Color space and profiles clarifications

Question

Level 1

16 points

Color space and profiles clarifications

Does FCPX consider the embedded color profile of my clips ?

What is the default color space of FCPX projects ? (if any)

Can I select a specific color profile for my projects ?

My clips (according to after effect_cs6>interpret footage>color management) have this color profile embedded: HDTV (Rec. 709) Y'CbCr, but if I check out the same clip once transcoded to prores422 by FCPX there is no color profile anymore. What's goin on ?

I come from the photography world and we consider color profiles very important, what should I know about them when working with video ?

Thanks a lot

Posted on Jan 30, 2013 6:02 AM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jan 30, 2013 6:36 AM in response to Robbie75VRI

After Efffects and FCP both work in RGB internally. ProRes (except 4444) is YCbCr. Video moves around in color spaces pretty frequently. The most significant problem (not huge but noticeable) is gamma shift depending on the playback and delivery mehcanism.

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Answer 2

Robbie75VRI Author

Level 1

16 points

Jan 30, 2013 6:39 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks TOm, what do you mean internally ? In AE I can select a color space from a long list for my projects while FCPX discard the color profiles from the imported clips... how can it even manage them ?

Thanks

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Answer 3

Robbie75VRI Author

Level 1

16 points

Jan 30, 2013 6:48 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

I just noticed that the files in "Original media" do have the embedded color profile, while the transcoded files don't. So it's something with prores422 transcoding ?

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Answer 4

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jan 30, 2013 6:57 AM in response to Robbie75VRI

I take that back. My experience of AE is antiquated. I see it changes the clips to your selected color space. You can't manage the color space in FCP. Everything's done in RGB. What are the original media? Has this come from AE?

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Answer 5

Robbie75VRI Author

Level 1

16 points

Jan 30, 2013 7:02 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

I just made some tests, my media are avchd in Rec 709, the exported "master h264" file from fcpx actually has the Rec709 again, so it's a problem only if I have to work the footage also in external editors, or I can just manually assign the 709 profile...

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Jan 30, 2013 7:11 AM in response to Robbie75VRI

CCIR709 is the color spec for H.264. You can't change that. FCP internally processes in RGB. It outputs whatever the specification of the format you export. Most of them I think are 709. AVCHD is 709 4:2:0. ProRes is 709 4:2:2 in all flavors except for ProRes 4444.

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