RGB Curves un-editable in CC 2019

[alxodm]

I've always used RGB Curves as my workhorse tool when it comes to grading, it's snappy and super responsive, powerful and easy to use. I've probably over 100 projects using RGB curves on adjustment layers, and with the latest CC 2019 update I am unable to edit any nodes and its really frustrating!

I can create a new node fine and edit it upon creation, however once the mouse click is let go there is no way to edit this node. This also means I can't edit the grade on any of the projects I am currently working on (over 8) all using RGB Curves, as I have done since 2012.

Please fix this ASAP! There's no way i'm going to re-grade all these projects or any past projects in Lumetri (which I really don't like the RGB curves in, they run very slow and laggy). It was already a crime to move it to the Obsolete folder and stop updating it.

Thanks

[alxodm]

extra information regarding this bug: 1 in 10 clicks or so the node is picked up and editable, but this is totally random and of course un-workable

[alxodm]

this is the setup I use to grade, and is now completely unusable

[R Neil Haugen]

While Francis et al are getting a fix for this (and he's one of the main color engineers on the PrPro development team) you might try the new curves group in 2019.

I've never been a fan of curves ... they are too fidgety for my tastes and I can't use my control surface with them  ... but the new set with all the hue vs X and such are pretty nifty. They cut off needing a couple HSL secondaries I have used most every grade, and work pretty fast.

I'm going to re-task my Tangents Elements panel controls in the Curves tab so one of the balls is a mouse for keeping my hands on the panel.

Neil

[francis-crossman · Accepted solution]

I am able to reproduce this on my end too - sorry for the inconvenience.  We have identified the problem and it will be fixed soon.  Until we get it fixed, you can use the RGB curves in Lumetri, or downgrade back to PPro 12.1.2, where the problem does not exist.

[alxodm]

Thanks so much Francis! Really appreciate the response here. Looking forward to the fix.

I've downloaded 12.1.2 yesterday, as you also suggested as a temp fix. I would use Lumetri however the curves / colours / behaviours work and process completely differently. I have done side by side tests with the same curves in both lumetri and rgb, and the colours are totally different. I find that rgb has a much more natural filmic look in the way it's processed, and works super snappy. Whereas lumetri comes across a much more digital look in it's processing. Also when using Lumetri the program runs very slow, ie. if i move a curve it hangs/lags and the preview window takes longer to respond. This is on an 4.2Ghz i7, 32GB, 4GB AMD R9, SSD 27' iMac so no reason to run slow. I would love to make the switch at some point as there loads of great features! but for now with the speed/processing i'll stick to trusty rgb curves and use lumetri for advanced grading.

Thanks for the update and look forward to using rgb curves in CC 2019 soon!

Cheers

[Trevor_Asq]

Agree that curves are a quick & intuitive way to grade using a mouse & that the Lumetri implementation is a bit crap (particularly when trying to grab the black & white points).

I have very similar setup to you & don’t experience Lumetri lag you describe - still on 2018.1.2 though. (Once 2020.x comes out, 2019 will probably be safe to move to!)

For serious grading I roundtrip via Resolve. Grouped grades/remote grades/ c mode sorting/ gallery for presets etc beat Lumetri for me.

I expect I’ll move across to Resolve for editorial for short form too, but it’s not quite there yet for me. Getting close though.

[alxodm]

Hi Francis,

It has been over a month and still no fix or update for this. Please let me know how soon this will be fixed because it's holding back a bunch of my work.

Thanks,

Alex

[allnet]

I'm finding that holding the shift key then selecting/hold the node will allow you to move it.

[allnet]

actually the opposite, select the node then hold the Shift key.

[alxodm]

this is truly hit and miss and no way to work. holding shift works for me as much as it does randomly pick up the node after about 15 clicks. it's ridiculous how this bug has physically shifted the release date of a few projects. PLEASE FIX ASAP

[allnet]

yeah....agree....keep switching between shift and control...different combinations.....click first...click after selection....

[christinademing]

Same here - I'm using the 2020 build and I still have this issue. But if I hold shift and click a bunch on the curves line it eventually lets me add a node.

[R Neil Haugen]

If you're talking about the ancient RGB Curves effect ...

1) I  can't replicate on my Win10 rigs, two desktops and a laptop. It works as expected ...

2) This will dissapear at some point, as the code & math are both rather outdated ...

3) There is the full set of curves in the Curves tab of Lumetri, and the HSL curves offer a heck of a lot of capabilty.

Neil

[alxodm]

This is only 1/4 of one of five films I am working on at the moment, all graded with RGB Curves as I always do. I have not been able to work further for coming close to 1 and a half months now. This is delaying multiple projects from public release. Please release a hotfix ASAP, this is the first and only time there's been a bug that's actually stopped me from working, and surely it's not that hard to patch!

