iPhone 12 Lineup Features HDR Video Recording With Dolby Vision for Vivid Colors

One of the key new camera-related features of the iPhone 12 lineup is support for Dolby Vision, a professional HDR video format that provides more accurate, lifelike color along with brighter highlights and darker shadows.

iphone 12 pro dolby vision

Shot on iPhone 12 Pro in Dolby Vision by Academy Award winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki

Apple says iPhone 12 models are the world's first devices capable of real-time Dolby Vision video recording — up to 4K at 30 FPS on iPhone 12 models and up to 4K at 60 FPS on Pro models. To achieve this, the devices have a new image signal processor that can take two exposures, create a histogram, and generate Dolby Vision metadata based on that histogram.

Apple demonstrated Dolby Vision on the iPhone 12 Pro during its event this week with a video shot by Academy Award winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, and it has since shared behind-the-scenes footage of the video on YouTube.


Dolby Vision support is end-to-end across the iPhone 12 lineup, meaning that users can capture, edit, and play back video in Dolby Vision directly on the devices. Dolby Vision grading is processed live and sustained during editing, which can be done in the Photos, iMovie, or Clips apps on the iPhone, or in Final Cut Pro on the Mac starting later this year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

samtfischer Avatar
54 months ago
It should be noted that Dolby Vision is not an acquisition format, only a delivery format. So whenever you see "recording/capturing in Dolby Vision", it's a little misleading. Dolby Vision is only used to take HDR content and tone map it down to other displays. So basically, whenever a user would share the video.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vipergts2207 Avatar
54 months ago
Wonder what the reason is for the non-pros only getting 30 FPS.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aaronhead14 Avatar
54 months ago

Up until yesterday I always thought Dolby Vision = 12-bit. I guess 10-bit + metadata now counts as well.
Dolby Vision can support 12-bit, but it doesn’t have to. Minimum requirements are 10-bit.


It should be noted that Dolby Vision is not an acquisition format, only a delivery format. So whenever you see "recording/capturing in HDR", it's a little misleading. Dolby Vision is only used to take HDR content and tone map it down to other displays. So basically, whenever a user would share the video.
I came here to say just this! It makes NO sense to “record” in Dolby Vision! The entire point of Dolby Vision is to create interpolated HDR-to-SDR trims AFTER the film has been color graded and finished. This is just a strange marketing ploy from Apple, and it encourages people to not go through a proper post workflow. It’s a very bizarre “feature.”
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mozumder Avatar
54 months ago
As nice at it is, it still has the "watercolor" look of a camera-phone, due to all the AI hacks they have to do to get higher dynamic range from a cell-phone camera. That's not going to go away until they quadruple the lens/pixel size. Each pixel is only about 10 bits of dynamic range in its electron well, instead of the 15+ bits you'd get in a real camera.

I wish Apple would just make an interchangeable lens camera, with their amazing CPU/ISP, to allow for a camera with apps you can download from the App Store.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
54 months ago
But Dolby Vision sounds cool so I want it. And OLED Super Retina XDR sounds cool too so I want that too I guess
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LiE_ Avatar
54 months ago
That’s good, I thought it was a pro only feature. Maybe ProRAW will come to all phones eventually.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)