-
Final Cut 6 and Apple Color vieo preview problem
Im having a big problem with final cut 6 and color.
I filmed a documentary in HDV, converting it to Apple Prores 422 codec when capturing. Then edited in final cut 6 and sent it to color for grading. Up to here everything is fine.
I rendered all the video with the same Apple Prores 422 codec and same HD size (1920×1080), using 16 bit internal bit depth in Color.Sent all the graded footage back to final cut pro, set up sequence according to render settings from Color, and to my surprise the grading doesn’t look the same as in Color. Everything seems to have more contrast in Final cut, blacks seem to be darker and colors look more contrasty. I tried to find information on the net but couldn’t.
I’m using a HD DVI HP PL2475W display for preview, but don’t understand why color and final cut show video differently on the same monitorWould really appreciate if anyone has been through the same problem and managed to solve it.
Thanks to you all
Bruno Amaral
-
18 Replies
-
[Bruno Amaral] “I’m using a HD DVI HP PL2475W display for preview, but don’t understand why color and final cut show video differently on the same monitor “
Because you are not sending it to a standardized video monitor. You need a capture card and an honest to goodness calibrated monitor.
Jeremy
-
[Bruno Amaral] “I’m using a HD DVI HP PL2475W display for preview, but don’t understand why color and final cut show video differently on the same monitor “
Because this is not a standard broadcast or film grade monitor being fed by a broadcast or film grade video card. You will require something like the AJA Kona boards connected to a high quality color grading monitor such as the TV Logic 24″ LCD display ($8,000) in order to properly view your material in both Color and FCP.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
-
Thanks so much for your answer.
I dont really understand what you mean by standardised monitor. This display I have is a HIPS panel with progressive HD resolution (1920×1080). I calibrated it with a EyeOne hardware software calibrator with some very good color accuracy results. So why would 2 software packages part of the same bundle (final cut studio) using the same graphics card (ATI 2600 HD) and the same display, show the footage differently (Even the footage that is not graded)? Could they be matched using a LUT or something like that?I’m also thinking of getting a Blackmagic HD Extreme video card with HDMI output which I could connect to this HP LP2475W (it has HDMI connection) im using. Would that solve this issue?
Thanks again
bruno
-
Hey all,
I got the same problem. Are you telling us that Color is useless unless you fork out $10K on monitor and an AJA card? That is rather expensive.
I still does not really explain why FCP gives a different look than Color. The signal from both programs to my LCD display should be the same I would think. Which one should I trust?
btw, If I play my video as a stand alone quicktime movie, the grade resembles mostly the Color grade. Playing the same video in FCP is quite different.Thanks much,
Frederic -
[Frederic Cervini] “Are you telling us that Color is useless unless you fork out $10K on monitor and an AJA card? That is rather expensive. “
Pretty much. Final Touch (now Color) was designed to be used by professional colorists with either a professional broadcast monitor or properly calibrated film grade monitor. What you now use in Final Cut Pro for free (essentially) is the $25,000 version of Final Touch 2K.
It’s not useless, but if you want to truly see what you’re grading, you need a professional monitoring setup.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
-
hi
so lets say i get a blackmagic decklink HD extreme,previewing through HDMI, will I see the previews the same from final cut pro and color? or will they still look different? i really dont get it why only with a specific video card images look the same between those 2 applications. can anyone please explain?thank you so much
bruno
-
[Bruno Amaral] “i really dont get it why only with a specific video card images look the same between those 2 applications. can anyone please explain? “
First off, you need a professional HD monitor. The HP is not it. We run the Sony PVM-L5/1 series here along with the Panasonic Professional HD Plasma monitors. The Sony are pro broadcast monitors that are properly calibrated for broadcast.
The Decklink works ok with Color, but the AJA products have always worked better with both Final Touch and now Color.
So it’s a combination of the video card and the professional monitor that will get you on the way to the proper viewing environment for Color.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.STOP STARING AND START GRADING WITH APPLE COLOR Apple Color Training DVD available now!
-
[Frederic Cervini] “I got the same problem. Are you telling us that Color is useless unless you fork out $10K on monitor and an AJA card? That is rather expensive. “
Useless is a pretty strong word. Definitely not useless. The problem you are seeing is that when you play quicktime movies on different devices, the gamma will change as to what device/application you are watching through. When you play your movies through a capture card and on to a pro monitor, all of that is handled properly every single time. The card sends the proper gamma and color space to the monitor which is expecting that gamma and color space.
Make sense?
Jeremy
-
thats exactly the kind of answer I was looking for.
thanks
bruno
-
Thanks for all the information. It gives me a least a correct view on the problems involved.
Frederic Cervini
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up