standalone fx chain. Many of these are vital to my workflow because I can control the order in which they are processed (as in Resolve's node-based system).

standard levels fx is also not processing math correctly in 32-bit FR. You should be able to easily repro that by comparing the effect of the "input end" slider on the levels fx (standalone) at a clip level to the color grading --> utilities --> levels input (right end) slider.

These should have the same effect, but they don't. Levels fx input slider in 32FR is acting more like a gamma adjustment, rather than an endpoint adjustment.

I remain astonished the Magix team doesn't see supporting their app's basic fx functionality as more of a priority. The thread I linked to is from 2022!

Are you using the color grading panel curves, or the standalone curves? IIRC, many of the standalone filters don't work on 10+ bit media, but the CGP does.

Most, if not all, of the Legacy Fx in Vegas were written for 8 bpc Integer Math. Yes, those will respond differently than the CG panel with 10 bit source in a 32 bit Float Point project.

Regardless of your source, choose an 8 bit project to maintain linearity when using legacy Fx.

Do you have Graide Color Curves? May work better for this.

Are you using the color grading panel curves, or the standalone curves? IIRC, many of the standalone filters don't work on 10+ bit media, but the CGP does.

Most, if not all, of the Legacy Fx in Vegas were written for 8 bpc Integer Math. Yes, those will respond differently than the CG panel with 10 bit source in a 32 bit Float Point project.

Regardless of your source, choose an 8 bit project to maintain linearity when using legacy Fx.

I strongly argue the fx plugin chain offers basic and essential functionality necessary for a modern 2024 workflow (which overwhelmingly is going to involve 10-bit video codecs).

If Magix developers intend to deprecate the fx chain in favor of the GC panel I think that is a huge mistake*

*(even if, as seems unlikely, some kind of node-based replacement is in the works which will simultaneously allow keyframing and complete control over the order of the various fx's applied at the clip-level).

Roger thanks for the suggestion!

You may wish to start a new thread with the words [Feature Request] in your title.

I do know that most of the original coders who wrote the legacy plugins are not working for Magix, and given the development burden of unraveling decades-old code and patching it with updated math domains is probably impractical, at least at the present time.

Perhaps a better short term solution will be to relabel the effects in question as "Legacy 8 bit," and then rewrite all new FX plugins compatible in either integer or float math project environments, with dual indexing of the output graphs, as necessary. There is certainly lots of room for improvement in the plugins that came from the two previous brand owners.

I believe the legacy plugins worked fine in 32-FR in the Sony versions, but not sure that's relevant here.

Also, looks like the math for the gain control is broken in the Color Grading panel as well. @VEGASDerek

feature request: working plugins :)

Sorry -- I couldn't resist!

for the developers: both the Levels FX and Gain control in the CG panel work as expected in 32-bit Full Range mode when view transform is set to off. That suggests something unwanted is going on with the ACES interpretation.

(if you want to test that, it's better to create a jpeg gradient rather than using generated media so you can set the jpeg's color space appropriately)

Try ACEScc instead of ACES default.

Try ACEScc instead of ACES default.

looks like that's a log-based color grading space. I wouldn't know how to assess whether the GC and Levels fx are operating as desired in that environment.

Why are you working with ACES? ACES default and cc are similar though the default space is much wider:

ACES2065-1 can also seen by the name AP0. It has the widest gamut of all the ACES colorspaces fully encompassing the entire visible spectrum. You will almost never work in this colorspace it is meant primarily to be a transfer and archival format. Typically, this is the colorspace you would use to transfer images/animations between production studios.

Default with VP 21-300+ seems to have a number of bugs though.

Roger I don't normally because historically 32FR just creates too many headaches, but for SLog3/SGamut3 Vegas's ACES mode seems to give a better transform than using a LUT in 32-bit video mode.

Until Vegas gives us a color-space transform like Resolve, the ACES system seems like the best option for those who work with that format ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Why not use a LUT in 32-bit full range mode with view transform set to off? I get better results doing that with Slog 3 than I do with ACES. Do note that VEGAS isn't reading the color range correctly in VP 21.300 and newer so you have to set the media to full range manually (it defaults to undefined which is video).

I keep running into odd bugs with ACES like unexpectedly dark previews with the default color space vs cc and if you toggle between settings (32-bit back to 8-bit) it looks completely wrong and I have to restart the program.

I agree--the whole 32FR/ACES system in Vegas has been unreliable for a long time. I wonder if the dark previews you're seeing involve levels or color curves plugins in the fx chain (or do you use the GC panel)? I don't think I've seen the CG panel alone trigger the brightness issues I've experienced.

In any case, when you set the color space of a media clip's properties (like SLOG3/SGamut3) in 32FR and then the appropriate view transform, I believe Vegas is performing a true IDT versus a LUT conversion, which is an actual mathematical transformation (or so says ChatGPT) across the entire color space versus the much more limited conversion a LUT performs.

You can play around with that if you're curious: compare the conversion quality (and especially, how much you can grade it afterward). So it's a desirable way to work with Log footage--or it would be if the system worked.

Anyhow, I often feel like I'm shouting into the wind here. If Magix doesn't see supporting basic fx chain plugins like levels or color curves in 32/Video as a priority, I doubt they care that much about the ACES system.