Final Cut Pro 10.8.1 - problem with HDR videos since upgrading to MacOS Sequoia

Hi everyone, since I upgraded to Sequoia, HDR videos shot on an iPhone 14 Pro Max appear too dark in FCPX. Even when I open previous (finished) projects that looked fine under the previous version of MacOS, it does not show correctly.


After I treated my project as best as I could (but really not to my standards), if I export it to Compressor it then appears completely overexposed.


My screen is HDR and I enabled HDR in MacOS' setting. My Mac is a Min M2 Pro.


Anyone else encountered this problem ?

Mac mini, macOS 15.0

Posted on Sep 21, 2024 12:47 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 10, 2025 7:42 AM

AlainBE, thank you, PF_Productions, IAmSkipperMark, Tom, Clint, and Luis *very* much for all your help on this. Re: why it's not sorted out: I don't work for Apple, but I have extensive experience in software testing, development, and escalation support, and I can explain how the system works.


  • Usually, nothing will get fixed solely by people talking about it on a forum. From a user standpoint, it feels like you've "reported" it, especially if details are given, but that will not normally result in Apple product support or engineering taking action. With some products, such as DaVinci Resolve, actual developers monitor the forums, but that is rare. There is also a valid argument it's not the best use of a developer's time.
  • Posting info on a forum is useful, and the more detail, the better. In this case, several users have collectively posted enough information to broadly understand the overall problem parameters. But took a while.
  • There have been numerous situations where users refuse to provide the requested info, such as an EtreCheck report or an error log. This can greatly delay problem resolution.
  • For complex hardware/software issues like this case, posting information on the Apple Product Feedback site is OK but will often not produce the desired results. That site allows just 800 characters max input (including spaces) and no ability to attach files, error logs, links, etc. It is simply not designed for that purpose.
  • There is an Apple Feedback Assistant app, but it requires a developer account and is generally oriented toward app developers, not end users, and not even sophisticated IT users.
  • The best approach for most users is to collect as much info as possible and then contact Apple Support. If the case is escalated, this can include ongoing two-way email discussions whereby you report new findings. I believe this particular case is in that state, and IAmSkippermark is driving this (thanks!)
  • If you are an experienced software developer or have done similar work, you can get an Apple Developer account and report the problem, including attachments, logs, and files needed to reproduce the issue. However, this can require lots of work if done properly. When bugs are filed this way and followed up by contacting product support, Apple has been very responsive. See attached for an example of one I filed.


However, there is a good argument that customers should not have to spend hours or days researching a bug. OTOH, those customers may spend hours or days discussing the bug on a forum, so time is being spent anyway. There is no simple solution for this, but it's important for everyone to understand what is required to get a bug fixed.


The fastest way to get a bug fixed is by achieving a specific (ideally portable) reproducible scenario and reporting it to Apple Support by opening a case. The scenario allows engineering to reproduce the problem under a debugger and quickly fix it. It also allows later testing of that scenario to ensure it stays fixed in a new software version.


But it can take lots of time and work to achieve that well-documented, portable replication scenario. When working on critical problems that I or others encountered, I've heard people say "You're doing Apple's work for them." That betrays a lack of understanding about how the system works and how serious some problems are. If not for these efforts, some problems would not be fixed in an expedited time frame, and the cost to some end users could be significant.


Errorlogs and crash logs are useful, but those by themselves may not enable fixing a bug. The underlying technical factors are too complex to explain in this post, but if anyone is interested, I can elaborate in another thread.


Incorporating even a single fix to a complex product requires a full battery of regression tests, stress tests, functional tests, performance tests, localization tests, and security tests, individually repeated on a complex matrix of platforms and configurations. If the fix involves interactions between FCP and MacOS code, it might require a MacOS update, and those have their own schedule. The fastest I've seen Apple implement an FCP fix was about three weeks from the initial report, and that was a highly urgent matter where the release contained only that one fix.

