Welcome to DaVinci Resolve 8 The world’s most powerful color correction now on Linux and Mac! DaVinci color correctors have been the standard in post production since 1984. There are thousands of colorists worldwide who understand the performance, quality and workflow of DaVinci. DaVinci is the name behind more feature films, television commercials, documentaries, television production and music videos than any other grading system.
CONTENTS USER MANUAL DaVinci Resolve 8 Chapter 1 Introduction Introducing DaVinci Resolve What’s New in DaVinci Resolve 8 Chapter 2 System Setup Media Storage Volumes Video Capture Hardware Control Panel Type Chapter 3 Quick Start Guide Quick Start Project 14 15 16 22 23 24 24 26 34 Chapter 4 Control Panels 36 Chapter 5 Getting Started 40 Starting DaVinci Resolve User Login Screen Login To An Existing User Exiting Resolve Creating A New User Deleting An Existing User Changing A User Passwor
Timeline Conform Options Conforming by Reel Number Reel Number Support from Final Cut Pro EDLs Changing the Conform Frame Rates Video Monitoring LUTs Tab Timeline Lookup Tables Generate Soft Clip LUT Generate LUT from Current Grade Apply LUT to Waveform Printer Light Step Calibration Settings Tab Project Settings Dynamic Profiles Timeline Ripple Mode Working Folders Control Panel Autosave Tab Source Tab Master Decode Settings Image Decode Settings Project Image Decoder Settings Chapter 7 Browse Media Stora
CONTENTS USER MANUAL DaVinci Resolve 8 Source Flip Change Input Format Preset Change Parent Directory Switch Parent Directory The .
Reconform From Folders Force Conform Working with Transitions Working With Effects Composite Modes Speed Effects Syncing Sessions to Audio Making Comparisons in Offline/ Timeline Mode Setting Up an Offline/Timeline Comparison Adjusting the Offline/Timeline Sync Offset Alternate Online and Offline Comparison Modes Using ColorTrace™ to Apply Grades From One Project to Another Using ColorTrace™ in Automatic Mode Using ColorTrace™ in Manual Mode Importing CDL Data Using ColorTrace™ Example CMX EDL File Examp
CONTENTS USER MANUAL DaVinci Resolve 8 Rearranging Your Tree in the Node Graph Toggling Nodes On and Off Resetting Node Trees Using the Base Memory Commands Preview and Base Memory Outside Nodes Parallel Mixer Node Layer Mixer Node Key Mixer Node LUT applied within a node External Matte Support Compositing Using the Alpha Output RED HDR Input Support Timeline Clip Thumbnails/VSRs Correction Management with the Thumbnail Timeline Display Clip Thumbnail Indicators Local and Remote Versions Group V
Auto Color RGB Mixer Tab RGB Mixer Examples Example 1: Increasing Saturation While Reducing Cross-Talk Example 2: Patching Clipped Color Channels Using the RGB Mixer in Monochrome Mode Using the RGB Mixer Controls with the DaVinci Resolve Control Surface Curves Tab Adjusting Curves Using the Mouse About Custom Curves Ganging and Unganging Custom Curves Copying Color Channel Curves Copying Color Channel Curves Curve Mix Sliders YSFX Sliders Adjusting Custom Curves with the DaVinci Resolv
CONTENTS USER MANUAL DaVinci Resolve 8 Dynamics Timeline Dynamics Indicators Adding Dynamics Render Cache Options Other Color Screen Features Switching Between Conforms within the Color Page Scroll Mode Scroll Controls Chapter 10 Viewer Full Screen Viewer Interactive Dirt & Dust Removal Tool Viewer Window Options Viewer Stills Display PlayHeads Waveform displays Show Timecode at 30fps Object Tracking and Image Stabilization Simple Tracking Using the Tracker Menu Simple Ways of Working With Existing Tra
Switch Wipe Mode Trace Timeline One Still Per Scene Apple Display LUT Sorting Stills Stills Import and Export Still Properties Adding Gallery Pages Chapter 12 Format Input Input Transform Presets Input Transform Controls Source Blanking Convergence for Stereoscopic 3D Reference Still Resize and Reposition Output Output Transform Presets Transform Controls Output Blanking Output Format Slate Custom Text Chapter 13 Deck Deck Viewer Ingest Source Timecode Clip Name Batch List Settings Audio Options Folder O
