[Andy Devries]

[Luiz Cruz] “The same happens on After Effects. There, I created a background solid filled with #064C54 and it doesn’t matter if my composition is set to “HDTV (Rec. 709)”, “Rec. 709 Gamma 2.4”, “sRGB” or isn’t color managed the outputted video file shows exactly the same behavior: Chrome reports that color as #074B56.”

What settings are you using in your output module? Most lossy video codecs will result in varying degrees of color compression…if I take a color solid, render it to 32-bit Prores 4444 (described by Apple as “visually lossless”), bring it back into AE and plop into the comp it originated from, then watch the Info tab while hovering over the image…I will see small deviations from the original solid (depending on where I’m hovering, which can be a little maddening). More lossy codecs will see more deviation.

From there…I would not consider eye-dropping in Chrome a suitable testing environment. Who knows what kind of voodoo might be happening there. Nor would I put much stock in whatever compression is performed platform-side (facebook, instagram, etc…yuck). You’re almost certainly going to get color shifts when compressed by their internal chopshop…welcome to the wild world of web video! The best we can do is manage color appropriately up until file output. Should a client complain that their color looked “off” on device XYZ on platform ABC…the best you can do is speak confidently of the work done up until the moment it left your machine.

[Andy Devries]

Ditto, Owen – the ability to cut from a source timeline in Avid is the foundation of how I work – creating very organized select reels and cutting them into my main program.

FCPX has done a nice job in allowing this sort of functionality by way of the compound clips. Organize selects in keyword-organized compound clips, and cut them into your main “project.” No precise patching, of course, but I kinda like it.

Without this functionality, I’m not sure how to efficiently cut from select reels. The benefits of Prelude’s “Rough Cut” are lost since you are still resorting to painstaking copy/pasting from the rough cut into your main program…right?

Can anyone offer advice on an efficient selects reel workflow without this source/record timeline functionality? If not, I can’t see our new post facility moving toward Premiere.

[Andy Devries]

BUMP just stumbled upon this thread when experiencing the same issue – timeofday tc added in qtchange worked in FCP7 but was not showing up in FCPX.

Adding a reel name does it – the developer has added a very courteous note about this in the app as-of qtchange 2.18 (see screenshot below). Thanks all!

[Andy Devries]

I am just diving into FCPX and this is a great approach to a more traditional avid/fcp7-friendly logging/selects workflow. Great!

Keyword-organizing the compound clips so that they’ll show up in their predefined folders is a bit laborious but I don’t mind it…the extra care up front pays off.

Coming from Avid, I always started by creating selects in sequences which I could load in my source monitor and cut into my main show, hopping back into the selects to review footage with client as needed. In FCP7, I missed this dearly since sequences cannot be loaded into the source viewer.

Using compound clips as my select compilations works great – Loading the compound clips into my clip viewer effectively operates like a source monitor – I can scrub thru my select comp and cut into my project from there. I also love the timeline index as I can quickly see associated clips/markers/favorites and match into them as needed.

[Andy Devries]

Can you elaborate on where you’re getting tripped up?

Generally—Within the capture tool, disable machine control by clicking the “toggle source” button. Then be sure to supply a tape name. Be sure your desired Video and Audio Channels are highlighted up near the top of the capture tool.

I can’t speak for video/audio input settings, I only use SDI myself…but assuming those are configured for correctly for a Firewire connection in the Video Input and Audio Input Tools, you should be able to crash record from the camera.

[Andy Devries]

I do have a laptop with a D-sub connection…maybe I can get that to play it out through a monitor, or even directly into Avid? I dunno…I’m reaching.

[Andy Devries]

Combining media from different avid mediafiles folders into one new folder at the finder level should not be an issue so long as you delete the msmMMOB.mdb and msmFMID.pmr files and let Avid re-scan and re-index the new Avid Mediafiles folder after you’re done copying.

[Andy Devries]

Hey Thanks Grinner.

Still, I am baffled at the discrepancy between the RGB levels I read in After Effects (16-17 RGB) and DG’s claim that I was somewhere around 15 IRE, likewise that my 0 RBG export was hitting their 7.5 IRE spec. Likewise again that another distributor had no problem with the 601 export that DG rejected.

[Andy Devries]

Hi Chris, thanks for writing.

I don’t think DG requires a test anymore but I do specifically request it now, largely in part to this issue. And they do tell me that all is well. But I definitely still see it as cause for concern since, at least prior to my tests, it was unclear where that black was coming from and how it was affecting the dimensions and field order of my interlaced NTSC video.

For instance, if it was shifting the video up, even if that black line was out of action safe, there may be some other pixels further up that are now IN action safe after being shifted up a few pixels. But my biggest concern was fields and improper scaling due to any horizontal “squishing” – I mean if my source video is 720×486 and there’s a 2 pixel black bar added to the bottom, then where’d my other pixels go???

But DG claims all is well and my test indicates that the black bar is going OVER existing video which is better than any alternative. Still freaking bizarre and not cool.

I think I will post the specs sometime here and hope that someone would be willing to try them for themselves.

[Andy Devries]

P.S. I should mention that my above post is very general…there are several “gotchyas” and specific specs that you’ll need to work out in Compressor, Encore AND Toast…but it depends on your specific setup, and I just can’t write it all out right now 😉