Color or Gamma/Brightness Shift in FCPX output…anyone else see this?

[Thomas Hezel]

Did the following test:

– edit a clip in FCPX
export XML of the edit
import in DaVinci
– color match it in DaVinci
output it from DaVinci in PorResHQ
– take the color matched clip from DaVinci and put it into FCPX for final composition (title plus adding sound line that went through ProTools)
– export the color matched ProResHQ with the composition from FCPX

go back to DaVinci:
put the original output from DaVinci on top – line 3
put the output from the final FCPX-compositon underneath – line 2
have your edit in DaVinci under (color matched but not outputted) – line 1

go to color in Davinci
put the cursor on a image with nice contrast

switch between line 2 and 3 and check on the video scopes

If broadcast save was on (0-100%) during color matching you will have a slight compression at the peak between line 1 and the rest. But otherwise the clip from DaVinci line 2 – that went through FCPX for final composition – is just the same as the original DaVinci output line 3 !

The washing out of video clips inside FCPX and with Quicktime (that is underneath FCP) is a Problem of Quicktime.
For whatever reason Apple has descided to make our videos brighter and the blacks washed out.

If you go to the FCPX-Forum you get just funny answers like: “You stupid don’t understand our new editing approach …”

The developer of FCPX and the world around it, influenced by Apple, tries to force us to edit how they think we should edit. Discussing problems with them – on my experience – doesn’t have an effect. I desperately wait for a proper Linux solution. DaVinci seams to be on it’s way.

Use for playing videos never Quicktime! Use VLC or other!

zazu-Berlin Filmproduktion und Werbeagentur

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Thomas Hezel] “But otherwise the clip from DaVinci line 2 – that went through FCPX for final composition – is just the same as the original DaVinci output line 3 !”

So you are saying the files look the same, and that’s a problem, so you’re switching to Linux? Wouldn’t want them to be the same?

The problems in this thread are certainly legacy QT issues, but fortunately, QT is being replaced.

[Rich Kaelin]

Okay…so if you work with DaVinci no problem. Thank you. No issue in Adobe either.

My question was much simpler…if I bring a clip I to FCP…7 or X…and then output it, say take it from xdcam and output (recompress) to ProRes or another format, USING FCP ONLY, there is a definite shift in luminance or gamma. You seem to be confirming that this is true. Try that, simple test, bring a clip into final cut, recompress it in final cut, and then compare the two. Do not use any other tool for compression, do not export an XML and bring it into DaVinci. Use DaVinci only to compare the clip created in Final Cut to the original clip. If you put one clip on top of the other and then disable the clip on and off you see the shift visually. If you bring them into a program like after effects or photoshop where you can hover over a pixel and see the value of that pixel you will see a numerical read out of the difference.

As far as the next person to respond to you, who says that you’re not seeing a difference I don’t think he quite understands. I am talking about if you work only in Final Cut there is a definite difference. I know you’ve done some work on this, but please do this simpler test and confirm what I’m saying.

I believe you will see a significant difference such as the one I have demonstrated above. I have been wondering if I have something set wrong. Some checkbox ticked or some level compression set wrong that I am not aware of. I don’t believe I do. Honestly, I don’t edit in Final Cut anymore. I used premiere for years, and then move to Final Cut because everyone loved it, and then move back to Premiere when 10 came out. I’m probably going to start working with DaVinci now that I am shooting in log

Thanks for your time on this, it does sound like you are confirming that it’s not just my system. I think the other person responding should also do the simple test I am suggesting. Just compress a single clip in Final Cut, and then compare the outputs the original uncompressed, or rather raw footage clip. There really does seem to be a difference of about 5 to 10% in brightness.

Thank you.

Rich Kaelin
Kaelin Motion Production Services
https://kaelinmotion.com
New York

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Rich Kaelin] “say take it from xdcam and output (recompress) to ProRes or another format, USING FCP ONLY, there is a definite shift in luminance or gamma. “

I am not seeing what you see.

I do not work in FCP7 anymore, so there may be some left over issues there. It has not been updated in years, and isn’t really a fair assessment of the state of the NLE today.

Here’s two frame grabs with one original media and one with exported and reimported media. There is no difference.

As a matter of fact, here’s they are stacked with a difference mode: