Hey, I understand the pain! This is one of the reasons they've held off for so long on adopting modern color managment user choices ... but it had to come.
First, the clips you're dealing with are either shot in HLG, hybrid log gamma, a form of HDR. Or they are a log-encoded clip meant to be used on a Rec.709 timeline, and Pr2022 is mis-interpreting them. There are several things to try for fixing this.
First, if the clips are HLG, you might set the camera to a Rec.709 space and totally avoid the problem in the future.
Next ... if the clips are a log-encoded clip from a Panasonic, Canon, or other camera, but Rec.709 for color space, you'll need to create a normalization routine. For clips in the HLG color space, you'll need to use the Modify/Interpret/Override to Rec.709 step first, then normalize. You can apply the Override to all selected clips, so you can do up to a whole bin at once.
"Grey" when you have an override to Rec.709 would tell me it's in typical log form. That it's blown out if not using the Override tells me Pr thinks it's HLG.But Premeire 2022 can also do that with some 'straight' log-encoded Rec.709 media.
Using log-encoded media has normally required the user to "normalize" that media for Rec.709 timelines. "Normalizing" log media involves increasing contrast and saturation while checking the image and most importantly the scopes to make sure you are not "crushing" any values to black nor "clipping" any values to white. And that Saturation is within bounds.
It's actually pretty easy to do. And better yet, once you've done so, you can save the work as a preset and apply it to entire bins of clips at one go. So you can spend a couple minutes with a clip on a timeline working with the Lumetri panel, save that as a preset.
Aand then simply drag/drop that to a selected group of clips. Done.
I'll give you a short bit of information on using the Lumetri basic tab controls, then tell you how to actually and quickly work with them.
Exposure control is sort of a "lift" control, it brings up perceived brightness across most of the image, though it acts a bit more in the upper middle tones than elsewhere. Doesn't change the black point at all.
Contrast control expands or contracts the ends of the image, the black and white points. It is centered on 50 IRE or nits, whichever you want to call it. That's the left-side scale on the Waveform and RGB Parade scopes. It is the dead center of the scale. And it works exactly the same amount pushing data up from 50 as it does pushing data down from 50.
White control is just like grabbing the white point on the right end of a RGB Curves panel and moving it up/down. A bit different than the Exposure control.
Highlights moves the upper mids/highs more than other parts of the scale, but it moves everything a bit.
Shadows like the Highlights moves the shadows more than other parts, but has some effect everywhere.
PRACTICAL NORMALIZATION
Drop a clip on the timeline area. Make sure the CM settings in the Sequence settings is set to Rec.709 and you are in the Color Worskpace. Have either the Waveform or RGB Parade scopes panel open. Also have the Vectorscope YUV open.
Look at the image of the scopes. What are the darkest and lightest values? Where is the data centered?
If the data is centered in the middle, meaning it goes as much above 50 as below it, then simply increase the Contrast control setting until the data goes to maybe 90 on top (or a bit less) and 5 or so on the bottom.
If the center of the data is a bit closer to the top or the bottom than the middle, use the Exposure control to move the brightness up or down to get to the 80-90 "white" and 5 or so "black" numbers. Work between Exposure and Contrast to set the total range and brightness.
If the image now "feels" a bit dark or light, use the Shadows or Highlights control to fix it.
Now with an image with a good tonal range, use the Satruation control to get the amount of color you want without exceeding the limits of the Vecotorscope.
That's ... it. By the third time you've done it, it takes a few seconds is all. Maybe 10-20 seconds.
But better yet ... now go to the Lumetri panel tab, the three-bar menu ... "Save as a preset". Name it so you know what it is, and what clips to use it with. Also give a bit of info in the description area.
Now, for any similar clips, you simply select one or more in a bin, drag/drop, done. And you can open that Lumetri instance if needed to adjust it better for that clip in the Effects Control Panel's Source tab.
Neil
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