Monitor Mismatch when using Color

[Sam Roberts]

When I work in Color the picture on the program's preview windows on both my dual monitors looks cloudy and washed out compared to my external monitors and how images look when I am either working in Final Cut or playing back a Quicktime. The match between my LCD's and my external monitor is good in every instance except when working in Color.

If I adjust my LCD's so the preview in Color looks good, everything else outside of Color is way too dark.

My LCD's are set up using the Apple Display setup with a gamma of 2.2.

I have been using my external monitor to grade, but it would be nice to get the Color preview windows to look at least semi close.

Can this be fixed?

[Sam Roberts]

Anyone?

I thought I read a post here a while ago about having to switch computer monitor gamma when you use Color but I can't find it.

[Antoine Fabi]

Hi Sam,

It is very frustating indeed...

I think you can match by eye though...

I remember having read somthing like this:

Use the primary CC chamber and play with the curve until it looks identical to your TV Monitor. Save that look.

You should be able to then "import LUT".

Worth trying i think.

Best luck.

Antoine

[Sam Roberts]

Hi Antoine....that did seem to work although of course any change to the Color preview on my LCD also effects the external monitor. But as you said I did it by eye making small adjustments and it is a lot better.

Thank you.

Sam

[Sam Roberts]

Being an old broadcast guy I'd love to bring color bars into Color and use them to match up my monitors but try as I might I can't get color bars on to the color timeline from FCP. Anybody know a workaround for this?

[timecodemultimedia]

Color Bras in FCP is more of a render type of file. That is why Color doesn't see it. What you can do is get a self contained QT clip of the FCP color bars. Then, to check their integrity you can put them through a waveform and vectorscope and make sure FCP didn't change the luminance, black and gamma levels. If everything looks ok, import those bars to Color and grade your monitors.

One thing though, why do you need your LCD monitors to match to each other when you have a broadcast monitor? At our studio we disregard how anything looks on any computer monitor. The manufacturing quality of 99% of LCD computer monitors is not consistent. Even LCD panels from the same batch can be completely different.

Trust your professional broadcast monitor and avoid the headaches of any LCD, unless is the new HP or something equivalent to a Sony BVM such as Ecinema's DPX line.

[Sam Roberts]

Clever workaround I'll try that. You're right though I shouldn't be bothered by it and I won't sweat it now that I know it's common and not just something I've done wrong. Still, it would be nice if they didn't look too different....maybe I just have too much time on my hands today....:biggrin:

[Antoine Fabi]

Hi Antoine....that did seem to work although of course any change to the Color preview on my LCD also effects the external monitor. But as you said I did it by eye making small adjustments and it is a lot better.

Thank you.

Sam

Welcome Sam!

Glad it worked.

Now i have the very same problem with After Effects interpreting Uncompressed 10 bit footage with NO solution... :)

Antoine