CONTENTS USER MANUAL DaVinci Resolve 8 Chapter 14 Revival Marking clips for Revival restoration Revival Grain Settings Chapter 15 Scene Scene Cut Detector Loading Clips for Scene Cut Detection Scene Cut Viewers Scene Cut Detector Controls Automatic Scene Detection Scene Marks Export/Import List Scene Cut Detector Graph Cut List Reviewing the Detected Cuts Splitting and Saving Cut Lists Chapter 16 Render Render Timeline Rendering Versions Render Properties Easy Setup Menu Render Properties Settings Ou
Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Remote Grading 390 Requirements Setup Restrictions 391 391 391 DaVinci Resolve Control Surface Shift Key Convention T-Bar Panel Mode Control Group Session Management Marking Dynamics Memory Access Menu Navigation and Node Control Reference Configuration Trackball Panel Transport Panel Reference Configuration Transport Control Keys Memory Access Keys Numerical Entry Key Group List Marking Menus, Soft Keys and Soft Pot Controls Soft Key and Soft Pot Control Conventions Menu Layouts
Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Introducing DaVinci Resolve Welcome to the DaVinci Resolve user manual. DaVinci Resolve carries the tradition of DaVinci color correction into the next generation of color enhancement. DaVinci Resolve carries the 25 year tradition of DaVinci color correction combined with DaVinci’s Emmy award-winning image enhancement expertise and the latest GPU technology.
What’s New in DaVinci Resolve 8.1 Final Cut Pro X XML roundtrip support for frame accurate: • Cuts • Dissolves • Speed changed events • Select Final Cut Pro easy setup to configure the render settings. After rendering the timeline, export the Final Cut Pro X XML to complete the round trip. • Events not fully supported in Final Cut Pro X XML export are discarded to preserve the XML round trip.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Avid AAF import support for: • Dip to color • Edge wipe with border • Center wipe with border • Clock wipe • Venetian Blind Wipe • Cross, Oval and Diamond Iris Wipe • Sizing Effect with PTZR • Overlay Composite Final Cut Pro 7 XML clip by clip selectable import of image sizing data • Import sizing and position data for all or selected clips to render using the high quality Resolve image resizing engine • Right click on color timeline thumbnail to select sizing for that individual
Hover node over connector link to auto connect • Right click on the node graph to add a node and move it over a connector link for auto connection • + icon indicates auto connect is available, release mouse to connect HDR source icon in color page timeline thumbnails • High dynamic range r3d clips are indentified by an HDR icon on the timeline thumbnail • These clips have a second ‘short exposure’ node graph input available for use to permit the full HDRx dynamic range to be used Layer node composite effe
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Timeline based Auto/Video/Data level render selection • Using the Render screen Data Level pulldown select the normally scaled video or full data level for rendering clips • Auto mode selects format based on selected file Output Type Load EDL to new track in existing session • On the conform page, contextual menu permits adding EDL events to a new track to add new or changed shots with ease • New clips on higher track will have greater priority over lower tracks • Delete original
Support for Early 2011 MacBook Pro 15” with 1680x1050 display General performance and stability improvements INTRODUCTION 20
System Setup 2
CHAPTER 2 SYSTEM SETUP System Setup DaVinci Resolve on Mac systems require three simple hardware items to be configured when you start the application for the very first time. Start the application, select the DaVinci Resolve menu, and choose Preferences. The three items to establish are: the location of your media images; the video capture card, if any; and the type of control panel that will be connected to your system, if any.
