FAQ: How to fix saturated/over-exposed HLG/HDR clips in Premiere Pro v.22

[Sumeet Kumar Choubey]

With Premiere Pro v 22, new features around color management for H.264 and HEVC have been introduced. This FAQ will show you how to fix clips that appear overexposed or oversaturated due to these new features. Caution: iPhone shoots HDR by default. 

• In case you don't want or need the HLG/HDR workflow and want to return to the standard workflow, please follow these steps to avoid oversaturated and overexposed previews.
  - Right-click on your media in the Project panel.
  - Select Modify > Interpret Footage > Color Management.
  - Set Color Space Override to Rec.709.
  - Sequence > Sequence settings, set Working Color Space to Rec. 709.
  

• In case you do want to edit & deliver in HLG/HDR, please follow the steps mentioned below. Also, see R. Neil Haugen's in-depth article for the full pro workflow: Premiere Pro 2022 Color Management for Log/RAW Media
• Turn off HDR shooting on your iPhone by following the directions here. This allows you to return to a standard iPhone workflow.

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So why do HLG files look saturated/over-exposed in Pr v 22?

In the previous version of Premiere Pro (v 15.x), HLG media was treated as Rec.709 & the sequence created from that media also used Rec.709 color space.

In Premiere Pro v22, H264 and HEVC are color managed, and the HLG media is treated as Rec.2100. So a timeline created from HLG media in v 22 will automatically be assigned HLG color space.

However, in v 22 opening a project created in the previous version (which had HLG media on Rec.709 timeline) results in HLG to Rec.709 conversion. This causes the clips to look saturated/over-exposed in the newer version of Premiere Pro.

Note: This only happens with projects (HLG media + Rec.709 timeline) created in the previous version. Newer project files will have the appropriate color space assigned and will show the correct preview.

How to solve this issue in v 22?
You may manage the color space of the entire timeline made from HLG clips.

• Highlight the sequence & navigate to Sequence > Sequence settings.
• Under the Video tab, set Working Color Space to Rec.2100 HLG.

You may also color manage individual media files.

• To do so, right-click on the HLG file in project panel & navigate to Modify > Interpret Footage. 
• Under Color Management, set Color Space Override to Rec.709. This will create a preview that matches the color of Premiere Pro v15.x.
  

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How to correct saturated/over-exposed previews during H.264/HEVC export?

If you have edited in an HLG timeline & would like to export in HLG, please ensure that you use the following export settings.

• Select your Format as H.264/HEVC.
•  Navigate to Video tab > Encoding Settings.
• Set Profile to High10 (for H.264) or Main10 (for HEVC).
• Set Export Color Space to Rec.2100 HLG.
  
•  

Please note that the Match Source presets use Rec. 709 color space & might result in an incorrect preview if used to export a sequence based on Rec. 2100 HLG color space.

For the full HDR broadcasters workflow, see this page in the Premiere Pro User Guide.

Hope this helps.

- Sumeet

[Baffy19]

Neil, bring this problem to the developers. We need to eliminate this. So it is much more convenient to develop the material than to do it on the timeline, with regard to automation and productivity of the workflow. You set up and work in one place.

[R Neil Haugen]

I'm trying, Baffy, I'm trying!

I've posted on the Public Beta forum about this stuff, which the engineers do see.

Proxy Color Management Broken with Log or HLG media on Rec.709 Sequence

I've posted UserVoice requests here and other places for the new CM panel and the issues with proxy color management. We need people to upvote these.

Color Management Panel

Proxy Color Management

Neil

[Baffy19]

Neil, I didn't stay away.

I ask all users of the product not to pass by and support the speedy correction of flaws with the correct display of color in projects. Follow the Neil link above and vote. It depends on your participation how quickly the developers will see and begin to fix it.

[Baffy19]

SUPER IDEA.I'm waiting for this feature.

Adding effects directly to video layers (Audio Track Mixer for Video layers) – Adobe video & audio a...
LET'S VOTE

[Felix5EE8]

I followed these steps and it works to view the footage in the correct colors in the preview window of premiere, but the issue appears once again upon export. What's the solution for that?