Thank you.

[R Neil Haugen]

To get this as a bug to the engineers, file this on the UserVoice site, as this forum is primarily user-to-user assistance. The UserVoice posts all go directly to the engineer's systems.

Adobe Bug /Feature service: https://adobe-video.uservoice.com/forums/911233-premiere-pro

It's always fascinating to see what tools others prefer. I ... dislike ... curves, in general. And looking at your Luma curve there, that would seem to indicate a rather odd ... band? ... being introduced to the image. Upper-mids area. Part of my curves thing is simply those tools are so small for the subtle work you need in curves tools to avoid banding. I much prefer the new curves in 2019 for Hue/Sat, Hue/Hue, vs Luma and on ... just wish they'd changed the general curve to those rectangles rather than that small box.

But I know colorists that use Resolve and work mainly in curves ... and of course, that means all those wonderful control surfaces are nearly useless. I can't stand the idea of working without either my Elements panels or at least a Ripple, now that I've remapped them for my needs ...

Neil

[alxodm]

haha i've been trying to adjust the highlight band, used this screenshot to reiterate the fact that I can't make any edits to the temp grade. I pressed it a bunch and managed to move them around a touch but that took 2 minutes of attempt for one adjustment.

I've always worked solely in curves since 2012. Everything on http://vimeo.com/alexodam has been graded with RGB curves.

I'm actually working on this edit at the moment but will check out those forums asap! Thanks for the heads up

[alxodm]

I'm looking to purchase a 'Palette Gear' to introduce to my workflow soon, I think they look really cool. I personally couldn't use an edit control board, I like working with visuals/movement such as curves / using mouse input. But I can definitely see how good they'd be if you get into that workflow. I currently use a magic mouse, magic trackpad / keyboard. the use of trackpad and mouse works really well for me, and you get haptic feedback in premiere with the trackpad!

[alxodm]

personally I've always love the way RGB curves processes colours, gives such a effortless filmic look

[R Neil Haugen]

Wellllll ... there's a reason so many colorists use control surfaces! You say you like the physical feedback? Yup, that's a large part of the process with a surface.

When working with the Elements especially, my hands are on that board, rarely to the mouse. I even have one of the trackball/ring combos mapped to mouse emulation in the Curves tab of Lumetri so I don't leave the board to go to my mouse to adjust curves.

Even with the much smaller Ripple ... as with the full Elements panel, I have the Basic tab mapped to the balls/dials so I can adjust two/three/four things ​at once​ and see the interactions.

Basic tab ...

left ball: contrast (horizontal) and Sat (vertical);

Left dial/ring: blacks;

Middle ball: temp (horizontal), tint (vertical);

Middle dial/ring: Exposure

Right ball: shadows (horizontal), highlights (vertical);

Right dial/ring: Whites.

My mapping stuff and usage are discussed/shown in this post on my blog ...

In Use: More on the Tangent Elements & Ripple and Premiere Pro CC2017 – rNeilphotog

Prior to getting both surfaces, I rarely used the Basic tab ... but with them, it's actually a good and very fast place to start the neutralization process as I do down a line of clips. Basic Colorist 101 workflow ... neutralize all clips first, to get them to as quickly as possible a 'neutral' color/tonality state so you can then match quickly in the next step. Then  fix problem spots with HSL keys or the lovely new curves tools in 2019 ... then give an overall look to scenes and/or entire project in fourth pass.

Using those balls instead of a mouse, I'm adjusting Contrast in the left ball ... ​both​ luma and chroma contrast simultaneously. While working more specific spots with Shadow/highlight/white operations on the right ball-ring.

I do most of my color balancing using the Creative tab's shadow/highlight tint wheels, as the "color balance" temp/tint of the basic tab only sets the relative white-points of the three RGB channels against each other. "Temp" is Red vs blue, move to the left, Blue is down, Red white point up. Tint is Red/Blue vs Green ... move to left (Green), Green white point goes up, Red/Blue white points go down. And vice versa.

I prefer the option to set both shadow/highlight color balance at the same time.

You'll find more about working Lumetri and specifically on a surface in other posts on my blog.

But as noted above ... everybody works differently, and that is ​so​ interesting for my brain.

Neil

[Bird-Party]

I have been able to recreate this bug on Pr 23.4.0 (Build 56) on an M1 Max, OS 13.2.1 when using the Lumetri Curves Panel. It seems that if you scroll down too far, for example, past the "RGB Curves" enough that the next set of curves is visible in the tool panel, I am unable to pen tool the curve or adjust any of its nodes. If I simply scroll back up a little bit I am able to select the nodes on the RGB curve.