Video Capture Hardware If you have a video capture and playback card, select it from the pulldown list. The options include supported cards, so if you do not see your card on this list, it has either not been detected by DaVinci Resolve or it is not currently supported. Control Panel Type Finally, select which control panel hardware you have connected to your DaVinci Resolve from the list provided.
Quick Start Guide 3
CHAPTER 3 QUICK START GUIDE Quick Start Guide Before getting into the details of grading with DaVinci Resolve let’s have a quick look at each of the main application screens and their functions. When you start DaVinci Resolve the launch window opens and each software module reports its loading status. Mac Start-Up When the start-up is complete the User Login screen appears. Double click on a User icon to switch to the Configuration screen for that user.
After you login to Resolve, this navigation bar appears at the bottom of every main screen. Use a left mouse click on this bar to switch to each screen. Navigation Bar The Configuration screen shown below is used to configure projects based on the user. With the five tabs located on the right half of this screen you can set up new projects, load existing projects, and select the format and connection type for deck capture and playback.
CHAPTER 3 QUICK START GUIDE Use the Browse screen shown below to select and review clips that are in your media storage and to mark the individual clips you need for your project. On the Browse screen you can create a Master timeline, load your EDLs and compare the hi-res source clips to your offline video from the edit system.
Most of your grading time will be spent here, at the Color screen. This includes a viewer, gallery of stills, a project and clip timeline and all the tools you need to create a master grade. Color The Viewer screen provides a full screen view of your images with transport controls, and controls for the automatic image object tracker.
CHAPTER 3 QUICK START GUIDE When you capture or import stills, they are all displayed in the Gallery screen. Here you can move them between different folders and name them as you like. Gallery The DaVinci Resolve Format screen interface makes it simple to format an image. You can adjust input and output image formats and size, pan and tilt the image, even zoom and rotate, all while seeing your changes in the viewer in real time.
Ingest from, or record to videotape all your SD and HD images using the Deck screen. There is also a batch capture option to speed up those otherwise cumbersome ingests from a long list of clips. Deck If your DaVinci Resolve is connected to a DaVinci Revival image restoration system you can use the Revival screen shown below to manage interaction between the systems.
CHAPTER 3 QUICK START GUIDE Sometimes you have images to grade but no EDL to split them into clips. No problem; just use the Scene Cut Detector to find those scene cut points automatically and split the source clip. It works five times faster than real time so you can start grading faster. Scene Cut The Render screen is used to set up the configuration and initiate rendering of the timeline images. Many systems limit the render of clips to the settings used in the timeline.
Quick Start Project This Quick Start overview is designed to skip past much of the detail and get you quickly to the Color screen so you can learn how to login, configure and load a project, select clips, create a master timeline and start grading. Once you have these basics understood, you can continue learning the details of DaVinci Resolve operation as you reference each of the chapters in this User Manual.
Control Panels 4
CHAPTER 4 CONTROL PANELS Control Panels While DaVinci Resolve can be operated with a mouse and keyboard, the full creative power of the system is unleashed when used with the DaVinci Resolve Control Surface. The DaVinci Resolve Control Surface consists of three panels. The center Trackball panel is used for most grading operations and includes a slide-out keyboard and trackballs. The two side panels are interchangeable for left- and right-handed operation.
CONTROL PANELS 38
Getting Started 5
CHAPTER 5 GETTING STARTED Getting Started Starting DaVinci Resolve Click the DaVinci Resolve icon to start the application. As the system is starting the launch window opens and each of the software modules reports its loading status. When the start-up is complete the User Login screen will appear. You can close DaVinci Resolve using the ‘Exit’ button, which is on the User Login/Exit page.
Creating A New User To set up a new user select the Admin icon and then the + button on the bottom left of the screen. . The administrator can use password protection to lockout the New User function. When DaVinci Resolve is first installed the Admin password is left blank. If the Administrator has protected the operation with a password please see your Admin to gain access. You may also change the graphic for each user by right mouse clicking on the icon and selecting ‘Change Picture’.