108 replies

Oct 2, 2024 11:29 PM in response to PF_Productions

PF_Productions wrote:

Thanks Luis. Yes, I should've clarified that. In FCPX it's AV Output. But in System Settings I have to put that 3rd monitor as "Extended Desktop" and I have to enable "HDR output". Two different locations.

I think this is relevant, and it is also relevant that taking a screenshot apparently shows things correctly, whereas a photo of the screen exhibits the problem.


So, two observations:


1) The file appears to correctly encoded, and the problem lies in how it is sent to the external display.

2) It would be interesting to know what happens if you set the Viewer to that display, instead of AV monitor.

Would the media played back on the viewer, on the external display, show as it does in the internal, or as it does in AV monitor?


And - sorry if this has been asked and answered before - what is the Color Profile selected for the external display? Could that be the problem?

Oct 3, 2024 6:28 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Luis,

1) Correct!

2) If I mirror the Built in display to the external LG TV, it shows it in HDR! But it's less than ideal as it's not a full screen image. It's the Final Cut viewer with the rest of that info on the screen and the image I want to view is smaller within that frame.


I sent a bug report in to Apple via Final Cut Pro, I'm not a developer or have any betas.


I'm curious why no one is noticing this though? Does no one edit HDR on a laptop and output a full screen image to a large 50" or larger TV? The HDMI is right there on the machine so it's so simple to set up!


Thanks for the help everyone, I hope they address it soon in the next update.

Oct 3, 2024 6:36 AM in response to AlainBE

I encountered this problem on the first day of the public (not beta) release of Sequoia 15.0. Immediately contacted support and have talked to several advisors since with no resolution in site. Editing to add that the 4th person I spoke to elevated the issue to an engineer about a week ago, but the engineer hasn't gotten back to the advisor yet. This happens on my M1 desktop all the time and my Mac Laptop when it's hooked up to an external monitor. It doesn't happen on the laptop's internal screen.


I'm working with an LG C3 color calibrated monitor that's hooked up directly to the HDMI port (not going through an UltraStudio type device), but I tested it with 3 consumer-grade HDR monitors ranging in price from $300 to $1500 on both machines.


When working with an HLG project, all HDR clips appear dark in the browser and the viewer when I hover over them in the browser and the timeline. When I switch the project to PQ (including setting the proper monitor's metadata in the project settings), the clips display fine in the viewer if I hover over them in the timeline, but they display dark in the viewer and the browser when I hover over them in the browser.


I tested several different projects using footage from several different cameras, and they all have issues. If I open those same projects on a Mac with Sonoma, they work correctly.


I have been working with HDR timelines for over 5 years and know how to probably set up the project types and edit/conform footage between color spaces.


To test more, I went to an Apple Store and tried to duplicate the issue on a Mac mini and a Mac Studio that were hooked up to the $1599 Mac Studio monitor via USB-C, and I couldn't duplicate it. So, it either seems to be an issue with the computers talking to the monitor.


I typically have edited and exported my HDR projects in HLG, but I have since switched to editing in PQ. The clips are still dark when I hover over them in the browser, so it's difficult to mark in/out points, but they look fine once added to the timeline, so I can work with it.


This issue does not occur with DaVinci Resolve Studio 19.0.1 or 19.0.2, which was released yesterday.

Oct 3, 2024 6:45 AM in response to Clint Gryke

Hey Clint, I'm having this same issue on my LG C3 and 3 other monitors and not going through a that I tested. They were all hooked up directly to the HDMI port and not going through an UltraStudio type device. I went to an Apple Store and did some testing using a Mac mini and a Mac Studio, which were both hooked up to a Mac Studio monitor via USB-C, and I couldn't duplicate the problem. It seems it may be an issue with MacOS talking to external monitors or possibly when they are connected through HDMI. My monitors don't support USB-C, so I can't hook them up that way to verify.

