Wmv files too dark

Hi Everyone,
I'm using VisualHub for wmv file conversion but the images are very dark.
I do standard broadcast level adjustments on all my projects but I'm thinking that I need to adjust the gamma level to eliminate very crushed black levels.
If this is correct, what gamma correction level do you recommend when converting .mov files to wmv?
Thanks for your help.
Cheers,
Chris

You might find this little app to be useful.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15394
It's called GammaToggleX and it will temporarily change your monitor to show Mac or PC gamma.<
Cool, thanks, Leigh.
I just wish to point out that chasing the gamma of the Mac/PC displays can be slightly misleading. If you crunch contrast or brightness settings in your encoder, you are actually altering pixels in the output file. You can't get them back without re-encoding from the original media.
And millions of computer twits do not have their displays properly set up anyway.
bogiesan

Similar Messages

Aperture D600 Raw Files too dark?

Is anyone else seeing that their Nikon D600 raw files stink in Aperture? I realize that Apple backwards engineers Raw support but if I look at a file from my D600 on Aperture and Capture NX2, the difference is 10-fold. I can see detail in the shadows in the NX2 conversion and nothing but black in the Aperture conversion. I have never seen this much of a disparity and I have used well over a dozen different DSLR's. I am curious if anyone else is seeing this? I mean in one image I can see a staircase in the NX2 conversion and nothing but black in Aperture?

"Neutral" on the camera means nothing. Those control the JPEG previews only and do not affect RAW files.
Yes I know. However, that JPEG preview is what you see on the back of the camera so having all parameters set to as little post-processing as possible will help give you a more accurate preview of the Raw file. I will give you some more background... Our first DSLR was a Canon 10D. This was before Aperture v1.0. We moved to a 20D, a 30D, a 40D, switched to Nikon and used a D80, 90, 300, 300s, 7000, and 600. I have photographers whose files I process that included Fuji (yikes!), Canon 7D, 5D, & 5DMII. Haven't had a Sony camera yet. I started with Aperture v1 and am now using the latest Aperture release. I have a very good understanding of the process.
@ funkcanna, thanks. I haven't used a D4 but it is good to hear I am not going crazy! Yes, the files just go to crap when you click on one. I too hope this is not a sign of things to come... I really don't like Lightroom but for now, I have no choice.

Recently my PDF files have printed too dark. Has something changed in the software?

Why do my PDF files print too dark?

2many2cho0se wrote:
Yes...I know iMessage is supposed to be where there is wifi...
Actually, all iMessage requires is a data connection, & that data connection can be either WiFi or 3G.

Photoshop saves JPEG images much too dark--any ideas?

Hi there, I'm having an issue with my Photoshop applications and I was hoping someone could give me a little insight/help in fixing the problem.
When working with a file in Photoshop (I am an artist, so I usually create my files from scratch rather than loading them from a camera), I can get the colors to appear as they should in the workspace. When I finish artwork, I make sure the colors are exactly as I want them, then save it as a JPEG file. However, if I open this JPEG file in any application--browsers, photo viewing programs--it is extremely dark and saturated. If I open the JPEG in Photoshop, though, it looks fine. This issue seems to have occurred spontaneously 3-4 months ago. I don't recall changing or deleting any of my monitor or video card preferences, or my color profiles. I was working with Photoshop Elements 4.0 at the time, and it suddenly started happening.
Now, I have found a sort of work-around for it. If I screencap my workspace with the artwork open in it, then I can open up that screencap in Photoshop. The colors are much TOO bright and washed out when I do this, but if I crop the image so it's just the artwork and save it, then it displays in browsers and viewing programs more or less as it should, i.e. how I see it in Photoshop. However, if I open that JPEG in Photoshop, it will display much brighter than the original artwork.
It's not a desperate issue since I have this weird work-around, but I'm currently trying to save images for printing--which means they need to be very large, and I'm not keen on zooming to 100% and screen-capping the art piece by piece, then stitching it all together before saving it. I'd really like to get this issue resolved. I thought it might have to do with the fact that I was using outdated software (PSE 4.0), but I've just recently upgraded to CS5 Extended and the same issue prevails.
If it's any help, I'm working on an HP EliteBook 8740w, with Windows 7 and an NVIDIA Quadro video card.
Here are the things I've tried, which haven't worked:
Deleting Photoshop preferences/settings (in both PSE 4.0 and CS5)
Uninstalling and re-installing both programs
Re-calibrating my monitor
Changing color settings in Photoshop (files still end up dark regardless)
Disabling OpenGL Drawing
Switching between file types when saving
I am at my wit's end! I am mostly concerned that my clients and professors aren't going to see my work as it is intended to look, when they view it online. The erratic behavior of too-dark or too-light, and my pictures seemingly never displaying correctly on any browser or in any program, has me a little paranoid about my online portfolio, haha. I'm applying for an art scholarship in a month, and if none of my work will save correctly (much less print correctly!) then it will be a sad day indeed!
As I said before, this problem seems to have popped up out of nowhere. My artwork from before the whole saving-too-dark issue began still displays perfectly in most programs, but the rest is totally hit-and-miss. If any of you have fixes or suggestions (even suggestions on adjusting Photoshop so that my images display more consistently in browsers and other programs) I would be extremely grateful.
Thanks so much for your time,
-Jenna

