Do we still need to render in studio RGB for youtube?

Mindmatter wrote on 9/26/2025, 2:00 PM

I just uploaded a studio RGB version as i remembered it was recommended for youtube, but it just doesn't look quite right. The blacks and general contrast and saturation don't look as they should compared to my full range version here on my PC..
EDIT: I just uploaded a full range version to test, but that doesn't look right either. Some scenes ( not all ) are oversaturated and the blacks aren't totally crushed but way too contrasted.The DJI drone footage also becomes too contrasted.

So what's the solution and current consensus for YT?

Thanks!
EDIT: I just saw that all the XAVCI 422 clips from my FX3 as well as the DJI footage reads as "undefined" in the color range proporties. Could that be the problem?

Comments

Yelandkeil wrote on 9/26/2025, 3:17 PM

Nobody renders in studioRGB.

studioRGB would be applied when your NLE preview window locating on a TV-screen.

studioRGB for post editing (on a TV-display) and Rec709/limitedRange definition for standard video output/rendering are 2 different terms.

Mindmatter wrote on 9/26/2025, 3:39 PM

so how do I set the render to "Rec709/limitedRange"? The only option I know of to limit the range level to 16-235 is the studio level filter. I just read that YT misinterprets footage if there is no BT709 tag. I can't see any such tag in Media Info my Vegas renders, and I just read I need to use ffmpeg to actually add that tag.
Is that so?

Yelandkeil wrote on 9/26/2025, 4:41 PM

Forget those "16-235", "0-255", undefined-limited-full...they are just confusing you because same jargon variates its meaning in different environments (source footage, editing HW conditions, post productions).

All render templates for standard video in VEGAS are "limited" ready for you.
And the rendered videos are all tagged as they should be.
I just did days ago:

1, traditional SDR

2, modern HDR10

Yelandkeil wrote on 9/26/2025, 4:52 PM

And this is from my camera GH5s. Don't be fooled it were Rec709, it is a V-Log source video.

Mindmatter wrote on 9/26/2025, 5:34 PM

I don't think that is entirely true.There is nothing confusing about it, and the undefined color space is an issue you can research on this forum.
I just solved the problem after some in depth research by actually using ffmpeg to add the right 709 tag to the Vegas render. Not being that tech savvy, it took me quite some work and help of Grok AI.
Fact is, the new tag in the new upload now finally gets Youtube to display my video correctly.
Media Info fails to show the right tags, I had to use ffmpeg command prompts again to see the missing meta data.
Now, as far as Vegas goes, this seems to be a real problem. It should add those tags right away to avoid YT interpretation conflicts. I'm surprised this has never been adressed.
These are missing and also not dhown in Media Info:

colorspace=bt709

primaries=bt709

transfer=bt709

range=tv
And btw, I definitely had to render with studio levels, coming out of a 10bit 422 32 full range project with ACES on.