Premiere Frameserves SD in Rec 709?

[poisondeathray]

What is the vector of ? Is a logo or something "known" ? Can you look for reference images on google ?

[koberulz]

Why would it convert to CMYK rather than opening in RGB, if it's an RGB file?

[poisondeathray]

Why would it convert to CMYK rather than opening in RGB, if it's an RGB file?

Because an eps can have script instructions to use certain color spaces, similar to tags with other files

Earlier you said " In CMYK, even though the EPS appears to be RGB (it's not a file I created)...." So I'm assuming you had been using CMYK

[koberulz]

What is the vector of ? Is a logo or something "known" ? Can you look for reference images on google ?

It's a 1980s-era logo for a sports club. Has been pulled out once or twice for 'throwback' events, but that's all it does these days.

Dug up some footage of the last time it got pulled out, and I'm still 99% sure it's yellow.

[koberulz]

Earlier you said " In CMYK, even though the EPS appears to be RGB (it's not a file I created)...." So I'm assuming you had been using CMYK

It appears, in Illustrator, to be RGB.

With color management on and the 'ask if...' boxes unchecked, it gets opened by Photoshop in the CMYK working space.

I kept meaning to mention this and then forgetting: my monitor has been calibrated with an i1 Display Pro.

[koberulz]

Earlier you said " In CMYK, even though the EPS appears to be RGB (it's not a file I created)...." So I'm assuming you had been using CMYK

It appears, in Illustrator, to be RGB.

With color management on and the 'ask if...' boxes unchecked, it gets opened by Photoshop in the CMYK working space.

I kept meaning to mention this and then forgetting: my monitor has been calibrated with an i1 Display Pro.

[poisondeathray]

Illustrator is what you should use to "judge" it , if you don't have a reference image. You have the options to strip things out (like eps scripts) and/or save it out in a different vector format like .ai or .svg if you're having discrepancies in other programs

[poisondeathray]

If you want me to take a look, zip it up and upload it

[koberulz]

Not really sure I should do that.

Working on a menu with the same graphic. Did up a draft in Photoshop (color managed as Rec 709), imported it into AE (as Rec 709), into a project whose working space is Rec 709. Brought in the EPS files, dropped them over the Photoshop layers...different colors. This is true even if I don't color manage anything. Removed the PSD's profile, turned it off in After Effects...same result.

EPS: 31,740:31,097:3,084 (exactly as in the other project)
PSD: 32,302:29,298:3,389

That's the PSD layer in After Effects, not the PSD open in Photoshop.

The more I look at it the more I think the PSD is actually right. I also get these, with other EPS files:
EPS: 24,415:17,605:9,509
PSD: 24,929:19,404:13,107 (definitely more accurate)

EPS: 1,028:1,671:8,353
PSD: 427:4,025:11,051

None of the EPS files have any profile embedded, so AE automatically applies sRGB. But turning color management off doesn't help either.

EDIT: Same in Premiere. If I import the EPS, it matches the AE output. If I import a PSD containing the EPS, it looks more accurate. If I save the EPS as an AI file, AE imports it correctly.

So...what is it doing to my EPS files, why is it doing it, and is there a way to stop it instead of having to re-save everything just in case?

[poisondeathray]

So...what is it doing to my EPS files, why is it doing it, and is there a way to stop it instead of having to re-save everything just in case?

Not sure, everything works here. Maybe it's a problem with CS6 , but more likely color management.

Forget about what "color" it's supposed to be for now; your problem basically boils down to a discrepancy in EPS handling, right ?

I'm not so sure your EPS is "plain" . EPS is an acronymn for Encapsulated Post Script . When I load a plain EPS (no scripts or management), it looks the same everywhere with color management disabled. If I save it out as a psd , or ai, it looks the same as the eps, everywhere . Same RGB values within or external color picker

At least you have a workaround for now, use the psd

[koberulz]

It's shifting every EPS, so it's not just one specific file. How could I check for whatever these other things are that could be the issue?

I've saved the four EPS files in this project as AI files and it's all working fine - and I retain vector capability - but I'd rather not have to do that with the dozens of different EPS files I have that I'll use on various things.

