Problem
Phone HDR footage looks different from SDR footage because its transfer function is not normalized before editing.
Solution
Root Cause / Diagnostic:
Smartphones record HDR video using specialized transfer functions: Apple iPhone uses HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) or Dolby Vision profile 8.4, while Android devices often record HDR10. When dropped onto a standard Rec.709 (SDR) editing timeline without color management, the NLE displays the HDR footage with un-mapped linear luminance. The image appears washed out, overexposed, and blown out, with skin tones sitting above 90 IRE.
Actionable Fix:
1. In Premiere Pro, right-click the clip -> Modify -> Interpret Footage, and set Color Space Override to 'Rec. 709' (or apply 'Auto Tone Map Media' in Sequence Settings).
2. In DaVinci Resolve, apply a Color Space Transform (CST) node: set Input Color Space to 'Rec.2020', Input Gamma to 'Rec.2100 HLG', Output Color Space to 'Rec.709', and Output Gamma to 'Rec.709'.
3. Inspect skin tone values on a waveform monitor to confirm they sit comfortably between 45 and 65 IRE with natural contrast and saturation.
Pro Tip:
Disable HDR video recording in smartphone camera settings prior to shooting SDR projects to capture native Rec.709 footage and eliminate color conforming steps in post.
Smartphones record HDR video using specialized transfer functions: Apple iPhone uses HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) or Dolby Vision profile 8.4, while Android devices often record HDR10. When dropped onto a standard Rec.709 (SDR) editing timeline without color management, the NLE displays the HDR footage with un-mapped linear luminance. The image appears washed out, overexposed, and blown out, with skin tones sitting above 90 IRE.
Actionable Fix:
1. In Premiere Pro, right-click the clip -> Modify -> Interpret Footage, and set Color Space Override to 'Rec. 709' (or apply 'Auto Tone Map Media' in Sequence Settings).
2. In DaVinci Resolve, apply a Color Space Transform (CST) node: set Input Color Space to 'Rec.2020', Input Gamma to 'Rec.2100 HLG', Output Color Space to 'Rec.709', and Output Gamma to 'Rec.709'.
3. Inspect skin tone values on a waveform monitor to confirm they sit comfortably between 45 and 65 IRE with natural contrast and saturation.
Pro Tip:
Disable HDR video recording in smartphone camera settings prior to shooting SDR projects to capture native Rec.709 footage and eliminate color conforming steps in post.