Extreme color shift and pixellation of phone video when exporting

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Hi, I'm getting extreme changes in color when exporting videos shot on a Google Pixel 8. This happens on PP 23 and 24. The footage looks fine in Premiere, but in the export preview window, and in the export itself, the colors shift dramatically, into horribly garish hues. There also tons of pixellation.  This happens at every export setting I've tried.  I'm on windows 10. I've attached screenshots of the original video and export.

[R Neil Haugen]

Not using correct color management is the problem. And the options change dramatically each major version. 25 x has had amazing upgrades to its color management.

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Thanks Neil - and thanks for all your helpful posts here, I can't tell you how many times  Google search has led me to one of your posts answering my question on this forum! 

So I just installed 25 and unfortunately encountering the exact same issue. What's so bizarre is the footage looks fine in the timeline, but as soon as I go to export, the preview window shows extreme color changes and pixellation. Maybe it's worth mentioning I'm changing nothing about the clip - no color or other effects - except for normalizing audio and making a few cuts. 

If you have any other suggestions, I'd very much appreciate them! 

[R Neil Haugen]

Well, provide your full settings list for Color Management.

When this happens, typically, it's HLG media (though sometimes PQ) not properly managed to a Rec.709 timeline, then exported. The fix for that is a unified set of CM to get where you want to go.

In 25.x, display color management, auto detect log, and auto tonemapping to on.

Set the sequence working space to Rec.709.

Use only export presets that do not have HLG or PQ in the preset name.

There is a second, separate issue, after export, but ... only on some Macs.

But as you're on a PC, I'll not talk about that here.

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Thanks Neil. OK, this question may betray how limited my skills/knowledge
of color is, but, is it not possible to simply keep the same color as the
source footage, without having to adjust anything? That's all I'm looking
to do here.

And again, the thing that strikes me as odd is that in the timeline the
color IS identical to source footage. But the export preview (and the
export itself) looks completely different.

[R Neil Haugen]

You misunderstand the total nature of the media ... and this is crucial to know because it affects everything about how it appears across devices.

It used to be that all video was Rec.709, a moderately narrow dynamic range (black to white tonal values) and a limited color gamut/space/volume, of the sRGB color primaries.

Now, there are several different color space/gamuts that video is captured in at this time, and with a wide array of dynamic ranges, all of this varying between cameras and camera settings ... meaning the "distance" in values between white and black.

So there isn't any 'just right' thing for all video anymore.

YOU have the control over how it is utilized, period. You have to make choices. It's up to you to determine the usage for your needs.

Yes, you can keep the source ... if you know what the source media is. And then set the vastly expanded color management system to do what you want it to do.

I will also mention, as someone who works for/with/teaches pro colorists, less than half of pro colorists have delivered a single HDR paid job yet.

Why? Most broadcast/streaming is still in SDR/Rec.709.

Because HDR is  still in the Wild Wild West days. There are multiple competing formats, the majority of screens don't do any of them, the ones that do only do one or two, and ... they tend not to do it very well anyway.

The few that do handle HDR well, can be spectacular.

So ... if you want to work HDR go ahead, but ... it's not all that 'controlled' as to how other screens will actually show your exported media.

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Thanks for explaining all that Neil. I won't pretend I follow all of it
fully, but I think I get the jist. But what I'm still not clear on - and
forgive me if your explanation explains this and I'm just not seeing this -
is why the preview window when I go to export looks so different from the
timeline? The timeline looks like my footage, the preview window looks
nothing like my footage.

[R Neil Haugen]

That would depend on how you've set things up. If your input, sequence/working, and export color spaces are all matching, you won't get that.

So ... what are you setting for those?

[Zealous_outfit157F]

I've not changed any of the default settings on anything color related.

[R Neil Haugen]

The default may not have anything to do with what you want or need.

So, your media, what format and color space. As in MP4 HLG, whatever; and what do you want to end up with ... Rec.709, HLG, what?

And what you've used for CM settings, the actual full setup.

Then we can suggest the better options.

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Hi Neil, I am a novice here, so maybe I'm oversimplifying this out of ignorance, but I don't care what format or color space I wind up in. I just want the footage in the preview window (and the actual export itself) to look the same as the footage in the timeline (which looks identical to the source footage).  The source file is MP4. I've done a bunch of googling but can't quite figure out how to determine the color space. 

[R Neil Haugen]

If there was only one possible color space, it wouldn't matter. But right now there are several different color spaces and dynamic range possibilities and pretty much all can be used in other spaces with appropriate transforms.

They cannot guess what each user wants. In a pro program, the user controls things.

It's not difficult really. In the projects panel, select a clip, right-click "properties". Among other things will be the color space. Typically Rec.709, HLG or PQ, at the moment.

And you must set your chosen output color space. Rec.709 is easier across devices, as HDR is still the Wild Wild West. But you can export in two or three different HDR formats by choice.

The easier thing is to set display Color Management, auto detect log, and auto tonemapping on. Set your sequence to Rec.709, and use the Rec.709 export presets.

Then Premiere will tonemap (transform) using algorithms to the Rec.709 space, match your monitor to the space, and export accordingly.

[Zealous_outfit157F]

Thanks Neil, you've been extremely helpful. I realized the root cause of this: I had HDR enabled on the device; turning it off has resolved this. For the past footage shot inadvertantly in HDR, switching sequence to Rec 709 as you suggested resolved the discrepancy between the program monitor and preview/export. So now I can at least tweak Lumetri settings and see the actual impact on the final export, which makes this all workable. Thanks again! 

[R Neil Haugen]

Most welcome, of course! This stuff can be amazingly complicated, with so many places to miss a setting. Sheepers.

[garyb18963228]

Hey Neil - helpful stuff here, but I have the same issue as this poster and switching sequence to Rec.709 only makes my video preview look orange the way it does in the export window. I've scoured the internet and I'm running out of options. I have a feeling the original poster ran into the same problem, but was happy with the ability to use Lumetri settings after the fact to correct the colors. I am not satisfied with this, and just want my output to look the same as my input, which I cannot achieve with Lumetri presets.

I have overriden the media color space for my clips to Rec709, as well as my sequence settings. Below is an image of my export window.

[R Neil Haugen]

If all your color management options "sync", the system works.

If it isn't, something is set wrong.

We don't need your export settings as they are irrelevant to the issue. Unless you used the wrong export preset which we can't tell from a screengrab.

We do need to see your entire color management settings top to bottom, all twirl down sections open.

[Peru Bob]

Can you post screenshots of your export settings and sequence settings?