[poisondeathray]

Maybe a difference in CS6 vs. CC. Or difference in EPS asset (maybe some issue with that batch of EPS's, maybe they were they made from the same process or programs with the some compatibility issue? you can check the metadata in illustrator (file=>file info) )

So I downloaded some random EPS's and I found some which behaved similar to your issue. Checking the metadata in illustrator, the ones with the problem all had CMYK XMP data. Ones that didn't shift in AE had RGB XMP. Not sure if that's the same issue you're experiencing with your batch. Stripping out the CMYK post script data as suggested earlier, and re-exporting as EPS also "fixes" them (But if you were exporting as AI already, and that fixed it too, I don't necessarily see a benefit to keeping EPS, unless client doesn't have Illustrator). But that suggests that CMYK script data is the problem.

[koberulz]

Okay so I tried opening my HD MJPEGs in VDub using its internal decoder, then saving as UTVideo 709 4:2:2, working on the theory that this would solve my field-swapping issues and color shift issues in one go.

Except...no. I have three files. Two of them explorer.exe is holding onto - multiple instances each - so they can't be moved or downloaded or, really, anything. Opening that folder in explorer results in the green 'progress' bar slowly meandering from left to right through the address bar. I backed out and reopened the folder. No progress bar this time, but the VLC icons had been replaced with blank pages. If I attempt to open them in VLC, I get an error decoding ULH2 "(No description for this codec)". I can open SD UtVideo files.

Importing into After Effects resulted in it locking up entirely, then crashing my computer, after which scanning the drive for errors wiped all the other files on the drive. Importing into Premiere the first time worked okay...not sure if it still would though. Not sure I want to try.

EDIT: DirectShowSource("blah.avi") ConvertToRGB(matrix="rec709") seems to work, and I can then encode as an RGB file and solve everything...but when I open it in VDub it pops up two messages saying "failed to load ffmpeg.dll". It then loads the video fine, but I'm not sure if the messages are worth worrying about...

Plus I don't have hard drive space unless I delete the UT files, which I can't. And I don't want to reboot or unplug the drives or anything, because I don't want to lose files.

[poisondeathray]

Okay so I tried opening my HD MJPEGs in VDub using its internal decoder, then saving as UTVideo 709 4:2:2, working on the theory that this would solve my field-swapping issues and color shift issues in one go.

Except...no. I have three files. Two of them explorer.exe is holding onto - multiple instances each - so they can't be moved or downloaded or, really, anything. Opening that folder in explorer results in the green 'progress' bar slowly meandering from left to right through the address bar. I backed out and reopened the folder. No progress bar this time, but the VLC icons had been replaced with blank pages. If I attempt to open them in VLC, I get an error decoding ULH2 "(No description for this codec)". I can open SD UtVideo files.

Importing into After Effects resulted in it locking up entirely, then crashing my computer, after which scanning the drive for errors wiped all the other files on the drive. Importing into Premiere the first time worked okay...not sure if it still would though. Not sure I want to try.

Did you try upgrading UT video codec ? Maybe you are using older version ? It definitely works in Adobe CC , the separate fourcc for 601/709 differentiates how Adobe handles it for 420 and 422 UT video variants either as 601 or 709

If lagarith works for you, I think you can change the colors to 601 using alias format filter in vdub . This way you keep YUY2 (YUV422), smaller filesize. Or use other workarounds like avisynth (e.g. colormatrix) or ffmpeg (vf scale and out colormatrix)

EDIT: DirectShowSource("blah.avi") ConvertToRGB(matrix="rec709") seems to work, and I can then encode as an RGB file and solve everything...but when I open it in VDub it pops up two messages saying "failed to load ffmpeg.dll". It then loads the video fine, but I'm not sure if the messages are worth worrying about...

Plus I don't have hard drive space unless I delete the UT files, which I can't. And I don't want to reboot or unplug the drives or anything, because I don't want to lose files.

Was that a lagarith RGB ? RGB will make larger file sizes, but it's another possible workaround. The error message might be from directshowsource. I wouldn't use it, prone to inconsistencies and errors. If you were going to use avisynth, you might as well use ffms2 or lsmash. I think it decodes correctly anyways without the field swap issue so you can avoid vdub

[koberulz]

I've dealt with 601 no problem in VLC and Premiere (unsure about AE). 709 seems to be the issue.

I'm not sure what you mean about the 'alias format filter'?

I think DSS was the only way I could get the MJPEGs to load. LSMASH isn't on this machine and I couldn't find a way to install it, and I've never heard of ffms2 until just now. How would that help me avoid VDub? I'd still have to create the AVI file for Premiere to open, as it won't open AVS files.

Managed to convince Windows to delete the folder containing the UT files, but it stalled at '5 seconds remaining' for about 20 minutes. Hit 'cancel' and...nothing has changed. Still stuck on '5 seconds remaining'. Phenomenal.

