Is the iPad Pro viable for video editing?

[Shell64]

Thinking about buying an 11 inch iPad Pro for mobile editing. I have a pc at home I use Davinci resolve on, but like the performance to portability ratio of the iPad. How has your experience been on This device?  How is LumaFusion compared to Resolve? 

[Brother]

I’ve been using Lumafusion on the iPad Pro 11 for about a year now, still amazed how well it handles 4k50 footage without ever slowing down. With that being said, Lumafusion is still quite new and missing some important features such as multi select, audio scrubbing and more advanced color grading features. 

The developers really listens to its users and add more and more features with every update. So my guess is that they’ll add them in the future. Im on their beta test team and for example we asked for blend modes, they added it a few months later.

Can’t comment on how it compares to resolve since I use premiere.

[BTM_Pix]

Lets get the negatives out of the way.

The file management restrictions of iOS (which were beyond LumaTouch's control) were a major hassle but that has by and large now been addressed with the release of iPadOS.

Another drawback, which again is beyond their control, is that there is no support for ProRes. This may not be an issue for many users but it does rule out being able to use it even with any non-RAW footage from the BM cameras without transcoding so it is something to bear in mind. Ditto if you're using an Atomos etc as the recording medium for a DSLR/Mirrorless.

The restriction to one LUT isn't great if you're using LOG or any flat profile that requires a corrective LUT as you then can't add a "creative" LUT on top of that.

Some sort of stabilisation would be welcome, although there are stabilising apps for iOS that you can pre-process your footage if you don't mind the extra step/time.

On the upside....

The biggest upside is that there is plenty of upside.

LumaFusion isn't just a very good editing app for iOS, its a very good editing app full stop.

I initially started using LumaFusion strictly as an in the field editing system for cutting and transmitting pre-match build up pieces in sports stadiums but I actually found I liked it enough to use it as an editor in a lot of non mobile situations where I would normally have used FCPX.

Its fast, responsive, logical and unless you have that need for using ProRes and/or multiple LUTS then it can be all the editing system most people actually need.

The integration with the Gnarbox 2.0 looks pretty compelling, albeit it at a price, but it glues everything together as a viable professional system with ingesting, transcoding and backups etc.

The XML export update is very close to release which will move the story on quite a bit as well as you can then do the edit on your iPad and then finish it off in your "real" desktop NLE if you need the extra options so you can have the best of both worlds.

One other thing to note is that everyone that I've ever dealt with at LumaTouch has been helpful and friendly and you can see by how far the system has developed that they care about developing it further and listening to users.

Having said all of that though and returning to your original question of can it be used in lieu of Resolve then you need to look at how deeply you use the extra functionality of Resolve and how often you would come up against the bumps in the road that I've outlined.

If you are just using h264/265 files with a picture profile that can be corrected with the inbuilt controls and you only then need one "creative" LUT then the chances are it could be all you need. If you are using Cinelike D and then the Leeming LUT for example as a corrective and then always add a film simulation LUT on top then you've immediately got a problem.

You should go to their website and download the User Guide to gauge how restrictive its features may or may not be for the way you would use it.

https://luma-touch.helpscoutdocs.com/article/87-reference-guide