Though you have solved your problem, be aware, that different applications have different ways to interpret color profiles that can be set in different ways.
Example:
In Firefox, you can either set a color profile or not -- AFAIK, it only works with v2 ICC profiles (vs. v4, v3 seems to have not been released).
From that point, you can set perceptual, absolute, colormetric, or one other...(forget)... but usually you just set that to perceptual for monitor work as I understand it. Then a 3rd FF setting (all in its registry, of course, though occasionally there are extensions that let you manage the three settings. They correspond to values (accessible through 'about:config' in FF's address window), all under the prefix:
"gfx.color_management."
"display_profile" - text string of file containing a v2 ICC profile, usually in "C:\Windows\System32\Spool\drivers\color\" (at least on Win7) -- extention ".icm"
"mode" -- when to turn it on (2=for pics that have profiles set, another is for always (1?)), maybe 0=off?
"rendering_intent" - this corresponds to perceptual, abs, colormetric, types, I think 0=perceptual (default)
for FF, if you google one of those values, you'll find more info on some mozillian-type site... "prefix<keyname>" (e.g. - gfx.color_management.display_profile ).
Other progs may have their own or if we are lucky would use the system profile & color management system (assuming it is any good).
Getting an accurate monitor profile and keeping it updated as your monitor 'decays' (i.e. color is usually best when new, then they decay, w/useful life at max gamut ~ 18 months (in my experience), after that, you can still retune to the same white point, but with a loss of gamut due to the phosphors decaying at different rates).
It's best to use some sort of external calibration HW... -- as an external device looking at your monitor through it's various colors is the only way to get a 'digitally objective' measurement. That said, I always have concerns about the stability of the measuring device over time. Does it have components that that could cause non-linear measurement? Am guessing not as likely, as it isn't emitting anything so less wear & tear, but I wouldn't assume it's 100% accurate over time either (but certainly is better than one's own eye which can gradually adjust to just about anything). I had a viewsonic when I first got my current color device (a Spyder3), and it had gone from an original white point of 6500K down to 5700K -- and I had not noticed the difference (over 18-20 months)...
I could bring it back in range, but had lost gamut, and was a bit below the sRGB (consumer grade) standard (which is some fractional
value of the Adobe Photoshop or NTSC standards, which are similar in the size of their ranges, but slightly offset from each other).
The result of all this -- I never really know how my images will look on other monitors, but I try to tag them w/my current monitor profile, hoping that if they care about color, they'll have some SW on their end that can make sense of it...but given my own experience in how SW on the same system handles color differently, I wouldn't say they were 'high hopes'... ;-)

Photos in Web gallery too dark

Hello,
I just updated to the new iLife.
I tried the new Web Gallery function and the photos are too dark compared to the view in iPhoto.
Same happens with galleries in iWeb.
What's wrong?
JO