CHAPTER 5 GETTING STARTED Changing A User Password Change your user password by simply selecting your User Icon to make it active and then the ‘Change Password’ button. In the Changed User Password window enter your old and new passwords and confirm. Change User Password Multiple Database Support DaVinci Resolve works from an internal database server so it’s possible to have multiple databases for maximum flexibility in organizing your projects.
Database Manager Creating a New Database On the Database Manager window select ‘Create New’ to create and add a new database to your available database list. Enter a label name to help identify the database in DaVinci Resolve and a unique database name, in lower case. If you are using the database on this workstation leave the other items unchanged and confirm OK. This new database is now available and you can add your user as detailed above. All of the old projects are still available.
CHAPTER 5 GETTING STARTED Create a New Database Image If you are connecting to a Remote Database Server, change the IP address from the local machine address, which we show as default to your Remote Database Server. Enter the remote database name and select ‘postgres’ for all new databases with full read/write access or ‘MySQL’ for read only access to legacy DaVinci databases.
GETTING STARTED 46
Configuration 6
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Configuration At the commencement of every project a number of user, project, deck and monitor configurations should be set to provide the correct environment for your color-grading project. You can open the default or an existing project and/or may change the various settings to accommodate the project needs. You can also assign a name to the project. These tasks are performed on the Configuration screen which is the first screen always opened by DaVinci Resolve after you log in.
The User List This screen lists all available databases with the users and their associated projects and system configuration files. Note that you will not see your user ID within the current database. This list allows you to simply import projects from other database or from other users into the current database and user. Expand the list to find and select the project or configuration and select the ‘Import’ button.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION The Configuration List The Configuration List will show all configurations saved within the current database for the current user. As the Admin you can define a User Default Config that can be used as a default system configuration for all new projects. Modifying and Saving an Existing Configuration To modify an existing configuration, highlight the configuration and make the changes, or modify the project configuration.
Creating a Facility Default Configuration There are two default configurations in DaVinci Resolve: a User Default and a System Configuration. To modify a System Configuration and save it as the default configuration for all new users, first login as Admin, then select ‘System Config’ within the Configuration List, make the changes to the project and user configurations and select ‘Save’.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION There are also a number of features available via a right mouse click within the Project window. If you select a project and right click the pop-up display will provide the following options, depending on the status of the current project. New: Opens a window to create a new project name for the new project. Load: Will recall the project configuration and sessions, but only after checking if the current project has been saved.
Shared Database and Locked Projects If you are using a shared database with other DaVinci Resolve systems some of the projects will have a lock icon to the left of the project name. A locked project is loaded in read-only mode and changes must be saved to a new file name. Once a shared project is loaded, it is automatically locked in order to prevent multiple users from accessing the project at the same time. To unlock the project, login as Admin and then click on the ‘Unlock’ button.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Configuration Screen Tabs Using the five tabs on the Config screen you can make changes to the configuration to suit your project or files. In each case, the ‘Apply’ and ‘Cancel’ buttons located at the bottom of the tabs save or cancel any changes made. Config page tabs The tabs are: Project: Provides the main configuration settings for DaVinci Resolve to process your images.
Project Tab Timeline Format The Timeline Format section defines the parameters used for image processing during grading. For example, if you use a HD grading monitor, setting the system resolution to 1920x1080 provides automatic up or down sampling of the source images on the grading display.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Image Format Scaling You can set Input and Output Format Presets that can be used with session clips or for a complete timeline. These presets may be applied as Global presets from the Configuration screen or a Clip preset within the Media Pool which you will find on the Browse screen. Presets may also be applied from within the Format screen or even by right mouse clicking on a thumbnail within the Color or Format screens. There are more details on presets later in this guide.
