Insta360 cameras such as the Ace Pro 2, X5 and GO Ultra can record in I-Log, a flat profile that keeps more highlight and shadow detail. The footage looks grey until a LUT maps it back to normal colour. Getting that LUT onto one clip is easy. Getting it onto a full card is where people get stuck.
What is I-Log?
I-Log is Insta360's log profile. Like D-Log on DJI or S-Log on Sony, it records a deliberately flat image so that more of the scene's range survives into the file. Insta360's manual describes I-Log footage as flat and greyish because it keeps more colour data for editing, and says the official LUT restores natural colour. Log footage explains why every log profile looks like this.
You turn it on in the camera's shooting settings before you record.
Where do you get the Insta360 LUT?
Three routes, depending on where you edit:
| Where you edit | How the LUT gets there |
|---|---|
| Insta360 app (phone) | Built in: open the clip, Edit, then tap LUT |
| Insta360 Studio (desktop) | Built in: turn on LUT in the video settings |
| DaVinci Resolve, Premiere, Final Cut and others | Download from Insta360's downloads page: Insta360 Studio, then LUT |
The downloadable version is what you load into other apps. Insta360's Luna camera manual also notes that recent DaVinci Resolve versions list Insta360 I-Log as an input gamma in the Color Space Transform, for Luna footage. For other models, use the LUT.
Paid I-Log LUT packs exist from third parties. They are creative looks, and most still assume you start from the official conversion.
Why is converting a whole card harder than it should be?
The app is built for one clip at a time. Insta360's own manual says the app does not yet support batch export of video files with the LUT applied. So twenty clips from a day out means twenty edits and twenty exports.
In a desktop editor, you can apply the LUT to many clips, but you need a project, a timeline and a render queue, which is a lot of setup when all you want is the card in normal colour.
How do you apply the Insta360 LUT in an editor?
- DaVinci Resolve: drop the
.cubeinto Resolve's LUT folder, then add it to a node on the colour page. Adding LUTs to Resolve shows the folder. - Final Cut Pro: the Custom LUT effect, choosing the file from its menu.
- Premiere Pro: Lumetri Color, Input LUT.
For 360 footage, reframe in Insta360 Studio first, then grade the flat reframed export, so the LUT is applied to the shot you are delivering.
How do you convert a whole card of I-Log clips at once?
BatchTone treats it as one job on a Mac:
- Drop the folder in. MP4 and MOV clips are read, H.264 and HEVC, including 10-bit.
- Import the official Insta360 LUT once. A frame from each clip is previewed with it, so you see the result on your own footage.
- Take the strength down on any clip that needs less, such as one already bright and contrasty.
- Export H.264 MP4 to a folder you choose, with filenames set before the run. Audio is copied untouched, the Mac's hardware encoder does the work, and originals are never touched.
It applies the LUT to flat, standard video. It does not stitch or reframe 360 footage, so do that in Insta360 Studio first and bring the exports. Nothing leaves your Mac.
Only your own files and LUT pack can show whether it fits, which is why the seven-day trial has everything unlocked: video, unlimited batches, no watermark. After that it is one in-app purchase, not a subscription.
Download BatchTone free on the Mac App Store
Should you shoot I-Log at all?
| Situation | I-Log | Standard colour |
|---|---|---|
| High-contrast scenes, sun and shade | Holds more range | Clips sooner |
| You want to grade the footage | A better starting point | Less room to move |
| You post straight from the phone | An extra step on every clip | Ready to share |
| You shoot a lot of clips | Needs a batch conversion | No conversion needed |
If you post straight from your phone and never grade, standard colour is the simpler choice. If you shoot I-Log, plan a conversion step and do it once per card, not once per clip.
Common questions
Is the Insta360 LUT free?
The LUT costs nothing: it is built into the app and Studio, and the desktop download is on Insta360's downloads page.
Can the Insta360 app apply the LUT to many videos at once?
Not according to Insta360's manual, which says batch export with the LUT applied is not supported yet.
Can I use a GoPro or DJI LUT on Insta360 footage?
Avoid it. Each log profile has its own curve, and the wrong conversion gives wrong contrast and skin tones. Use the Insta360 file for I-Log footage.
Does the LUT work on 360 video?
Grade after reframing. Apply the LUT in Insta360 Studio during the reframe, or to the flat export afterwards.