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AJA RGB Levels issue between Color and FCP
Hi All,
Okay – who want to have a stab at answering this….
System:
8-core MACPRO
OSX 10.4.11
7GB RAM
X-1900 Graphics Card
AJA KONA 3
Ver 5 KONA drivers
FCP 6.0.2
Color 1.0.2
SAN attached
External Scopes via HD-SDI
External 1920×1080 Monitor via Analogue RGBGot a HDCAM SR RGB 4:4:4 1080 23.98 project that has been edited in FCP.
The Project was sent to Color and graded, then rendered out using the AJA KONA 10bit CODEC.
Upon sending back to FCP, the files appear in a new timeline as usual, no problems what so ever.
Then, you glance over at the hardware scopes…the blacks are crushed. Press play then the blacks are lifted to around 5% and the whites are pinched from 100% down to about 90%.
If as a test, you then export a quicktime from the graded media from the FCP timeline, then import that into Color and drop it on a layer above in the grading project there is no difference in the scopes display – the blacks and whites are back where they should be….
So the problem is that I cannot get the graded media to play back from FCP out of the Kona and look the same as it does in Color.
Things I’ve tried:
Known issues with KONA 3 drivers version 4 with RGB – when “AJA Kona3: 1080psf 23.98 10 Bit RGB” was selected the KONA would switch to YUV processing and NOT RGB – upgraded to version 5 – media now plays back and KONA switches to RGB correctly
Adjusting the RGB ranges in FCP to full range from SMPTE in the sequence settings – makes things worse!
Forcing the KONA LUT into LINEAR – this raises the black levels and does nothing to help the whites…
Question:
Does color render out quicktimes using the AJA KONA RGB codec at 0-1023 FULL RANGE even though in FCP the KONA as standard digitises the media and displays it in the sequence by default using the 64-940 range?
Anyone had these sorts of issues?? Unless I’m missing something this means I cannot get a picture out of FCP and down to say HDCAM SR without looking different from the grade in color. I don’t want to be compensating in FCP!!
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3 Replies
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Not sure about why, but try this. Bring your Color media back into FCP but don’t do anything that requires additional rendering in FCP. Export a QT reference. Open that file in Kona TV or VTR Xchange. These are separate AJA utilities that address the card directly. Output to tape and see if you get acceptable results. One caveat, though. My experience with these apps is the output may not be frame-accurate at the exact edit in-point.
Sincerely,
OliverOliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
THis is probably the wrong answer, but have you turned of your range check? control-z.
Jeremy
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hi creative_tech
Have you solved the problem?
I have the exact same problem in FCP (I have’nt been in color yet). I’ve talked to AJA’s support about it but we have’nt been able to nail the problem.
I’ve done a lot of testing with smpte, full range.
The wierdest thing is that some clips play right, but others don’t.there seems to be some issues with QT : https://www.fxguide.com/article462.html
All the VFX work we are doing on the film, we HAVE to do in After FX 8 (read the article) because all other comp programs crush blacks and clip whites.
I’m not sure if this “bug” in QT have something to do with our problem?!reg
MartinMartin Wehding
Postproduction manager
Fridthjof Film A/S
Copenhagen
Denmark
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