My footage looks fine in the preview window after following these steps, but to export in H.264, premiere does not let me choose the color space defaults to Rec.709, which again makes the footage all overexposed. I changed the profile to high/high 10, the footage looks fine again, but can't be open with windows media player (which is what my clients use) and it can only be opened with VLC.

So what export settings can I use to have things work as they have always before until this update? How can I have my footage look normal AND be played on regular players after export?

[R Neil Haugen]

Is your sequence color management set to Rec.709, or HLG/PQ?

You need to have the same settings throughout ... clip properties, sequence, and export to get an expected result.

So for your purposes, do you want Rec.709 export? Then check the clips in the bin. If they are other than Rec.709, use the Rec.709 override.

Then make sure the sequence is set to Rec.709.

Then your exports should be able to use the 'normal' export settings, and be as they have been.

If you want an HLG or PQ export, post again, we'll walk through that process.

Neil

[Felix5EE8]

Hi Neil.

Reading your message made me realize I had only followed the first step, which was to set the sequence to Rec.2100 HLG, but I had not done the override on individual clips.

When I did the override, it seems to now work, but it is quite time consuming as each individual clips have to be modified, and the colors still aren't quite looking as good as they did before.

Does it mean from now on I'll always have to modify every single clip individually for any future project on Premiere? is there a simpler way to do this? (should i change my recording settings?)

Thanks for you help

Those are my clip properties:

Type: MPEG Movie
File Size: 16.82 GB
Image Size: 3840 x 2160
Frame Rate: 23.976
Source Audio Format: 48000 Hz - 16-bit - Stereo
Project Audio Format: 48000 Hz - 32 bit floating point - Stereo
Total Duration: 00:24:37:00
Pixel Aspect Ratio: 1.0
Alpha: None
Color Space: Rec. 2100 HLG
Color Space Override: Off
Input LUT: None
Video Codec Type: MP4/MOV H.264 4:2:0

[Felix5EE8]

Come to think of it, if it's possible to export in HLG (since that's hwo my footage was shot) and make it readable by something like Windows media player, and looking good, I'd be happy to be walked through the steps 🙂 might save me time for my current project.

Going forward I might just keep using 2021

[R Neil Haugen]

You can select entire groups or bins of clips and do a single Modify/Interpret footage action. Saving time, certainly.

Going forward, they will be undoubtedly adding even more color managment options and default behaviors, probably expanding the media affected. They have to, realistically. As the media is now coming in including so much HLG/PQ and other HDR type color space/gamut from various cameras. Let alone phone media, which seems to heavily lean toward HLG now.

There really aren't many places you can export HDR content to at the moment, though that is changing. So for many people, as we don't have monitors really capable of higher nit counts and especially the needed color width & depth, it's problematic at this point to try and deliver something in say HLG or PQ that actually gets watched in HDR.

So you could simply take your HLG clips in the bin, do a color space override to Rec.709, use a Rec.709 sequence, and the export will be as you've had before with Rec.709 media.

And note, Premiere WILL export in Rec.709 without tonemapping anything if you don't set the export TO HLG/PQ. So an HLG timline that looks fine looks cruddy on export. Again, until you actually set the proper export settings.

Exporting in HLG or PQ is a bit more picky work on the export than Rec.709. Each format/codec that Premiere can export in in HLG/PQ has a different bunch of settings needed. Those are found in the Export dialog's Video tab.

For example ... H.264, you need to go minimum to down to set the Render Max Depth to on, then UNCHECK the Profile box so you can set that, and High is the lowest possible setting. Check that the HDR Graphics White is set to the 203 nit option, and you're pretty much done.

If you've got a deliverable's spec sheet that lists more settings like Min/Max stuff, then ... you need to go to the High10 Profile, which opens up more settings for you. Oh ... joy.

In the QuickTime format, you can select ProRes HLG and PQ presets that set most things for you. But I do recommend setting the 8-bpc or 16-bpc to the 16 bits option.

Neil

[R Neil Haugen]

And I do have a UserVoice request for an actual Color Management Panel. A one-spot panel that we can keep open to set, check, and modify CM from spaces/gamuts through default behaviors with various media types.

