Desaturated video when exported

There is an underlying problem there that takes a bit of explaining.

The full standards for Rec.709/SDR video include both a camera transform function of 1.96 and a display transform function (approximate gamma) of 2.4.

Premiere follows the expected professional Rec.709 standards. And applies both the camera and display transforms.

The Mac OS color management utility ColorSync, for some reason known only within Apple, does not follow the full standard. That CM utility applies only the 1.96 camera (scene) transform, but does not apply the requisite 2.4 gamma for screen display. And that is where the difference comes in.

As you cannot display a file at two different gammas and get the same visual appearence.

So within Pr on a Mac, especially with the Preferences option of Display Color Management set (as it should be), you will see a fairly close Rec.709 image depending on how close your monitor is actually set. This image will be much like what you would see watching it on a full broadcast-spec Rec.709 system.

But outside Pr on a Mac, you will probably see an image a bit lighter in the shadows and apparently less saturated. It's the same pixels, just displayed differently.

And if you darken the image to look "the same" outside Pr on that Mac, then take that file and view it on any non-Mac system, the image will probably be way too dark and over-saturated, with crushed blacks.

And not a single pro colorist can make a file that 'looks the same' with both display specs applied.

Within the Adobe "sphere", they came up with the LUT to be applied on export to darken the image. However, as noted above, on a non-Mac system it will be too dark.

BlackMagic came up with a different "solution", the Rec.709-A export option, where A is for Apple. That sets a different "tag" so that the Mac actually displays the file correctly. However, on most non-Mac systems, that causes the image to ... again! ... be over-dark and over-saturated.

I wish there was "a real solution" but there isn't. And this ticks off pro colorists big-time. Who are mostly Mac users, btw. As if "everyone" would just use the same frickin' standard, we wouldn't have this issue.

And by the way ... this happens to all media you see on that Mac, via Chrome, Safari, QuickTime Player, as all pro produced media is designed using the full Rec.709 standards. Have you thought the images were too light and low-saturated?

Neil

<moved from cc services >

You need to ask program questions in the forum for the program you are using
To ask in the forum for your program please start at https://community.adobe.com/

Are you asking about Premiere Elements or Premiere Pro?