There is a color problem when publishing pictures from iPhoto 06 and 08 (as well as when e-mailing a picture).
The problem being that the images are published with their original color profile, whatever that is. Further, if profile is missing in the image in iPhoto, the profile will be missing in the output. (BUT iPhoto displays correctly in case there is an EXIF tag specifying sRGB).
The result is that colors will not be displayed correctly on the WEB (or in e-mail clients), more or less depending on OS platform. This applies both to images and their thumbnails.
Compare the iPhoto album http://www.tomasjonsson.eu/IPhotoTests/
with an album with correct colors http://www.tomasjonsson.eu/PictureSite/Albums/Pages/PreAndPostProcessed.html
In Safari, only IMG_9465 and IMG_5182 will show a difference - since those are the only images without a color profile. However, in other MS-Windows browsers, most images will be displayed incorrectly.
Note! Most digital cameras produce images without at color profile but with an EXIF tag. In iPhoto:Preferences:Advanced choose Embed ColorSync profile, which will add a profile corresponding the EXIF tag. However, the images that you have already imported will not be fixed.
Note to Apple: Show EXIF colors space and embedded color profile in Info pane. Add command - ASSIGN profile. And in export dialog - add option Color Space.
HOW IT SHOULD BE
Images on the web (and in general also e-mails) should be published in sRGB color space (otherwise they will not be displayed correctly in browsers on the MS-Windows platforms, with the exception of Safari, viewing images with a color profile)
Images should have a color profile, in particular the sRGB images (otherwise they will not be displayed correctly on the MacOS platforms. Maybe close to correct if you have calibrated your monitor to PC-gamma)
Actually all images should have a color profile, period. If the image does not have a color profile, it is just a pile of randomly colored pixels - to be interpreted freely by any displaying device, which they do.
For a demonstration of profiles and WEB see: http://www.gballard.net/psd/golive_pageprofile/embeddedJPEGprofiles.html
However, DO NOT follow this guys advice of omitting the color profile for WEB publishing because of overhead. The overhead is less than 1% of a high quality image. (I measured 0.5 - 2.5 kByte)
WORKAROUND
After exporting from iPhoto - use Photoshop and CONVERT TO PROFILE all images to sRGB color space. Save file with color profile.
Note, make sure that images without original profile are treated correctly (most often they are sRGB, check the EXIF tag with Preview application)
Note, apply also conversion to thumbnails.
Tomas Jonsson, Genicore Embedded Technology AB

Prints too dark with Photoshop Elements 10

My photos are printing out much darker than what is on the monitor display. I have calibrated the monitor and changed the color profile, color management & color space numerous times and they I cannot see any difference in the prints. I've changed the printer settings, still too dark. I have edited the photos and brightened them, still much darker than on the display. I'm using Photoshop Elements 10 with a new monitor and computer. My old computer and Adobe Photoshop CS2 program did not have this problem. Any suggestions?

Check to be sure that color is not managed both by PSE and by the printer. In editor, go to Edit>color settings and check "always manage color for computer screens." Then, go to File>print>more options (lower left in the dialog)>Color Management tab>Color handling: "Printer Manages Color."
Are drivers and firmware for your printer up to date?
Do pictures print well via other applications with your equipment?
Have you printed a file, processed in Elements, at a kiosk, such as at CVS? How does that look?
I assume that you are printing from Editor, not from Organizer. It is said that the print engines are not the same.

Working with .wmv files in GoLive 6.0...HELP

I have spent hours searching for what would seem to be an easy answer and have given up. I am a intermediate level user of GoLive 6.0 trying to insert a .wmv file for my website. Can someone please provide step by step instructions on how do this? Help....thank you!

Saving a WMV as MOV in QuicktimePro is simply putting a MOV wrapper on the WMV so FCP will better handle it. It's a Save As not an export so there's no additional compression.
Ultimately you will have to render though, most likely because it's not one of the video formats natively handled by FCP (DV, DVCPro50, etc). It's not just the physical settings, the "video" codec itself must be supported. BTW if you were to edit in HDV you'd have to render too for output (to create new GOP structure in that case though).
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the advice, a few things though....
"Flip4Mac Player Pro allows you to edit WMV in FCP."
The problem is that I need to render when I import
WMV files into FCP, even though I have matched all of
the parameters in the sequence settings (ie. pixel
aspect ratio, frame rate, frame size, etc.)
I don't know for sure, but my understanding is I have
to render because there is no WM9 option under the
"compressor" parameter in the Sequence Settings.
Because of this it is impossible to import WMV files
without rendering even with FLip4Mac, because I have
it installed and can still export as a WMV file.
Have you discovered a way to import WMV files into
FCP without needing rendering? This is critical for
me because the environment I'm in doesn't allow for
long render times, as it will slow down the workflow
of the whole newsroom.
"I can also open WMV in QuicktimePro (with Flip4Mac)
and save the file as MOV. I find it works smoother
that way."
But doesn't it degrade the quality when you convert
to .MOV? And for me, going from WMV to MOV back to
WMV will result in degradations at each step won't
it?
Curtis

