• Apple Final Cut Pro

  Waveform with Final cut X and video level management

  Posted by Nicolas Forest on July 11, 2013 at 8:24 pm

  Hi,
  Just did some test with Final Cut X. I’m trying to understand how it manage video level since it might help me to understand how Quicktime is managing video level.

  In Avid, I’ve exported the Belle Nuit test chart from Avid. One “as is” in Apple Pro res 422, with intentional video level under 16 and over 235.
  I’ve also exported a “clipped” version also in Apple Pro Res 422 with legal level.

  So when importing those file back in Final Cut X, my expectation was to get 1 file with some black and white over 0 and 100 and another one with level right on 0 and 100.

  But I was surprised to see that both file where remap to 0-100 instead of keeping the whole original RGB level.

  Actually, it’s probably a problem because if we create a graphic inside Photoshop or inside After Effect, Final Cut will remap instead of keeping the good level.

  So I’m just wondering why Final Cut remap everything and if there’s a way to import the level in the right format.

  Thank you for your thought.
  Nic

  Jeremy Garchow replied 12 years, 10 months ago 4 Members · 5 Replies
• 5 Replies

• 

  Loren Risker

  July 12, 2013 at 6:19 pm

  Did you find out any more info about this? Very curious to know what’s going on here.

  ————-
  OutOfFocus.TV – Original series, music videos, mini-docs.
• 

  Nicolas Forest

  July 12, 2013 at 6:29 pm

  Hi unfortunately not!

  FCP is remaping everything witch I don’t think is a good way to work, because that means all RGB file will have a gamma shift from the original file.

  So if we don’t want any gamma shift, we probably need to create our graphics with a black at 16 and a white at 235 and FCPx won’t remap anything at that time.
• 

  Loren Risker

  July 12, 2013 at 7:01 pm

  That’s interesting and kind of annoying. If you find out any more info please post back, I’m going to do some research myself.

  ————-
  OutOfFocus.TV – Original series, music videos, mini-docs.
• 

  Bret Williams

  July 12, 2013 at 8:05 pm

  Sure it’s not Avid remapping on the creation of the ProRes files? Just seems odd that somehow FCP would magically know to remap one file and not the other.
• 

  Jeremy Garchow

  July 14, 2013 at 4:49 pm

  How is this any different than what happens in fcp7?

  In regular YUV operations in fcp7, All RGB files are mapped too (nothing is ever over 100 ire) and fcp allows you to set an incoming gamma on RGB materials.

  If using prores 422 why would you expect anything other than SMPTE range?

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