I am exporting a Quicktime file encoded DNxHD 175 and the exported file ends up with very washed out colors.  Video was shot on Sony EX-1 1080/23.976p HQ.  Anyone have this problem? 

Am exporting with 601/709 color levels.

If you imported your native media files as RGB, instead of 601/709, you will not be able to output to 601/709. You can repair by doing a "batch import" of the affected files, or, by appropriate application of the CC tool. Use of the CC tool to repair the problem could result in banding on fine gradients like sky.

cuervo:

If you imported your native media files as RGB, instead of 601/709, you will not be able to output to 601/709.

That really is not the case.  If you import an RGB graphic as RGB into Avid (the correct way to do it) it will be mapped into 601/709 colorspace for use by Avid.  When you have finished your cut it can then be exported in whatever format you require.  As you would expect.

Importing MXF from the EX1 ignores import settings. This sounds like the dreaded quicktime gamma issue. Often exporting using 'none' compression, ie uncompressed 8 bit, will give you correct levels. Otherwise you may have to resort to TIFF or targa sequence to get it out correct.

From the sounds of the problem DNX175 is not a graphic, but, a DNxHD video codec.

I will admit that this issue has me quite confused. I was experiencing the same problem. After much experimentation, I found that if I imported a file as RGB, AVID remapped luma levels to 16-235.If I imported a file as 601/709, Avid kept the superwhite values of RGB 0-255. On output, it was wrong of me to say you can't output, but, I did find that RGB input would output to RGB 16-235, by default. If I selected 601/709 as an output option, it will still output to RGB 16-235. The only way to "force" a full gamut output from this mode is to set the color tool to convert 16 RGB to 0 RGB and 235RGB to 255 RGB.

This is a complicated issue. Some codecs will force broadcast rgb (0-235) output, regardless of what input you provide. Other codecs will pass thru input to output without remapping. In my experience, both DNxHD and DVCPRO will behave as I've described, above. SHEER will pass thru values.

If this is not what others are experiencing, I would sure like to know why my installation is functioning this way.

oops

As has been discussed in other threads, this is primarily a quicktime issue. Results vary depending on version of quicktime installed, therefore each new version of MC with new QT requirement brings a new set of results.  Importing 601/709 should leave RGB values unchanged and this always works in my experience, the problem is with the quicktime output stage.

Selecting 601/709 output colours should leave output unchanged but often doesn't. What will give you correct values is using 'same as source' ouput, though this is not available if you have long GOP media like HDV or XDCAM. If exporting in the codec of your choice doesn't leave colour  values unchanged, the dreaded 'washed out effect', what works in every case is bypassing quicktime altogether and using the myriad of available image sequence formats instead. Tedious but sometimes necessary.

This indeed complicated issue is however a long standing quicktime problem, not an Avid one. You will find more on it if you google 'quicktime gamma shift'.

thanx fiendish

fiendish:

what works in every case is bypassing quicktime altogether and using the myriad of available image sequence formats

Yes but none of those  graphics fomats retain superwhites in exported HD sequences.

For HD, I have found that exporting with AVID 1:1x quicktime format with 709 levels will both retain superwhites and have correct gamma when imported to After effects.  (Set project to 32bit and colour space to none.)

Rendering out DNX HD from AE with 709 levels and importing back to MC results in no gamma shifts and superwhites retained.