[SameSelf]

I only read about the first half of page one, but this thread sounds eerily familiar to my lossless workflows thread in my sig (link below). Anyway, I agree with pdr; PP has a lot of gotchas, but the same can be said for just about every NLE. With that said though, I no longer frameserve out of PP, it is just too flaky for a number of reasons. I guess in days past when disk space was expensive, frameserving was a godsend. But nowadays, when I need to to export a project, I do so as uncompressed UYVY AVI. That seems to be the only truly lossless way both in and out of PP if you must stay in YUV space. Otherwise, I use image sequences.

Bottomline, color shifts are the bane of any post-production process which is why all steps in your workflow need to be vetted using test images. I see you posted some color bars. Hopefully, you know how to use the scopes in PP. Don't trust your eyes from a simple hide/unhide of overlapping layers.

Also, if your computer feels like it is getting stuck, then it might be time for a rebuild. I know that sounds painful, but one of the problems with this forum is each poster has a different preferred tool for various tasks. And if you have installed a bunch trying various things, then your system can get confused. When I first joined this forum I quickly found myself in this situation. I had to literally nuke everything and rebuild from scratch, carefully evaluating exactly which codecs and tools I precisely needed, and jettisoning everything else. Also all of my workflows are perfectly vetted (no color shifts and visually lossless). It took some getting there. I credit pdr for most of the help.

Lastly, as you work through these issues, make notes. These little gotchas are just that, little. And believe me, you will forget them if you haven't documented your efforts somewhere.

[poisondeathray]

I've dealt with 601 no problem in VLC and Premiere (unsure about AE). 709 seems to be the issue.

IIRC, there were some versions of UT that had the 709 not playing nice issue (ulh0 and ulh2 for 420,422 respectively) . I think it's resolved in the newest versions. It works ok in Adobe here (at least for CC)

Another good codec option you can look at , mentioned earlier, is cineform. It's included in CC now, but it is very professional, high performing (fast decode speed) codec and treated as YUV in Adobe. There are adjustable quality levels (at filmscan2 it's very close to lossless), or if you need smaller filesizes, you can use one of the lower settings

I'm not sure what you mean about the 'alias format filter'?

It's a vdub filter. There are filters and methods in vdub now to manipulate colorspaces, such as video=>color depth and the alias format filter . Some combination of them should be able to give you the "wrong" 601 colors (eg. as if you used colormatrix 709->601 in avisynth) , so when using lagarith, it will be "right" in premiere ; until you frameserve out (which will give you wrong colors again) . Again you have to keep track of what is wrong/right at each stage and for which assets. And if you're doing color manipulations in PP, you probably want the "right" colors in PP first

I think DSS was the only way I could get the MJPEGs to load. LSMASH isn't on this machine and I couldn't find a way to install it, and I've never heard of ffms2 until just now. How would that help me avoid VDub? I'd still have to create the AVI file for Premiere to open, as it won't open AVS files.

AVISource should use whatever VFW codec you have installed. jagabo said lsmash decoded your mjpeg sample correctly in the other thread. There are methods to "encode" an avs other than vdub. I guess you can use vdub to encode if you like

Managed to convince Windows to delete the folder containing the UT files, but it stalled at '5 seconds remaining' for about 20 minutes. Hit 'cancel' and...nothing has changed. Still stuck on '5 seconds remaining'. Phenomenal.

This sounds like an access issue. Some programs are still using or referencing the folder. If you close all programs referencing that folder (or even reboot) , all handles should be closed and you should be able to delete

[poisondeathray]

I'd still have to create the AVI file for Premiere to open, as it won't open AVS files.

You can open AVS files indirectly in PP ; You can frameserve in (no large intermediates) . For example AVFS . But the performance will be much slower than using something like UT or cineform. Not recommended if you're doing large projects, or many assets, or have heavy editing , or complex /slow scripts - but it's a good option for certain types of projects . And if you're running low on storage but can't pick up extra HDD's it might be suitable for you

[koberulz]

if you're doing color manipulations in PP, you probably want the "right" colors in PP first

I'm mixing multiple sources of the same footage, so I need the colors to match each other in Premiere. That's the first concern.

AVISource should use whatever VFW codec you have installed.

AVISource definitely didn't work. Something about not having a fourcc or something.

jagabo said lsmash decoded your mjpeg sample correctly in the other thread.