Working with WMV files in FCP 5 Timeline

I know Flip4Mac Studio Edition allows for importing and exporting into and out of FCP 5 in WMV format. What I'm not sure of, is can you do intensive editing on the WMV files in FCP 5 without any glitches. Will FCP run smoothly?
I am asking because I work at online company that will be receiving wmv files on its servers. This is a high volume workflow with an intense turnover rate. We are receiving hour long clips and re-editing them down to 2 minutes. There is no time to go through lengthy WMV to MOV conversions. We need to receive, edit, and output all in WMV.
Can FLip4Mac with FCP 5 edit an intense environment like this? Where everything is done in WMV? Or Is Flip4Mac primarily for converting WMV into MOV so that editing in FCP is done with MOV files, and then at the end exporting as WMV again.
Is FLip4Mac the only solution. Are there others? After recommending and praising Macs, I may be on thin ice if FLip4Mac isn't a sufficient workaround!!
Thanks Curtis

Saving a WMV as MOV in QuicktimePro is simply putting a MOV wrapper on the WMV so FCP will better handle it. It's a Save As not an export so there's no additional compression.
Ultimately you will have to render though, most likely because it's not one of the video formats natively handled by FCP (DV, DVCPro50, etc). It's not just the physical settings, the "video" codec itself must be supported. BTW if you were to edit in HDV you'd have to render too for output (to create new GOP structure in that case though).
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the advice, a few things though....
"Flip4Mac Player Pro allows you to edit WMV in FCP."
The problem is that I need to render when I import
WMV files into FCP, even though I have matched all of
the parameters in the sequence settings (ie. pixel
aspect ratio, frame rate, frame size, etc.)
I don't know for sure, but my understanding is I have
to render because there is no WM9 option under the
"compressor" parameter in the Sequence Settings.
Because of this it is impossible to import WMV files
without rendering even with FLip4Mac, because I have
it installed and can still export as a WMV file.
Have you discovered a way to import WMV files into
FCP without needing rendering? This is critical for
me because the environment I'm in doesn't allow for
long render times, as it will slow down the workflow
of the whole newsroom.
"I can also open WMV in QuicktimePro (with Flip4Mac)
and save the file as MOV. I find it works smoother
that way."
But doesn't it degrade the quality when you convert
to .MOV? And for me, going from WMV to MOV back to
WMV will result in degradations at each step won't
it?
Curtis

Color management help needed for adobe CS5 and Epson printer 1400-Prints coming out too dark with re

Color management help needed for adobe CS5 and Epson printer 1400-Prints coming out too dark with reddish cast and loss of detail
System: Windows 7
Adobe CS5
Printer: Epson Stylus Photo 1400
Paper: Inkjet matte presentation paper with slight luster
Installed latest patch for Adobe CS5
Epson driver up to date
After reading solutions online and trying them for my settings for 2 days I am still unable to print what I am seeing on my screen in Adobe CS5. I calibrated my monitor, but am not sure once calibration is saved if I somehow use this setting in Photoshop’s color management.
The files I am printing are photographs of dogs with lots of detail I digitally painted with my Wacom tablet in Photoshop CS5 and then printed with Epson Stylus 1400 on inkjet paper 20lb with slight luster.
My Printed images lose a lot of the detail & come out way to dark with a reddish cast and loss of detail when I used these settings in the printing window:
Color Handling: Photoshop manages color, Color management -ICM, OFF no color adjustment.
When I change to these settings in printer window: Color Handling: Printer manages color. Color management- Color Controls, 1.8 Gamma and choose Epson Standard it prints lighter, but with reddish cast and very little detail and this is the best setting I have used so far.
Based on what I have read on line, I think the issue is mainly to do with what controls are set in the Photoshop Color Settings window and the Epson Printer preferences. I have screen images attached of these windows and would appreciate knowing what you recommend I enter for each choice.
Also I am confused as to what ICM color management system to use with this printer and CS5:
What is the best ICM to use with PS CS5 & the Epson 1400 printer? Should I use the same ICM for both?
Do I embed the ICM I choose into the new files I create?
Do I view all files in the CS5 workspace in this default ICM?
Do I set my monitor setting to the same ICM?
If new file opens in CS5 workspace and it has a different embedded profile than my workspace, do I convert it?
Do I set my printer, Monitor and PS CS5 color settings to the same ICM?
Is using the same ICM for all devices what is called a consistent workflow?
I appreciate any and all advice that can be sent my way on this complicated issue. Thank you in advance for your time and kind help.

