Capture with VirtualDub. Brightness values are clipped to 100 and 0.

[Hypersonic1]

I have a raw captured file, and I noticed the values never go above 100 and below 0. Arcsoft Showbiz didn't clip the values. How do I tell VirtualDub not to do this?

[jagabo]

0 and 100 what? 8 bit luma values? IRE? Did you capture RGB? YUY2?

[Hypersonic1]

IRE.
That is what I selected.

What is the best option?

[jagabo]

With those settings Virtualdub will capture values below Y=16 (IRE 0) and values above Y=235 (IRE 100). If you're not getting values outside that range it's because your source is putting them out, or your capture device is crushing them.

[Hypersonic1]

The same capture device does not crush them in ArcSoft Showbiz.

[Hypersonic1]

I just tested it again. VirtualDub is definitely doing something with the luma values whereas ArcSoft ShowBiz is preserving them.

[poisondeathray]

What format are you saving it to in vdub , and showbiz ?

How are you reading values ?

[Hypersonic1]

VirtualDub is avi Lagarith
ArcSoft Showbiz is MPEG-2, then I convert it to MPEG-4 via Handbrake because Premiere will not import MPEG-2.
I brought them both into the timeline and used the YC waveform. The slight vertical black bars are below 0 with Showbiz, and VirtualDub stop at 0.

[poisondeathray]

Premiere treats lagarith as RGB (even in YUV mode , either YV12 or YUY2), so it will clip values. Try UT Video Codec

You can prove this to yourself that vdub isn't clipping it by opening it avisynth and checking with histogram or videoscope

[newpball]

Premiere will not import MPEG-2.

Premiere Pro can import MPEG-2.

[Hypersonic1]

Which one should I use?

[Hypersonic1]

Premiere Pro can import MPEG-2.

It doesn't import for me.

[newpball]

Premiere Pro can import MPEG-2.

It doesn't import for me.

In what container did you put it?

[poisondeathray]

For SD captures - YUV422, 601

[Hypersonic1]

SD captures - YUV422, 601

I just tried capturing with this. The luma values are still clipped to 0 and 100 IRE.

[jagabo]

Upload a short sample.

[poisondeathray]

SD captures - YUV422, 601

I just tried capturing with this. The luma values are still clipped to 0 and 100 IRE.

Some versions of CC and CS6 appear to have broken AVI import. Even the pro version of cineform is sometimes treated as RGB in PP (it's supposed to be treated as YUV) . Nobody has been able to debug why it happens only on some systems, but not others. All I can say is try updating or reverting to an older version if you recently updated

If you want something that works 100% on every configuration, every version, you can use uncompressed UYVY for 8bit 422 (Vdub's YUY2 won't work) . v210 also works (10bit 422). And for YUV 420, "I420" works, but not vdub's "YV12" (the only difference are different fourcc's , different planar arrangement) . These will yield larger filesizes of course since they are all uncompressed

To be clear, it's not vdub's fault, it's a problem the receiving application's handling of various fourCC's in AVI (this affects many NLE's not just premiere)

[Hypersonic1]

If if you want something that works 100% on every configuration, every version, you can uncompressed UYVY for 8bit 422, but large filesizes. v210 also works (10bit 422)

That worked, but the file size is too large. What other lossless compressors should I try?

[poisondeathray]

If if you want something that works 100% on every configuration, every version, you can uncompressed UYVY for 8bit 422, but large filesizes. v210 also works (10bit 422)

That worked, but the file size is too large. What other lossless compressors should I try?

I don't know why it works for some people and not others. People have tried debugging this - OS, version, updates, swapping AVI importer version, codec version, etc.... and can't make any sense of it .

You can try magicyuv, huffyuv (there are a dozen different variants) - but likely they will all be treated as RGB with your current configuration if UT was

[Hypersonic1]

As for the MPEG-2 issue, it will import in CC but not CS6. It has audio sync problems when brought into CC, but not when played in VLC. I would rather just stick with VirtualDub anyway. I just need to find the right codec.

[Hypersonic1]

You can try magicyuv, huffyuv (there are a dozen different variants) - but likely they will all be treated as RGB with your current configuration if UT was

It's clipped with this too. What should I do now?

[jagabo]

mjpeg?

[Hypersonic1]

mjpeg?

I don't see that option in VirtualDub. Isn't there something else I can use that is maybe not totally lossless, but close for VirtualDub?

[jagabo]

Like all the lossless codecs you have to install an mjpeg encoder. Old versions of ffdshow included one (it was removed a few years ago). You can also use PicVideo's mjpeg codec.

[poisondeathray]

If UT doesn't work, then likely no losslessly compressed AVI codec will work for your setup in PP as YUV . The only options would be uncompressed

Another lossy option is to use DV-AVI, or if that's not "good enough" for your purposes , there is a DVCPro50 Variant which doubles the bitrate to ~50Mb/s and 4:2:2. I think there is a Cedocida free version of DVCPro50 . Usually , "native" camera formats are treated as YUV in PP, and those two definitely are in all versions

Or you can "alter" the "problem" and normalize values in YUV before importing

[jagabo]

By the way, if you go the DV route, don't use Panasonic DV codec. Among its many other faults it only outputs RGB with a rec.601 conversion so it will crush superblacks and superbrights.

Or you could just adjust the capture device's video proc amp before capturing so you don't have superblacks and superbights.

[Hypersonic1]

I just tried Cedocida, but it would not work when I pressed Capture video; it returned the error message "Video compressor error: The source image format is not acceptable. (error code -2)"

[jagabo]

DV encoders require 720x480 29.97 fps or 720x576 25 fps. Oh, I think it requires YUY2 and won't work with UYVY.

[Hypersonic1]

Since mine is 720x486, it won't work?

[jagabo]

720x486 won't work. Crop away 6 lines. Note I added a bit about YUY2 to my last post.