Tuesday, September 2, 2014

FCPX to Adobe After Effects roundtrip with Apple ProRes 4444XQ - Gamma is off

Update 12-16-14 from Adobe:
Media Encoder CC (2014.1) Bug Fixes
  • Fixed: ProRes XQ sources decode with incorrect gamma setting

So I need to test again to see if this problem has been fixed with AE as well.

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A file (bars) is exported from FCPX, imported into AE, a Composition is rendered, the rendered file is imported into FCPX. We're using the same codec for FCPX Project settings, Export settings, Render settings.

It seems to be a Gamma issue. The highlights (100 IRE) are fine, the blacks (0 IRE) are fine, but everything in between is compressed = darker.

And it is visible as soon as the file is imported into AE, so it looks like AE misinterprets the ProRes4444XQ codec on import.

Scope trace of the ProRes4444XQ file in FCPX:



Scope trace of the ProRes4444XQ file from After Effects CC (shifted down = darker):

DaVinci Lite 11 on the other hand has a perfect roundtrip with no shift.

Scope trace of the ProRes4444XQ file from DaVinci Lite 11:

Hopefully we will get an update from Adobe that fixes this problem. From my tests, every other flavor of ProRes imports /roundtrips fine with AE CC, with no shift.

Note that only ProRes4444 and ProRes4444XQ have no Embedded Color Profiles in AE. All the other flavors of ProRes (422LT, 422, 422HQ) are in Rec709. But ProRes4444XQ is the only one that exhibits a shift


Below are the same before/after with ProRes4444, with no shift.

Scope trace of the ProRes4444 file in FCPX:

Scope trace of the ProRes4444 file from After Effects CC:

Are you experimenting the same shift / darker result on your system?



Thursday, August 21, 2014

Import Adobe Illustrator .ia file into Apple Motion

Illustrator files import fine into Apple Motion, but they need to be in RGB color mode.

CMYK does not import properly, colors are off.

Friday, August 8, 2014

FCPX (10.1.3) Error: "This item cannot be shared while it is still referencing media on the camera"

For some unknown reason I ran into this error when I wanted to Share my cut. (File / Share / Master File.)

FCPX would not Share, I was stuck.  I never encountered this after months of editing, and never had a problem with Importing.

The solution was to go to: File / Import / Re-Import from Camera Archive.

FCPX automatically found and re-imported the files that needed to be imported, and the error went away, I was able to Share without problem.

After Effects Layer disappears on Render or Pre-Compose

I was battling with this until I realized the Layer (Text Layer) had the option "Guide Layer" accidentally turned on. (Layer options are accessible with Right+Click.)


After I turned it off, the Layer rendered / Pre-Composed just fine.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

How-to re-install FCPX

I updated to the new FCP in Apple App, but it did not do the update for some reason: FCP was still in the previous version, even though it showed that the new version had been installed in App Store.

Consequently, I was not able to upgrade again, so I had to... Re-install, following Apple guidelines.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5149

That took longer of course, but did the trick. Back to work.

Show Library Folder inside your User Folder - Mavericks MacOS 10.9...

For some reason the Library Folder inside your Home Folder is hidden by default... Go figure.  To show it again, double click your Home Folder (under "Users"), to open it into its own window.
From the Finder menu choose: "View", "Show View Options". There is a small tick box: "Show Library Folder". Check it, your done.

-- This option only shows when the Home Folder is open.

How-To Uninstall Adobe Creative Cloud Apps

My HD is getting crowded, too many versions of Adobe apps. 

Here is the proper way to uninstall applications according to Adobe:
https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/install-apps.html


Uninstall apps
You must uninstall the apps if you no longer need them. Do not drag the files and folders to the Trash or Recycle Bin.
Mac OS
Open Finder and go to/Applications/Utilities/Adobe Installers
Double-click an Adobe product to uninstall
Follow on-screen instructions


Windows
Open the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features
Choose an app and click Uninstall/Change
Follow on-screen instructions