Colors in keyshot VS Output

PeterSwift · December 13, 2018, 12:52:42 AM

I still stuggle with this issue.
It's usally not something you think about becouse you dont use specific color codes or backplates.
But when I do It's so obvious and i'm still not sure why this is happending.

It's most visible in vivid colors. So look at this backplate. Left is in Keyshot right is output PNG.

the output is less vibrant and less contrast. Just flat in comparison.

All the keyshot settings in on default, No image style. Same issue with keyshot 7.
I'm not sure what I should do.
Color managment issue?
keyshot on mac issue?
Or just a mac reading the output photos "wrong"

it even looks good while rendering out locally, but when viewing the final image it's all flat.

PeterSwift · December 13, 2018, 05:42:21 AM

Did a animation. Mov format directly from keyshot. I play it on quicktime it shows like on the left. VLC is on the right.

Is this some kind of macOS feature, what color management it has on certain programs?

Esben Oxholm · December 13, 2018, 06:40:54 AM

Quote from: PeterSwift on December 13, 2018, 05:42:21 AM
Is this some kind of macOS feature, what color management it has on certain programs?

Yeah, I think there's something like that going on. I've experienced different looks on the same file played in either VLC or Quicktime on mac. If I remember correctly, Quicktime was closests to what it looked like in KeyShot.
Don't have any solutions for this. Hope someone else have.

Furniture_Guy · December 13, 2018, 07:34:37 AM

I think mattjgerard should chime in here, he has more experience with the video end of it. Yes, I believe that it is a color management issue. Every once in awhile someone will post a question on this but it's just not high enough on KeyShot users radar in my view. Yes, I know it's a pain but if understood it can be your friend.

https://www.keyshot.com/forum/index.php?topic=22782.msg97339#msg97339

keyshot.com > resources > quick tips > #38 Color Management

Perry (Furniture_Guy)

Furniture_Guy · December 13, 2018, 07:35:51 AM

https://www.keyshot.com/forum/index.php?topic=20978.msg89082#msg89082

Furniture_Guy · December 13, 2018, 08:14:34 AM

https://jonnyelwyn.co.uk/film-and-video-editing/colour-management-for-video-editors/

DMerz III · December 14, 2018, 09:58:58 AM

I don't remember the specifics, but I remember doing some animations back in the day with Motorola, and I remember Quicktime destroyed my colors.

I'm trying to remember what work around I used, but I think I decided that it was better to render out of KS as frames, and compile it all in AE with my own export settings, rather than use the .MOV settings in KS output.

Furniture_Guy · December 14, 2018, 10:48:15 AM

That sounds about right since you can use the ACE (Adobe Color Engine) to have some measure of control knowing that everything out of KeyShot is in sRGB:

http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1315593&seqNum=2

Perry (Furniture_Guy)

Esben Oxholm · December 14, 2018, 11:44:43 AM

Quote from: DMerz III on December 14, 2018, 09:58:58 AM
I'm trying to remember what work around I used, but I think I decided that it was better to render out of KS as frames, and compile it all in AE with my own export settings, rather than use the .MOV settings in KS output.

Cool. Good to know. To clarify, I experienced different looks in quicktime and vlc with the same file exported from After Effects project compiled from png frames.

Don't know if that helps anyone.

mattjgerard · December 14, 2018, 01:24:26 PM

Quicktime has long been known as a bully in the video world. Just like everything Apple, as long as you play in their sandbox with their toys, it works pretty well. QT has the habit of ignoring embedded profiles and using its own, not for color accuracy, but to "auto tune" the image to what it thinks is best. That's not technically correct, but to the end user that's the way it seems. I always discouraged my video clients from end use of Quicktime because of this and other issues.

PeterSwift · December 17, 2018, 09:44:10 AM

It's not only Animations. I'm guessing this issue also for stills. I just havent viewd it on different programs. But stills looks different from inside keyshot at least.
+Would be nice if they could add 16bit-png, for higher quliaty animations. I guess Rendering out animations with PSD files is a bit heavy?

mattjgerard · December 17, 2018, 11:33:24 AM

Quote from: PeterSwift on December 17, 2018, 09:44:10 AM
It's not only Animations. I'm guessing this issue also for stills. I just havent viewd it on different programs. But stills looks different from inside keyshot at least.
+Would be nice if they could add 16bit-png, for higher quliaty animations. I guess Rendering out animations with PSD files is a bit heavy?

I render stills to psd's every day and my colors never drift that much. I deal with a lot of yellow and green, which are I think the hardest to keep on the line. I go from Keyshot to PSD to PNG or jpg for web and the colors seem pretty stable. If I am going to print I need to convert to CMYK, but yeesh that's a whole different ball of garbage. I have done nothing special or anything for my color workflow, its all "default" so I'm not sure why you are getting such a difference.