Videos look darker than original and rendered (MacOS)

I've read so many threads on this topic and none of the solutions have worked for me. I'm hoping maybe there is some simple setting I am missing? I am having a huge issue with Resolve not displaying gamma and color properly compared to both the original file and the rendered output. I have all the recommended settings like "use 10bit precision in viewers if available" and "Use mac display color profiles for viewers" enabled.
I am using the default Rec 709 (scene) for both timeline and output color space. I tried changing Timeline color space which makes zero difference it seems. Output color space I tried changing to 709a (which looks same as 709 scene) and gamma 2.2 and gamma 2.4 (neither look right)

Doing a basic test with a background video file from Storyblocks (imported as default Auto levels, nothing changed)


Another example with recorded video 422 prores Full data levels:


I'm hoping there's some simple setting I'm missing? I'm on latest MacOS 13.2.1 using Apple Studio Display, if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance!


** I had to delete all the links because I'm not allowed to post URLs yet. Screenshots are too large to add as attachments.

Quick update:

I figured out that if I change Timeline and output color space in Project settings to rec 709a and then export in H264, the output is the same as what I see in DV. But the problem is that this is not transparent and is brighter than the original imported video. There is a gamma shift that occurs from the original video to the rendered file if I change to 709a (doesn't matter what the original video is, h264 legal data or prores full data)

This does not happen with ProRes. If I keep the above settings but export in Prores, then the output is transparent to the original (no gamma shift) whether I use rec709 scene or 709a, but the internal viewer is 709a and too bright compared to the original.

So it seems my options are to just use H264 and grade in 709a, losing the original video file color space in order for DV to match the output gamma. Or I have to deal with inaccurate viewing within DV if I want to use Prores (which is what I prefer to use) because I want it to be transparent. Not sure what’s going on?

Oh man I'm an idiot. I realized the issue was because I saved the original file in Full data levels by accident and that was screwing everything up. Also changing color output to 709a fixed it.

Not sure how to delete a thread, but mods please feel free to delete.

Now I have to take another drink! Read these:

"Grading for Mixed Delivery: Cinema, Home, and Every Screen in Between" by Cullen Kelly
https://blog.frame.io/2019/10/14/gradin ... -delivery/

and

"How to Deal with Levels: Full vs. Video"
by Dan Swierenga
https://www.thepostprocess.com/2019/09/ ... l-vs-video

and I think both cover the issues and the solutions very well.

Understanding color management is also helpful:

"Color Management for Video Editors"
https://jonnyelwyn.co.uk/film-and-video ... o-editors/

The above articles will explain why things change on different displays, different playback engines, and the importance of calibration and color-managed outputs.

I generally try to export a second or two of SMPTE Bars at the head of the project, and I import the file back into Resolve to check it on scopes to verify all the levels are correct. Using calibrated displays is a must -- without that, you have no idea what you're looking at. We also accept that the basic picture is going to change a little bit on different devices, because that's life.