How to Convert Apple Log to Rec.709 in Premiere Pro

The short answer

For a standard SDR edit, Apple Log footage needs one technical conversion to Rec.709 before you judge contrast, saturation, or a creative look. In current versions of Premiere Pro, the cleanest route is usually automatic color management: confirm that Premiere identifies the clip as Apple Log / Rec.2020, keep the sequence output at Rec.709, and do not add another conversion LUT.

Use a manual technical LUT when Premiere does not recognize the source correctly, when you are working in an older project, or when a fixed LUT-based pipeline is required. Apply that LUT once at the source or input stage. A creative LUT is a separate step and belongs after normalization.

Choose Apple Log or Apple Log 2 first

Apple Log and Apple Log 2 are not interchangeable labels for the same curve. Original Apple Log uses BT.2020 primaries. Apple Log 2 uses Apple Gamut and a different Apple-defined log curve. A LUT made for one profile should not be applied to the other.

Check the camera setting, Final Cut Camera format setting, or clip metadata before choosing a transform:

• Choose Apple Log to Rec.709 for footage recorded as Apple Log, including supported iPhone 15 Pro and later workflows.
• Choose Apple Log 2 to Rec.709 only for footage recorded as Apple Log 2, available on supported newer devices such as iPhone 17 Pro and later.
• Do not choose based on which image looks more colorful. The wrong transform can alter hue, saturation, and highlight behavior even if the first frame appears usable.

Premiere's current documentation explicitly lists Apple Log / Rec.2020 as a supported input color space. If your version does not explicitly identify Apple Log 2, do not override Apple Log 2 footage to Apple Log / Rec.2020. Use the matching Apple Log 2 technical LUT in a manual workflow instead.

Automatic color management or a manual LUT?

Both methods can produce a Rec.709 starting point, but they should not be active together.

Automatic color management reads or assigns an input color space, converts the clip into the sequence working space, and converts the sequence to its output color space. It is easier to inspect and is the better default in a new project when Premiere recognizes the media correctly. For an SDR delivery, select a Rec.709-oriented setup such as Direct Rec.709 (SDR) and confirm Output Color Space: Rec.709.

A manual Input LUT is a fixed transform. Use it when metadata is missing, the profile is not supported by Premiere's automatic list, or a production requires a known .cube transform. In a fully manual, display-referred workflow, disable automated color management or use Preserve RGB for the source so Premiere does not normalize the same signal underneath your LUT.

Premiere Pro workflow

1. Download the matching technical LUT

Download the free Apple Log and Apple Log 2 to Rec.709 LUTs. Choose the profile that matches the recording, then use the 33-point file for broad compatibility or the 65-point file for a supported desktop workflow. Both grid sizes perform the same conversion.

2. Confirm the sequence is SDR Rec.709

Open Window > Lumetri Color, select the Settings tab, and expand Sequence. For a conventional SDR export, confirm that the color setup is appropriate for SDR and that Output Color Space is Rec.709. Do this before grading because changing the working color space later can change how Lumetri adjustments render.

3. Check whether Premiere already converted the clip

With the clip selected, expand Source Clip in Lumetri Settings. If Premiere identifies the media as Apple Log / Rec.2020 and the Program Monitor already shows normal contrast and saturation, automatic color management is working. Leave the Input LUT empty.

If the source remains flat or is tagged incorrectly, choose one manual route. Use Clip > Modify > Color in Premiere 24.0 or later, or open Lumetri Color > Settings > Source Clip. Select the matching file from Input LUT and define the LUT's output media color space as Rec.709 when Premiere asks for it.

4. Apply the conversion at the source level

A source-level Input LUT follows every timeline instance of that source clip and keeps the technical transform separate from shot styling. That makes it easier to see whether a clip has already been normalized. Use Apply to all clip instances only when those instances come from the same recording profile.

The older Lumetri Color > Basic Correction > Input LUT control can also load a technical LUT, but it is an effect on the selected timeline clip. If you use it, label the Lumetri effect clearly and verify that there is no source-level or automatic transform beneath it.

5. Correct exposure and white balance

After normalization, use the waveform and vectorscope to balance the shot. Correct exposure and white balance before adding a creative LUT. A technical transform does not repair clipped highlights, mixed lighting, or an incorrect recording exposure.

