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Resolve to FCPX gamma shift
Sorry for cross-posting, but I’m not sure wether this belongs into the FCPX or DaVinci Resolve forums, so I posted in both.
I graded a sequence in DaVinci Resolve 9. As a client-monitor I use a panasonic plasma connected to the BlackMagic DeckLink card in my MacPro.
I do know that it’s not a calibrated monitor, but what I see is a relative problem rather than a absolute one.I render the sequence in Resolve to a series of ProRes4444 files, export an XML and import the whole shabang into FCPX. I rendered at “Unscaled Full Range Data”, because I don’t need to be TV safe.
If I export using “video levels” the image gets even mushier.
When I look at the footage in FCPX the blacks are at 0% on FCP’s internal Waveform as opposed to below that and the whites are a good deal lower than 110% where they start to clip.
The images look flatter and less crisp than what I graded them to in resolve.
Does FCPX remap the black/white levels or do some gamma voodoo?
Remember I’m looking at the output of the two programs on the same monitor connected to the same I/O card, so even if the plasma is not a calibrated client-monitor at least it should look the same, no?
Do I have to change something in my renderings?
Help appreciated.
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Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria________________________________________
Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria -
9 Replies
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It’s set to DataLevels
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Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria -
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Please explain that. It is not clear to me why that should be a shift in image brightness, when I stick to data levels in my workflow.
I monitor out of Resolve in data levels, export ProResFiles with data levels, but as soon as I bring it to FCP it lifts it up again? But only for display, because when I export a ProRes4444 from FCP and look at it back in Resolve it looks good.
If I look at the stuff in AfterEffects (Via BlackMagic card) it looks like it should. It’s only FCP that makes it murky.
What is my problem? I want to look at data levels and I want tom output data levels. I don’t want te be video legal.
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Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria -
What levels do you think FCPX (a VIDEO editor) is expecting? What levels do you think you should use?
Stick with video. Stick with auto levels. Live a happier life.
color/post/workflow
https://JuanSalvo.com -
The final output needs to be a full range DCP, but FCP or FCPX eats away the additional data, so what do I do? How do I master?
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Director of Photography, Director, Editor
Vienna, Austria -
Ooh I don’t know whether you resolved this issue already or not but somebody who doesn’t know what they are talking about but very cocky responded to your post. This has nothing to do with the video monitor levels.
Anyways… The trouble with the FCPX color goes way back to FC7 and it is called Quicktime gamma shift problem. Quicktime and therefore FCPX uses different color scale and wrong gamma levels. I haven’t found any solution to that yet because Apple is being a thickhead and refuse to admit they are wrong and fixing it.
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“Quicktime gamma shift ” is a misnomer for people who don’t know what they’re doing. 😉
I have perfectly consistent and valid results by using the correct data type, and container, and making critical evaluation on an external monitor that has been properly calibrated.
The fact is when you’re playing any sort of media in a OS environment there are a huge number of variables as to how that material will be displayed. If any of those are off the result will be inconsistent (as was the case with the OP). By using baseband video you bypass most of those OS and software gotchas. But QuickTime isn’t inherently any worse at this than other media containers, in fact thanks to ColorSync it’s often better.
The OP was monitoring with data levels in an environment that probably expected video levels, when he then rendered that out and brought it into fcpx he got lifted results. As he was clipping on output prior. That, btw, is not a “gamma shift”, it’s a level scaling misinterpretation.
https://JuanSalvo.com
https://theColourSpace.com -
I know this is an old thread… however I was looking for answers to a similar problem and came across it. Readers might find this explanation very clear, it gives more nuance to what Juan Salvo said: https://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?330094-Video-Levels-vs-Data-Levels-DEMYSTIFIED
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