DJI Mini 5 Pro: Which Color Profile Should You Actually Use?

[trisen1981]

I ran a side-by-side comparison of all three profiles on the Mini 5 Pro:
Normal, HLG (Normal), and D-Log M - based on real grading workflows, not spec sheets.

Some observations:

• HLG look much closer to what I would grade footage to once properly exposed and graded for SDR.
• Normal files are ~30% smaller than D-Log M/HLG, which matters for long flights, hyperlapses, and storage.
• HLG is tagged as BT.2020 / wide gamut, but in practical DJI → SDR workflows, I don’t see a clearly wider color range compared to Rec.709 or well-graded Normal.
• D-Log M still offers more flexibility when pushed hard -but the visible gap is smaller than most people assume.
• noise level on HLG/D-LOGM is huge compared to normal, and it is not just pixel-level grain, it is huge patches of green noise that you have to deal with if you decide to go that path.


Unless you’re delivering true HDR end-to-end, the difference often comes down to workflow efficiency vs headroom, not “cinematic color.”

I’m not saying D-Log M is useless - just that Normal, HLG, and D-Log M overlap far more in real use than specs suggest.

Here’s the video with side-by-side footage and grading examples:

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[KLJ5]

Thanx for an interesting post and video. I'm wondering if you'd concur with the video recommendation to save use of D-Log M for brighter conditions. I find that with my limited knowledge of using DaVince Resolve that it's really tough to pull the noise out of shadow areas when filming in D-Log M. Your thoughts?

 

[trisen1981]

Those two screenshots show my regular workflow for the noise:
It is both spatial and temporal noise reduction in DR
For temporal NR I am usually using those settings and adjusting the Threshold until noise start to disappear - you dont want to push it too hard as the image will become softer - but I always add a Sharpen filter on top anyways after noise reduction
For Spatial - I am using AI UltraNR - slow but efficient

hope that helps

 

[KLJ5]

Thankyou. I'll play with that and see what happens.

 

[KLJ5]

ps Are you using the free or purchased version of DR?

 

[trisen1981]

ps Are you using the free or purchased version of DR?

I have the full studio version - in the free one, I don't think you have the AI noise reduction - but might be wrong

 

[GFields]

Thanks for sharing~