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Kasper Garam18372750
Participating Frequently
April 21, 2023
Question

Display Color Management darkens my footage

  • April 21, 2023
  • 3 replies
  • 2230 views

I'm importing footage to Premiere. Everything looks fine on my computer in Finder or QuickTime, but when I import the footage in to Premiere, the footage gets A LOT darker. If I go to preferences and deselect "Display Color Management", the issue is gone and my footage looks normal. I have a P3 display on my MacBook Pro 14", so it seems to be adviced that I turn "Display Color Management" on, but then I get the issue of the darker footage. Is there anything I can do to help with the issue, while still keeping Display Color Management on?

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3 replies

J
Jerry 1066
Inspiring
June 10, 2023

This issue has been bugging me for ever. Trouble is, I like the PP workflow. So I find myself coming back to it. But there is something worth mentioning, and I think this is important, not least for Adobe to take notice:

 

This issue doesn't exist in Final Cut Pro or Davinci Resolve.

 

Now, with Final Cut Pro, the colour management is handled natively, there is nothing the user needs to do. Renders will match the program monitor window.

 

In Davinci Resolve, there is a small tweak to do to the settings - you have to check "use Mac display profile,"and then set the output colour space to Rec.709-A. And that's it. Your renders will match what you see.

 

I have both of these alternative softwares, and I have to say I don't like FCP's file management one bit. If you're not careful a 4TB hard drive will quickly fill up. Resolve is newer to me, but the first thing I did was a 4K render test. Everything came out completely identical on my screen - QuickTime, Resolve, source file and YouTube. What a blessed relief.

 

So, hello Adobe: How about a "Use Mac Display Profile" checkbox in the preferences? Is it really that hard?

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    June 10, 2023

    A lot of us have asked for that option and hopefully we'll get it. Because people want it. (Though not because it's correct color.)

     

    Why is it not a color-correct thing?  Because outside of the Macsosphere, on anything that uses full broadcast standard Rec.709, that file will be not at all like you saw it. And there isn't any actual, color correct "solution".

     

    But a lot users want it. Give the customer what they want is a good idea ...

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    April 21, 2023

    Was just down at NAB 2023 in Vegas, and one of the devs brought this up ... and is trying to get this sorted and maybe changed. So there might be some changes eventually on this.

     

    As he was noting, being as the Mac displays Rec.709/SDR media with the camera transform of 1.96, not the display transform of 2.4, nor the expected sRGB on the Web of 2.2 ... the "QuickTime gamma issue" is that outside of Premiere, Qt/ColorSync will display the media lighter, right? Right!

     

    So ... you turn on the DCM in the newer Macs ... your media gets darker like your post. So naturally, you lighten in in color ... and it's even lighter when exported and seen in Qt ... not ... what you'd want.

     

    So with a major long-time dev bringing this up, it's under discussion certainly. How long till we get more info, no clue.

     

    Neil

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    K
    Kasper Garam18372750Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2023

    Thanks a lot Neil! It's good to hear that people are working on this.
    As for lightening it up in Pr and exporting, sure it becomes lighter. But then I use the QT Gamma Compensation LUT and everything is fine. Upload to YouTube like that and it looks as it should on any screen that I try it on. So no issues in the end, but it's just a pain to work this way

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    April 21, 2023

    I work for/with/teach pro colorists. Most of whom are total Mac geeks, right?

     

    They're furious with Apple over this. There wouldn't BE any issue if Apple had simply stayed with all other apps/The World and set ColorSync's "Rec.709" option to display Rec.709 clips with the 'normal'/expected gamma of 2.4.

     

    As the difference (visually) on most screens between the "typical web 2.2" and broadcast-required 2.4 is less than what you'll get by being in a brighter or darker room on the same screen. But ... 1.96? That's WAY different!

     

    I know some colorists that simply do all in 2.4 ... as well, Mac users don't realize that the things tend to show b-cast standard stuff too light as that's what they always see. It's like the old colorist saying, "You can't fix gramma's green TV" thing, right?

     

    And some do their work in 2.4, then simply give the gamma wheel (mids contol) a very slight drop action in say an Adjustment layer over the project at export. Which means that on a PC, it will be a bit dark. But not too bad ... nothing crushed.

     

    And on a typcial Mac, it will be a bit light ... but not too bad. And say ... that's the best I can do at this time.

     

    Some Macs do have a monitor option for "HDTV" as well as Rec.709. And on those, that setting does use gamma 2.4 for all Rec.709. But many Macs don't have that option, and realistically, how many users that have it will know it's there and when/why to use it?

     

    I'm not thinking it would be that many, you know?

     

    And it would be nice if everyone went by the same standard ... 

     

    Neil

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    K
    Kasper Garam18372750Author
    Participating Frequently
    April 21, 2023

     

    Here are a couple of screenshots. Left side is QuickTime, right side is Premiere.

    My computer specs is running MacOS Ventura 13.2 and the Premiere version is 23.3

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