Stills from FCPX are high contrast with crushed blacks?

That's interesting and I would like to try it with GIMP.

When I import the .jpg it gives me the arrowed profile which I assume is correct and I click "Keep".

However, I am at a loss as to how I export it with a Rec709 Gamma 2.4 tag.

As you now know it's a long standing problem.

However, I export .jpg and don't get the dramatic deterioration you mention.

The results look identical until you compare them side by side and notice that the copy is marginally darker than the clip.

Unless you compare them like that the results are otherwise perfect.

The issue here is about the colour profile that FCP tags the saved frame with on export. It uses Rec. ITU-R BT.709-5 which is being read incorrectly by several apps including Preview and FCP (if reimported). 

It might be too late if you have already done as you describe in QuickTime. However, if you have already saved the frames as stills and you have Lightroom and and are familiar with using it, you can simply import the saved stills and re-export them with a Rec709 Gamma 2.4 tag. This can be done using a simple export preset so the process is completely automated. This will give images that look identical to the way they looked in the FCP timeline when exported. It can also be done in Photoshop and it can even be automated if one is familiar with Photoshop actions but it is much easier to automate the process using Lightroom. When talking about Lightroom, I am referring to Lightroom Classic (the desktop version of Lightroom).

In my opinion this is a much better temporary fix than copying and pasting or using screenshots as it can be easily automated and it enables a tight colour management workflow.

I just checked to see what would happen with Photos export and you're right Ben. It doesn't work. I don't have Affinity to check but the only thing i've seen that works is tagging as Rec709G2.4 and so far only Lightroom or Photoshop seem to give that option. Unfortunately the Adobe apps are subscription only and the minimum term is a year.

Ben Low wrote:

Thank you most kindly for your help Clint! If I stumble across any other solution I'll report it in this post. It would be nice to go directly from the timeline ... often the stills are required before the film is completed. Maybe Apple will fix the bug ...

No worries Ben. Hopefully you will find a solution. I think this method is the easiest workaround for anyone with Lightroom or Photoshop so maybe it will help others anyway.

The FREE version of DaVinci Resolve exports still frames accurately, so you could edit your videos in Resolve or . . .

. . . just send your timeline from FCP to Resolve via XML and create the stills using Resolve.

It takes seconds to send your timeline to Resolve using XML and creating the stills (File/Export/Current Frame as Still) will be at least as quick as FCP.

Problem solved!

You might be introducing more problems using Resolve as it has its own serious foibles in terms of stills exports and gamma changes when exporting Rec709 video on Macs but it might be worth a try if you are familiar with it. Just wondering what are you doing with the stills anyway?

Ben Low wrote:

Fantabulous Ian. Good idea. I used to use Resolve (to colour grade), till I fell in love with FCPX.

The nice thing about working with the timeline is one can isolate the still one wants much quicker, slipping back and forth to find it. In Quicktime the scale is too big, so one actually has to play the movie to get close, then frame back and forth (clumsier).

You seem to have missed that you can export a single frame as a Quicktime movie, so no guessing or searching is involved. Just position the playhead, press I and O to set the range equal to just that frame. You can even set the export so it opens in Quicktime Player automatically. So it can be done in just a couple of seconds, all from the keyboard:

I, O, Command-E, type name, enter,

(file in Quicktime opens automatically)Command-C,

(command-tab to Preview) Command-N, CommandCommand-S

I have tested out my Resolve theory and it doesn't work!

The exported frame matches the frame in the Resolve timeline but when reimported into FCP it is a tad darker than the original. However, regarding the quality, they are both OK . . . which is better, the lighter or the darker . . . who can say?

I certainly don't get any crushed blacks or ruined photos when I export a frame from FCP. It's just that side by side they are not quite identical.

It is possible to be too critical as your videos will never be shown under as perfect conditions as you see it when viewed from your editing timeline.