Premiere Import changes color | sony camera

While I understand the struggles to relearn software after major changes, having MAJOR changes to the color space of a program that then affects the workflow of all Sony cameras is a HUGE bug.  If I am on set designing a shot and getting the lighting just the way I want on a color-accurate monitor, but then come back to my system , import the footage and Premier decides that the footage looks completely different on import .... WTF Adobe???  

I purchase high-quality, color-accurate monitors for use during recording and during editing. Adobe Premier has just thrown a HUGE wrench in most videographers workflow that use professional Sony cameras for shooting. It is completely unacceptable.  To a point, I am considering going back to Final Cut Pro after 10 years on Premier. The CAN NOT f*ck up a professional workflow and then blame it on the Mac color space or that we as professionals have to relearn the settings of the software to fix the issue that was NOT as issue before.  Adobe Premier decided to change the color space and it affects the look of the footage that is shot during recording. Completely unacceptable and we as users NEED a solution.

And these changes have been a struggle for many people, as it has changed a couple times within each of the last three major versions. So not understanding is common.

It is good we have more options. And we need more.

But at the same time, it is more complex and for many, practically requires relearning.

Yes, I can see you don't understand that the program has changed and you can't just do what you did.

Buy if you check things out, and set all things to match your needs, I guarantee you can. It isn't pick one or two things, it's setting the entire color management panel to your needs.

As I have said, I have always used the standard settings of Premier (the way it is provided) for color management and have never needed to adjust the color settings to get an accurate view of the footage I shot. What I see on the camera has always translated into the same appearance in the program, until now.  

If I turn on "Display Color Management" the issue gets WAY worse, not better. The color overall goes darker and the blacks are just a single shade. You lose all color detail in the black shirt.  See below:

My goal is to have the accuracy I have always expected from camera to software. Premier has changed that, not my Mac system. You can clearly see a huge difference in the footage color and brightness once it is imported into the software. 

IF you have set your color management settings in Premiere to your needs, you control this.

Next ... Adobe is not responsible for Apple's bizarre color management choices. They can only do what they have done ... provide both a correct to the standards method for color management settings, and finally with the 24.x series, allow the user to set the things to their taste no matter.

So ... have you worked with Premiere's color management settings?

As if you want things to match QuickTime player, set the viewer gamma to 1.96. With the Display CM and Extended range settings both to 'on'.

Oh, and FYI, the image quality and color I see on these LG monitors are exactly the same color I see on the ThinkVision monitors since they are both 99% SRGB rated.  I am getting the same exact results on 2 machines running the same camera, SRGB rated monitors, and Premier software version.  

Premier needs to fix this issue or come up with a solution.

Well, to reply to your comments, I am very used to an accurate image for good quality monitors, yes. I have been in this industry for over 20 years and have NEVER had the color issues from camera to screen that I am seeing today.  A 99%+ SRGB monitor will give me an accurate image to design with for print, web, and video so that I can make 99% sure that what I am designing will print accurately to paper, or show to the end user accurately for web and video, so long as their monitor is of decent quality. 

No image will ever be 100% accurate for all viewers since monitors vary so badly.  I fully understand this. My issue is that I am 100% used to what I design and see in my camera is what I will see once I get to Premier.  That has officially changed!  

I am only showing Quicktime screen shots since it is accurate to what I am seeing on my camera. The appearance of that file is then altered once it gets into Premier. 

Below is the same footage on my other machine discussed that I have been using for over 5 years to edit with and have never seen this issue since the most recent version of Premier Pro 2024. The left image is again Premier Pro 2024 and the right image is Quicktime (only to show you what I see and designed on my camera screen during shooting.)  The left image is darker and more saturated even on these LG 4K monitors that are also 99% SRGB accurate.  

So again, just like the original person posted, why has importing files into Premier changed the color of the footage?  Both of our issues show basically the same thing.  There is no reason for the program to be doing this.

I work for/with/teach pro colorists. I've been around the barn on all this many times.

So first, let's fix some phasing.

You are not used to seeing a technically 'accurate' image, as neither your camera nor QuickTime player are giving the correct treatment of the image. So what you see there, on your computer when you think it's "correct", will not be even close to what I would see on my computer. Or what anyone with a full Rec.709 compliant system will see.

Premiere, with Display Color Management on, and the viewer gamma setting of 2.4, will show the more technically accurate image.

I understand that you are used to an incorrect presentation of the image. Many people are. But don't mistake what you are used to seeing for a technically accurate image.

Now ... as to what you want to see, that's a different matter. From your comments, I would think you would be far happier with using Display color management, but with Premiere's viewer gamma set to QuickTime 1.96.

That should match much closer to the QuickTime player view of the images. I don't think you're nearly as worried about what say, I would see, playing the file on my machine.

And that's the really irritating thing for all of us, as ... you can't display the same file with two very different display transforms and see the same image.

Here is the color space of the imported footage.

Yes, I have looked into color settings and after the import of the footage, the color space is "xvYCC709 (IEC61966_2_4)" ... I have changed it to "Rec 709", but that does not change to issue. The footage looks much better on the camera and in QuickTime it looks similar to the camera, but in Premier the footage looks way darker and saturated.

This image shows the Quicktime footage on the right and the imported footage into Premier on the left with no color change.  You can see how much darker and saturated it is. 

Now, I can easily color correct and fix the skin tones and levels with either appearance, but I want the footage I shoot on the camera to look the same as what I see on my machine, just like I have for years and years. I will then color correct from there, not from something even darker and saturated than what I shot. 

FYI, My monitors here at this office are different than my other office, but both are 99% SRGB accurate.  My old office used LG 4K monitors and the new office uses ThinkVision. I do like the LGs much better, but the color accuracy is still there on either.

Again, I am going to bring some of the footage to my old office and test it tonight to see if the footage imports differently on the old machine (an iMac Pro) running the same version of Premier 2024.

Thoughts?  Ideas on a solution?