Oct 3, 2024 6:57 AM in response to Clint Gryke

Hi Clint. I typically edit and export in HLG but switching to PQ partially fixes the issue. The clips display properly in the viewer when I hover over them in the timeline, but they display dark in the browser and viewer when I hover over them in the browser. This makes marking in/out points difficult because the viewer displays the clip at like 10 nits, but I can work with it.

Oct 3, 2024 7:10 AM in response to Clint Gryke

I know I'm super late to these posts, but the issue does seem to be related to how the Mac is communicating to external monitors. I replied to one of your other posts, and the issue occurs on my M1 desktop when tested on 4 different monitors connected directly to the HDMI port, but I couldn't duplicate the issue at an Apple Store using their demo Mac mini or Mac Studio hooked up to the Mac Studio monitor via USB-C at an apple store. They don't have the XDR on display, so I couldn't test that.


My M1 laptop displays correctly on the internal HDR display in all modes (HLG & PQ), but it acts the same as the desktop when hooked up via HDMI to any of the 4 monitors I tested with. Unfortunately, none of the monitors I tested support USB-C connections, so I couldn't test with different connections.

Oct 3, 2024 4:15 PM in response to AlainBE

Hi - I'm curious. Is the monitor you're using with the Mac mini M2 an Apple monitor? I'm asking because I went to an Apple Store and couldn't replicate the error on the demo Mac mini M2 or the Mac Studio Ultra they had on display. Both were connected to Apple Studio displays via Thunderbolt 4.


My thinking is the issue is happening to all non-Apple displays, no matter how they're hooked up, but if you have an Apple monitor, that theory is out the widow.


From what I've been seeing, people with Apple displays aren't having this issue. Another poster in this thread said they're not experiencing the issue with their XDR display and a MacPro.

Nov 14, 2024 8:10 AM in response to AlainBE

Tried to edit my post, but it wouldn't let me - I've spoken with tech support about this multiple times, but they don't have any updates. Last update I received was in mid-October saying they'd get back to me once they hear something from engineering. I reached out today for an update but haven't heard anything yet. It's been two months since Sequoia was release and the problem first appeared.

Nov 14, 2024 7:35 PM in response to joema

To keep things simple, I have been using HDR footage from the iPhone, but it does happen with all footage from any camera.


The issue isn’t with the exported projects. It’s a display issue inside the app, where the clips appear dark in the viewer. Exported projects display correctly, even if you can barely see them on the screen to edit them.


When working with an HLG project, hovering over a clip in the browser or the timeline, it appears dark in the viewer.


When working with a PQ project, the clips appear dark in the viewer when hovering over them in the browser, but they display correctly in the viewer once added to the timeline.


The issue appeared immediately after upgrading to Sequoia and opening a project that worked perfectly in Sonoma, and they continue to work correctly on non-Sequoia machines, even if the monitor is the same as the one on the Sequoia machine. That’s what makes me think it’s an OS issue and not an FCP issue.


I’m the opposite of you. I don’t have any monitors that support Thunderbolt/USB-C, but I went to an Apple Store and tested on the demo machines hooked up to a studio monitor, and didn’t have the issue.


At home I tested on several HDR monitors ranging from a low quality gaming monitor to an Atomos Shinobi 7-Inch 4K HDMI HDR monitor, an LG C3 and a borrowed Flanders Scientific XMP310, all hooked up via HDMI. All except the gaming monitor have been calibrated and are using the calibrated profiles. Normally the Flanders is used with an UltraStudio 4K Mini, but for the sake of testing I hooked it up directly to the Mac’s HDMI.


I hope I explained this OK. It’s kind of hard to write it out to be easily understandable. When I called Apple support, they didn’t even know about HDR footage and kept calling it HGL instead of HLG, and the support rep said I was teaching them things they didn’t know about.

Nov 14, 2024 9:15 PM in response to IAmSkippermark

If you copy the Rec.2020 HLG video from the iPhone to your Mac, does it have tags 9-18-9 as shown by doing CMD+I in Quicktime Player and examining Video Details?