This would save us users TONs of time, heartache, frustrations, and ... anger management counseling. It would be nice to get as many upvotes on this as possible. Or this is going to become a nightmare, worse than it is.

One Panel to Rule Them All ...

Color Management Panel

Neil

[Felix5EE8]

Thank you for taking the time to explain 🙂 the one panel idea is good, I'll vote it up right now 😄

My export now looks how it's supposed to and my headache is (mostly) gone.

Thanks!

[R Neil Haugen]

That headache from banging your head repeatedly against the desktop ... doesn't always go away so fast ...

Yea, been there done that. Ouch.

Neil

[defaultp102419egwpd]

Why?

Why make me have to color correct my footage or have it blown out and oversaturated? 

Why?

All my footage and even color mattes and titles are completely different on export from what I created in Premiere. 

Why?

This should be something people toggle on, not something that is blanketed across the program. 

Why?

[JackSmash66]

Thank you so much! Just go me an A on my assignment lol

[norwaydre]

I'm still having some issues with this - I changed my sequence working color space to Rec 2100 HLG as instructed. 

I've included screenshots to show you what I'm seeing. My clip looks normal on the timeline with my color adjustments. 

Notice that the light in the background is not blown out in this first image. 

Now when I go to export, this is what the preview shows me:

I currently do not have "Display Color Management" turned on. When I do that here is how everything looks:
Timeline image: 

Export Preview:

What am I doing wrong here for that back light to be blown out? That's not how the original clip was shot. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Most users, unless you have a really tightly calibrated setup, should have the Display Color Management option checked.

Next, what is the clip's CM seen as by Premiere?

Go to the clip in the bin, right-click, Modify/Interpret Footage and check the CM section at the bottom. The clip should either be seen as HLG/PQ or you should use the override option to set it to HLG.

And for exports, make sure you are using an HLG preset. It doesn't look like you selected an HLG preset ... ?

And ... you're not showing the scopes, so I can't get a feel or even any estimation of what the clip has for dynamic range whatever.

Neil

[Baffy19]

 

[defaulto5fu9xvprtpu]

FREAKING THANK YOU I HAV BEEN STRUGGLING thank you this fixed it 

[Baffy19]

✌️

[R Neil Haugen]

For exports, if your sequence CM is say HLG, which it might be for a lot of phone and log-encoded media, make sure you use the HLG export presets they've added.

Select the format, like H.264, then scroll down until you see the HLG preset.

Neil

[KOEN.photovideo]

Thanks! Now this problem is solved while working with Pr only. But...

I have a new challenge: Now when I replace with After Effects Composition Pr interprets the footage as rec709 and the footage looks gray and dark. When I click at interpret footage I'm not able to change the color space to Rec2100 HLG. Does anyone know how I can fix this problem?

[R Neil Haugen]

You have to match the CM settings in Ae and Pr ... which is not necesarily as easy as it could be. So check and work with the CM for the AE comp in Ae.

Neil

[hello.ahay]

I'm also having this problem, despite matching settings in PR and AE. All footage is forced to Rec709 2.4 in AE and PR, AE project and PR sequence settings all CM Rec709 2.4, but the colour coming out of After Effects is more saturated than that on my PR timeline. I've tried everything I can think of, turning off hardware acceleration, chaning the bit depth in AE, changing everything back to 2100HLG... The only thing I can really do now is try and match the grade which is such a fudge...

Any ideas?

[Baffy19]

When will Adobe stop this mess with color? Fix the color management, it is impossible to work. We created a problem with color, not taking into account dynamic connections with compositions. Nonsense

[R Neil Haugen]

There are other things that might help ... I know that unchecking work in linear color helps at times for mis-matches between Pr and Ae.

I hope with the changes they're making to the underlying color that we get the same setup in both Pr and Ae. This has been a mess for way too many users over the years trying to work between the two.

I've found it takes talking with some of the top Ae users to get the proper color information for working with Ae/Pr comp workflows. David Arbor, some of the others "over there" on the Ae forum.

Neil