HDR Video Editing
Hello Everyone. Hope You All are Well. I record travel vlogs for YouTube on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have an M1 Max MacBook Pro. I wasn’t aware that HDR was set for video as default on the iPhone. On my last trip, I shot some videos with HDR on (unknowingly). After I found out that it was sort of a hassle to work with, I turned it off.
It seems it is best to update Final Cut Pro to 10.6.6. I don’t use third party plugins for editing, I believe, so I don’t have to worry about any issues associated with those.
I currently shoot in Full HD 60p, export in Full HD 60p, and do not do color grading.
Please correct me if I am wrong. My current understanding: On previous versions of Final Cut Pro, if HDR footage is put on the Timeline, I would have to go to HDR Color Tools and use HLG to REC 709 SDR (HDR to REC 709 is apparently not as good). I should be able to add non-HDR footage to the same Timeline as well. After that, I can export without issues.
If I upgrade to Cut Pro 10.6.6, I can add both HDR and non-HDR footage. The new update takes care of HDR footage automatically, so I would not need to use HLG to REC 709 within HDR Color Tools, which was previously required.
Questions:
In versions before FCP 10.6.6, for HDR footage, would I need to apply HLG to REC 709 SDR (HDR to REC 709 is apparently not as good) within HDR Color Tools?
With FCP 10.6.6, can the previous requirement of using HLG to REC 709 SDR within HDR Color Tools be totally skipped, since this is supposed to be automatically done now by FCP? Does anything else need to be done? How does this compare with the older method, in terms of appearance of the footage after exporting?
In FCP 10.6.6 (or previous), if I am using both HDR and non-HDR footage, does it matter which type of video is added first to the Timeline?
In previous versions, does an HDR clip need to be edited first, before applying HDR Color Tools, or can it be the other way around?
For Travel Vlogs, should HDR be left on? I want this to be as less complicated as possible for myself, and I do not want to do any color grading. My videos go on YouTube, and everyone does not have an HDR TV, and the color profile could be different for different TVs. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank You.
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.5