A New Insight
The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 records in 10-bit D-Log M. At first glance, this sounds very similar to D-Log, but in practice, it’s not the same. This was precisely one of the main causes of uncertainty in the workflow.
Many color management workflows in popular video editors are designed for classic log profiles. While D-Log is often supported directly, D-Log M isn’t always properly recognized or processed as its own color space.
That doesn’t mean D-Log M is bad. It just means that the name promises a bit more than the practical workflow ultimately delivers. You can achieve very nice results with D-Log M, but often only through workarounds, LUTs, or manual adjustments.
And it’s precisely these detours that aren’t ideal for WeOnlyWalk.
Why this is important
WeOnlyWalk isn’t about highly stylized images. The videos aren’t meant to look artificially more dramatic, warmer, or more colorful than the location actually was at that moment.
The goal is a smooth, natural image. A walk should feel as if you were really there. Light, shadows, colors, and contrasts should remain as authentic as possible.
But when a workflow constantly requires manual corrections, there’s a real risk of making too many changes. This is especially difficult with long walking videos featuring changing lighting conditions. A small adjustment might look good in one spot but appear too strong just a few minutes later.
That was one of the key takeaways from the latest tests.
Looking Toward HLG
That’s why HLG is now taking center stage.
HLG is designed much more directly for HDR and is natively better supported by many devices, platforms, and programs. Instead of first laboriously converting a flat image into a suitable color space, HLG already provides a clearer technical foundation for HDR.
For WeOnlyWalk, this could be a major advantage.
The hope is that this will not only make the HDR version look more consistent, but also keep the automatically generated SDR version looking more natural. This is particularly important because many viewers still watch on SDR displays.
If the SDR version is produced from a clean HLG workflow, colors and contrasts will hopefully appear less oversaturated. Bright areas won’t blow out as easily, green tones will look less artificial, and the entire image will remain closer to the real-life scene.
Less grading, more reality
This development aligns very well with the channel’s core philosophy.
WeOnlyWalk isn’t meant to be a technical demonstration. HDR, HLG, D-Log M, and color management are just tools. In the end, what matters isn’t which profile was used, but whether the walk comes across as believable.
For me, a good workflow isn’t the one with the most options. A good workflow is one that requires as little correction as possible.
If the footage looks natural from the start, there’s more room for what really matters: the location, the atmosphere, the light, and the sound of the surroundings.
What does this mean for upcoming videos?
The next shoots will therefore be tested more extensively with HLG. D-Log M remains an option, but for now, HLG seems like the better choice for this channel.
HLG can really shine, especially during walks with lots of sky, changing light, shadows under trees, or warm evening light. These are exactly the kinds of situations that are particularly important for walking videos because they strongly shape the atmosphere of a place.
So the workflow is being further streamlined. Less manual color grading, less technical uncertainty, and a more natural result straight from the camera.
The journey continues
HDR remains an integral part of WeOnlyWalk. However, the past few weeks have shown that it’s not just about implementing HDR somehow. It’s about finding a workflow that’s reliable, natural, and practical in the long run.
D-Log M was an important step because it opened up many possibilities. At the same time, it showed that not every technically promising approach is automatically the best one for this channel.
HLG could now be the next logical step.
I’m looking forward to filming the upcoming walks using this new approach and continuing to explore just how close a video can come to capturing the feeling of a real walk.