No official fix to iphone footage - color management

[jfn_nyc]

I have searched high and low - and there does not seem to be an official fix or workaround for a proper workflow for Premiere Pro to properly handle an iphone edit, COLOR MANAGEMENT wise. 

Iphone 14 pro using HDR settings, have changed / tweaked every setting known to man, tried HDR LUT conversions, HLG export settings, and changing / rechanging every color management toggle and setting known to man. And after about 10 hours of trying, I have given up. 

IF I wasnt shooting human beings, perhaps I could edit / shoot around this. But skin tones look like I am filming with a iphone 1. Overblown, or too dark, and never ever even close. 

Is this truly a lost cause? I seem to be reading a lot of these lost-cause cases where people have just thrown in the towel. 

Thanks in advance 

[John V Knowles]

What version of Premiere?

The latest versions of v24 include a checkbox to Auto Tone Map Media, which will convert HDR to Rec709 in a Rec709 sequence. You also have options as to how that conversion gets interpreted (with a setting especially geared towards iPhone footage). These are all in the new Settings tab in the Lumetri panel.

[Marc76]

There is no fix for this and it just started happening to me

[R Neil Haugen]

Then you simply are not following the proper procedures. There are several million daily users of Premiere Pro, and though I've never owned an Apple device, there are clearly a ton of iPhones out there, with media getting used daily. Without problems.

In fact, iPhone media was specifically tested by the devs as they were working on their new CM. 

Set Display Color Management to on.

Auto Detect log to on.

Auto tonemapping to on.

Work with sequence color space of Rec.709 for general working still.

Use export presets that do not have HLG or PQ in the preset name.

As to viewer gamma ... and viewing the file outside of Premiere, but only on Macs without Reference modes ... those are choices for you to make.

The second one is a problem, as ... Macs without Reference modes, and only those systems! ... use a wrong display transform for Rec.709 video. Essentially gamma 1.96, instead of gamma 2.4. All other systems use the display gamma of 2.4 for Rec709 video.

If you have a Mac without Reference modes, you probably don't realize that the professionally produced Rec.709 video you watch on it has the lightened darks and lower sat than the 'original' file would have had. Nobody 'sees' their normal screen as 'wrong' in reality, as it's normal for you.

So ... your choice is whether you really only care about how something looks on your rig, and other Macs without Reference modes, or ... every other system out there. (Being the vast majority of screens.)

If only concerned with similar systems, use the Viewing gamma of 1.96 in Premiere, and after your color/tonal corrections, with the above CM settings, the file will be similar outside Premiere in Qt Player, Chrome & Safari browsers. But too dark in VLC and Potplayer, and Firefox.

As to whether to use viewing gamma of 2.2 or 2.4, that's not dependent on whether your sending to the web or broadcast.

Set the viewer gamma to the proper setting for your ambient light level while doing color corrections!

If in a very dark room, as a pro colorist would use by intent, then use viewing gamma 2.4.

If in a moderately to fairly light room, by the standards, you should set viewer gamma to 2.2.

[Marc76]

Adobe Support was in my computer for over an hour and couldnt figure it out

[Marc76]

I am using a PC

[R Neil Haugen]

Are you exporting out to HDR? 

I've tested a lot of iPhone footage, for other users, and with correct and complete CM settings, it works as it should. So this is simply figuring out the system.

But again, you haven't provided the complete, specific details of what you have, what you are trying to do, and what you are exporting to.