Common use of Input Format Preset If your project originated on film it will have been scanned at some time prior to editing and grading, and often to make sure all the image area is captured the image is slightly over-scanned. This means you will see the full open gate image and depending on the scanner, some of the edges around the image, or even sometimes the round corners or distortion in the corners of the image.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION The Deck Capture and Playback controls are as follows: Video capture & playback: Selects video standard from the pulldown list. There is also a checkbox selection to enable stereo video ingest and playout. Video connection: Selects between the available connections: YUV 422 SDI, RGB 444 Dual Link and 444 single link using 3 Gb/s.
Input Scaling When your source images are of a different size or aspect ratio to the grading timeline you need to select how DaVinci Resolve will scale the images so they all match.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION The options available are: Centre crop with no resizing This option makes no attempt to resize the image to fit the aspect ratio selected. A simple crop is used from the center of the source image if it’s larger than the timeline format. Scale to full frame with crop Automatically inserts blanking within the image area to compensate for a difference in the source to timeline aspect ratio.
Timeline Conform Options DaVinci Resolve will make a conformed timeline of the selected clips using a number of parameters to make it easy to deal with missing timecodes or conflicting reel names. It is important to select the conformed frame rate of the clips and how the header or file metadata will be used. These parameters must be set PRIOR to selecting source clips in the Browse screen as they impact speed and frame rate calculations used in DaVinci Resolve when establishing metadata for the grades.
CONFIGURATION CHAPTER 6 Conforming by Reel Number DaVinci Resolve can conform clips by reel identification. There are three options for this operation. 1) Use reel number from the source clip file pathname: The reel number is derived from the information in the directory path or the name of the file. 2) Use reel number from the Media Pool’s folder name: The conform operation will use the folder identification within the Media Pool.
Example 1: This example shows the reel number stored within the parent folder name of the clip. Pattern: */%R/%D Clip Name: vol0/MyMovie/Scans/004B/Frame[1000-2000].dpx Reel number: 004B Parsing takes place from right to left so to analyze this pattern start at the right end. In this case the %D matches to the file name “FrameNNNN.dpx” where NNNN is the frame number in each file of the clip. Moving left of the file name, the /%R/ section of the string is next.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Reel Number Support from Final Cut Pro EDLs To be able to handle larger than 8 character reel numbers from Final Cut Pro EDLs, DaVinci Resolve supports extraction of the reel name using the comments. On the settings tab of the config screen, select the option called “Extract Reel Names from EDL comments”. e.g. Consider the following event in the CMX EDL 001 REEL02_T V C 01:02:54:24 01:02:50:24 01:00:54:24 * FROM CLIP NAME: REEL02_TEST.
Video Monitoring The Video Monitoring display should be adjusted to reflect the monitor you use for color correction. The settings here have frame rate and screen refresh implications, so making the correct selection is important. For example, if you are working with 2K files in a 2K environment but color correcting using a high definition monitor, you should select the appropriate HD standard for that monitor.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION The filter selection for monitor scaling is usually set to basic and only enabled to smooth edges when viewing with a video projector and a very large screen. These settings minimize any high frequency artifacts that may be seen. This may also be noticeable if you have a 2K or HD project but are monitoring on a SD monitor. Normally this should be in the basic mode.
LUTs Tab From the LUTs tab on the Configuration screen you may select various Input, Output, or Display lookup tables or LUTs. There is also an option to ‘Apply LUT to Waveform’, when checked, will apply the selected LUT to the DaVinci Resolve Waveform display. This can be useful when working in Video grading mode when a 3D LUT has been applied.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Generate Soft Clip LUT To edit an existing LUT by adding soft clipping to it, select either the 1D LUT or 3D LUT option then the original LUT from the pulldown list. You can then scale the new LUT to a clipping range (i.e., 940) for the maximum 10-bit video level as well as the minimum clipping level. The clipping softness controls allow you to apply soft ramps to the high and low clip level. Type in a name for the new LUT, and generate by click on the ‘Generate LUT’ button.
