Color Changes on Export

[Chris Wright]

from “Just ‘upgraded’ to AE CS3 / FCP 6.0.3 and suddenly my workflow is broken.”

ugh, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but everone here has said the same thing if you search for it in the search box.

Apple has not released the DVCPRO HD codec for general QuickTime users, and especially not PC users. It’s a closed-end format that can only be read by the codec included with FCP.

Adobe and Apple used to play nice, now their dvc pro hd codecs interpret gamma differently. You need to keep same codec from output of FCP to input of AE. Some choices are Mainconcept, Canopus, Cineform, and Raylight. Unless you can hack the decoder reader, you’ll have to shell out some dough or rollback to an older FCP and AE. AE and FCP’s codecs don’t work with each other any more after the update. 🙁

one poor option is: “i noticed a gamma shift from FCP6 ProrezHQ to AE CS3 but it was fixable by an adjustment layer and tweeking the gamma to 1.24. ”

big post here:

https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/919924#939251

[Dustin Parsons]

Thanks! I guess I should have searched a little harder.

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Mac Pro | Leopard 10.5.3
2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon | 4GB Ram
Final Cut Pro Studio 2 | Avid Media Composer

[Dustin Parsons]

THE CHALLENGE: Getting DVCProHD video exported from Final Cut Pro 6, into After Effects CS3, and then back into Final Cut Pro without shifting color or gamma.

THE PROBLEM: Apple and Adobe interpret Gamma differently when using the DVCProHD codec. Each use their own version of a DVCProHD codec.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
1) Use a 3rd party codec for both apps (Mainconcept, Canopus, Cineform, Raylight)
Downside: Cost money and I’d rather not deal with them

2) Use the Animation codec
Downside: Animation is a buggy codec, dropping frames and such. Also, file sizes are ridiculously huge and impractical.

3) Export Prorez HQ from FCP and in AE make an adjustment layer and tweak the gamma to 1.24.
Downside: This is a crude, temporary fix and probably not perfect in the gamma matching either.

I still didn’t find a definitive solution. Has anyone heard of a fix that still uses Apple’s DVCPRO HD codec or are we stuck with cheap workarounds until Adobe and Apple decide to play nice again?

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Mac Pro | Leopard 10.5.3
2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon | 4GB Ram
Final Cut Pro Studio 2 | Avid Media Composer