-
Broadcast safe – filter, levels, RGB limiting and Color
-
A note regarding the legalize filter in FCP. Given this can give you 100% legal colors do monitor your output and how this filter affects your media. I’ve had some fairly mixed results comparing it to our hardware legalizer (sometimes very good sometimes very bad). Mind you we’re also working in PAL here which can affect things.
With the advent of end-to-end tapeless editing here in sweden (i.e. we’ve shot on RED, edited in FCP / Color / AE in ProRes and delivered a MPEG2 stream for broadcast) the legalized standards have actually become a bit more lenient here (100% croma vs 75% for instance). Still, I’d rely on a legalize-type filter or hardware with care and try to edit / color correct with-in a legal space.
Nice blog you got going there btw Biscardi!
Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Communication
———————— -
Do you apply any other filters at the same time as you apply levels and / or legalize? Stacking of filters can make FCP bug out and render incorrectly, esp. in sequences with higher bit-depths than 8. You can also try rendering in 8-bit as well as 10-bit and see if it makes any difference.
Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Communication
———————— -
[Erik Lindahl] ” note regarding the legalize filter in FCP. Given this can give you 100% legal colors do monitor your output and how this filter affects your media. I’ve had some fairly mixed results comparing it to our hardware legalizer (sometimes very good sometimes very bad). Mind you we’re also working in PAL here which can affect things. “
The biggest problem I find with the Broadcast Safe Filter is people figure it will keep them safe so why bother doing a great color grade. They’ll have whites at 120 IRE and then wonder why it turns into a messy grey blob when they turn on the Broadcast Safe Filter.
If a shot is properly graded BEFORE applying the Broadcast Safe and Levels filter, then the damage to your shot should be minimal from these filters.
[Erik Lindahl] “Nice blog you got going there btw Biscardi! “
Thank you kindly.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post
Biscardi Creative MediaCreative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
Peta,
I have experienced this as well.
What works most of the time, sorry no guarantee here, is to export the file out as a qt (NOT using the qt conversion) then import the file, follow walters steps.Also, another thing I have noticed is when you follow Walters steps make sure everything in your timeline has been rendered, then add the broadcast safe filters. This has also worked for me.
PHIL
-
[Phil Yunker] “Also, another thing I have noticed is when you follow Walters steps make sure everything in your timeline has been rendered, then add the broadcast safe filters. This has also worked for me.
“I don’t bother rendering everything first and then applying the filters, I just apply the filters. I have found that Apple’s scopes will still show some spikes above 100 IRE after the renders, but that it’s not fully accurate at that point. That is, I have not had a show fail after using my procedure so I have learned to ignore the fact that Apple scopes still show some levels above 100 after the renders.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Editor, Colorist, Director, Writer, Consultant, Author.
Credits include multiple Emmy, Telly, Aurora and Peabody Awards.
Owner, Biscardi Creative Media featuring HD Post
Biscardi Creative MediaCreative Cow Forum Host:
Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion, Apple Color, AJA Kona, Business & Marketing, Maxx Digital. -
Yes, in general people can come to use a broadcast safe filter as a “make my output ok” step, which it sort of is, but you can’t simply disregard understanding how a “legal” copy is made and what a legalizer or legalize filter does. I’ve had material shot on film, scanned to Digibeta and graded on a da vinci still being on the verge of legal or not legal (we all want to push things to the max). Even this type of material can be devastated by FCP’s legalize filter from my experience, much more so than our legalize hardware. Then again it’s not fair comparing a “free” plugin with a 4000 dollar box or what ever it cost.
At the end of the day check what happens with your material on a broadcast monitor AFTER you legalize it. If things look wack, looking at the scopes FCP has, see how the filters affects your image and perhaps run the material once again through CC or just apply a secondary one on your final master.
Erik Lindahl
Freecloud Communication
———————— -
Hi Walter,
Please could you post a new link for the FCP guide you made for Broadcast safe color correcting on your blog – can’t get the old one to work – Thank you!
Also looking in Color under broadcast safe settings – what are your usual settings for Chroma limit + Composite Limit for broadcast programs in PAL.
Many thanks
Joel
-
Hi
The link to your blog re your procedure for making programmes Broadcast Safe no longer works, I have checked your blog and can’t find it there can you add a new link?
Many thanks
Laura
Laura
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up