Premiere exports look washed out

Sometimes, exported videos look different from how they appear in the Program Monitor. Exports are sometimes described as “too light” or “washed out”. 

Understanding this issue requires an understanding of how devices display images.  

Devices like televisions, Windows and macOS computers, and viewers in different applications use a gamma curve to better match how a screen displays brightness with how our eyes perceive it.  

QuickTime gamma shift occurs because different devices and viewers use different gamma curves. macOS uses a gamma curve of 1.96, while Windows uses a gamma curve of 2.2. The standard for broadcast video is a gamma curve of 2.4. Premiere uses the 2.4 broadcast standard to display video.  

These differences in the gamma curve mean that a video that looks correct in Premiere will look slightly different when exported and viewed in a Windows application that uses the Windows gamma of 2.2.  

A bigger shift will occur when a Premiere export is viewed on macOS. By default, Premiere will display the video using a 2.4 gamma curve, but when the exported video is opened in most other macOS applications, the macOS 1.96 gamma curve will be used and the video will appear washed out.  

Because this issue is caused by differences between operating systems and viewers in different applications, there is no simple “fix”. Instead, Premiere has a feature that enables you to change the gamma curve that is being used to display video.  

Using the Viewer Gamma Feature 

Viewer Gamma (in Lumetri Color > Settings > Project) lets you change how your video is displayed, providing three gamma curve options: 

• 2.4 (Broadcast) 
• 2.2 (Web) 
• 1.96 (QuickTime) 

Changing Viewer Gamma does not change how your video is exported. It changes how your video is viewed in Premiere, letting you match your view of the video with your customer’s view. 

In previous versions of Premiere, some customers used a gamma compensation LUT, created by Adobe, during export to address QuickTime gamma shift. Using Viewer Gamma replaces the need to use this LUT. 

Grade for Your Audience 

Because different devices use different gamma curves, there is no single gamma curve that is always the “right” choice. You will need to consider your audience when choosing the best Viewer Gamma option.   

• For web content: Grade using 2.2 gamma for best compatibility across devices≥ 
• For broadcast: Continue using 2.4 gamma standard. 
• For viewing by customers only on macOS desktop, use 1.96 gamma. 

Best Practices 

• Consider where and how your content will be viewed. 
• For web content, consider slightly increasing contrast (Lumetri Color > Edit > Basic Correction > Light > Contrast) to compensate for varied viewing environments. 
• Communicate with clients about potential viewing variations. Color can appear different across devices due to how each system displays color information. 
• “QuickTime gamma shift” is not a bug but a result of how different systems display color information. By understanding these differences and using the available tools, you can better ensure that your creative vision remains consistent across different viewing scenarios.