I don't have lsmash, I don't know how to find lsmash.

There are methods to "encode" an avs other than vdub.

I'm not aware of any.

This sounds like an access issue. Some programs are still using or referencing the folder. If you close all programs referencing that folder (or even reboot) , all handles should be closed and you should be able to delete

Worked for the drive I've shifted the AVIs to, but not the drive I initially saved them to. Even straight after a reboot, it was locked up by two instances of explorer.exe.

This has happened every time I've tried to create 709 Ut video. I've just downloaded and installed the latest version, which definitely isn't what I had, but given that it seems to kill my entire drive I'm kind of reluctant to try again.

EDIT: Tried AVFS, and a bunch of other things, a while back with no success: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/380510-Open-AVS-with-Premiere-CS6

[poisondeathray]

if you're doing color manipulations in PP, you probably want the "right" colors in PP first

I'm mixing multiple sources of the same footage, so I need the colors to match each other in Premiere. That's the first concern.

So there should be enough info in your threads on this. If you still don't have a way forward post details

AVISource should use whatever VFW codec you have installed.

AVISource definitely didn't work. Something about not having a fourcc or something.

It means you don't have a MJPEG VFW codec installed . Doesn't BM / decklink come with one ?

jagabo said lsmash decoded your mjpeg sample correctly in the other thread.

I don't have lsmash, I don't know how to find lsmash.

This is answered in many threads and avisynth wiki. Google will even tell you if you're inclined

One issue with lsmash and ffms2 is they index the AVI files - so you're left with lots of extra small clutter files , 1 for each video, and it takes time to index . AVISource is preferred (at least by me, for mjpeg AVI. I use picvideo for mjpeg decoder, but it's not free)

There are methods to "encode" an avs other than vdub.

I'm not aware of any.

ffmpeg, or any of dozens of GUI's for it. I like ffmpeg because it can batch encode. You don't even need avisynth scripts , it should be able to process all your mjpegs directly

You can even use AVC as a near lossless intermediate. 4:2:2 is accepted and treated as YUV in PP . Proper colors. You have many options, intra / inter, high or low compression.

This sounds like an access issue. Some programs are still using or referencing the folder. If you close all programs referencing that folder (or even reboot) , all handles should be closed and you should be able to delete

Worked for the drive I've shifted the AVIs to, but not the drive I initially saved them to. Even straight after a reboot, it was locked up by two instances of explorer.exe.

This has happened every time I've tried to create 709 Ut video. I've just downloaded and installed the latest version, which definitely isn't what I had, but given that it seems to kill my entire drive I'm kind of reluctant to try again.

I don't blame you for being reluctant, but I highly doubt it's related to 709 UT Video. More likely some other underlying issue in the first place. Didn't you have some HDD issues in the first place in another thread ? or was that another drive

[koberulz]

It means you don't have a MJPEG VFW codec installed . Doesn't BM / decklink come with one ?

Everything that came with the BlackMagic is on an SD card, I don't have a reader on my desktop machine. I use the Intensity with my laptop. Might have to have a look tomorrow (it's 5am here, I am beyond done for the day).

This is answered in many threads and avisynth wiki. Google will even tell you if you're inclined

I tried Google, it was unhelpful. I do remember finding it previously, although I've reinstalled Windows since then, and it being ridiculously convoluted at the time.

You can even use AVC as a near lossless intermediate. 4:2:2 is accepted and treated as YUV in PP . Proper colors. You have many options, intra / inter, high or low compression.

I'm vaguely aware of AVC, beyond that you've lost me. I think I've used ffmpeg for things, but never more than Googling how to do something and copying commands word-for-word.

I don't blame you for being reluctant, but I highly doubt it's related to 709 UT Video. More likely some other underlying issue in the first place. Didn't you have some HDD issues in the first place in another thread ? or was that another drive

I initially killed a brand new drive, then a drive with which I've had no issues, followed by my internal everyday-use drive (that one was just copied to, so it recovered). I have a completely blank drive, I'll give that another go, create an empty Premiere/AE project and see if that works.

[koberulz]

Well, after updating Ut Video I'm getting exactly the same result. VLC has no description for the codec, After Effects hangs when I try to import it, and explorer.exe is holding onto it for dear life preventing deletion.

EDIT: The BlackMagic installer won't run on my desktop machine.

[poisondeathray]

This is answered in many threads and avisynth wiki. Google will even tell you if you're inclined

I tried Google, it was unhelpful. I do remember finding it previously, although I've reinstalled Windows since then, and it being ridiculously convoluted at the time.

