Calibrated Software MXF Import v3 - Manual (Page 24)

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Please note that none of the three options affects the actual MXF file on your harddrive – rather these options are used by
Calibrated{Q} MXF Import to describe the DNxHD video in the MXF file when Calibrated{Q} MXF Import is opening a
DNxHD MXF file for an application.
When you change any of these settings, you will have to close and re-open your application for these settings to apply,
and in rare circumstances you may have to re-import the files back in your application.
(1) SMPTE RGB (16-235)
– DEFAULT OPTION
This is the default option. This is the option where YUV will be converted to SMPTE Range RGB when RGB data is
requested by an application from the Avid QuickTime Codecs. You will retain the super white/super black information from
YUV; however the RGB may look ‘washed out’ in applications where Full Range RGB is expected.
This setting would not affect YUV data if that is requested by an application, as YUV data would be decompressed from
DNxHD and handed to the application without any color level changes. The only exception for YUV not looking as
expected would be in FCP or FC Studio applications where traditional YUV QuickTime Gamma (2.22HD or 2.2SD) and
not Platform Gamma is expected to be reported for YUV data by the Avid QuickTime Codec.
This option would be equivalent to
DNxHD MOV files that had been exported out of Avid MC with the ‘601/709’ Color
Level option set.
This
is a more ‘advanced option’ but was chosen as the default option for the following reasons:
a) We usually find many more DNxHD MOV files exported out of Avid MC with the ‘601/709’ Color Level option set
in post-production workflows.
b) The Avid users we usually speak with are much more adamant about preserving the Super White/Super Black
levels in RGB even if it makes their workflows more complex in applications that don’t support SMPTE RGB
c) And we find that usually Calibrated{Q} MXF Import is used with DNxHD MXF files for quick-round trips in other
applications like After Effects, where Calibrated{Q} MXF Import is used to import the DNxHD MXF files, a few
simple effects are done, and then re-exported as DNxHD MOV files using the Avid QuickTime Codecs with the
‘709’ Color Levels selected in the Avid QuickTime Codecs Options window. These exported DNxHD MOV files
can then be imported back into Avid MC with no loss in super black/white levels.
(2) Full RGB (0-255)
This is the option where YUV will be converted to Full Range RGB when RGB is requested by an application from the
Avid QuickTime Codecs. You will lose any super white/super blacks values when YUV is converted to RGB but full range
RGB is used by many more applications so viewing the Full Range RGB would look normal (i.e. it would not look washed
out).
This setting would not affect YUV data if that is requested by an application, as YUV data would be decompressed from
DNxHD and handed to the application without any color level changes. The only exception for YUV not looking as
expected would be in FCP or FC Studio applications where traditional YUV QuickTime Gamma (2.22HD or 2.2SD) and
not Platform Gamma is expected to be reported for YUV data by the Avid QuickTime Codec.
Round-tripping could still easily be accomplished in applications like After Effects, where Calibrated{Q} MXF Import is
used to import the DNxHD MXF files, a few simple effects are done, and then re-exported as DNxHD MOV files using the
Avid QuickTime Codecs with the RGB Color Levels selected in the Avid QuickTime Codecs Options window. These
exported DNxHD MOV files can then be imported back into Avid MC but would have lost values above and below the
super black/white levels.
This option would be equivalent to DNxHD MOV files that had been exported out of Avid MC with the ‘RGB’ Color Level
option set.
(3) Full RGB (0-255) & Gamma Ext.
– BETA OPTION
Please note that this option is a new feature that is BETA. This feature is mainly for FCP and FC Studio applications
where DNxHD MXF files will be added to ProRes Sequences or other types of FCP Sequences where the DNxHD Codec