EOS VR Utility Color Space export is always BT.709

[SpagVR]

EOS VR Utility exported files are always in the BT.709 color space regardless of Raw Development settings. Has anyone been able to export a RAW file?

Utility 1.5.12 / macOS 15.3.1 / Mac M1 / Final Cut Pro 11.0.1

[NatalyaP]

Greetings SpagVR,

I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with exporting files with a certain color space. Sometimes things can be more efficiently resolved by discussing the issue in real time with a live agent. Given the nature of this particular issue, I would recommend calling our technical support department by phone. Technical support can be reached at 1-800-652-2666 between Monday and Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm EST.

[sturmen]

You can't export a raw file from EOS VR Utility, as debayering the raw data into an image is an intrinsic part of the stitching process. The pipeline goes something like this:

input RAW -> debayer -> stabilize -> stitch -> encode output

Once the debayering is complete, it is no longer raw. Instead of raw sensor data made of electrical values, it is now an image made of pixels.

Regarding the color space, there's probably two things at play here. There's the color space the output video is actually encoded in, and there's the NCLC tags in the metadata of the output file.

1. The true color space of the output file
   1. You can select this in the raw development tab. Your options are Cinema Gamut, BT. 2020, DCI-P3, or BT. 709. This is choosing the color space that the raw sensor data gets debayered into.
   2. Upon export, this will carry through to the output file unless you select "H.264 (Apply LUT)", in which case EOS VR Utility will apply a LUT-based color space transform into Rec 709. If you stick with one of the flavors of ProRes, you should be fine.
2. The NCLC tags in the output file
   1. There exists a metadata standard to specify the color space of a video file, and Pro Video Coalition has a great article on it, but the short version is that it consists of three numbers:
      1. Color Space
      2. Transfer function (sometimes incorrectly called "gamma")
      3. Color matrix
   2. Each of the three values is stored as a single number, a number which acts as a shorthand for a specific value defined in the standard. They are often written in the format "#-#-#". As an example, a video file with a 1 for the color space, a 1 for the transfer function, and a 1 for the color matrix would be said to "have been tagged as 1-1-1".
   3. If you look at the standard, you'll see that there just aren't that many valid values. And none of the existing values correspond to a proprietary manufacturer transfer function (such as Canon Log 2, Canon Log 3) nor to a proprietary manufacturer color space (such as Canon Cinema Gamut).
   4. So, since there's no existing "correct" value for proprietary data to tag the files with, it's common to just use the tag 1-1-1 (aka BT.709) just to fill in a valid metadata tag. (Remember "valid" is not the same as "correct")

In short: if you choose the desired color space and gamma in the RAW Development tab and export in ProRes, it should export as you'd expect. You can then bring it into your NLE of choice and use proper color management to get yourself into a good starting point for color correction and grading.

[SpagVR]

Thanks very much for the detailed explanation.  However I think the Canon VR Utility does not work as expected.  According to the VR utility metadata panel, the input video is:

Canon EOS R5m2
Device Firmware	Firmware Version 1.0.2
Lens Info	RF5.2mm F2.8 L DUAL FISHEYE
Video Standard	RAW
Resolution	8192x4320
Frame Rate	59.94
Color Space	RAW Gamut
Gamma	Linear
Color Sampling	-

The RAW Development settings are:

Color Space:  DCI-P3

Gamma:  DCI

Export settings are:

File Format: Apple ProRes 422HQ (MOV)

VR Format 3D 180

Size (Pixel) 8192x4096

The exported file is 8bit REC.709.  

I opened a case with Canon Support in February but have not received a response. 

I've updated camera firmware, VR Utility, Apple Compressor and macOS to latest versions.

My goal is to develop a workflow with the RAW files that will give me the best possible quality for the Apple Vision Pro.