DNxHD and After Effects 2017!

[Hassan_Harrouk]

We are having an issue since we have upgraded to Adobe CC 2017.

We use DNxHD 120 1080i 8 bit for render.

In 2017 version, the clip looks like less quality then the same clip exported from 2015 using same codec.

I have looked online and found some guys having the same issue.

Any idea?

[Roei Tzoref]

In 2017 version, the clip looks like less quality then the same clip exported from 2015 using same codec.

the DNxHD native exporter a new feature in CC2017: https://helpx.adobe.com/il_he/after-effects/using/whats-new.html#native_quicktime_export  and was not available in CC2015. are you comparing exporting through the Avid codec in 2015 with the new native exporter and seeing different results? can you show us exactly your comparisons? maybe links to other threads? this information could be useful to the Team which occasionally monitors the threads. if you do submit a bug report, you can provide a link to this thread and this will help to solve it if that is the case.

[Hassan_Harrouk]

Yes i am talking about the new option DNxHR/DNxHD in CC2017. Avid codecs are already installed on the same machine since we had earlier version of Adobe.

Let me know if i should uninstall Avid Codecs package from the machine (we are using LE 2.7.3).

Following are the links to both clips exported from the same project using CC2015 and CC2017.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108173191/Test%20CC%202015.mov

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/108173191/Test%20CC%202017.mov

Thank you

[Roei Tzoref]

I see more of a color shift, than a quality problem. note that the default of the 2015 DNxHD avid codec in Ae is to wrongly change the color levels to Rec709 on export. you actually have to change it to RGB to get an accurate color levels same as your source file.

this the right way to export it, and the way DNxHD in CC2017 exports it

this could explain the differences you are seeing. try and see if this is the problem

[Hassan_Harrouk]

It is already RGB.. I see color change but mainly the quality appears lower especially when we play the clip on Professional monitor, we can see easily pixelation over lines..

[Roei Tzoref]

if you feel you have found a bug please report it here: Feature Request/Bug Report Form and link to this thread with the files. I will run some more tests, we are may on to something here.

[Hassan_Harrouk]

Bug Report Submitted.

As for the being time. we are using back CC2015.

[Hassan_Harrouk]

By the way,

This window pops up on CC 2015 only.

In Cc 2017, we dont have the right to adjust.

[Roei Tzoref]

This window pops up on CC 2015 only.

I know. I find the RGB window is source for confusing. it shouldn't change the color levels and moreover - it shouldn't set it change as a default. I find the simplistic menu of the DNxHD/HR exporter much more useful then then before

2017

2015- these are too many in my opinion

you really only want standard or high quality.

[Roei Tzoref]

I had some time now to check this issue.

I tried to test it in my system but found no quality degradation. see if we did the exact same steps.

this is my footage: a 10bit video with a graphic I placed on it.

this is my CC2015 export settings:

this is my CC2017 export settings

here are the two in my project window.

2015

2017

I have interpreted them to no fields so I can see them in full quality

on top of each other looking at the histogram and scanning color channels for noise differences I see no apparent loss degradation.

Histogram:

2015

2017 (if anything - there's actually more information here!)

Color Channels - the most noisy was the blue so here is a comparison

2015:

2017:

other than that they look exactly the same full quality

2015:

2017:

[Liquid_Productions]

Also its crazy that you only have the option for Millions of Colors vs Trillions of colors as before. That is a standard requirement for Broadcast HD & UHD deliverables.

Adobe please please either fix this and/or put in the option to use the existing & working Avid codec as before. At this point I have to keep my and my clients systems back on CC 2015 as this is a workflow roadblock.

[InfoEarth]

Yes, we're also having real trouble getting colours to match when doing a round trip from Avid-Ae and back, just from AE-Avid or even just from AE imported back into AE! We're working in a HDTV Rec709 colour space in both Avid and AE but when we render to DNXHD10 bit, the colours are different when imported into Avid or back into AE. When you import the render, the footage is in a non-RGB colour space so you cant even manually set the profile to be Rec709 again.  Since there's now no option in the codec to render in RGB the output file will always look different to your original - come on Adobe, that's just wrong isn't it?!

There is a very counter intuitive workaround - by using the 'Color profile converter' effect on your footage layer to set input profile to HDTV (Rec709) and the output profile to Rec709 Gamma 2.4. This doesn't help when importing to Avid though, unless possibly you can manually specify the correct profile when AMA linking...

Interestingly, and also just wrong, is that when working in HDTV Rec709 in AE and rendering to a codec which is RGB based, when you import again AE interprets the profile incorrectly (as Rec709 Gamma 2.4). If there's nothing embedded in the codec (as they often dont support embedded profiles), why would it not ask which it is or at least set it to your current working space?!

Really disappointing that such fundamental things are not working as expected in AE these days. We've also reported a bug this week where the same frame viewed in a comp compared to a pre-comp within do not match. As a studio, really makes us look closely at alternatives.