SoftwareCameras & drones

iPhone 18 Pro ProRes RAW in DaVinci Resolve: Apple Log or Apple Log 2?

Resolve opens iPhone 18 Pro ProRes RAW, but the decode menu offers HLG, Apple Log and Apple Log 2. Which one to pick, and why your macOS version matters.

Four iPhone 18 Pro phones seen from the back in black, silver, glacier blue and burgundy, showing the triple camera module, on a black background
iPhone 18 Pro in its four colours. Image: Apple, graded by 4FILMMAKERS.

DaVinci Resolve has decoded ProRes RAW since version 20.2, and that includes clips from the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The catch is the RAW to Log menu: it offers HLG, Apple Log and Apple Log 2. For most people grading in Resolve, Apple Log is the easy choice, because Resolve's Color Space Transform has had an Apple Log curve since 18.6 and Apple Log uses Rec.2020 primaries. Apple Log 2 keeps the wider Apple Gamut, but Blackmagic still hasn't listed a matching preset in its release notes.

Apple didn't mention ProRes RAW, Log or Genlock in its 9 September keynote or press release. They sit on the iPhone 18 Pro spec page, carried over from the 17 Pro. So you won't find much written for this phone, and the Resolve side of the story is split across a release note, an Apple download page and a couple of forum threads.

Which RAW to Log setting should you pick?

The choice decides which colour space Resolve hands to your first node. Pick it before you start grading, because changing it later shifts everything downstream.

ProRes RAW decode targets in Resolve, and where each one leads
RAW to LogPrimariesNext step in ResolveGood for
HLGRec.2020Rec.2100 HLG timeline, or a CST from Rec.2100 HLGFast HDR edits, social delivery, matching the iPhone preview
Apple LogRec.2020CST with Input Color Space Rec.2020 and Input Gamma Apple LogRec.709 grades, mixing with Apple Log clips from older iPhones
Apple Log 2Apple Gamut (wider)A transform built for Apple Log 2; Blackmagic's notes list no presetSaturated light sources, if you have a correct Log 2 transform

Decoding to Apple Log should squeeze colour into Rec.2020 before you touch it. On a normal Rec.709 job you won't see the difference. Neon, stage LEDs and saturated sunsets are where the extra Apple Gamut range could matter, and those are the shots to test both ways.

How is Apple Log 2 different from Apple Log?

Apple's AVFoundation documentation describes Apple Log as BT.2020 primaries with an Apple-defined log curve. Apple Log 2 gets "Apple Gamut as the color primaries, and an Apple defined Log curve". Apple's Final Cut Camera guide adds that Log 2 has "a wider color gamut than Apple Log".

The gamma side looks the same. A user on the Blackmagic forum says both profiles use the exact same curve. Apple itself hasn't published the Log 2 primaries in a white paper we could find, so treat the "same curve" point as user-reported.

Apple Log vs Apple Log 2
Apple LogApple Log 2
PrimariesBT.2020Apple Gamut (wider than Apple Log, per Apple)
CurveApple-defined logApple-defined log, reported identical
iPhones15 Pro and later17 Pro and later, including 18 Pro
In Resolve's CSTApple Log gamma since 18.6, with Rec.2020No labelled preset in Blackmagic's notes
Apple Log LUT on it?Yes, that's what it's forNo: LUT seller Gamut reports oversaturated, skewed colour

Why do some Macs show fewer RAW controls?

Resolve reads the file, but the iPhone-specific processing comes from Apple. Apple's Pro Video Formats 3.2 package (30 September 2026) includes an "iPhone ProRes RAW plug-in" that lets apps "provide more controls" for iPhone RAW. The plug-in needs macOS 15.6 or later, and ProRes RAW itself needs a Mac that supports Metal.

Digital Production tested this in Resolve 20.2. On macOS Sonoma 14.8 the Plugin menu offered only "Standard", which leaves exposure and white balance. On Sequoia 15.7 the full set appeared. We haven't found anyone documenting the Windows or Linux panel for iPhone clips. Apple ships the plug-in only for macOS, so expect the basic controls there, and check on your own machine before a job.

