RAW Image vs. Image in AE

[Ericbowen]

What do you have the color space set to for output. Are you on Windows and if so can you export to AVI Lossless?

Eric-ADK
Tech Manager
support@adkvideoediting.com

[Robby Monk]

Hey Eric,
Below is a screen grab to answer your first question (I hope!). And, yes, I am using Windows. I can export to AVI. I’ve always exported straight to QuickTime. Is that not the correct way of doing it? It just seems like it is compressing my images, even as soon as I import into AE. Pretty frustrating.

[Ericbowen]

What colorspace are you outputting when you create the Quicktime file? What colorspace did you want to output? Right now the work colorspace is off. Quicktime lossless is not always the best output for Windows AE. I suggest using AVI lossless and checking to see what the difference looks like. Avoid PNG right now on output when you can on Windows because the performance for threading is poor.

Eric-ADK
Tech Manager
support@adkvideoediting.com

[Robby Monk]

Thanks for your help Eric. I’m afraid I’m not sure when it comes to colorspace.

Also, once I output to AVI lossless, what do I then do to the file? Do I take it to Media Encoder and do anything with it?

[Ericbowen]

What were you doing with the Quicktime files? I assumed those were going to Premiere.

BTW read this on AE colorspace and control
https://helpx.adobe.com/en/after-effects/using/color-management.html

Eric-ADK
Tech Manager
support@adkvideoediting.com

[Robby Monk]

I’m not using Premiere at all. All my work is from Camera to AE.

[Walter Soyka]

What is the “RAW footage” from? How are you viewing the “RAW footage” for this comparison?

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Robby Monk]

The raw footage is coming from my SanDisk Card. It opens in windows media player.

[Walter Soyka]

[Robby Monk] “The raw footage is coming from my SanDisk Card. It opens in windows media player.”

What kind of footage is it? When you saw “RAW” with all capital letters, that means something that I think you might not intend:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_image_format

After Effects, Windows Media Player, and QuickTime all render color differently. You will not see the same thing in all three of these applications.

Even if you choose to use color management as Eric has outlined, and even if you profile your monitor, you will not guarantee color-accurate playback in non-managed applications like Windows Media Player or QuickTime Player.

If you are unhappy with the look of the footage in Ae, you can manipulate it with the effects in the Color Correction category. It looks to me like a bit of an S-curve adjustment with the Curves effect will get you closer in Ae to what you are seeing in WMP.

Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive   |   RenderBreak [blog]   |   Profile [LinkedIn]

[Robby Monk]

Thanks Walter! I think the thing that concerns me most isn’t the color, it’s the quality that looks like it has dropped. It looks a bit more pixalated in AE than when I’m looking at it in Windows Media Player (straight off the disk). It’s like it is compressing the footage when I put it in AE.