Troubleshoot color variation

There are many reasons why your video may look different once uploaded to ZenVideo. Here are some common causes:

• Decoding technology
• Missing color properties
• Hardware or software issues
• Conversion process

Decoding technology

The primary cause for color variation is your browser’s decoding technology.

You can determine whether this is the cause by testing your video in different browsers. If the color of your video looks accurate in Safari, but not Firefox, you may be encountering a decoding variation. Unfortunately, ZenVideo does not have any control over the decoding of your video.

Missing color properties

Another potential cause for color variation in your video is when one or more of the color properties are missing. 

Color properties–color space, color range, color primaries, transfer characteristics, and matrix coefficients–are controlled by your editing software.

If any color properties such as Primaries, Transfer, or Matrix, are marked as “Unknown”, this may cause unexpected color variation in the uploaded video.

You will need to re-export your video file with these properties so that it can be encoded with the correct color variation.

Hardware or software issues

The viewer's hardware (monitor, graphics card, etc.) and software play a big role in the viewer's playback experience. Try testing your video on different setups and take note of the differences in color (if any).

Conversion process

In rare cases, our conversion process will lead to variations between your source file and our playback versions.

To test whether this is the case, follow these steps: 

1. Go to your Library and then select your video. 
2. Use the Download button to download both your source file and the largest HD ZenVideo version of your video.
3. Compare the two versions of the video by playing them in the same program on your computer (e.g., Quicktime, Windows Media Player, or VLC). 
4. If you see any differences in color when comparing the videos, please contact us and provide the following information: 
1. A link to the video(s) in question.
2. A description of the places in the video where the color is especially off
3. Side-by-side screenshots that show the discrepancy between the two videos