There are two workflows for generating the LUT: Workflow A. Using the color correction controls and the Trim LUT DPX image within Resolve to generate the LUT. Workflow B. Using an external software/product capable of applying a color correction effect which you want to capture as a LUT. Workflow A: 1. Set your resolution to High Definition within the Config screen. 2. Load the trim_lut0.dpx file located at /Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/ DaVinci Resolve/trim_lut0.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Workflow B: 1. Load the trim_lut0.dpx file located at /Library/Application Support/Blackmagic Design/ DaVinci Resolve/trim_lut0.dpx into the external device or feed the external device the image via an HD-SDI connection. 2. Make sure the external device is outputting HD in ‘Full data levels’ mode. 3. Connect the output video from the external device to the input video of DaVinci Resolve. 4.
Settings Tab The Settings tab displays a number of checkboxes used to customize the operations within DaVinci Resolve for the current project.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Project Settings The first section within the Settings tab is for Project options. Resize image in viewer for correct aspect ratio: This control will select between using a square or non-square pixel aspect ratio within the viewer. This is important when working with SD images which do not have a square pixel aspect ratio. Output single field when paused: This setting will reduce flicker when grading using a computer monitor or when working with interlaced material.
Wipe wraps when viewing reference stills: With this option the stills wipe mode will wrap around rather than stop at each side of the screen. Split source clips for Pre-conform: Select to split the source clip in the Media Pool and the master session when using the “Preconform” operation. Master reset maintains RGB Balance: This control defines how the panel reset buttons reset the primary color correction. Normally, a reset will return the primary correction values to their default values.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Automatically cue number of frames into timeline clips: Use this control to change from the default cue point operation, the first frame of the clip, to some number of frames after the first. This is handy if the source material has black or camera rollup flashes at the beginning of each clip.
Save timeline thumbnails with project: To minimize project size and maximize speed of your project Save and Load operations, you should leave this checkbox un-checked. If you select the checkbox, all of your timeline thumbnails will be stored with every project (Save and Auto Save). This provides a good history of the project, but takes much longer to complete and uses more hard disk space.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION In each case the target clips are set to: Exact values changed: Changes made to the current scene are rippled to the additional scene(s) using the exact control setting changes. For example, if Master Gain in the current scene is changed and set to 75 percent of its range, each scene rippled will then have a Master Gain setting of 75 percent. This is useful for setting consistent levels throughout the entire list.
Control Panel These controls set the sensitivity of the primary grading controls for Lift, Gamma and Gain balance and master, the Cursor trackball offset and master, and also the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance qualifiers. Control Panel Layout There are two options for the trackball Grading style, labeled DaVinci and Rank. Most users will be familiar with the standard DaVinci controls as this mimics the Vectorscope.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Autosave Tab Your project database is extremely valuable, so DaVinci Resolve has an Autosave feature that will make copies of your active database while you work. On the Autosave tab you will see the list of files that have been stored and you can set the interval for auto saves. Simply click on the ‘Load’ button to recall a project from this list.
Source Tab DaVinci Resolve natively supports a number of file formats, some of which require you to set decoder parameters. When processing r3D files from the RED camera you can set the control variables from the RED sub tab within the DaVinci Resolve Source tab. Individual controls are also available for each r3d clip on the Color screen. You may also select a clip or number of clips in the Media Pool and access the settings that way.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Master Decode Settings DaVinci Resolve provides RED source clip settings in two ways: project and clip based. You can set the decoder for the entire project using these controls; Decode Quality: The decode quality will have a direct impact on the performance of the system, so you may want to grade in a resolution which provides real-time playback, then use the config settings to switch to a higher quality/resolution for rendering.
Image Decode Settings If you chose to modify the decoding parameters for your RED files by choosing the ‘Project’ option in the Decode Clips Using setting, the following controls become active. Image Decoder Settings Color Science: The original REDone camera builds used a different color science to the more recent builds. Select here as appropriate.