6. Add the creative look

Open Lumetri Color > Creative > Look and browse to a creative LUT designed for the color space at that point in the pipeline. Most common creative LUTs expect a normalized Rec.709 image. Start with a low Intensity, then check skin tones, highlights, and saturated objects.

7. Export and inspect the result

Export using a format that supports your Rec.709 output. Check a short test on the intended playback device before rendering the full project. The export should match the Program Monitor when display color management, sequence output, and export color space agree.

Where to install the Input LUT

You can use Browse or Add LUTs for a one-off file. For a LUT that should remain available in Premiere's menus, place it in the Adobe Common LUT directory and restart Premiere.

For source color-management Input LUTs:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/LUTs/Input
• Windows: C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Common\LUTs\Input

Adobe also recognizes purpose-specific folders:

• Technical LUTs appear in Lumetri Color > Basic Correction > Input LUT.
• Creative LUTs appear in Lumetri Color > Creative > Look.

Keep technical conversion files out of the Creative folder. A clear filename such as AppleLog2ToRec709-v1.0-33.cube makes the input profile, output, version, and grid visible inside the menu.

Why the result looks too contrasty

An aggressively contrasty or oversaturated result is usually a workflow problem, not a sign that Apple Log needs more correction. Check these causes in order:

1. The clip was converted twice. Premiere normalized Apple Log automatically and a technical LUT was added on top.
2. The wrong profile was selected. An Apple Log LUT was used on Apple Log 2, or the reverse.
3. A camera app baked the preview LUT into the recording. Confirm whether the file is truly Log before applying another transform.
4. A creative LUT expects Rec.709 but was applied before normalization. Move it after the technical stage.
5. The sequence or export is not the Rec.709 path you intended. Verify the sequence output color space and export warning messages.

Temporarily disable the LUT or automatic input conversion. If the image returns to flat Log, you found one transform. If it still looks normalized, another transform remains active elsewhere.

Avoid a double transform

Use this audit before grading:

• In Lumetri Settings > Source Clip, check the detected or overridden media color space and Input LUT.
• In Clip > Modify > Color, check for the same source-level settings.
• In Effect Controls, inspect every Lumetri Color effect for a Basic Correction Input LUT.
• In Lumetri Creative, check whether a technical LUT was mistakenly loaded as a Look.
• Toggle each stage individually while watching the waveform, not only the thumbnail.

The rule is simple: use one technical path. Choose Premiere automatic color management, a source Input LUT, or a clip-level technical LUT. Do not stack them.

Add a Creative LUT after normalization

Premiere does not use a node graph, but the processing order still matters. The practical equivalent of a node order is:

1. Source interpretation: identify Apple Log or Apple Log 2.
2. Technical normalization: automatic color management or one matching Rec.709 Input LUT.
3. Primary correction: exposure, white balance, and shot matching.
4. Creative LUT or Look: apply the style to the normalized image.
5. Trim and output check: reduce intensity, protect skin and highlights, then verify Rec.709 export.

When you need clearer separation, create multiple Lumetri Color effects and name them in Effect Controls. Keep the technical effect above the creative effect. If the LUT was installed in the Creative folder, select it from Creative > Look, not Basic Correction > Input LUT.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use Premiere automatic color management or a LUT?

Use automatic color management when Premiere correctly identifies the clip and your project uses the current color-managed workflow. Use a matching technical LUT for unsupported or incorrectly tagged media, older projects, or a required fixed pipeline. Never use both on the same signal.

Where is Input LUT in current Premiere Pro?

Select the source clip and open Lumetri Color > Settings > Source Clip > Input LUT, or use Clip > Modify > Color in Premiere 24.0 and later. The Basic Correction Input LUT is a separate clip-effect location used by traditional Lumetri workflows.

Can I use the Apple Log LUT for Apple Log 2?

No. Apple Log uses BT.2020 primaries, while Apple Log 2 uses Apple Gamut and a different log curve. Download the profile-specific free LUT and verify the recording setting before applying it.

Should the Creative LUT go before or after the Rec.709 conversion?

Most creative LUTs intended for ordinary Premiere workflows expect Rec.709, so place them after Apple Log normalization. Only use a different order when the LUT creator explicitly documents another input color space.

Why is the LUT preview different from the final image?

Adobe notes that some Creative Look preview thumbnails are not color managed. Judge the Program Monitor and scopes, not the thumbnail alone.