ProRes playback on QT player vs FCP Timeline

[David Roth weiss]

[Dale Launer] “When I click on the file and playback through Quicktime player it looks much different”

How so??? What’s different?

BTW, great screenwriting…

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Post-production Supervisor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

[Dale Launer]

When played via the Quicktime player I’d say the gamma was off. Looks a little washed out and (I might change my mind on this because it sounds impossible) – noisier. But when outputting the same file placed on the FCP timeline – looks great.

And thanks for the compliment! Always welcomed.

Dale

Dale Launer
writer.filmmaker
G5 Cinewave HD Huge

[Carsten Orlt]

most likely to do with pixel aspect ratio.
what format is your HD footage? if it is not full raster 1920×1080 and square pixel ratio the QT player doesn’t compensate to display the footage correctly at 16-9.
If you for instance have 1440×1080 then you’ll see that FCP has a pixel aspect ratio for 1440×1080 and not square (sequence-settings or command-zeroto check). In this case FCP compensates correctly for display but QT player just displays the footage with out pixel aspect ratio compensation.

[Jeremy Garchow]

Never judge a book by it’s cover.

Never judge a Quicktime movie without a proper monitor.

[Carsten Orlt]

ups wrong guess 🙂

[Dom Silverio]

Well if you are going to use the QT movie for something, say DVD authoring, his concerns are very valid. The compression program will inherit such flaw.

The problem maybe that QT is not using the correct color space (RGB vs YUV would be my guess).

[David Roth weiss]

[Dale Launer] “When played via the Quicktime player I’d say the gamma was off. Looks a little washed out and (I might change my mind on this because it sounds impossible) – noisier. But when outputting the same file placed on the FCP timeline – looks great.”

Dale,

There’s no compelling reason why your export should look any different. Usually most complaints here are that video in the canvas doesn’t look like the video in the viewer or in the QT player. Of course thats the nature RT playback in the canvas. Your experience is just the opposite. Strange!!!

So far all of the ProRes conversions and exports that I’ve done during my testing have looked very much like the original files. So, you’ve got me stumped.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Post-production Supervisor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

[Dale Launer]

I’m using the same monitor for both.

Dale Launer
writer.filmmaker
G5 Cinewave HD Huge

[Dale Launer]

most likely to do with pixel aspect ratio.

WHA…?!

what format is your HD footage?

1920x1080p Kona’s uncompressed VUY.

…if it is not full raster 1920×1080 and square pixel ratio the QT player doesn’t compensate to display the footage correctly at 16-9.
If you for instance have 1440×1080 then you’ll see that FCP has a pixel aspect ratio for 1440×1080 and not square (sequence-settings or command-zeroto check). In this case FCP compensates correctly for display but QT player just displays the footage with out pixel aspect ratio compensation.

That’s interesting. I don’t think it applies, but it is interesting. But wouldn’t that just show up as squeezed image?

Dale Launer
writer.filmmaker
G5 Cinewave HD Huge

[Carsten Orlt]

[Dale Launer] “That’s interesting. I don’t think it applies, but it is interesting. But wouldn’t that just show up as squeezed image? “

your right Dale. it doesn’t apply. it was a shot in the dark, but after you posted your problem has to do with gamma, i knew i was of target 🙂

i think mpe’s guess is the best: rgb vers. yuv
what is your HD codec you exporting from in fcp? and how did you capture it? i don’t know the cinewave so i don’t know if it could cause the problem.