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Import/Export DNxHD as 709 or RGB to stay most lossless?
Hi there. I’m editing DNxHD 175 (from HDCAM 1080 24p) which will go to film-out. We need to do some composite special effects of edited scenes (mostly in After Effects). What is the best way to export files remain the most lossless? 609/709 or RGB? How about on import? What format is best? Thanks hugely!
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5 Replies
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These are just color spaces and as long as you manage them correctly there will be no difference in quality. Exporting as 709 keeps the SMPTE digital standard of BLACK at 16 RGB and WHITE at 2235RGB. When selecting RGB, BLACK becomes 0 RGB and WHITE is 255.
Depending on how renders are done in After Effects, you will want to manage your color space accordingly when coming back in so that level match when intercutting back into the program.
Michael
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Hi, thank you. So is my only goal to have levels match on the return trip (which is what I have been doing)? I was worried about loss due to “fewer steps” between 16 and 235, maybe in lossless AE enviroment … versus … not recompressing video when it goes out 709. Anyway, thx
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You inverted the two color spaces. RGB use 16-235, 601/709 use full values 0-255.
To test it just create a file with a gradient from 0 to 255, compress it with the two options and re-open the two files. You’ll see that both files have gradient going from 0 to 255 because decoder restore levels. But the RGB file has banding, some colors are missing like #04040.
RGB is more destructive than 601/709
as seen on
https://www.reduser.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-13308.html -
I read your answer and I think you inverse between RGB and 601/709
Because 601/709 is more destructive than RGB -
Wow, Nabil Nabih — you answered that a full ten years after I posted it! And I think you’re right — RGB would be 0-255, whereas 709 allows for whites above 100IRE and blacks below 0, so 16-235 would make sense. Whatever workflow I did to solve the above… was so long ago I’ve forgotten. I figured something out and it worked great, whatever it was.
Cheers!
“THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA” –
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