Frustrating Difference between Source and Program Monitors

[Bob Dix]

Check with Adobe, but, I have been told the monitors are degraded to assist in the operation of the processing. My final product is always better than anything seen on the monitors. Well we use a Dell Ultra Sharp 24″ Monitor for high definition work , and oh boy, it is good, but, there is a slight difference.

Hope that helps?

Freelance Imaging & Video
AUSTRALIA

[Ross Tokach]

If you right click the monitor, I believe there is a setting for quality or resolution, something along those lines.

“Oop, I think my render is done!”

[Daniel Hoover]

Thanks for the responses!

Ross, that’s the frustrating part – the monitors are already both set to highest quality! So I just want to know why they look different.

It could very well have to do with performance, as Bob pointed out. I’ve just never noticed this in previous versions of Premiere and was surprised to see such a difference between the two.

Hopefully you are right and the final video will be higher quality than either monitor. But the problem is I can’t directly compare the final output to the original After Effects project, as the final output must be rendered, and the AE is an unrendered, embedded project. So there’s no way to tell if all of the original AE quality is there.

What do you think – does it result in better quality to embed AE projects in Premiere, or render them out and import the rendered file?

Thanks again,

-Daniel H.

[Ross Tokach]

I always stay uncompressed until I finish out. That is very odd, I know that I am doing a project on redcam right now that really loves to have the footage set to diff resolutions, program is at 1080, source is at 720, footage is at 4k, ect. So every window looks different, What kind of footage are you working on?

If it is deinterlaced footage on a progressive timeline, vice versa? This would cause a definate differential.

“Oop, I think my render is done!”

[Ross Tokach]

found it, click your timeline, click sequence on top, go to the sequence settings and set your preview to max bitdepth and quality. bottom of the box

“Oop, I think my render is done!”

[Brian Louis]

The source and program monitors are basically a editing aid, they are not really good for previewing/grading, I notice you are using a ntsc workflow, are you going to output to dvd or other type of normal video or Web/computer video? if DVD/Video you should be previewing/grading on a external video monitor, I notice you are using a Blackmagice DV codec, do you have the associated hardware? if so it has a video out to use with a external monitor, a reasonable WS TV that can take a calibration can serve for DVD/video or if for broadcast a decent broadcast monitor should be used, and if possible with the appropriate scopes, something like Blackmagic’s Ultra, if for web/computer a second computer monitor can be used for previewing/grading

[Daniel Hoover]

Good find, Ross!

Brian, yes I have the Blackmagic Intensity capture card, and the video is for the web, not for DVD.

Also, after some close examination, I have found that for some reason, some of the captured footage using the Blackmagic is 720×480 and some is 720×486. But the After Effects project that is featured in the picture posted earlier is a 720×486 project that is using all 720×486 footage.

But this AE project is then embedded into the Premiere project, which is 720×480. This might explain why the Source monitor is nice and sharp (it is previewing the 720×486 AE project), but the Program monitor is somewhat blurry, as it might be rescaling the image to fit within 720×480, and possibly messing with the fields.

I have created a new Premiere sequence, NTSC 720×486 and dropped in the After Effects project, also 720×486. Here you can see that the colors, contrast, and sharpness are much more consistent. Whether that’s a result of the new dimensions, Ross’s new sequence settings, or a combination of both is unclear.

I think we can consider this one solved, thanks again guys!

-Daniel H.

[Ross Tokach]

Good to hear! Happy cutting

“Oop, I think my render is done!”

[Pushpanatha De silva]

Hi Bob Dix

What’s the model No: of your Dell 24″ Ultra Sharp monitor?? I am in process of configuring a suitable Dell machine for my video editing using CS4. What sort Dell PC configuration u have to run ur CS4. Thx.

Pushpa
Brisbane

[Bob Dix]

Hi Pushpa,
S142408WHCAU – Dell 2408WFP UltraSharp 24 Widescreen on Flat Panel LCD (Analogue & DVI)Monitor.
I will be using this with a T220467AU-Dell Vostro 430 Mini Tower Desktop with a Intel(R) Core(TM)Processori7-860 (2.80HHz,8MB,4C, 8Threads,Turbo up to 3G, 512MB ATI RadeonTM HD 4350 (DVI,VGA,HDMI) also Blu-Ray Writer and IEEE 1394A Firewire Card for the Panasonic 3CCD & Canon HV 20.
However, Adobe advise a CS5 Convention for about 15 April,
I will wait to check out System requirements.
We have been editing for over 5 years, from Hi-8, SD to HDV on Premiere Pro 1.5.1 which is the Cineform UpGrade (this needs to be upgraded for the newer H.264 MOV files from the Canon EOS 5D Mark II as it all needs to be rendered before able to used easily on the timeline.Adobe’s Premiere Pro on all video formats till now has been exceptional.Even CS4 is not up to it according to COW Forums.

The colour matching of this monitor to image prints is very accurate so it the matching of video in the Monitor window to out put on a Sony Bravia HD 46″ LCD. The previous 19″ Flat panel Dell Monitor was not bad either, but, we are seeing detail we have not seen before.

Good luck.

(Retired Canon CPS Member)
Freelance Imaging & Video
AUSTRALIA