Gamma Bug- I need your input for an Apple Engineer. Seriously.

[Kevin Monahan]

A lot of the gamma issues were supposed to be addressed in the latest version of FCS. Which specific problems/workflows are causing the issue? Have you set your own monitors to 2.2?

Kevin Monahan
http://www.fcpworld.com
Author – Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro

[Cory Caplan]

Yes, actually I was on 2.2 before SL, because it’s closer to Video screens..

Anyway, although for me, it’s better in SL, compressor still generates a h.264 that’s off in hue and contrast slightly from the original. (For fun, I opened the original and the encode side-by-side and then tried all of the different color profiles. The two different windows change dramatically when you select different profiles, so obviously the “base data” is encoded very differently, and Apple is using the embedded profile to tell the OS how to display it– trouble is, it’s not “right” Doing a screencap on my calibrated profile gives me an image that is about 10% less saturated and the hue is about 2 degrees off, although the “gamma” seems right.

Furthermore, if you send it to a PC, it’s just like it always was– WAY washed out and totally wrong.

And I don’t know about you, but most of my clients are PC people, so they’re not seeing what’s right.

[Mario Rubertis]

Cory,

I had the same issue with Compressor, then I heard about the Matrox CompressHD… not only does it SOLVE the GAMMA shift problem!! but it also speeds up the h.264 encoding.. the time I’m saving with this device is translating into more $$.

check it out:
https://www.matrox.com/video/en/products/compresshd/

An Artist At Heart.
Life is made of moments…

[Cory Caplan]

Yikes $495 at Newegg, huh? Seems very cool, but I can’t lay out that much cash right now to fix a bug, you know?

[Steve Eisen]

I guess that is why I do not see any gamma issues. I got the CompressHD card the day it was released.

Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Board of Directors
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group

[Michael Sacci]

The card is not just a “bug fix,” it greatly speeds up H264 encoding, better than RT. There is a little Turbo USB unit that speeds things up also and it is about $100.

[Dean Isaacs]

Cory:

I agree that rendered videos should match the FCP Viewer and they don’t.

But I’m not sure about the conclusion that the FCP Viewer is “right” and the h.264 render is wrong. This is the part I’m still testing.

Here’s a test I would suggest to verify. Take some HD video with a colorful background and white balance so that the video you view on the video camaras screen is pretty close to what you see in real life.

Now put this into FCP and render to H.264. How does the H.264 render compare to what you see in real life or on the camera?

I’m just wondering whether the washout is occurring in comparison to what you see in the FCP Viewer or is it also in comparison to real life/or as viewed on camera.

Dean Isaacs

[Rafael Amador]

[Dean Isaacs] “But I’m not sure about the conclusion that the FCP Viewer is “right” and the h.264 render is wrong. This is the part I’m still testing. “
is not a matter of which one is right, which one is wrong.
the point is that it shouldn’t be any difference at all when played in the same screen.
I’m still in FC 6. Two days ago I made an H264 from an Apple 10b Unc clip.
In the end I had to upload a PhotoJPEG because the Gamma shift in the H264 was huge,
And I don’t see the point of suggesting to buy an H264 video card.
People just had spent a bunch of money to update to FCS3 and SL.
Those things should be already fixed.If FC claims to be a “Professional Solution” it should works like that.
Cheers,
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Craig Russillroy]

I use the x264 plugin and have no gamma issues at all … Please try it out goggle x264 it is an I duLler free by the way tell me how you go as I am only doing pal in HD – hope this helps

MINTedit

Editing – VFX -Digital Signage – Digital Pipeline Solutions

MACproo – All the bits and bobs

[Gary Adcock]

“m still in FC 6. Two days ago I made an H264 from an Apple 10b Unc clip.
In the end I had to upload a PhotoJPEG because the Gamma shift in the H264 was huge,
And I don’t see the point of suggesting to buy an H264 video card. People just had spent a bunch of money to update to FCS3 and SL. Those things should be already fixed”

For the record:
I am not seeing this on any hardware encoded h.264 content, regardless of the source, only in h.264 encodes in compressor.

BUT

NO software or hardware developer is going to fix ANY OLDER VERSION OF A PRODUCT after the new version has come out.

Thats what upgrades are for, that’s why new hardware and software were released. This does not mean that it should not have been fixed 3 years ago. Those of us that work in the RGB >YUV world have had to deal with this for almost a decade, but apple has fixed in the latest FCP7/ SL builds from my tests.

Lets just hope it won’t take 10 years for h.264 to get fixed.

gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows for the Digitally Inclined
Chicago, IL

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/adcock_gary/AJAIOHD.php