How to Shoot in Log Format on the LG V30

LG just launched their latest flagship phone the V30 and it seems to have a pretty big focus on creators with it’s interesting Cine Video mode, great cameras, HiFi audio recording, etc.

One of the things I was most interested in checking out was the ability to shoot in a Log format.

Log format is a feature in a lot of professional cameras that allows you to shoot with a much flatter image–the colors are more subdued. This allows the camera sensor to focus more on light and increase the dynamic range than having to deal with the color science. It also gives the editor a bit more freedom when color correcting and adding looks to the footage since they can adjust the color from scratch instead of working with what color was baked in.

As someone who makes videos, you can understand why I’m so curious about it (and the next question is how it compares to Log on a Sony or Canon camera, for example, but that’s a video for another day). To turn it on isn’t the most immediately apparent thing so here’s a quick tutorial on how to shoot in log on the LG V30, as well, as showing how you can edit that footage, too.

Enable Log Recording

1. Open the camera.
2. Tap on Mode at the left and select Manual.
3. Once, in Manual video mode, tap the Gear icon to get to settings.
4. Scroll down to the bottom and turn on Save as LG-Cine Log.
5. Go back to the camera and you’ll see things have been toned down.

By the way, you can tap the Display LUT icon at the top right to turn on a LUT (or Look Up Table) that will temporarily add some of the color back but just as a reference for you to use while filming–the saved video won’t include this color data and will just be saved in Log.

Editing Log

1. You can then pull the footage into a video editor, i.e. Premiere Pro, like you would any footage.
2. Then you can click on the Color tab to get to to Lumetri Color Correction.
3. And you can then correct it using whatever tools you prefer in there.

Quick Color Corrected Video Shot in Log

LG Log Straight from Pre-Release Software LG V30 (NOT FINAL SOFTWARE)

LG Log Colored

*Keep in mind that the above was taken on a pre-release V30 with non-final software so don’t use it as a judge of the Log just yet. Just using it to illustrate how to use the Log.

Personally, I’d adjust the color to get it as close to real life as I could using the white balance, then I’d head into curves and adjust those to pull down the blacks and up the whites till I get any black and white in the image looking the way I’d want. After, you can adjust the looks as you see fit by adding LUTs or just manually adjusting the color yourself.

I imagine that there will at some point but editors who use this footage and make their own LUTs with it for you to be able to shoot in Log then just apply their LUTs in your editing program to get a specific look super quickly–like they have for basically every other Log-capable camera.

There you go though, guys. Let me know what you think of this concept of a phone using Log and what you think of this tutorial in the comments below and be sure to follow me on social or sign up for my weekly newsletter for more tips, tricks, and tech stuff.