It may be possible to figure out by watching a Dr.Brown video on the subject of color printing. Adobe tv
I hope this may help...............

Images appear fine in Photoshop cs6 and cc, but print too dark, and also show too dark in Windows picture viewer. How can I correct this? Is this a Photoshop setting issue or what?

Images appear fine in Photoshop cs6 and cc, but print too dark, and also show too dark in Windows picture viewer. How can I correct this? Is this a Photoshop setting issue or what?

Ok, look at your files in Photoshop. What is the profile assigned to them? You can find this out by going to the Status bar at the bottom, clicking on the right-pointing triangle and choosing document Profile from the list.
Then in Windows, go to your Control Panel > Color Management and add sRGB (if it isn't there) and select it as your default profile.
I hope that will work.

Mac Printing Pics Too Dark

Weird and Complex.
Document in Word (for Mac) using images from internet (jpg, png, monochrome and colour - from various NASA, JPL and other sources). Printing Word .docx is fine. Export document to PDF (using in-built Mac OS X PDF Print system) and PDF on screen is fine. Print PDF using Mac Preview and it appears fine (colour a bit richer than .docx but OK). Print from Windows Adobe Reader, same as Mac Preview app. But print from Mac Adobe Reader (9.3.0) and the pictures come out as though the contrast is massively turned-up - monochrome pics far too dark and with a blue tint and colour pics darker and way OTT blue tint. This is destroying the pictures as the colour (and particularly blue) is very significant in the scientific pictures.
Pictures are from many different sources and jpg and png so I have not doctored them in any way - and the .docx prints fine.
When printing from Adobe Reader I have tried with Printer managing the colour and with ColourSync enabled (automatic profile) and it makes no difference. It appears just Adobe Reader on Mac that is the problem.
(As it on print only I cannot post samples to illustrate - if important I could scan the bad rint but that would probably adjust things further)
Update additional info: Pictures are either 8 bit RGB or grey scale (8 bit). Some have embedded ColoyrSync profiles (e.g. sRGB IEC61966-2.1 or Generic RGB Profile or Dot Gain 20%) some have no embedded profile - all come out badly and all affected. I tried using Photoshop to add a profile to one of the images without a profile and it made no difference. Printing from Photoshop (CS4) is fine (including photos without profiles - comes out same as printing original .docx) If I import the pages into Photoshop and print them they come out fine - just as printing the .docx - so I think there is nothing wrong with the PDF but it looks like it is the Adobe Reader printing.
Any ideas.
Many thanks
Simon

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Check the display calibration and see if the gamma is set to 2.2 or 1.8. If it's set at 2.2 then set it to the Mac standard 1.8. See if that will lighten them up. Also check to make sure if you print one of the photos it will also match the display.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Does AMC adjust so YouTube/Vimeo videos are not too dark

Hi, been having problems with videoes coming out too dark in YouTube. This seems to be a problem lots of people are having. Just to clarify I mean the video is a lot darker on youtube/vimeo than if played in something like VLC on the same monitor.
Was wondering if ABC brigtened up to image to compensate for this?
Ben

These are the settings I use for online uploads:
High Profile @ Level 5.0
VBR, 2-Pass
Target Bitrate: 168.75 (max)
Enable: Maximum Bit Depth
Key Frame Distance: 7
Baseline Profile @ Level 5.0
VBR, 2-Pass
Target Bitrate: 135 (max)
Enable: Maximum Bit Depth
Key Frame Distance: 10
Also: In the Multiplexer tab check that Stream Compatibility is set to Standard. It defaults to iPod.
Try rendering a short test clip using the two settings and let me know how they look in YouTube. If neither file works, please import to your NLE and post a screen capture of the same frame from the ProRes, AME H.264, and transcoded YouTube files. You can download the files from the Video Manager page; the option is listed near the bottom of the pulldown menu that starts with "Edit".
EDIT: Added note regarding multiplexer stream compatibility.

