BLACK LEVEL

[Daniel Dávila]

In Resolve you can monitor using video levels or full range data. In my projector, that means a huge difference in black levels. Since I'm targeting to a film print using a 3d lut, I'd like to use the the full range to get the most of the projector. My problem is that when I get out of Resolve and playback the rendered files in FCP, the black level is in video range and my images look flat. I think the answer is to grade in Resolve using video level to get compatibility with FCP, but I wonder if there's any way to display the same full range levels in both programs. I'm monitoring with the Decklink Extreme 3D.

Any ideas?

Thanks, Daniel

[Rohit Gupta]

If you render to a RGB codec, you should get full levels in FCP I think. Try using Uncompressed RGB.

[Albert Armes]

I thought that RGB in FCP was 8 bit only?

Albert

[Graeme Nattress]

FCP is 8bit only rendering in RGB, so I'd if you're using FCP, I'd go with a YCbCr codec and video levels as that's really how it was designed to work.

For projection - does the projector have a setting for the levels of data that it expects?

Graeme

[Rohit Gupta]

I thought that RGB in FCP was 8 bit only?

Albert

You can use the BMD 10 bit RGB codec.

[Daniel Dávila]

My path is decklink sdi - hdlink sdi to hdmi - hdmi into jvc rs-20.
I' m making a new calibration based on video levels and adjusted the contrast and bightness to have a good black and see the pluge.
The projector lets me select color space (rgb or ycbcr) but it just works in rgb despite what I configure in video out. I think it's hdlink that outputs only rgb 8 bit (even if I feed it with dual link sdi, the projector always tell me it's receiving 8 bit.)

I prefer ycbcr codecs if I'll pass in FCP, I tried aja 10 bit rgb and couldn't make a dissolve without gamma jumps and banding.

Thanks!

[Luis Otero]

This is a subject that should be discussed and explained more on this thread since there is no much information written or shared either at the Resolve Manual or throughout the forum.

Can someone care to share more information and experiences on this topic?

Thanks,

[jake blackstone]

A lot depends on your deliverables. If you're finishing for video delivery, then you're better off monitoring SMPTE levels. This way everything will look the same from grading all the way to delivery. BTW, using dual SDI means, that you're monitoring 444 signal vs 422 and not 10 bit, vs 8 bit. You don't really need to do that for monitoring. Being 10 bit is much important, than using 444 sampling. Unfortunately, all this doesn't really help with gamma issues, but at least this should get you a bit closer. I also would pay close attention to the proper calibration of your monitors.
Personally, whenever I have to use QT, I use AJA or BM 10 bit RGB codec, as they both allow for full and legal levels...

[Helge Løken]

Short answer:

When using Resolve your monitoringsettings must match your output format.

YUV Outputs (QT YUV, ProRes etc..): Normally scaled legal video
RGB Outputs (QT RGB, DPX, TIFF, OpenEXR etc...): Unscaled full data range

I really think this should be better explained in the manual as doing it wrong will give you wrong levels on output.

There is also an issue if you need to deliver both YUV and RGB files (f.ex RGB files to VFX if they ask for it). I ended up doing it inn Full range but grading everything within legal levels and giving the FCP people a QT RGB while the VFX guys got DPX.

[Daniel Dávila]

Sure if you work for video, you have to monitor in video levels, my issue is I'm grading for film out (so I should go full scale/rgb) but when I review the results in FCP the blacks are higher and washed using the same LUT in a external HDlink.
Right now I'm using Resolve in video levels to match both images, but, is there a way to make FCP + Decklink to monitor full scale?