DJI D‑Log M on iPhone: A Practical Mobile Workflow
D-Log M represents DJI's implementation of logarithmic color profiles, designed to capture maximum dynamic range and color information for professional color grading workflows. When viewed directly, D-Log M footage looks flat and desaturated—this is intentional, as the log profile preserves highlight and shadow detail that would be lost in standard profiles. However, this flat appearance means D-Log M footage requires color grading to look its best, which presents unique challenges when working entirely on iPhone.
Understanding when to use D-Log M, how to view and grade it on mobile devices, and how to compress it effectively creates a workflow that leverages the benefits of log profiles while remaining practical for iPhone-based workflows. The key is recognizing that D-Log M is a tool for specific situations—scenes with broad dynamic range that benefit from the extra information log profiles preserve—rather than a default setting for all footage.
When to Choose D-Log M
D-Log M is most valuable for scenes with broad dynamic range where you need to preserve both bright highlights and dark shadows simultaneously. Sunset scenes with bright skies and dark foregrounds, bright water with shadowed areas, and high-contrast architecture all benefit from the expanded dynamic range that log profiles provide. In these situations, D-Log M captures information that would be lost in standard profiles, giving you more flexibility in post-production.
For quick social posts without grading, the Normal profile can be easier to work with. D-Log M footage requires color grading to look good, and if you're creating content quickly without time for grading, standard profiles provide better results immediately. The flat, desaturated look of log footage isn't suitable for direct sharing, so you need to factor grading time into your workflow when using D-Log M.
The decision to use D-Log M depends on your workflow and the specific scene you're shooting. If you have time for grading and the scene benefits from expanded dynamic range, D-Log M is worth the extra effort. If you're shooting quickly or the scene doesn't have extreme contrast, standard profiles provide better results with less work.
Viewing and Grading on iPhone
D-Log M footage looks flat and desaturated when viewed directly, which can make it difficult to judge composition and exposure during capture. However, modern iPhone editing apps can apply LUTs (Look-Up Tables) or basic corrections that give you a preview of how graded footage will look.
LumaFusion and CapCut can apply LUTs or basic corrections to D-Log M footage, making it easier to work with log profiles on mobile devices. LUTs are pre-made color grading presets that convert log footage to a more viewable appearance, and many are available specifically for DJI D-Log M. Applying a LUT gives you a starting point for grading and helps you visualize how your footage will look after processing.
Balance exposure first, then add gentle contrast and saturation. Log footage typically needs exposure adjustment to bring it into a normal range, then contrast and saturation to make it look natural. The key is making these adjustments gradually—log footage has more information than standard footage, but aggressive adjustments can introduce artifacts or lose the benefits that log profiles provide.
Keep sharpening low, as aerial details can alias easily. Aerial footage often contains fine details like distant buildings or foliage, and excessive sharpening can create aliasing artifacts that look worse after compression. Log footage typically needs less sharpening than standard footage because it preserves more detail naturally, so use sharpening sparingly.
Compression After the Grade
Once you've graded your D-Log M footage, compression becomes the final step in your workflow. The compression settings you choose depend on whether you're delivering HDR or SDR content, and on the complexity of your graded footage.
Export a high-quality master from your editor first, then run HEVCut for final compression. This two-step approach ensures you have a quality master while creating compressed versions optimized for storage and sharing. The grading step happens in your editor, where you have full control over color and exposure, then compression optimizes file size while preserving the quality you've created.
For HDR delivery, preserve 10-bit HEVC to maintain the expanded color and brightness range. D-Log M footage often benefits from HDR delivery because it captures the dynamic range that HDR displays can show. Using 10-bit HEVC encoding preserves this information through compression, ensuring your graded footage maintains its quality.
For universal SDR delivery, convert while matching contrast so your video doesn't look washed out. Converting HDR log footage to SDR requires careful tone mapping to ensure the result looks natural. Simply converting without adjustment can result in footage that looks flat or desaturated, losing the impact of your color grading work.
Use bitrate targets appropriate for your content complexity: 4K30 footage works well at 22 to 35 Mbps, with complex scenes needing the higher end of this range. For 4K60 footage, use 35 to 50 Mbps to maintain quality at the higher frame rate. Night scenes benefit from 10 to 20 percent higher bitrates to reduce banding in shadows and maintain detail in highlights.
Metadata and Organization
Keep flight notes and location details with your clips, as this information becomes valuable when organizing and searching your library later. D-Log M footage often requires more organization than standard footage because you need to track which clips have been graded and which haven't, and having location and flight information helps you find specific shots quickly.
HEVCut preserves key metadata where possible, making search and album grouping easier in Photos. GPS coordinates, camera settings, and other metadata help you organize footage by location, date, or shooting conditions. This organization becomes especially valuable when you're working with large amounts of log footage that requires grading.
Create a workflow that tracks your grading progress. Since D-Log M footage requires grading to look good, you need a system for tracking which clips have been processed and which still need work. This might involve creating albums for "Needs Grading" and "Graded" footage, or using tags to mark your progress. The key is having a system that prevents clips from being forgotten or processed twice.
The Complete D-Log M Workflow
Putting it all together, here's a complete workflow for D-Log M footage on iPhone. Start by choosing D-Log M for scenes with broad dynamic range that will benefit from the expanded information log profiles provide. Capture your footage with proper exposure—log profiles are more forgiving than standard profiles, but proper exposure still produces better results.
After capture, transfer your footage to iPhone and apply a LUT or basic corrections in LumaFusion or CapCut to make it viewable. Grade your footage to bring out the colors and contrast you want, keeping adjustments gentle to preserve the benefits of log profiles. Export a high-quality master from your editor, then compress with HEVCut using bitrate targets appropriate for your content type and delivery format.
The result is footage that leverages the benefits of log profiles—expanded dynamic range and color information—while remaining practical for iPhone-based workflows. Your graded footage maintains its quality through compression, and your workflow stays manageable even when working with log profiles on mobile devices.
By understanding when to use D-Log M, how to grade it on iPhone, and how to compress it effectively, you create a workflow that combines the benefits of professional color profiles with the convenience of mobile editing. This approach gives you the flexibility and quality of log profiles while keeping your workflow practical and efficient.