Display Question FCP v Quicktime Player

Deano

Deano

Active member
I'm new to Final Cut Pro and this forum so please forgive my ignorance if this has been asked before...

I'm editing DvcproHD 720pn footage (wrapped p2) and I've notice that there is a noticable luminance difference between viewing the footage inside of Final Cut compared to viewing it with the quick time player or inside of Shake (vlut off in shake looks identical to playing a native qicktime)

The image looks better inside of FCP (slightly darker) and is similar to viewing the original footage direct from the HVX200 component onto my panasonic video projector. I'm running FCP5.1 on a macbook pro17''. Is FCP applying a Lookup Table?

Which luminace should I balance to If I'm planning on going out to DVD / HDVD etc (not qt) and why do they look different?

Thanks

Dean
 
None of the above. Only judge the quality of your image on an external broadcast monitor.

OR...get the Matrox MXO and use it to convert the signal from your computer to an Apple 23" display correcting the gamma and color range to be similar to that of a broadcast monitor.
 
Thanks Shane,

So if I connect a broadcast monitor to the DVI and play it through FCP then that'll be ball park WYSIWYG?

I'm still confused on why Shake and Quicktime look brighter than FCP as they're both running on the same monitor? If you play a quicktime movie on your desktop then the same quicktime movie inside of FCP do they look the same luminance for you?

Thanks

Dean
 
No, they don't look the same... what you see in FCP is called a proxy, basically an estimation of the image. If you view your footage on a *calibrated* broadcast monitor, then you will have a much better idea of what your end product will look like.
 
Thanks bigbossbmb,

So is the FCP proxy only a colour thing initially as the resolution looks the same as the Quicktime movie? (unless you start layering effects then it lowers the resolution)

And if so, is there a disply LUT that mimics this luminace difference that I can apply in Shake so I can better guess my FX?

Thanks again,

Dean
 
Quicktime plays back as a proxy, brightening the image, even if you enable high quality playback. I THINK it does this so that all monitors can see the footage. After Effects, Shake, FCP, QT...all play a different lumina levels. It can get maddening. Which is why a broadcast monitor and capture card is so important, and one that is compatible with all of these appications. Used to have to get an app called ECHO FIRE (still do if you lack a capture card) to get AE to an external monitor.

For pro work and finessing, you need a pro monitor and capture card.
 
Thanks Shane,

How interesting, didn't know that about Quicktime, new to macs FCP etc, day Job is on an inferno working with EXR format for film. I'll have to try loading in an uncompressed sgi sequence to see if it does the same.

Next thing to do is record back some footage onto the HVX and view it on the projector to ball park it. Thanks for all your help,

Dean
 
Also, unlike many other NLEs, FCP is a true, native Y'CbCr, where things like Photoshop and many other NLEs are RGB.
 
Thanks BenB,

Y'CbCr, phew that's new to me I'm from the RGB world so I've got a steep learning curve ahead. Gulp.
 
Found it!

It's a gamma correction applied in System Settings>Playback Control>Gamma Correction: Acurate. Accurate applies a Realtime Video Gamma that pulls down the mid range to emulate a broacast monitor. Approximate keeps it flat like Shake Quicktime etc. Hooray! Thanks everone for your help.
 
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