CHAPTER 6 CONFIGURATION Project Image Decoder Settings If you have set the Decode Clips Using parameter to decode clips using ‘Project’ settings, the following controls become active. The RED default values are shown on the right hand column for your reference and each control is adjustable to establish the project-based decoder values. Just like the other project settings these can be set for each clip in the Color screen and also in the Media Pool.
ISO: Similar to exposure, this control adjusts gain from the black point to white in a linear manner. 320 is the default. FLUT: The Floating Point Look-Up Table controls operate within the new color space to give cleaner and finer ISO and mid grey variation without introducing clipping. Use in conjunction with ISO. DRX: DRX is a dynamic range control that takes into account Color Temp (degrees Kelvin) and Tint. Shadow: Provides adjustments at the toe of the FLUT.
Browse 7
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Browse One of the fantastic features of DaVinci Resolve is that clips can be in any folder or volume that is connected to the system. Simply identify each clip (or folder of clips) and place it via a smart link into the active image storage area called the media pool. The files are not physically moved or copied into the media pool. A virtual path to each clip is created so it’s easy to identify all the clips needed for the project.
Media Storage The upper left of the Browse screen displays all the media storage drives and folders within the storage that you selected using the Preferences window. You can expand the folder structure to display folders within folders. The sub folders or clips within folders will be visible on the Clip Details window directly to the right of Media Storage display. Click on each folder to expand and view the clip metadata and the actual content in the Viewer display.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Browse Right Click over Folder Window A right mouse click within the Media Storage display reveals a number of options. Splitting Clips Based on an EDL To split a clip based upon an EDL so that only the required material is placed within the Media Pool, right mouse click on the desired clip or folder and select ‘Split and Add Folder and Sub-Folders into Media Pool’ or ‘Split and Add folder into the Media Pool’ from the pop-up menu.
Add Material into the Media Pool Based on an EDL Similar to the ‘Split and Add’ function above, you can automatically add material into the Media Pool based upon an EDL, however with this selection you can use multiple EDLs and many source folders. Click on the directory where the required material is located and right click to select ‘Add Folder and SubFolders Based on EDLs’. Specify one or more EDLs.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Offsetting the Source Timecode from a Clip Sometimes source clips have an offset timecode due to a mistake made prior to introducing the images to DaVinci Resolve. You can select ‘Add Folder with Source Offset’ and then used the pop-up dialog to enter the required frame count/timecode to offset the clips prior to loading into the Medial Pool. Highlight the desired clip within the Media Pool and right mouse click.
Disk Speed Benchmarking On Linux systems, if you right click within the Media Storage display, you can select the ‘Benchmark Folder’ tool that will benchmark the speed of the storage/SAN for either new or existing clips. This tool may be used to ascertain whether fragmentation may be causing playback problems or if the storage is fast enough. The ‘Use Direct I/O’ check box should be checked for CXFS/XFS/NFS file systems and should not be checked for ADIC file systems.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Clip Details When you select any folder within the Media Storage window the folders and clips within that folder will be visible in the Clip Details window. Clips will be identified by the film icon on the left-hand side of the file name. When an individual clip is displayed in the Clip window you will also see metadata extracted from the clip relating to timecode, the starting frame number and count, resolution, bit depth and the date the file was modified.
Add as an Offline Clip Selecting a clip to add to the Media Pool as an offline clip makes an important distinction to these clips. A DPX or MOV clip can be added to the Media Pool as an Offline clip and it will be designated by a Magnifying Glass icon. Identifying an Offline Clip, will allow DaVinci Resolve to treat this clip differently in the Conform screen where you want to compare the high-resolution Online clips with the Offline, to establish that the EDL matches the Offline clip.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Changing the Source Timecode in Header Previously, we discussed the option to add clips to the Media Pool with a frame offset. While that is a commonly used feature, quite often you will find that your clips have no timecode or the wrong timecode. DaVinci Resolve is capable of changing or assigning a different timecode to a clip.
