How can I fix overexposed footage in Final Cut Pro? (codec issue)?

The Quicktime Player video details and visual appearance indicates it was shot using ProRes 422 HQ using the AppleLog profile. The NCLC tags are 9-2-9 (see attached table), which means Color Primaries: ITU-R BT.2020, transfer function undefined, and YCbCr Matrix: ITU-R BT.2020. That means it is wide gamut but not defined as HDR.

That is no different from shooting Sony S-Log3/S-gamut3.cine which is also wide gamut but not defined as HDR. That is generally what we want, since in-camera HDR (e.g, recording Rec.2020 HLG) ties our hands as colorists and reduces dynamic range releative to a log format.

Similar to Sony or Canon log material, the iPhone AppleLog material captures high dynamic range and is capable of being used in an HDR timeline, but it is not defined as in-camera HDR. Technically, we would describe the clip as wide-gamut, but not HDR-signalled.

Typically this material would be used in an SDR library and timeline if you didn't have an HDR monitor and did not intend on producing an HDR product.

You have already indicated it's in a Rec.709 SDR timeline. To verify that, select the project icon in the left sidebar, then inspect the project properties in the Project Inspector in the right sidebar. It should say Rec.709. If it does not, create a new Rec.709 project: File>New>Project, select "Custom Settings." Verify the color space is Rec.709, then add your Rec.2020 iPhone clip to that project.

Verify your library is SDR. Select the library in the left sidebar, and in the Library Inspector in the right sidebar, it should say "Standard Gamut SDR." If it does not, either create a new SDR library or click modify to change this library to SDR.

Verify that FCP has applied the standard AppleLog conversion LUT to the clip. Select the clip, then in the Inspector "Info" tab, ensure the "General" view at bottom is selected. Then inspect that Camera LUT is set to Apple Log.

Verify in FCP Settings>General>HDR that "Automatic Color Conform" is enabled. Likewise, with the clip selected, look in the Video Inspector and verify that Color Conform is enabled, and type = Automatic. This will avoid later problems if you inadvertently mix HDR and SDR material.

Select your clip in the timeline and see how it looks. If it has effects on it, turn those off in the Video Inspector.

Enable scopes via CMD+7, and in the upper-right View menu, select "Waveform" and "RGB Parade." This shows whether the primary colors are out of limits. You can also verify that by enabling FCP's built-in range check. In the upper-right of the Viewer, select View>Range Check>All. That will show a zebra pattern if either the luma or saturation is out of limits.

If either is out of limits, fix the underlying issue, or as a stopgap, you can apply the FCP built-in Broadcast Safe effect. Increase the slider if needed to eliminate the zebra pattern. At that point, both luma and saturation are within limits.

After doing the above, evaluate the image and tell us how it looks.

Hi (bonjour),

Check the colour processing option for your library, it should be Wide Gamut HDR as you iPhone shot material is HDR. From FCP user manual:

« You can choose between two library color-processing options in Final Cut Pro:

•Standard: Sets the working color space to linear RGB with Rec. 709 color primaries, the space that previous versions of Final Cut Pro have used. Rec. 709 is the current standard for HDTV projects, including HD cable, Blu-ray discs, and most streaming video today.

•Wide Gamut HDR: Sets the working color space to linear RGB with Rec. 2020 color primaries, a color space with a wider range of colors than Rec. 709. Rec. 2020 is useful for 4K and 8K UHDTV and HDR projects. In a Wide Gamut HDR library, the built-in camera LUT settings preserve the full dynamic range of log source media when converting to the working space.

Note: To view the wider range of colors in Rec. 2020, it’s recommended that you use a wide-gamut HDR external monitor and video interface. See Play media on an external display. For tips on color correcting wide-gamut HDR projects with Mac displays, see Wide-gamut HDR tips. »

Michel

We do not know if the iPhone material is HDR. The iPhone can shoot various formats. The OP said the original footage was ProRes, and it appears to be a log format, but that is different from in-camera HDR (which the iPhone can also do).

If it is ProRes using AppleLog, it should work OK in an SDR library and Rec.709 timeline, assuming FCP is properly configured. That is similar to any log format such as S-Log3. Using this material there are two options:

(1) Grade and output for SDR using Rec.709. The Rec.709 option simply requires the appropriate log-to-Rec.709 conversion LUT, which FCP often applies automatically.

(2) Grade and output for HDR, using the same log material since that has latent HDR ability (14-15 stops dynamic range, vs 6-7 stops for Rec.709). To produce an HDR product, the same log content can be put in a Wide Gamut HDR library and graded on a Rec.2020 HLG timeline, then exported using the FCP Rec.2020 HLG Dolby Vision 8.4 preset. Unlike Rec.2020 PQ, HLG material is backward-compatible with playback on SDR devices.

If the iPhone material is actually recorded in an HDR format such as HLG (ProRes, HEVC, etc), there are also SDR and HDR grading/export options. However this may be less desirable for editing since it "bakes in" a specific look, and you lose some of the original dynamic range (about 10-12 stops vs 14-15 stops from a log format). That method works well if it won't be graded very much and if the intent is mostly to upload or distribute it "as is." Grading/export options for Rec.2020 HLG material:

(1) Use an SDR library and Rec.709 timeline (for Rec.709 export). If properly configured, FCP automatically remaps the Rec.2020 HLG content to Rec.709. This would be used if the colorist did not have an HDR display, so they could not properly grade HLG material.

(2) Use a Wide Gamut HDR library and Rec.2020 HLG timeline (for HDR export that is also backward-compatible with playback on SDR devices). This preserves about 80% of the dynamic range available with log material, but is better than Rec.709. However, the Rec.2020 HLG material cannot really be graded properly without an HDR monitor.

Play the original iPhone video in Quicktime Player, do CMD+I, then do a screencap of the "General" and "Video Details" sections and upload those here.

The attached example shows the attributes of an iPhone video I shot and imported to FCP. Yours need not have these exact settings, but these are the areas of interest.

In MacOS System Settings>Displays, what color profile or preset is selected for your monitor?

If you shot the iPhone video as ProRes and AppleLog, upon import, it should look OK. Your posted image looks like some kind of double conversion, such as another LUT or effect on top of the FCP automatic AppleLog LUT. For test purposes, temporarily do not use any third-party effects or color tools.

Never use LUTs or Color Board myself. I have never seen a RAW or Log clip I haven't been able to handle the same way as any "normal" clip... again, without LUTs or the Color Board. Log/RAW clips are actually easier to deal with if there is NO LUT applied when imported.