Trouble with WMV files in Premiere

Hello,
I searched first but didn't find my issue or really old discussions came up.
Basically I recorded some screen captured tutorials with Microsoft Expression. Since I'm using the free version when I'm done my only option is to export a WMV file. It won't let me pick MP4 for example.
Anyway I exported fairly lightweight files from Expression, 10,000 kbps, 29,97 fps. In total I'm only talking about 243 MB of footage.
These files play perfect in Windows Media Player and completely aweful in Premiere Pro CC. This is on a Dell 7600 Nvidia Maximus setup with Mercury CUDA playback enabled. It should fly with only one video track playing. On other projects I've used DSLR 1080p footage with AE linked comps in the timeline with heavy effects and I could still play back in realtime.
I'm currently rendering a proxy file so that I can actually work and see footage play back. Typically my render times are great but with the WMV files it's terrible. It's going to take 4.5 hours to render 22 minutes of just video. No crazy AE comp or anything like that.
So anything I can do to fix this? i see myself doing more of these in the future and this workflow is horrible and a huge waste of time. There's gotta be a better option.
Thanks!
Rich

Aweful as in 30fps playback in WMP and 0fps playback in Premiere. The video will play choppy for the first 1 or 2 seconds then stop updating alltogether. Only when I stop playback (and after a several second wait) will the video refresh.
Again, plays 100% perfectly in WMP. Files are small, 50-100 megs each. Only in Premiere do they not play correctly.
To even work I've had to create proxy videos in another format. That wouldn't be that big of a deal but the slow playback affects Media Encoder too. Encoding 250 megs, about 25 minutes of footage in a low bit rate, took about 6 hours. Normally with another format that would only take a couple of minutes.
Kinda funny / sad. My video was full frame until I tried uninstalling that update described in the other thread. Now it's half frame, ha ha. Now to try and reinstall that update that broke their system in the hopes that it fixes mine.

I can't open wmv files with Lion. Windows media player doesn't work. Any suggestions?

Unable to open wmv files using Lion. Windows media player doesn't work. Are there any suggestions.
Thanks

Lynnie Marie ---
macfriedchikkin's reply would make sense to you if you were trying to open a camera, but if you are trying to view streming media from a web site that is a different story. It helps to be very specific about what you are tyring to do on these forums.
I belive you would go into Firefox Preferences menu and tell it to use VLC as the application to play WMV files. I'm still running Tiger, however, so I can't tell you if it the latest version works wel that way. The Tiger version doesn't seem to, but a lot may have changed since then. (I'm only just getting around to installing Leopard next week now that there are too may apps I can't run on Tiger. ) Perhaps someone else on this forum can better help you set up the player in your browser.
Or you can cut out the middleman and give VLC the direct video URL:
Choose Open File from the File menu and paste in the URL of the video, say,
http://azul.streamguys.com/auduboncal-1
or http://azul.streamguys.com/auduboncal-2
Your media should play this way. Dont forget to save the playlist for later.
I'l keep investigating on my end, and yes, I'm also encouraging certain people who are streaming windows media in to switching to a different format
Best --
G

