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I had been wanting an iPad Pro since the first generation, but I couldn’t really justify it. I have been using a Surface 3 for my daily basic computing and simple creative work. It played back stuff from my GH5 no problem. But when I saw the new basic iPad was editing GH5 video, I was very interested.

The new iPad Pros were announced and I waited until I sold a few things to order one. So far, I am VERY impressed. Other capabilities aside, the fact that it handles my GH5 footage so flawlessly and QUICKLY made it an instant winner for me. (It also handles 6K and 400Mbit Anamorphic like it’s no big deal. More tests with those later.) It takes a bit of time getting use to the limitations of LumaFusion if you are use to endless option editors from Adobe and Blackmagic. The first issue I saw is that I couldn’t desqueeze in preview. I think I’ll try to do a comparison of video quality from the raw video and a set pre-compressed in the DeSqueeze app (another app I highly recommend).

Once you copy your videos to the iPad or import them from wherever, you can view and trim them instantly. Scrubbing is instant and in full quality. You can do this in the window or full screen on the iPad. Then you can color tag the clips and start dragging them on your timeline. Once on the timeline, you can then edit the video in any way you want. My timeline was already set for 2.76:1 Ultra Panavision. Set your clip to Stretch in Fit Mode and you’re good to go. You can then copy this attribute and paste it to the other clips as you work on them. I do wish there was a way to select all the clips, though. The only issue I have found is that you can’t copy speed settings. You have to do that to each clip individually. But it handled 59.97 fps to 24 fps perfectly.

After that, you edit your clips on the timeline to your liking. Then comes one of the amazing parts… One you’re ready, select a clip again and then go to the Color &  Effects tab… you can then instantly see a preview of any LUTs you have imported. Like, you can just touch any one, see it and play the clip back in real time. if you have 50 LUTs you can see how they on your clip instantly. After you have your LUT selected you can then tweak the clip’s color to your liking.

I went out to Ginza last weekend just to film a few clips to test this with. It’s the first video I shot with my new Blue Kowa 16-H, which will be my main lens from now on most likely. It worked very well with the Voightlander 40mm 1.4 (Leica M mount) that I have been using a lot lately. It’s so crazy to be editing video from a DSLR anamorphic rig on an iPad, but I don’t think this will be my last.

The limitations are something you have to work around. To get the film effect on the intro and end, I rendered out the video clips and then put them through an 8mm camera app. You only get 3 layers to work with, so you have to do as much as you can with one layer. The only thing I didn’t do on the iPad were my logo and the end card. I imported those to Affinity Photo and edited them to fit the video and end credits. I still want to see how far I can push what can be done on the iPad. I think next I need to find some good animation apps and really try to take it to another level.

I think the more I get use to workflow workarounds the more I can use the iPad to speed up projects and work on the go. That’s the plan. Most of that video was edited on the train from Yokohama to Tokyo. I am also finally getting my illustrations cleaned up and finished on the iPad. I need to move forward with those co I can start more. Music too? Yeah, hopefully. I’m excited. The iPad won’t be my only portable machine, though. I have something else, kinda. But that’s for another day.

Tech specs:
Panasonic GH5
4K UHD 60fps 4K, CINE-D
Converted to 24fps
Voightlander 40mm f/1.4 Leica M mount
Blue Kowa 16-H 2X Anamorphic Lens
Rapido FVD-16A

Filmed in Ginza, Tokyo.
Music is: Luster (Interlude) by Equalibrum