If it has those tags, does it play as expected in Quicktime Player? If not, this problem has nothing to do with FCP.


In MacOS System Settings>Displays, what color profile is selected for the HDR monitor?

Nov 15, 2024 4:09 AM in response to joema

Thanks for the detailed response, but what people aren’t understanding is 1) the HDMI port on the MacBook Pro DOES put out HDR for everything BUT FROM FCPX! It is HDR with the desktop image I put on it etc. It is SDR out of FCP since Sequoia. And 2) it worked flawlessly before Sequoia!


I’m talking about hooking an external monitor to the built in HDMI port of the laptop, and in FCP, you use that monitor as an external program feed. If you have a laptop, try it out! The desktop image you use for that screen and anything you drag to it is HDR, once in FCP it will be dull and not HDR while the laptop screen shows as HDR! Doesn’t matter if it’s iPhone HDR, or shot on a professional camera in Rec2020. The monitor will only show everything in SDR, and yes, all my FCP settings should send out HDR, the projects did before Sequoia.


It used to work perfectly and Sonoma broke it. Neither FCP 11 or any Sequoia updates have fixed it.


Nov 15, 2024 7:07 AM in response to joema

@joema - You're correct - the color points are 9-18-9, primaries BT.2020 and color transfer BT.2100 (HLG).


The clips display correctly everywhere except in FCP. No issues in Preview, QuickTime, Resolve Studio or any other programs. It's only in the viewer in FCP.


The color profiles have custom names because the monitors have been calibrated, but for HLG testing, I'm using Video Range 64-940, Gamut 2020, EOTF HLG and Luminance 1000. For PQ,Full Range 0-1023, Gamut 2020 (but have tested with P3-D65), EOTF PQ and Luminance 1000.


I'm configuring the settings in FCP's HDR Mastering Display Metadata section, correctly when working with a PQ project, but not HLG since they don't have/use embedded metadata.

Jan 9, 2025 6:43 AM in response to IAmSkippermark

Thats simply not accurate in my case. Its down to the HDMI output from my Macbook Pro in FCP ONLY! The HDMI output works in HDR just fine (I use an HDR screensaver and it perfectly HDR, the monitor even says so!). But when i try and output HDR to that same monitor from FCP, it is not in HDR. So it's not the "non-apple monitor" as that monitor works in HDR just fine as an extended display, even showing lightroom output in HDR. It's down to FCPX output via that HDMI.

Jan 9, 2025 8:18 AM in response to PF_Productions

@PF_Productions, IAmSkippermark and I above described your scenario. I said: "when the MacBook Pro detects the TV is connected via HDMI, it handshakes and this somehow restricts the FCP viewer from displaying HDR in the MacBook Pro XDR screen or the HDMI-connected TV. But it does not affect Quicktime Player display of HDR/HLG content on either MacBook display or the HDMI-connected TV."


We clearly stated it is FCP only. That is why IAmSkippermark questioned Apple: "does that mean that Final Cut Pro cannot be used with a third-party monitor?" Previously in this thread, he reported: "I use an external monitor and it gets HDR from the M1 from everything via the HDMI port EXCEPT FCPX!...the monitor I'm using will show HDR photos, etc, just nothing out of FCPX via the M1's HDMI port."


We first thought it was HDMI only because it tested OK with SDI monitors, but AlainBE said it happens in FCP on his LG 40WP95C-W Thunderbolt 4 monitor. That may be because there are few non-Apple Thunderbolt monitors and those Skipper and I tested were Apple.


IAmSkippermark: I don't want to spend hours (or days) debugging FCP with XCode, but if they are not being responsive, let me know, and I'll try to isolate what framework, class and method is responsible.

Final Cut Pro 10.8.1 - problem with HDR videos since upgrading to MacOS Sequoia

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.