What you get by platform
SetupOpens ProRes RAWiPhone RAW controls
Mac, macOS 15.6 or later, Pro Video Formats 3.2YesFull: Processing, Demosaic, RAW to Log and more
Mac, Sonoma 14.xYes"Standard" only: exposure and white balance
Windows or LinuxYes, from Resolve 20.2 (third-party guides; Blackmagic's announcement doesn't list platforms)Not documented, likely basic

Camera RAW settings, step by step

Select the clip on the Color page and open the Camera RAW palette. These are the controls Digital Production found with the plug-in installed:

Resolve Camera RAW settings for iPhone ProRes RAW
ControlSet it toNotes
Decode UsingClipLets you change the settings below per clip
ProcessingiPhone ProRes RAWCorrects ultra wide lens distortion
RAW to LogApple Log (our default)HLG or Apple Log 2 as in the table above
ISO, Exposure BiasAs shot, then adjustFix exposure here before the first node
As-Shot White Balance, Color TemperatureAs shot, then adjustNo tint control, according to Gamut
DemosaicCustom, only if you need itTurns on the Color Noise, Edge Contrast and Detail Enhancement sliders

Then add a CST on your first node. For Apple Log, set Input Color Space to Rec.2020 and Input Gamma to Apple Log, and send it to DaVinci Wide Gamut / DaVinci Intermediate. Grade in the middle, and finish with a second CST to Rec.709 Gamma 2.4. Copy RAW settings between clips with gallery stills, since Resolve can't store ProRes RAW presets in the project's Camera RAW settings. And if an older project shows no RAW panel for these clips, Digital Production's workaround was a fresh project with the RAW footage imported first.

What does the iPhone 18 Pro record in RAW?

The iPhone 18 Pro spec page lists ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, ACES and Genlock, plus ProRes up to 4K 120 fps with external recording. Apple's own guides point to Final Cut Camera 2.0 for RAW, and Blackmagic Camera records it too. In Final Cut Camera, picking ProRes RAW locks the resolution to open gate and greys out the colour space setting. The preview LUT switches on by itself, set to Apple Log 2 to HDR (HLG).

iPhone 18 Pro: video facts that matter for RAW
ItemValueSource
Main camera48MP Fusion, 24 mm, variable aperture f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4Apple specs
ProRes RAW resolutionOpen gate 4224 x 3024Final Cut Camera guide
ProRes RAW, 30 fpsMore than 10 GB per minuteFinal Cut Camera guide
ProRes RAW HQ, 30 fpsMore than 15 GB per minuteFinal Cut Camera guide
Storage options256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TBApple specs
Price, iPhone 18 Profrom €1,449 (Germany), £1,199 (UK), $1,199 (US)Apple online stores, 30 October 2026
Price, iPhone 18 Pro Maxfrom €1,599 (Germany), $1,299 (US)Apple online stores, 30 October 2026

The variable aperture is new for this generation, and Apple lists aperture among the pro video controls. Stopping down to f/4 cuts some light on bright days, but we haven't seen a test of how it behaves in RAW apps. Our variable ND guide explains the stop maths if you shoot at f/1.48 outside.

ProRes RAW or ProRes Log on the iPhone?

What you gain and lose with RAW
ProRes RAWProRes 422 HQ in Apple Log 2
ProsWhite balance and ISO after the shoot, choice of decode, open gateSmaller files, opens in any editor that reads ProRes, no plug-in or macOS version to worry about
ConsMore than 10 GB a minute, full controls only on recent macOS, fewer RAW options in Resolve than in Final Cut, per GamutWhite balance baked in, same Apple Log 2 preset gap in Resolve
Pick it ifYou grade on a Mac with macOS 15.6+ and light the scene with mixed sourcesYou edit on Windows, deliver fast, or shoot long interviews

We'd shoot RAW for short, controlled pieces and stay with ProRes Log for anything long. If you also cut camera RAW from other brands, our Nikon ZR R3D NE workflow guide compares how Resolve, Premiere and Final Cut handle another RAW format, and the Resolve 21.1.2 article covers the current build.

Questions people ask

Can the free version of DaVinci Resolve open iPhone ProRes RAW?

Blackmagic released 20.2 as a free download, and its announcement says Resolve "supports ProRes RAW decoding natively" without limiting it to Studio. Third-party guides say both editions decode it. Try one clip in the free version before you buy.

Does DaVinci Resolve have an Apple Log 2 color space transform?

Not in any Blackmagic release note we found up to 21.1.2. Resolve's CST has an Apple Log gamma with Rec.2020 primaries. For Log 2 clips, decode the RAW to Apple Log, or use a transform built for Apple Log 2.

Why does my iPhone ProRes RAW clip only show exposure and white balance in Resolve?

You're probably missing Apple's iPhone ProRes RAW plug-in. It comes with Pro Video Formats 3.2 and needs macOS 15.6 or later. On Sonoma, Digital Production saw only the "Standard" plug-in.

Can I put an Apple Log LUT on Apple Log 2 footage?

Not as is. Apple Log LUTs expect Rec.2020 primaries and Apple Log 2 uses the wider Apple Gamut, so colours come out wrong. Decode ProRes RAW to Apple Log first, or use a Log 2 transform.

Sources

SoftwareCameras & drones