HDR Video Editing

Question

Level 1

5 points

HDR Video Editing

Hello Everyone. Hope You All are Well. I record travel vlogs for YouTube on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. I have an M1 Max MacBook Pro. I wasn’t aware that HDR was set for video as default on the iPhone. On my last trip, I shot some videos with HDR on (unknowingly). After I found out that it was sort of a hassle to work with, I turned it off.

It seems it is best to update Final Cut Pro to 10.6.6. I don’t use third party plugins for editing, I believe, so I don’t have to worry about any issues associated with those.

I currently shoot in Full HD 60p, export in Full HD 60p, and do not do color grading.

Please correct me if I am wrong. My current understanding: On previous versions of Final Cut Pro, if HDR footage is put on the Timeline, I would have to go to HDR Color Tools and use HLG to REC 709 SDR (HDR to REC 709 is apparently not as good). I should be able to add non-HDR footage to the same Timeline as well. After that, I can export without issues.

If I upgrade to Cut Pro 10.6.6, I can add both HDR and non-HDR footage. The new update takes care of HDR footage automatically, so I would not need to use HLG to REC 709 within HDR Color Tools, which was previously required.

Questions:

In versions before FCP 10.6.6, for HDR footage, would I need to apply HLG to REC 709 SDR (HDR to REC 709 is apparently not as good) within HDR Color Tools?

With FCP 10.6.6, can the previous requirement of using HLG to REC 709 SDR within HDR Color Tools be totally skipped, since this is supposed to be automatically done now by FCP? Does anything else need to be done? How does this compare with the older method, in terms of appearance of the footage after exporting?

In FCP 10.6.6 (or previous), if I am using both HDR and non-HDR footage, does it matter which type of video is added first to the Timeline?

In previous versions, does an HDR clip need to be edited first, before applying HDR Color Tools, or can it be the other way around?

For Travel Vlogs, should HDR be left on? I want this to be as less complicated as possible for myself, and I do not want to do any color grading. My videos go on YouTube, and everyone does not have an HDR TV, and the color profile could be different for different TVs. I would appreciate any feedback. Thank You.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.5

Posted on Jun 5, 2023 12:20 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,700 points

Jun 5, 2023 04:51 AM in response to pjanveja

I have not seen HDR conform work correctly in existing projects in 10.6.6. If conform works then nothing further needs to be done. If you put HDR into an SDR project FCP is basically applying HDR Tools invincibly in the background.

(HDR to REC 709 is apparently not as good)

Not sure where you saw this. Not as good as what? It works perfectly well in my view.

What you add first to the timeline usually determines the specs of the project unless you made exact spec requirements when the project is created.

If you're going to apply HDR Tools to a clip it pretty much has to be in the timeline first. That's were effects are applied. (It is possible to do to the clip in the browser, but it's not recommended. It might make things more complicated later if you need to make changes.)

I would suggest you should always do some color correction or enhancement, especially when shooting with an iPhone, which I find has poor color rendition in quite a few circumstances.

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Answer 2

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 06:12 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank You for the reply, Tom!

So You think the HDR Tools automatically isn’t working correctly in 10.6.6? Does the footage still blown out? Would You recommend me to just apply that on my own without updating, and just update after I am done with working with HDR footage?

If I am going to use HDR Tools, does the HDR footage have to be added first to the Timeline? What would happen if SDR footage is added first?

What I meant was that HDR to REC 709 is not as specific as HLG to REC 709 SDR. I believe I read that online, and saw some videos about that as well.

In which cases have You noticed poor color renditions?

By the way, this is a different topic but does the bit rate need to be set while exporting? YouTube has certain recommendations depending on HDR/SDR. Previously, while using Final Cut Express, the bit rate could be specified in the export settings. With the new version of Final Cut Pro, if I am going to export to .MP4, does it automatically take care of the bit rate? I know the bit rate can be set in Compressor, but I don’t want to have to deal with that.

Thank You.

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,700 points

Jun 5, 2023 07:36 AM in response to pjanveja

HDR Conform does not seem to be working correctly in existing projects. It may require creating a new project in the new version. I haven't tested this thoroughly.

I would recommend updating to 10.6.6. It fixes some bugs as well.

It makes no difference which you put into the project first SDR or HDR. It just matters what the project properties are set to.

Apologies for the misunderstanding. Yes, iPhone video is specifically HLG and that that should be used.

Early morning, dawn, nixed light conditions, bright scenes. Generally, I find it makes shots warmer than they should be.

