Final Cut Pro Apple Log ProRes RAW Tutorial (iPhone 17 Pro LUTs)

Before we begin, I need to give full credit and genuine appreciation to filmmaker David Addison, whose excellent deep-dive into shooting Apple Log ProRes RAW on the iPhone 17 Pro inspired this article. Everything of value here comes straight from him. So if you're not subscribed to his channel yet, and you're interested in iPhone photography and cinematography — subscribe immediately.

Addison's video is thoughtful, practical, refreshingly honest, and — most importantly — grounded in real filmmaking experience rather than specs or hype.

It is also, without a doubt, the best tutorial made to date on grading iPhone 17 Pro Apple Log ProRes RAW video with LUTs in Final Cut Pro.

And of course, the fact that David is a long time user of my EPIC LUTs is just the cherry on top!

I highly recommend watching the full video first. It’s embedded at the top of this page and absolutely worth your time ☝️.

What follows here is:

• A structured breakdown of the key workflow concepts David Addison outlines in his excellent video tutorial.
• Additional clarification for Final Cut Pro users working with Apple Log & Apple Log 2 in ProRes RAW
• Extra guidance specifically around LUTs and color grading when working with ProRes RAW video from the iPhone 17 Pro.

Think of this article as a distilled companion guide to David’s video — not a replacement.

Why ProRes RAW on iPhone 17 Pro Feels Like a Turning Point

One thing David communicates incredibly well is just how dramatic the jump is from H.264 and Standard ProRes to true ProRes RAW on the iPhone 17 Pro.

For the first time in a mobile workflow, Final Cut Pro allows you to directly adjust:

• ISO
• Exposure
• White balance
• RAW processing characteristics

That level of control fundamentally changes how iPhone footage behaves in post. As a result it starts to feel much closer to a dedicated mirrorless or cinema camera. And seeing that transformation through David’s real footage is genuinely impressive.

Open Gate Recording: More Powerful Than It First Appears

Another highlight from David’s workflow is his use of Open Gate recording — capturing the full iPhone sensor. Or in David's own words: "open-gateness" which is a superior term as far as I'm concerned and would make a great t-shirt (merch coming soon).

This unlocks major creative flexibility:

• Reframing to 16:9 or vertical after shooting
• Maintaining true 4K resolution when cropping
• Adjusting composition in post without quality loss

It’s one of those features many filmmakers underestimate… until they actually use it.

Like David, I too love the 4:3 open gate aspect ratio and prefer it over 16x9 video. Where I'd disagree with Davis is over the need to conform! Standards be damned!!!

RAW-to-Log Conversion Inside Final Cut Pro

David also walks through the ProRes RAW controls in Final Cut Pro, which are far more powerful than many editors realize. From the Inspector, you can:

• Choose RAW processing modes
• Apply camera-specific decoding
• Convert RAW to Apple Log or other log curves

Even when delivering in SDR for YouTube, the HDR latitude of ProRes RAW still provides:

• Better highlight handling
• Cleaner shadows
• More grading flexibility

This practical, real-world explanation is one of the strongest parts of his video.

Exposure & White Balance Recovery — The Real Magic of RAW

Perhaps the most important takeaway from David’s testing is this: You can meaningfully fix mistakes in post. With ProRes RAW you can:

• Pull back clipped highlights
• Lower exposure cleanly
• Completely reset white balance

For mobile filmmakers used to baked-in color, this is a massive creative shift. And seeing David demonstrate it step-by-step makes the benefit unmistakable.

Applying LUTs to Apple Log ProRes RAW in Final Cut Pro

This is where David’s footage becomes especially dear to my heart After converting RAW to Apple Log 2 the next step is: Applying a LUT designed specifically for Apple Log. In this case GLOAT for Apple Log 2 and ProRes RAW. (NOTE: Save 10% off with the code DAVID10)

As David’s results clearly show, a proper LUT like GLOAT for Apple Log can deliver:

• Accurate middle grey
• Natural skin tones
• Controlled highlight roll-off
• Cinematic contrast and color character

Generic LUTs often struggle here because:

• Apple Log gamma is unique
• ProRes RAW highlight behavior differs
• Many LUTs were built only for HEVC or standard ProRes and not the iPhone's ProRes RAW's Processing Pipeline as implemented in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve.

Seeing dedicated Apple Log LUTs working correctly on real ProRes RAW footage is incredibly compelling — and David captures that beautifully.

Real-World Shooting Considerations David Highlights

Another reason I appreciate David’s video is his honesty about limitations. He doesn’t oversell the iPhone. He shows both strengths and constraints, including:

Stabilization

• No in-camera stabilization in ProRes RAW
• Requires gimbal, tripod, or post stabilization
• This one from Hohem is excellent.

ND Filters

• Essential for maintaining 180° shutter at 24fps

External SSD Recording

• Required for reliable ProRes RAW capture
• Needs fast write speeds (~1000 MB/s)
• This one from Lexar is excellent and I fully endorse David's recommendation.

Depth of Field & Focal Length Limits

• Small sensors limit natural background blur
• RAW disables digital zoom options
• David demonstrates these lenses from Reeflex in his video, which I also recommend for premium optical quality.

This balanced perspective makes the video far more valuable than typical “review” content.

Final Thoughts — And Why You Should Watch David’s Full Video

David Addison’s exploration of Apple Log ProRes RAW on iPhone 17 Pro is one of the most grounded and genuinely useful real-world tests I’ve seen. I originally found David's work on Youtube through his incredible dee-dives on ProRAW for photos and Bayer RAW imaging. It is great to see his take on pro video.

It’s practical; honest; Filmmaker-focused and free from hype.

So if you care about:

• Final Cut Pro workflows
• Apple Log grading
• LUT performance on ProRes RAW
• Serious mobile filmmaking

then his full video is absolutely worth watching. Make sure you watch it at the top of this article before diving into your own workflow.

And David — if you happen to read this — genuinely fantastic work. And thanks for shooting such gorgeous ProRes RAW Apple Log 2 video to help me showcase what the updated GLOAT LUT for Apple Log v2.0 can do for Apple Log 1, Apple Log 2, and of course Apple Log 2 in ProRes RAW 🙏

I learned a lot, and I know many filmmakers will too.