Gamma Issues while exporting

[Kauzless]

I have an issue where whenever I want to export my video, my video shows/exports way over exposed when I turn on the effects panel under export settings. No effects are applied, it just shows up that way. I want to be able to use my QT compensation LUT but I cant because it is going to look like this regardless.

How do I fix?

[IanB_360]

Hi @Kauzless ,

Welcome to the Premiere Pro forums! We are glad to see you here. When you hit the effects tab are you seeing a difference if you also check mark the box that says Lumetri Look/ LUT?  We need a few more details to try to help with the issue. Please see, How do I write a bug report

Thanks for submitting your bug report. I hope we can help you soon. Sorry for the frustration!

Thanks,

Ian

[Kauzless]

There is no difference when I click the Lumetri Look/LUT box. There are no luts applied on to this video. I went to some other video projects/made a new project to see if I had the same issue and it looks like this problem is happening all over for me. 

[R Neil Haugen]

Ok ... how about moving forward from an ancient workaround ...?

First, understand the problem ... Apple did something really weird, but only on Macs without Reference modes. That was to set the Rec.709 video display transform to essentially gamma 1.96.

All other methods of viewing video use (essentially) gamma 2.4 for the display transform as specified in long-used standards. 

The "others" include all Macs with Reference Modes, set to HDTV, all broadcast compliant systems, PCs, Androids, TVs, streaming services, everything.

Even VLC and Potplayer, and Firefox browser ... on your Mac ... will use a Rec.709 display transform of 2.4.

Attempted Fixes 

Both Premiere and Resolve have always followed the standard ... Rec.709 media used a gamma 2.4 display transform, so Apple's odd choice blew out proper color management.

Adobe created that "gamma compensation LUT", and BlackMagic/Resolve created a special export preset, "Rec.709-A" with A specifically for Apple. Both trying to give workarounds to the problem.

The Adobe LUT was designed to lighten the image from deep shadows up through midtones, to match the difference in visual response. The BlackMagic preset changed the NCLC tags used in color management on Macs to get a more correct look.

However, neither fixes the issue. Nor can anything make a video look the same between Macs using gamma 1.96 and everything else using gamma 2.4.

All either did was make the image look similar in and out of Premiere or Resolve on Macs without Reference modes. But on everything else, the image is way too dark and over-saturated.

Premiere's Viewing Gamma Option Replaced the Compensation LUT 

Starting partway through the 24.x series, and continuing in the massively rebuilt and expanded color management system and controls available in Premiere 25.x, there is a "Viewing Gamma" option. Use that instead of that silly LUT.

Set the Viewing Gamma to 1.96/Quicktime, and you will get a view inside Premiere of the image similar to what Macs without Reference Modes will show. (As long as you don't use VLC or Potplayer or Firefox that is ...)

So you do your work on color/tonal within Premiere, and simply export. It will look pretty much the same in Qt player on your Mac as in Premiere.

Now change the Viewing Gamma to 2.2 or 2.4, and the image will be darker in Premiere's Program and Transmit Out monitors. As it will be on all other systems unlike yours.

Which gives you an idea of the differences.

[R Neil Haugen]

Ahh ... additional data. It's always best to include all the information up front.

You are simply not aware of how the vastly improved color management works in Premiere 25.x and forward. And are therefore making an innocent but incorrect series of assumptions.

As in my other post, there is a process to handle this all without that silly LUT needing to be used. Read the other post to understand what is the underlying issue.

Now ... in the Lumetri panel SETTINGS TAB ... the one named Settings.

• Display Color Management, Extended Dynamic Range where available, auto detect log, and auto tonemapping all ON.
• Set your sequence to the desired output color space, Rec.709 (more reliable still) or HLG.
• Set viewing gamma as explained in the other post ... your choice of poisons.
• Use only export presets designed for the sequence color space.

[Kauzless]

Thank you so much, this was extremely helpful. I fixed the issue

[R Neil Haugen]

Color can be so freaking confusing. I've been around ... working for/with, and now teaching, pro colorists. A bit over a decade. I don't know how many books, pages on the web, tutorials, and discussions I've been involved in. Too many to even try to count.

And it still can be confusing. Yea ...