MAC / CS3 / DVCPRO-HD color shifting

[Andre Farkatt]

No, this doesn’t solve the problem… it is only a workaround for people using old (pre cs3 pre fcp6 software) and other issues concerning quicktime gamma flag for exemple.

I read the white papers from adobe concerning color management, also some blogs, and artbeats explanation of color management and color space. But, doing all that I still wasn’t able to achieve in rendered AE CS3 files, the same color bandwidth comparing to the native p2hd footage direct at the fcp6 timeline…

It appears that the old rgb-yuv mess from the dark ages of AE vs. component betacam non-linear editing from the past has become alive again…

And, I repeat, NOBODY has answered me (or any of the numerous other posts here, in adobeforuns and other foruns) straightforward… Just look at the age of this post.. Its months

Andre Farkatt
RTV Producoes

[Mark Hatch]

I’m struggling with this and we use DVCPRO HD all of the time. In fact, consider this: The problem is even worse when going back to color. Have you tried that? When we take original DVCPRO HD footage and import it into Color, it works fine. When we take it into AE and render it out DVCPRO HD, then import it into Color, it is way blown out.

See if that happens to you. It doesn’t solve anything, it just gives more insight into what may be wrong.

[Andre Farkatt]

I’m sorry if you were upset with my post, but only here in Cow I found more than 10 posts concerning this issue… right now one more person replyed with the same problem… and, opposed to what you said, it IS a common issue, with NO straight solution other than struggling with color management of after effects, always with result with less color bandwidth than the original p2hd footage on the fcp6 timeline… even when we apply a simple color correct at FCP6 with no chage at all, the color are slightly cropped… and with AE it is even worse.

answering your question, yes, I have the latest FCP update, latest AJA codec pack, Lates AE CS3, latest quicktime, latest osx and so on… tested both on my AJA machine and in another one with the software aja codecs, teste in uncompressed, h264, aja 2vuy, dvcproHD, animation, avid meridien, tga sequence, etc…

Andre Farkatt
RTV Producoes

[Andre Farkatt]

I don’t use color, only AE… but you’re right, when we use AE the color space is cropped no matter what setting we use in color management…

I will try with color/AE/color again, and i’m sure I’ll have the same issue…

Thanks, still looking for a solution.

Andre Farkatt
RTV Producoes

[Ron Craig]

Just to chime in — not with an answer, unfortunately, but only to report that I have exactly the same problem. I have done numerous tests, been very careful with all the settings, have tried many permutations of the settings experimentally, etc. All resulting in no joy. I cannot get DVCPRO 720 material (as ProRes or not, etc.) to do a round trip from FCP to AE and back without the gamma/color shift making the product unusable. This is not just one person’s isolated problem.

[Gary Lieberman]

I’m having the same problem. Final Cut to After Effects and back with a color shift, making my on-camera look blue. I’m blue, too.

[Gary Lieberman]

Here are the details of my workflow and the Color/Gamma Shift issue of “Round-tripping” from FCP to AE and back again using the DVCPROHD codec throughout . Let’s say I’m laying out my DVCPROHD clip in FCP, sending a foreground and background clip to AE. Using Keylight to do the keying and adding addition shadows and such. Here are my steps:

FCP: Created DVCPROHD sequence and editd DVCPROHD photoshop elements to track 1 and DVCPROHD green screen shots to track 2.
Outputted a quicktime of the green screen clip (made movie self contained, otherwise AE crashed on render). Disabled track 2 and outputted a quicktime of background element.

AE: Created a DVCPROHD sequence and composited both clips using Keylight. Already, I can see the clip has shifted in color! Rendered an output using the DVCPROHD quicktime codec.

FCP: Inported composited clip in FCP and noted the Color and Gamma difference.

Hope someone can help!

[Miska Draskoczy]

Just to chime in here, I’m realizing i have the same problem as well. Just ‘upgraded’ to AE CS3 / FCP 6.0.3 and suddenly my workflow is broken. This really is a huge problem and makes any fcp/ae combined project difficult to impossible.

[Gary Lieberman]

Here’s an update on the FCP/AE DVCPROHD Roundtrip issue. After some time on the phone with the nice folks at Adobe Tech Support, I’m asked to suspect the way Apple and Adobe interpret the DVCPROHD codec.

So, when I export a clip from FCP to AE using DVCPROHD, AE shifts the color and gamma (color bar vectors no longer hit the boxes). However, when I output a clip using the Animation Codec, AE sees it fine. I then output the composited clip from AE back to FCP using the DVCPROHD codec, and FCP sees it fine. Of course, exporting using the Animation codec takes forever, so that’s not an acceptable solution.

So I asked Adobe, assuming I “pre-convert” all my footage, what HD format (codec) should I use that both Apple FCP and Adobe AE/PS can agree on? I didn’t get an acceptable answer.

Can anyone suggest a workflow that doesn’t involve learning Premier?

Thanks!

[Adam Sondej]

I’m experiencing this issue too.

MXF DVCPRO-HD footage with 709 Color Management settings
then rendered out as 16 bit TGA or 10 Bit Avid DNX suffers
both a colour shift and superwhite crop when compared with the original mxf footage in Avid Nitris and waveform monitor.

What is the normal AE workflow for using video footage
with superwhites which you want retained on input and in the render?

Project settings 709 16 Bit
Interpret footage 709

Thanks

Adam