Compressing for the Web, help!

T

TyGuy

Member
So I know this has come up before, but It's been awfully frustrating because I still can't seem to get it right. I have the standard workflow that many of you have. I use FCP's EOS canon Plug-in utility. > Goto ProRes422 LT > Edit in FCP > Export a nice clean, ProRess 422 LT "raw" file > then I compress that very large file into something more manageable.

I have used compressor, Sorenson Squeeze, Quicktime 7, and even a Quicktime Conversion through FCP, and I always am getting the same results: A more "washed out" looking image in the compressed video. It annoys that heck out of me, because I see H.264 files all time time in Vimeo (like P. Blooms and Laforet's videos) and they look amazing. But mine keep losing contrast and/or saturation once I process them.

I have enabled the FCP check box in Quicktime 7, and I even render my videos and effects in RGB in FCP, and I still get this washed out look. See below:

file.php


VS. THIS
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Anyone have any solution for this. I know there has been a ton of Gamma issues and fix threads on here, but I really don't want to show my client washed out video. Anyone know how guys like Phlilip Bloom and Vincent Laforet get their online videos looking so clean? I am using a Canon 7D, and i have seen some amazing things to come out of this camera. I just want the same thing. Everything looks fine in FCP and the raw exported file. But afterwards, disaster strikes. Any help would be highly appreciated.


Thanks!

T.
 
If you are using Final Cut 6 in Snow Leopard is has a big gamma bug. Everything in the viewer and canvas is improperly corrected for old OS 10.5 Gamma and will appear darker than it really is. Leading you to boost levels or correcting for it. When you export, you see the actual result, which is much brighter.

The only fix is using Final Cut 7 if you are using Snow Leopard.

You can test if this is your issue by viewing a clip in the canvas or viewer with no filters applied, and comparing it to the same clip in Quicktime outside of Final Cut.
 
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Well, I do have Quicktime 7 Installed. But I also have Quicktime X. Is this a problem. Im currently running Snow Leopard, but I always use quicktime 7 if Im gonna process anything and compress it from the player.

Does quicktime X screw things up when I log and transfer 7D movie files into FCP? Because I have read so many threads about this, and I have followed all the advice I have read, but even after rendering effects and video in RGB, and after making sure QUICKTIME 7 FCP compatibility is turned "ON", I still am getting this washed out look when I process anything I make in FCP.

How the hell does Apple get their movie trailers looking so good? I know there has to be a correct way to do this.
 
It is the quicktime codec in general, not a FCP problem. I helped someone solve the same issue using Premiere CS4, and they complained their "h.264" that I told them to use was coming out washed out and generally bad looking. Exporting in Premiere CS4 as "h.264" as apposed to using quicktime h.264 solved this problem.
 
Search on google for video copilot QuickTime gamma bug to see Andrew Kramer's blog post on the fix. I'm astounded this wasn't fixed in the first week... Let alone a year or two later! It's incredibly frustrating.
 
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