I don't know if the FCP export data rate matches YouTube's. You have really no control over the export function in FCP. I would recommend using Compressor. Create a Compressor preset that matches what you want and use it as an export setting from inside the FCP export module. Add it as a "Destination."

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Answer 4

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 07:50 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank You!

I could update to 10.6.6, and just turn off automatic color confirm, and apply HDR Tools manually if the automatic feature still does not work well.

In a 100% HDR project, do the HDR clips on an HDR Timeline look blown out? Does Color confirm need to be set to HLR to REC 709 in that case (Does Color Conform/HDR Tools have to be even used if the video matches the Timeline)?

If the majority of the Timeline has HDR Clips, and only a couple are SDR, which clips should be color confirmed?

I’m not even sure if it is even worth it shooting in HDR.

Thanks.

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,700 points

Jun 5, 2023 08:49 AM in response to pjanveja

HDR clips do not blown out in. an HDR project. Color Conform is automatic. Nothing needs to be set. No conforming takes place if the project is HDR and the media is HDR.

Normally you set the project to match the majority of your material.

I think most people can't view HDR properly at the moment, but clearly future monitors and TVs will be HDR capable.

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Answer 6

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 01:18 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks.

If the majority of the Timeline has HDR Clips, and only a couple are SDR, which clips should be color confirmed?

For the HDR videos I do have to edit, if the Timeline only has HDR videos, should I just leave everything as is for YouTube, or should I apply the HDR Tools to convert the Colors to those that are like SDR (Upload as HDR or SDR Color profile)?

Thanks again.

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Answer 7

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 01:42 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

YouTube allows both SDR and HDR footage.

But it depends if it’s better to make SDR footage more like HDR, or the other way around. For example, if there are 5 SDR videos and 15 HDR Videos, would it make sense to just make the SDR videos more like HDR using HDR Tools (or Color Conform)? Although HDR to SDR might look fine, it’s possible that SDR to HDR could look strange.

I also understand that in an All HDR project, where the Timeline only has HDR videos, nothing has to be done with the Colors. But for the sake of YouTube, would You keep everything as is, or put the HDR Clips on an SDR Timeline and use HDR Tools? That could be irrelevant, since Color adjustment for such videos should probably only be done if there are both SDR and HDR videos together on a Timeline.

Thanks.

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Answer 8

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,700 points

Jun 5, 2023 01:55 PM in response to pjanveja

make the SDR videos more like HDR using HDR Tools

HDR Tools doesn't do that. It's only for taking HDR to SDR. You need to use the color correction tools in FCP to push the levels in SDR footage to make it look more like HDR. I have seen good SDR footage work well with HDR, but it probably requires good video and skills to make that happen.

If everything is HDR I would think you should keep it HDR especially if YouTube supports it.

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Answer 9

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 02:27 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks again.

My mistake, I thought I read HDR Tools could do that.

Color Conform has the option for SDR To 100% HDR (HLG). Is that the correct feature to apply? Is that available in previous versions?

It seems it would be best to leave everything on an HDR Timeline as HDR, without using Color Comform/HDR Tools. In the case of someone not having an HDR monitor, YouTube will down-convert the footage to SDR.

Thanks.

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Answer 10

pjanveja Author

Level 1

5 points

Jun 5, 2023 05:33 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I can understand, but I am not trained in color correction. I personally don’t want to do that. So if I want to do Color Conform to convert SDR videos to HDR, I would need 10.6.6. Is there any similar feature in previous versions that automatically does it? I could get 10.6.6, turn off automatic color conform, apply HDR Tools for the HDR footage in an SDR Timeline when necessary, and still use the Color Conform feature for SDR to 100% HDR (HLG).

Could You please explain the last portion about browser clips?

If I use HDR tools for HDR Footage on a SDR Timeline, where there isn’t any SDR Footage, how would the final export look when compared to direct HDR footage exported on an HDR Timeline?

It seems that when working with both SDR and HDR footage, the Timeline format should match the format that has the most footage. Is it correct to think like that?

Thank You.

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Answer 11

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,700 points

Jun 6, 2023 06:27 AM in response to pjanveja

The Color Conform option is available in the inspector for browser clips.

The SDR project will be SDR and have SDR properties and a maximum brightness of 100 nits. The HDR project will have 1000 nits brightness and a wider range of color.

If you're not going to use Compressor, then you really need to set the project to what you want to output not what the content is. If you want to output SDR then you should make an SDR project regardless of what the original media is, and vice versa, an HDR project to output HDR.

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