iPhone Rec.2100 HLG footage becomes washed out in Premiere Pro on Windows

Hello,

I have now clearly isolated the issue.

My iPhone HDR footage is recorded as:

• HEVC 10-bit 4:2:0
• Rec.2100 HLG
• 4K at 60 fps

When I import this footage into Premiere Pro 26.3 on Windows 11, its colors and brightness change. The exported result also appears brighter, less saturated, and different from the original iPhone video—even after uploading it to YouTube.

I then disabled “HDR Video” on my iPhone and recorded a new test clip. The new clip was:

• HEVC 8-bit 4:2:0
• Rec.709

This Rec.709 clip appeared exactly like the original inside Premiere, after export, and during playback. Therefore, the problem occurs only with iPhone Rec.2100 HLG footage.

I do not want to disable HDR permanently because I want to benefit from the HDR recording quality of my iPhone.

Could you please provide the precise Premiere Pro settings for either:

1. Editing and exporting the iPhone footage as true Rec.2100 HLG HDR for YouTube, while preserving its original appearance, or
2. Converting the iPhone HLG footage to Rec.709 SDR without making it brighter, washed out, or less saturated?

We previously tried Rec.709 color-space override, automatic tone mapping, Direct HLG, Rec.2100 HLG export, and Match Source – Adaptive High Bitrate, but none preserved the appearance of the original video.

Please do not suggest disabling HDR as the final solution. I would like to use my phone’s HDR recording feature correctly in Premiere Pro on Windows.

An Adobe support representative remotely accessed my computer and tried several settings, but unfortunately the issue could not be resolved. With the help of ChatGPT, I was finally able to identify that the problem occurs specifically with iPhone Rec.2100 HLG footage. Disabling HDR recording produces Rec.709 files that work correctly in Premiere Pro and export without any color change.

However, disabling an important camera feature is only a workaround, not a proper solution. Without this workaround, I would not have been able to use my footage and was considering requesting a refund for my Premiere Pro subscription. I would appreciate a proper solution that allows Windows users to edit and export iPhone HDR footage while preserving its original appearance.

Thank you