Captured video-material appears far too dark

hi there!
I have a great problem (being under time-pressure with a project): video-material, taken with a canon HV30, that looks all right on the camera-screen, appears FAR TOO DARK (not usable), after beeing captured. the problem does not seem to be a premiere-problem (I have CS3), since windows movie maker produces the same fault. it is neither a pc-screen-calibration or -regulation-problem, since the same material played onto the same screen by another pc, that displays everthing else perfectly, is also too dark. the answer must be between the cam-corder and the capturing software? does someone have a clue? (the problem seems to be not only mine if you check via google... and the solution seems not to be at hand...)
I'm working with DV-widescreen(16:9)-PAL-material converting it with 16-bit sound and 48 kHz.
following my relevant systems-data... (everything is updated with the most recent drivers...)
thanks very much indeed in advance!
hilmar
System Information
Time of this report: 11/21/2008, 23:54:29
Machine name: PC02
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.080814-1233)
Language: German (Regional Setting: German)
System Manufacturer: MAXDATA
System Model: *
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4400 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 766MB used, 3172MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode
DxDiag Notes
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.
DirectX Debug Levels
Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
Display Devices
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8600 GTS
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0400&SUBSYS_040110B0&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: (Standardmonitor)
Monitor Max Res:
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.7824 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 10/7/2008 13:33:00, 6058112 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: Nicht zutreffend
Mini VDD: nv4_mini.sys
Mini VDD Date: 10/7/2008 13:33:00, 6133856 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4740-11CF-906D-0A2400C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x10DE
Device ID: 0x0400
SubSys ID: 0x040110B0
Revision ID: 0x00A1
Revision ID: 0x00A1
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A
Deinterlace Caps: {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: F

thanks,
dear craig,
for your thoughts and tips!
I will do that just for curiosity. but then I would have to know how the waveform-scopes should ideally look like? where can I find model-scopes? (and, what's more, the camera "gave up its spirit", as we say in german: can't be switched on any more - brand new... so I'll have to get it fixed...)
but: it seems to me, that your path-finding leads in the wrong direction... see: the camera records pictures digitally on a tape. from the tape it is able to read the data again out onto a screen - and fine! now: you should be able to reproduce that outside the camera - and not blame it somehow...
others seem to have the same problem with different cameras and different systems-cominations (operating system, graphic cards...). so it can't be just my camera. the problem is not so easy...
the guy here - http://forum.videohelp.com/topic281706.html - seems to aim in the right direction (imho): he touches the point of the colour-spaces used! he says inside the camcorder IRE 0.0 / 16-235 color space is used. right? well: outside the cam on a computer-screen RGB or sRGB is used, right? so some transformation has to happen - or may be, it is not done - with the bad result, we have...
now the chap there speaks about the possibly wrong codecs. a codec however has to do with compression/decompression. but - they say - the capturing via firewire is just the unaltered transmission of data, and .avi (the resulting format) is compression-free! so the problem is not a codec-problem. but how's the software called that changes the color-spaces or should change them???
what astonished me very much is to see that, when I change the screen-settings for color/luminance with my nvidia-graphics-card, then everything on the screen changes exept! the to video-images in the two screens (source, program) in premiere... so premiere seems to use its own screen-controle here!
and why actually can't I choose somewhere which the output-conditions for and after the capturing shall be, e.g. the clip-format (.avi, .mov etc.) and - may be! - the color-space! I can just say "DV 25i PAL max. bit-depth" and, under device(=cam)-controle, brand and type of device (and again PAL). now I can choose "canon" but not "HV30" (not contained in the list) - just "standard" instead. but that raises the question: what colour-space are the various cameras using and sending??
now if I check the supported camera-brands and -types online on the adobe-website (http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/dvhdwrdb.html) I can't find canon's HV30 (just the semi-pro-models, for which "conditional support" is promised... but problems seem to lay elsewhere).
on the website, where you can check the compatibility of your cam with premiere, adobe boasts its "Preconfigured solutions
Certified Adobe OpenHD configurations (that) help ensure compatibility between hardware and software components." if you click on the linked text some general boasting and buy exhortations about the "creative suite" come up - no precise information...
should this well known and ill suffered compatibility problem not be handled more clearly and competently?
please help me finding the solution, which is: to interprete the recorded data on the tape, that get transferred via capturing, like the camera does!
thanks a lot indeed!
hilmar
ps: it is interesting to check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_space, where it says: "YIQ was formerly used in NTSC (North America, Japan and elsewhere) television broadcasts for historical reasons. This system stores a luminance value with two chrominance values, corresponding approximately to the amounts of blue and red in the color. It is similar to the YUV scheme used in most video capture systems[2] and in PAL (Australia, Europe, except France, which uses SECAM) television, except that the YIQ color space is rotated 33° with respect to the YUV color space. ...
" you see: two different color spaces in TV and CAPTURE SYSTEMS! is premiere not a capture system?? and what do the graphics-devices underway between the camera and premiere??

Wmv files too dark

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