Flat Colors: Export vs Queue for Media Encoder

[Baddog II]

So I have been editing post production videos in Adobe Premiere CC 2018 on a PC. These video are being color graded in post since the original raw 4K videos were captured in D-Cinelike color mode.

If I immediately export video from Premiere CC to Adobe Media Encoder the video turn out as expected.  However if I add a series of videos using the queue instead of export, then choose run after I add several to the queue.  All the video's lose their color grading and turn out very flat.

H.264 MP4 format

I can recreate over and over.  It is very frustrating after you wait 3 to 4 hours only to find the videos useless.

[rodneyb56060189]

Holy smokes, that must be frustrating.

If you make a sequence just to test your exports, you could probably shrink several clips down to just a minute or two total, and that way you don't have to export an entire timeline for hours and hours just to see what you got.

I have no clue what raw 4k d-cinelike means. Is there a specific camera, wrapper, codec or something ?? Some clue like what you are using as source ??

Are you using a particular version of PPro ?

[rodneyb56060189]

I did a search on google. Is this the type stuff you're using ? H264 with D-cinelike instead of D-log ? 4k raw ?

https://www.dji.com/

[rodneyb56060189]

when you mentioned h264 mp4 I thought you meant that was your 'export' but you meant that is your source, right ??

[Baddog II]

D-xinelike works best for me for full dynamic range

Raw 4K/24fps 3840×2160

I then use a LUT in Premier to color grade the video.  With addition tweaks as needed.

My issue is....I get all the videos color graded correctly and then add them to Adobe media encoder queue then click "Run "  it runs for say 2 to 3 hours depending on how many I am rendering   When finished all the videos are flat and desaturated.

I am exporting to H.264 .MP4, 2160p 24fps

If export them individually instead running them all at once through the queue, the video turns out fine.  i.e Color grading is in tact and very nice.

[R Neil Haugen]

Ahh  ... using a LUT.

That is very crucial info to know in this case. Depending on where you store them, ME may not be able to find them.

In the 2018 (12 x) series they finally gave us a good storage location that will be both browsable in PrPro and will be seen by Me. In the New Features blog post for the 2018 release they list this, and there are two locations you can set up. One only for your local use, one that puts them where your CC libraries will pick them up.

They have a chart for that showing the folder tree to use, and at the end of it you add a Technical folder for Basic tab use and a Creative folder for Creative tab use in Lumetri.

It is NOT in the program files/package folders!

I'm on my phone or I could provide a screen-grab of that chart. Search for Adobe PrPro new features 2018, or go through the help for the LUT storage information.

Neil

[Baddog II]

Yes it is...  I did 8 videos and all of them came out flat.

D-cinelike is a color mode fore the DJI Mavic Pro drone.  I am capturing true 4k video at 24 fps

To explain this color mode read this post...

Shooting Video With A Flat Color Profile For Better Post Production Color Correction | Gnarbox Help ...

I am using the PC version of Adobe Premiere CC 2018 12.1.2  and Media Encoder CC version 12.1.2

Hope this helps

[rodneyb56060189]

Cool. When I did my search I noticed some stuff on a site for PILOTS and they were talking about the benefits of D-log vs. D-cinelike. You might want to check that out. Also, do a small "test" ( use multiple clips in a timeline but shrink them down so it's very short in time ). Do your grading and levels adjustments, etc. and export to test so you don't waste time to see results.

Good luck !

: )

[rodneyb56060189]

I don't know if this will help but I recently got some pro res stuff that was really FLAT and used 'auto levels' on the clips right off the bat, before doing anything else, and it made a HUGE improvement to the whole process of fine tuning that stuff …  has to do with clipping levels or something, maybe try that, then brightness/contrast, then grading...see what happens.

[rodneyb56060189]

Another reminder : if you got 8 bit 4.2.0 instead of 10 bit 4.2.2 than you might be better off ( as stated in the PILOT place) using D-log cause you only gain a couple stops using D-cinelike, and in some low light conditions and WB weird stuff you might end up with artifacts you don't need (probably banding too ).

[R Neil Haugen]

Go into the preferences for ME and make sure that "import sequences natively" is de-selected.

Which version in number-dot-number form of PrPro are you using, as in 12.1.2.

I will say that though there is much helpful information in the article you linked, one statement really was off. Shooting log and shooting with flat settings aren't even remotely the same.

Log is a carefully chosen hardware setting to record all the dynamic range of the camera within a precise range and on a very different curve than normal for the camera.

Setting the camera settings to "flat" ... lowest contrast and saturation settings especially ... isn't remotely comparable. It is wise to record with contrast lowered a bit so you don't lose data to clipping on either end of course, and saturation low enough so nothing shows over saturated on initial viewing in the Vectorscope YUV.

Anything lower than that means you're throwing away data in the camera before it's even recorded to card. With 8-bit cameras like most drones and DSLRs that just means lost data you can never recover.

Neil

[Baddog II]

I alway shot in D-cinelike it is very similar to D-log.  Full dynamic range

[Baddog II]

I have to check that setting in ME when I get back to my computer.  Thanks for that tip.

[Averdahl · Accepted solution]

It seems that you are working with LUT´s.

If yes, watch this: Adobe Media Encoder not applying LUT - FIX. - YouTube

[R Neil Haugen]

That is fixed in 12.1.2. Or should be, as it now works fine for myself and a number of others "here".

The "import ... natively" thing still applies.

Neil