It's just a .dll . You can even autoload it by placing it in the plugins directory. Not that difficult

You can even use AVC as a near lossless intermediate. 4:2:2 is accepted and treated as YUV in PP . Proper colors. You have many options, intra / inter, high or low compression.

I'm vaguely aware of AVC, beyond that you've lost me. I think I've used ffmpeg for things, but never more than Googling how to do something and copying commands word-for-word.

I think this is a good option for you, because you can set the compression (smaller filesizes for example)

AVC is h.264 . Surely you've heard of "x264" ? It's an open source AVC encoder, lots of options

Lossless isn't supported in PP, but 99.99% lossless if you use something like CRF 1 . Proper colors in PP / AE. Treated as YUV. Highly configurable - you can make filesizes tiny with high compression , or more editing friendly with I-frame only, fast decode options. You don't need to use "clunky" avisynth or vdub. You could batch encode them all fast and easily, it's a much faster more elegant solution IMO

Your sample didn't include audio, but PCM WAV is not supported by open source muxers in MP4 . So you would have to use a container like MXF or MOV . Support for MXF and MOV are good in Adobe CC, might be a bit flaky in CS6. I think MOV should be ok in CS6 because that's when Adobe implemented it's custom MOV importer

I used your mjpeg sample here . Test out the attached MOV in you PP version . It shows up correctly in CC automatically (interlaced TFF, rec709, YUV) , no need to manually interpret
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/383062-Interlaced-Footage-in-After-Effects#post2481784

If it works for you, I can post batch instructions . (I forced ffmpeg to treat it as "TV range" in this example, because mjpeg is typically decoded as full range and it will scale the range full to tv ; but you can control everything in ffmpeg) . This was encoded as intra, crf 12 . But you could use higher quality (larger filesize), or even short GOPs (much smaller filesizes, but longer seeek times)

ffmpeg -i sample.avi -vf scale=in_range=tv:out_range=tv -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv422p -x264opts tff=1:keyint=1:colorprim=bt709:transfer=bt709:colormatrix=bt709:force-cfr -crf 12 -an x264intra422tv.mov

Well, after updating Ut Video I'm getting exactly the same result. VLC has no description for the codec, After Effects hangs when I try to import it, and explorer.exe is holding onto it for dear life preventing deletion.

EDIT: The BlackMagic installer won't run on my desktop machine.

Not sure, VLC has issues here too, but it works in AE and PP for me in CC . The 601 and 709 versions are correctly differentiated

Maybe try running BM installer in compatibility mode and as administrator

[koberulz]

It's just a .dll . You can even autoload it by placing it in the plugins directory. Not that difficult

From what I remember the only way I could find to get it was in some giant pack of things, and it kept expiring every so often and you'd have to find the most recent one.

I tried an RGB Lagarith (DirectShowSource then an RGB conversion via AviSynth), but the colors don't seem any different, it's just more contrasty. It's suddenly clipping at the low end, and the vectorscope is off the scale. Fields are correct though. Audio is irrelevant, it's coming in separately.

Your attachment just shows up as a green rectangle.

[poisondeathray]

That's why you want YUV . Premiere will do the same thing to "lossless" YUV codecs when it treats them as RGB. When you convert to RGB you clip both ends if you have values <16 or >235

In avisynth, you can convert to RGB using "PC" instead of "Rec" and that will make it less contrasty, preserving the full range. The result you get will also partially depends on what decoder is being used for directshowsource, what is being output from the mjpeg decoder

You should be using interlaced=true when doing those types of conversions, otherwise you will get interlaced chroma errors

ConvertToRGB(matrix="PC.709", interlaced=true)

If the MOV came in as "green" try this MP4. It's same thing, just slightly different container. Since you don't need audio muxed in, MP4 is an option now

[koberulz]

The Lagarith files seem to have the same issue as the Ut files in that they completely lock up AE. I at least managed to load it this time, but trying to play it just crashed everything. Premiere is horribly slow as well.

If there's no actual shift in color, just in contrast...does this even need doing? Or is that a sign that PP is handling the MJPEG properly in the first place? It's not being clipped, obviously, and it appears to have the right colors...

Your MP4 appears to match my RGB Lagarith. The YC waveform is an exact match, except your MP4 goes outside the broadcast safe zone where the RGB Lagarith clips (why there's so much outside that zone in the first place, given it's capture from television, is another question entirely). The vectorscope is a little different, but both are well outside 100% for cyan and red.

