Export Color and Brightness Issues

[Mindflow]

I keep having export issues were the export of my project just doesn't look the same as the previews while editing in the timeline (see screenshots). The image I'm seeing in the program monitor in Premiere Pro has more contrast and saturation and when I export the video it looks brighter and washed and lacks saturation. I've looked online and on this forum to find solutions but I can't find one that works for me. When I disable 'Display Color Management' the brightness issue is mostly resolved (the preview in Premiere Pro still has a bit more contrast then the exported video) but the saturation issue keeps persisting. So now I'm compensation while editing, I'm adding a lot of contrast and saturation and by trail and error I finally get the export I want, wich is not the way I want to work. I've attached my export settings.

I'm working on a macbook pro 16" M1 Max 32GB ram 2TB ssd 

Does anyone have a solution for these issues?

[Ann Bens]

Premiere Pro V22 - Understanding Color Spaces, HDR, and what that might mean to you - YouTube

[Mindflow]

Hi Ann, 

Thanks for your reply and I've watched the video but I don't think you've looked at my issue thoroughly because the video you posted doesn't adress any of the issues I'm having. The video is about HDR footage that looks blown out inside Premiere Pro and how to display the footage in Rec. 709. But my issue isn't that the footage I'm editing looks blown out inside Premiere Pro, when I'm editing in Premiere Pro the footage looks perfectly fine. The issue is when I export, the video looks different than in the Program monitor in Premiere Pro. I'm working with Rec. 709 footage shot in Log. The 'Working Color Space' is also set to Rec. 709. But still, the exported video looks different than the footage in Premiere Pro (look at the screenshots). 

[R Neil Haugen]

It's actually the problem Ann referenced.

A key point: while some Rec.709/SDR video is encoded in log, ALL HDR video is encoded in log.

And Premiere at the current time looks at a lot of log media, and assumes it's meant to be HLG. Hybrid log gamma, right? A form of HDR.

So yes, Ann's comments and reference are spot-on. Select the clips in the Project panel, right-click, Modify/Interpret Footage, set the Override option to Rec.709.

The blown out look on export is what Premiere currently does with any media it sees as HDR when used on a Rec.709/SDR timeline without the Override to Rec.709 being set.

Neil

[Mindflow]

Hi Neil,

Thanks for replying, as shown in the image I've attached the footage is already interpreted as Rec.709. 

Any idea of other settings that could cause these issues?

[R Neil Haugen]

No, it isn't, actually ... as you haven't set the Override to option. Reread my post ... as to how Premiere is actually behaving. It may 'read' this as Rec.709, but due to it being log, is USING it as HLG.

Try setting the Override to option to Rec.709.

Although there have been a couple clips that people have sent me from one camera that Premiere did this with even after setting the Override to Rec.709. I had to transcode that clip. Thankfully, that's rare.

Neil

[Mindflow]

Hi Neil,

I set the override option to Rec.709

Still the exported video looks less saturated, see attached image (especially noticable in the skin tones)

Can it have something to do with the Color Primaries? 

[R Neil Haugen]

After setting the "Override", you should check the image on the timeline and particularly for saturation, with the Vectorscope. Compare the total sat area to clips around it.

And yea, after overriding to Rec.709 some changes are likely needed in color corrections.

Neil

[Mindflow]

So when I import the exported video back into Premiere Pro it looks the same as when I'm editing, but if I open the video with quicktime and hold it over Premiere Pro next to the Program monitor it still looks different... Also, when I take a screenshot of the exported video and import in into Premiere Pro, you can see the difference on the scopes. The video looks like the still I took on all other displays

[R Neil Haugen · Accepted solution]

In Quicktime you are not getting an accurately reproduced image ... especially on a Mac. Their ColorSync color management utility applies a weird 1.96 gamma to Rec.709 media, rather than the 2.4 of normal pro Rec.709.

And yes, that is a problem heavily discussed everywhere yet for which there is no one 'solution.' You can't display the same file at two different gammas and get the same image on-screen.

Neil

[Mindflow]

Thanks Neil for taking the time to explain and I see there's a lot to learn about color management. I still think it's a bit strange that Apple is seen as the go to brand for people in my field of work and 'creatives' in general because of their hardware and great display technology only to have your footage look washed and undersaturated on their devices. Anyhow, thank you for identifying the problem I really appreciate it!

[R Neil Haugen]

Yea, right?

I work daily with a bunch of colorists. At the moment, listening to an online live discussion at MixingLight.com, where I'm a contributor for working color in Premiere if you have to. And you better believe, a TON of those are total Mac people.

And they look at this and say what the HAY Apple? Because there isn't a fix. Everyone else uses 2.4 or 2.2 (for web or in bright-room viewing) for Rec.709. Long after this was The Standard ... Apple chooses to use gamma 1.96.

Frustrating for everyone!

Neil