Video appears darker in FCPX

[Brad Hurley]

This sounds like a gamma issue to me. You should never trust Quicktime as it has well-documented gamma shifts; Quicktime always looks wrong when I use it (so I never use it). If what you see in FCPX is darker than what you see on your reference monitor, check the gamma settings that you used for calibration. My guess is that you’re using gamma 2.4 on your monitor but FCPX’s viewer on your uncalibrated screen is gamma 2.2. If you change your reference monitor’s gamma calibration to 2.2, they’ll likely be closer to matching in terms of brightness.

Gamma 2.2 is the norm for computer monitors, which are mainly used in brightly lit offices. Gamma 2.4 is what you’d use for viewing on a television screen, which are mainly used in darker rooms. Cinema is gamma 2.6, I believe; it’s viewed in a controlled completely dark environment.

[Brad Hurley]

Just to add: the thing to trust is your reference monitor, assuming you calibrated it, and that you calibrated it for whatever you’re delivering for (if for web, use Rec 709 gamma 2.2, if for widescreen TV use Rec 709 gamma 2.4).

[Jay Soriano]

Thanks for your reply Brad. Unfortunately gamma is not the issue. When I skim in the browser the image looks darker. Once I stop, the image looks normal.