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Render contast increase
Hi,
I posted about the following a while ago but never got a response. Since then, I’ve done some more research and learned a little but still haven’t solved the problem.
Effectively, rendering to any format from Vegas Pro 9e sees the playback on any media/DVD player with increased contrast, including blown-out whites.
I’m using Canon 550D H.264 MOVs transcoded to Matrox MPEG2 I-Frame HD AVIs using Prism. Everything in the preview looks as it should.
I’m using colour management for the monitor in Vegas; checked my videoscope readings to ensure 0-255 RGB/no 7.5 IRE; and have updated/checked that overlay video drivers for the players are neutralised.
If I view in a media player on my or other’s PCs) cut to DVD or view on a PS3/TV, I get the large shift in contrast. I’ve used the ‘Computer RGB to Studio RGB’ and it makes next to no difference. In order to get anywhere, I need to reduce the Offset in Colour Corrector to – 30.
I’ve attached a screenshot of the render next to the Vegas preview at Best/Quarter. Look at the loss of detail in the hair under his left ear, plus the blown-out highs at the top left.
What am I missing? I’m at my wit’s end, as I can’t get a decent render.
Thanks in advance.
NR.
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6 Replies
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You forgot the screenshot.
Please do it at Best/Full though as Best/Quarter will result in a loss of detail. -
Didn’t embed. Sorted.
Thanks,
NR.
Screen of Vegas preview window Best/Full.
href=’https://i1.creativecow.net/u/190618/vegas.jpg’>
Screen of WMP playback. Largest I could get.
href=’https://i1.creativecow.net/u/190618/wmp.jpg’>
A small side-by-side screen of both Vegas and WMP on the same screen next to each other.
href=”https://i1.creativecow.net/u/190618/side-by-side.jpg”>
Thanks,
NR.
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“I’m using Canon 550D H.264 MOVs transcoded to Matrox MPEG2 I-Frame HD AVIs using Prism.”
Why would you do that instead of using them natively?
There’s no way of guaranteeing that Prism isn’t doing something to your source video.If you’re concerned about quality and ease of editing, use Rosebud’s free Proxy Stream [1.5e] script and convert them to MXF format.
“If I view in a media player on my or other’s PCs) cut to DVD or view on a PS3/TV, I get the large shift in contrast.”
Every media player has it’s own unique set of quirks as far as brightness & contrast are concerned.
Follow the link in my reply on the WMV or MP4 export thread and see if it helps you to sort things out.
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Thanks for your suggestions.
[Mike Kujbida] “Why would you do that instead of using them natively?
There’s no way of guaranteeing that Prism isn’t doing something to your source video.”I’ve read (and I think it’s generally accepted) that H264 is a pig to edit in Vegas. It was suggested that transcoding to something Vegas is happier with would make for much easier workflow, and having been transcoding to AVIs, I agree. The MOVs shuffled along like slideshows, whereas the AVIs are very smooth.
Here’s a typical quote: “After working with a littany of codecs (HuffYUV, Lagarith, DNxHD, Jpeg2k), I’ve really only found one suitable for working in Vegas with no proxy. And that’s the new Matrox VfW codecs. They are i-frame, high quality, and reside inside a .AVI container. They are not as efficient as Cineform, meaning they make larger files for the same quality, but that quality is EXCELLENT. Even doing mathematical differencing, once you get over about 150Mbps, the loss is negligible. I’m not working in Vegas a lot these days, but when I do, this is my only codec of choice.”
However, I’ll have at a look at your suggestions and see if they help – whatever is doing this, it’s been evident since I’ve been using Vegas for the last five years, across all edit machines; DVD and media players; and TVs I’ve tested it on. Gotta be something I’m doing wrong.
Thanks again,
NR.
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“I’ve read (and I think it’s generally accepted) that H264 is a pig to edit in Vegas”
If you have an older slower computer, then the answer is yes.
With an i7 and Pro 10, especially the 64-bit version of Vegas and Windows 7 with lots of RAM, the answer is no.
Vegas made a lot of improvements in Pro 10 in how it handles DSLR footage.
I’ve got a few 5D and 7D clips that I downloaded from the web and was astounded at how much better they play on my quad core with XP Pro and only 2 GB. of RAM.
Several folks who were converting to Cineform first no longer feel the need to do so.
It’s something else to consider. -
Well, my work lappy is a Dual Core T4400 @ 2.2 GHz w/ 4Gb RAM and Win 7 Home Premium, running Vegas Pro 9e. Not exactly a dedicated cutting workstation, ergo, the difference between using MOVs and AVIs is night and day. It plays them at about 5 FPS – and that’s at draft/quarter.
More importantly, Prism can’t be doing anything, because the renders are clearly more contrasty than the what Vegas is showing. It wouldn’t matter what I put on the timeline – what I see ain’t what I get!
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