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zalanmeggyesi
zalanmeggyesi
Participant
May 3, 2026 2:41 PM UTC
Question

P: Fails to import HEVC (hvc1) video from DJI cameras — hev1 tag works

Summary: Lightroom Classic throws a generic "unknown error" when importing HEVC video files tagged as hvc1, which is the default output format for DJI cameras (tested with DJI Osmo Action 6). The same file remuxed to use the hev1 codec tag imports without issues. No re-encoding is performed — the video bitstream is identical.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Record video on a DJI Osmo Action 6 (or likely any DJI camera outputting HEVC). Or use attached input file.
  2. Attempt to import the resulting .MP4 file into Lightroom Classic via File → Import
  3. LrC throws "unknown error" and fails to import

Workaround: Remux the file using ffmpeg with no quality loss:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hev1 -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 output.mp4

The resulting file (attached) imports correctly.

File properties (ffprobe):

  • Codec: HEVC / H.265
  • Profile: Main 10
  • Resolution: 3840×2160
  • Codec tag (original, failing): hvc1
  • Codec tag (remuxed, working): hev1
  • Color: yuv420p10le, bt709

Expected behavior: Both hvc1 and hev1 are valid, spec-compliant HEVC container formats per ISO 14496-15. Lightroom Classic should import either without error, as macOS itself (QuickTime, Finder preview) handles both correctly.

Impact: Any footage recorded in HEVC on DJI hardware is unimportable without manual intervention. This affects the Osmo Action series and likely the full DJI drone lineup.

      16 replies

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      johnrellis
      johnrellis
      Legend
      May 3, 2026 6:59 PM UTC

      Moderators, ​@Rikk Flohr_Photography, please consider moving to Bugs -- I see the same misbehavior importing the DJI .mp4 on LR 15.3 / Mac OS 26.4.1 but not on Windows 11.  (This suggests the problem is with a Mac OS library.)

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        johnrellis
        johnrellis
        Legend
        May 3, 2026 6:49 PM UTC

        Note that this problem is likely more involved than simply not recognizing the Compressor ID “hvc1”.  All videos produced by Apple devices and software use “hvc1”, and LR handles those. So there must be something more specific about the DJI encoding that LR chokes on.

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          zalanmeggyesi
          zalanmeggyesiAuthor
          Participant
          May 3, 2026 7:02 PM UTC

          AFAICT, that was the one thing the ffmpeg command changed, and the file imported correctly afterwards.

          Of course, there might be other things happening under the hood in response to that, but in this case, that one change could have been isolated as the critical cause.

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          osilber
          Participant
          Oct 6, 2026 6:55 AM UTC

          Yes, ffmpeg doesn’t only replace the hvc1 tag. For example,it also reduces the number of streams in my DJI video file. Hard to know what is exactly blocking LR, and it’s becoming worse with LR 15.6.

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