[poisondeathray]

You can do whatever you want. If the mjpeg works correctly in PP, there is no reason to jump though all these hoops. I thought you had issues with colors or field swap or other problems

Lagarith and UT are usually very stable in Adobe suite, for all versions , even back to CS4. People have been using them for years. UT is the recommended codec on the Adobe forums. So probably something up with your OS or hardware

The reason you see the overshoots in the MP4, is that it's treated as YUV, not RGB. All the data is there and you can manipulate it in PP with YUV filters. This gives you full control - those out of range values are recoverable. But standard RGB conversion will clip data, thus you lose data - and it's not recoverable. This is one of the reasons why everyone is making a big fuss about treating as "YUV." It's a big deal with native camera source which typically record 16-255. That 235-255 range often has usable data.

You can scale the range with ffmpeg or avisynth. Recall that I said I "forced" TV range in and out. If you don't do that , ffmpeg will decode mjpeg as full range and clamp (not clip) to limited range. There are cases where you might prefer one or the other. Clamping is different than clipping. Clamping just "squishes" the data, but it's all still there. Colorists tend to have the data spread out more, because it's easier to manipulate and get the way you want it to look. Broadcast scenarios usually want quick turn around and rather have everything in legal broadcast range right away

[koberulz]

The reason you see the overshoots in the MP4, is that it's treated as YUV, not RGB.

I understand how YUV works, but if I'm capturing from a broadcast source it should be within broadcast safe zones to begin with, should it not?

You can do whatever you want. If the mjpeg works correctly in PP, there is no reason to jump though all these hoops. I thought you had issues with colors or field swap or other problems

There's a field swap in AE, yes. It doesn't occur in PP when putting the file into a double-framerate sequence, but I'm not sure how PP handles that anyway.

As for 'correctly'...I don't even know what that is anymore. The MJPEG looked different to the clipped RGB version so I thought it might have been right, but it seems like it's been clamped by PP given that the MP4 visually matches the clipped RGB version. But all three are massively oversaturated according to Premiere's scopes. Which...might be SD? Could that be it?

As for stability...this machine (or most of it) is a couple of months old. Lagarith YUY2 has worked fine, as has 601 Ut. It's absolutely dying when I try to use RGB Lagarith or 709 Ut though. I can't think of any other reason it'd be doing this.

[poisondeathray]

The reason you see the overshoots in the MP4, is that it's treated as YUV, not RGB.

I understand how YUV works, but if I'm capturing from a broadcast source it should be within broadcast safe zones to begin with, should it not?

Most of it should be, but there are undershoot / overshoots, that's perfectly legal too - that's why there is head and tail room allocated. Although some scenarios want hard limits (e.g. some broadcast submissions sometimes specify hard limits)

Also rounding errors and compression errors could give you some values beyond "legal" . Noise reduces signal accuracy

As for 'correctly'...I don't even know what that is anymore. The MJPEG looked different to the clipped RGB version so I thought it might have been right, but it seems like it's been clamped by PP given that the MP4 visually matches the clipped RGB version. But all three are massively oversaturated according to Premiere's scopes. Which...might be SD? Could that be it?

You adjust it to how you want it. But the only thing for sure is clipping is bad practice. Because that is data loss.

Look at the "PC" RGB version, and that will all be within legal range . It will even look washed out

The reason is your mjpeg decoder is outputting YUV full range 0-255, but only a full range conversion maps YUV 0-255 to RGB 0-255. A standard range "rec" conversion clips 0-15, 236-255 and only takes the 16-235 to map to RGB 0-255 . That's why it looks more "contrasty", whereas a full range conversion will be in legal range but look more washed out, less saturated. Some other mjpeg decoders might automatically output standard range 16-235 ; it depends on the specific decoding pathway

[poisondeathray]

If you don't know what it's supposed to be, run some known color bars / patterns through your BM setup. Sometimes you inadvertently have other filters or problems in your capture setup changing the results. That's why broadcast submissions typically have bars attached. But if you were recording a consumer broadcast you probably don't have the bars portion . I also mentioned this earlier, but MJPEG is terrible choice because of low quality and handling inconsistencies. You can see that yourself , even on the same Adobe version, on the same computer, it's handled differently in your AE and PP. Some have field swap issues, others do not. Some decode with Rec601 others 709 . The inconsistencies are a big problem. IIRC the official BM Mjpeg decoder actually outputs RGB