About filters and color processing
A Motion project’s Color Processing setting (in the Project Properties Inspector) can change the way filters affect images. For example, if you change a project’s color processing from Standard Gamut SDR to Automatic, the effect of some filters (or blend modes) may change in appearance.
Additionally, when Color Processing is set to Automatic, an HDR White Level slider lets you brighten or dim SDR elements such as SDR images, text, and shapes created in Motion. This slider has no effect on HDR media in the project. However, some filters, when applied to an HDR image or clip, may cause the clip to react to the HDR White Level slider. This is because some filters apply SDR colors to HDR media, and the SDR colors react to the slider. For example, filters with a color well add SDR colors to an HDR image or clip, causing all or part of the HDR media to react to the HDR White Level slider.
Note: The Color Balance filter, even though it contains color wells to adjust shadows, midtones, and highlights, does not cause HDR media to react to the HDR White Level slider.
In the following images, an Insect Eye filter (which contains a color well to select the hexagon border color) is applied to an HLG clip in an Automatic project. In the left image, the HDR White Level slider is set to the default value of 75%; in the right image, the slider is increased to 100%. Increasing the HDR White Level value brightens the border (where the SDR color is applied), but not the HLG clip.
In the following images, a Tint filter (which contains a color well to select the tint’s color) is applied to an HLG clip in an Automatic project. In the left image, the HDR White Level slider is set to the default value of 75%; in the right image, the slider is increased to 95%. Increasing the HDR White Level value brightens the HLG clip.
Note: Some Motion filters process only in SDR. When Color Processing is set to Automatic and an SDR-only filter is applied to an image or clip, the image is tone mapped to SDR levels, processed by the filter, then automatically inverse tone mapped to HDR levels. In some cases, applying filters to a bright PQ clip (with peak luminance levels greater than 1,000 nits), may result in clipping of the image (or dimming of the project output).
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