Heat Management and FiLMiC Pro

Whilst smartphones are exceptionally capable video recording devices, they are not designed for this as their primary function. As a result the heat sinks found in dedicated video cameras are absent making smartphones more prone to overheating under certain conditions.

The two mains sources of device heating are ambient shooting temperature coupled with the processing load placed on the smartphone by FiLMiC Pro.

Ambient Temperature

The iPhone is designed to operate reliably for low level non-processor intensive tasks (email, web browsing, calls etc.) when the ambient temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F). For video acquisition best results will be achieved between 0º and 25º C (32º to 77º F).

Processing Load

Video acquisition is a CPU and GPU intensive operation. FiLMiC Pro’s advanced feature set will push your device hardware to its limit when all aspects of its advanced feature set are engaged simultaneously.

The following features all add processing load to your device when enabled, and are cumulative:

  • Resolution and Encoding Quality
  • Framerate
  • Stabilisation
  • Live Analytics
  • Picture Profiles (LOG/FLAT)
  • Length of recording
  • Having the device's radios enabled (Bluetooth, WiFi, Cellular + data)
  • Running background processes such as screen sharing

For example 4k recording at extreme with stabilisation on at 24fps will place the device under a moderate load, and can support extended record times with minimal device heating on new devices, especially when in Flight Mode.

However with live analytics and FLAT/LOG picture profiles also engaged, FiLMiC Pro will need to utilize all available system resources which may lead to significant device heating in warm ambient environments and shortened record times. 

For shooting in FLAT/LOG we recommend keeping clip length to 4-5 minutes or under per clip where possible on older gen devices. 

On 11 series devices we recommend takes less than 20 minutes where possible.

If shooting with the Natural picture profile, keep clips under 15 minutes in length can assist in reducing device temperature where possible.

NOTE:

  • If your device gets too warm during recording, it may result in dropped frames.
  • Do not charge your device while recording if possible. Charging while using your device will increase device temperature.
  • The latest generation of iPhone (11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max) perform best for advanced 4k video acquisition in FLAT/LOG due to their fast CPU/GPU.