Major Gamma / Luma Shift Resolve -> Avid DNxHD MXF Media -> Avid

[Joseph Owens]

Reiterating. We have seen it, done it, measured it, chose the correct RGB/Y’CBCr scaling and fixed it.

jPo

You mean “Old Ben”? Ben Kenobi?

[Paul Korver]

Hi Joe,
I believe you. If you still remember the workflow care to share online or off?
Paul

[John Chadwick]

Hi Michael Jordan sent me over from DaVinci forum where I had posted the same problem with FCPX.
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/277/14774#14789
So it’s pointing to an issue with Resolve.

[Peter Chamberlain]

Hi, looks like two or three different threads getting confused here. If we stick with the issue pointed out by Paul in the first post, an image rendered to DNxHD looks different on the Avid UI monitor compared to, some other monitor or application displaying the same file, I presume the Resolve SDI monitor. There is no firmware involved so that seems related to another thread, issue.

You can verify the DNxHD render, or any other, from Resolve by displaying on a HD-SDI grading monitor/projector. Use the same monitor to display the Avid HD-SDI output. They should look the same and can be also verified using a ramp image and a waveform monitor. If good, then work back to each UI monitor to see where the difference is.

Resolve processes in 32 bit floating point with full range images and so there are video level to data level transforms available in the input, render and monitoring depending on your config. Most are automatic but there are user controls too. We also provide the correct display for the UI monitor even though we recommend the HD-SDI output to a calibrated monitor or projector for grading.
Peter

[Stig Olsen]

Hi,

We have been over this issue hundreds of times until we figured out what was wrong.

In our case we had an external OLED-monitor with two inputs connected to two different machines. One mac with Avid and one mac with Resolve.

The different inputs on the OLED was calibrated different and caused the same media to appeal different.

If you work native and render mxf (185-220) this should work without any luma or RGB issues.
Put the mxf files in a new avid media folder and drag the database file into the bin.

Stig

[Bill Ravens]

I found one thing I have been doing wrongly in Resolve. Despite the settings in the configuration page which select full range data, I still need to deselect “Auto” and select “full range” for each and every clip in the media pool. I was assuming that setting up the configuration page properly addressed this issue. Apparently not.Thanks, Joseph, for the clue.

[Joseph Owens]

[Bill Ravens] “Thanks for the clue.”

Any suggestion that gets us through these annoyances, I’m all ears for those. Me, I took a day off.

I recently completed a series that was sourced AVCHD, consolidated and exported DNxHD(MXF/AAF), round tripped in Resolve and exported back to Media Composer. We hit the scaling mismatch immediately, but fortunately I’d already seen it — simply fixed by getting off the “auto” settings.

I don’t know where the ambiguity comes from. I blame Apple.

jPo

You mean “Old Ben”? Ben Kenobi?

[Richard Starkey]

I’ve been seeing this too.

I’ve tried exporting out of Resolve as:
Prores 4444
Prores HQ
Uncompressed QT RGB
Uncompressed QT YUV
DNX HD 1080P 185
DNX HD 1:1 RGB

Nothing looks the same. The DNX all look a bit green and there is a gamma shift- basically less contrast or dimmer whites.
Importing the Prores via AMA looks too light on the other had: the blacks seem lifted.

Even if they look ‘okay’ in MC 5.5, I then get further color shifts when I export a QT for clients to view: basically a complete nightmare! Wish I could just hit on a solution for this, but it looks like I am having to turn to good old reliable FCP7!

Richard Starkey
Priest Post
Cape Town

[Richard Starkey]

Can I just ask a very simple question:

If I want to grade a piece for viral web use (and possible tv broadcast later), what settings should I use?

My unsuccessful workflow:

Grade 5D Native files in DaVinci Resolve, on “Normally Scaled Legal Video”
Render to MXF 185 as normally scaled legal video
Import back into Media Composer so I can add the title and audio
Export from MC to make up a master web clip in Compressor/ Mpeg Streamclip

I compare the graded Prores clip to that shot in my edit as exported out of MC, and I just can’t get to to look the same, in a Quicktime player.

This is a monochrome piece, so a gamma shift is very plain to see. A shift in luminance is also very obvious- I’m getting both in varying degrees.
The DNX looks too green and dark.
I’ve tried rendering to Prores and linking via AMA, but that looks too light.

And exporting out of MC: RGB or 601?

Can’t seem to find a successful combination that retains the original look I had in Resolve.

The same workflow into FCP seems to be much simpler and retains the look exactly.

Any advice would be really helpful.

Richard Starkey
Priest Post
Cape Town

[Nikolay Kirkov]

I used in DaVinci 11 Uncompressed 10 -bit and it colors are the same in Premiere, but it has huge file size. I tried with DnxHD and had the same issue with gamma shift – I fix it with changing the Video/Data level in Delivery page, from Auto to Data and it fixes the problem.