LOG with LUTs for Better iPhone Video
If you’re shooting in Apple LOG, using a LUT can make editing way easier — and help your footage look more polished, fast.
We put together a set of Apple LOG LUTs made specifically for iPhone, designed to work with the way iPhone footage handles colour and light.
What’s inside:
- 4 graded LUTs — clean, natural tones that look good straight away (not too heavy or overdone)
- 1 neutral LUT — a flat version you can customise if you want to build your own look
You’ll also get a quick video walkthrough to show you exactly how to install and use them — no editing experience needed.
Just apply one to your Apple LOG footage, make a few small tweaks, and you’re good to go.
So, Should You Use Apple LOG?
If you’re just filming quick clips and not planning to edit much, the regular video setting is fine.
But if you care about how your footage looks — or want more control when editing — Apple LOG is worth it.
It gives you more detail, more flexibility, and makes it easier to get a better results
Want to try it out?
→ Grab the Apple LOG LUTs built for iPhone — quick to use, easy to apply, and designed to bring your footage to life.
*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links — which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and I only recommend items I’ve actually tested.
