video too dark when exporting from AfterEffects (linear workspace)

[wolpertinger]

Hello.
I am editing video in AfterEffects. My project ist set to 16bit, sRGB and the "linear workspace" checkbox in my project settings is checked. Everything inside AfterEffects looks fine.
Now here ist the problem: When I render my video to an AVI with Lagarith Codec then the rendered video ist too dark. I think this has something to do with the conversion from the linear colorspace inside After Effects and the colorpsace of the AVI file. If I switch off the "linear workspace" in After Effects then my composition inside AfterEffects matches the rendered AVI (both are too dark).
So I think I am doing something wrong when I am exporting the video to AVI.
I use the following rendering settings:
- AVI
- Lagarith Codec set to RGB Mode
- Color Management of the output file set to sRGB(linear), "convert to linear color" turned off (the description says it will convert from gamma 1.0 to gamma 2.2 in this case)

How can i export the visual appearance from AE to the AVI file. What am i doing wrong? : )

[poisondeathray]

Your settings look correct

How are you determining the exported AVI is "too dark?" What software are you using to view it ?

What happens when you export another format without embedded profile, even a PNG screenshot with the same color management options (e.g. comp => save frame as)

[wolpertinger]

I have attached a frame of my video with different color space settings. The AVI is too dark / has too much contrast. The PNGs do not look exactly like my AE viewport, but they are closer to that foggy look which I want to preserve (picture nr. 1).

I am using the AVI wit Lagarith Codec as an intermediate format for x264 Encoding in MeGUI. Maybe there is another workflow how I can put the video from AE to MeGUI? Or maybe I should try another Codec?

[wolpertinger]

I am new to video editing. Is there another way how I can determine how the final rendered video in 8bit will look like? So far I only found the color management settings and the format/codec settings in the render list. It would be nice to see how the video will look like, before I render it. Something like flattening everything to 8bit before rendering?

[budwzr]

How many tracks of video? Is that a composite? Any filters? All the problems have to do with the lighting, the AE bump maps.

Can you render "Setting1" to "Setting5"?

[wolpertinger]

How many tracks of video? Is that a composite? Any filters? All the problems have to do with the lighting, the AE bump maps.

Can you render "Setting1" to "Setting5"?

I have a main composition with color correction effects applied (Curves, Levels, Black&White). Inside this composition are 5 EXR image-sequences (32Bit) from my rendering application. They all have an "exposure" color correction effect applied.
The screenshots / exported images I have posted are all taken from my main composition. Except screenshot no. 3 which is taken from Media Player Classic. My project settings are set to 16Bit, sRGB and linear color.
I hope this information helps.
It is the first time I am editing with linear colorpsace. I thought this would improve color blending and the quality of the effects ... Am I doing something fundamentally wrong? Or is this a problem from after effects?

[poisondeathray]

All your settings look correct. It should look like the 1st screenshot, same as in the AE viewer. MPC can render images differently depending how you have it setup (different renderer choice (e.g. VRM9 vs overlay vs. EVR) can make image darker or brighter)

Try rendering out with RGB, not RGBA (check with both the png and lagarith AVI) , reimport into AE in a non color managed project to preview

[poisondeathray]

I cannot reproduce your results (I often use EXR from 3D programs, imported into AE with linear workflow) . The only other thing is I typically use 32bpc with linear (But it shouldn't make this difference with 16bpc)

AVI is a non color managed format (you cannot embed color info) , so upon export AE converts linear to sRGB and "bakes" the 2.2 gamma into the export so it looks ok everywhere else . You've got to rule out a display issue (e.g. MPC will give differnt results depending on how you have it configured)

Are you only using curves, levels ? What is in the other comps ? Are they nested in the main comp ?

Try disabling Open GL - sometimes that can give weird results

Clear out the AE cache before rendering (sometimes ,especially with older versions of AE, it reused old cached files)

[budwzr]

So there must be a weirdity in the OP's image sequences, or filters, not so much AE, right?

weirdity (adjective): A profundity resulting from an anomaly.

[wolpertinger]

Thanks everyone for the help!
I did not fix the problem yet but I found out that when I change the colorspace from sRGB to AdobeRGB in the AE peoject settings the output AVI becomes brighter. The video now looks like the exported PNG (no.4) in my image above. So it is brighter but not as bright/foggy as what I see inside AE.

And I found out something interresting: When I import the AVI with sRGB into a new AE project than it looks too dark (like in MPC). As soon as I activate the sRGB color profile inside the project settings the video gets fixed. It looks exactly like the original AE project file. I am using AE CS 5.5.