Converting a Clip to another File Format You may find that clips come in a file format that DaVinci Resolve does not play natively in the timeline. The Format Conversion pop-up allows you to change the file type. Simply select the clip within the Clip Details display, right mouse click and select Format Conversion. In the new window select the Target format for the clip and ‘Start Conversion.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Extract Audio from QuickTime DaVinci Resolve is a color correction and enhancement system, but it also offers synced audio playback of .wav or AIFF audio files. To extract audio from a QuickTime file into a separate .wav file for synced playback, right click on any QuickTime file in the browse screen and select ‘Extract Audio’ to bring up the Audio Extraction window.
The Media Pool Media Pool Folders As previously noted, all clips that are destined for color grading must be in the Media Pool, so all grading metadata can be associated to the clips with clip timecode on the frame reference. The Media Pool display is in two parts: Folders, which actually is the top level of the Media Pool structure, and Clips. The Media Pool Folders display allows you to place clips into the Media Pool in one or many layers of virtual folders.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Media Pool Clips The Media Pool Clips display shows each clip with its name, reel number, start and end timecode, start and end frame number, actual number of frames, the date the file was modified, its resolution and bit depth, and the file name itself, identifies the type of file. The last two columns are PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio) and Start KeyKode. Not all files are from film scans, and even then not all have KeyKode, so this column may be blank.
Media Pool – right click options Remove selected Clips This action will remove these clips from the Media Pool. The Master Session Timeline will display the clip position and duration, but with a blue cross over the clip indicating that the clip is no longer in the Media Pool. This can be helpful when changing source images with the same timecode. Remove from Master Session This operation will remove the clips from the Media Pool and also remove them from the Master Session.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Set Reel Number Just as we selected on the configuration page, project tab, conform timeline section, you can select or change the way Resolve defines the clip reel number in the media pool. There is one additional option here, to have a user defined reel number, which is quite helpful when the automatic conforming of clips is not possible or a reel name in the file is incorrect.
Select to Enable Flip Change Input Format Preset The Media Pool right-click allows the selection of the Input Format Preset to be changed. On the Config screen tab you can set the default Input and Output format presets. Within the Media Pool you can set the Input format for each specific clip. Place your mouse over the clip and right click to show the options and then select ‘Change Input Format Preset for Clips’ and select from the preset formats you made in the Format Screen.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Change Parent Directory When the location of the source clips has changed, use the ‘Change Parent Directory’ option to relink to the new clip location. This will automatically search for the new parent location of the clips that have been placed into the Media Pool. Highlight one or more clips within the Media Pool and right click to select ‘Change Parent Directory of Clips.’ A window will display the original path for the material and let you enter or browse to the new path.
Switch Parent Directory With a pre-conform workflow, there are often different versions of edits that are in separate folders. DaVinci Resolve allows easy toggling of different versions of conform using switchable parent directories from the right-click menu in the Media Pool. In the Parent Directory window, browse to the pre-conform directory folder and click the right arrow button to add the selected directory into the Parent Directory List.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Clip Replacement and Automatic Proxy Generation To replace sections of a master clip with frames from another location or to automatically generate proxies for the selected frames, use the Replace Shots tool. This option comes in handy when you modify a subset of a clip using different tools and want to merge their modifications in the current clip. First, right mouse click on the master clip within the Media Pool and select ‘Select for Clip Replacement.
Viewer Window The Viewer window is used to preview clips located either in the storage area or within the Media Pool. The bottom of the window has transport controls for Stop, Forward, Reverse, Fast Forward and Fast Reverse. Below the transport controls is a slider bar that can be dragged with the mouse to scroll through the clip area. This slider will display the relative position of the frame within the full clip. The clip’s timecode is also displayed.
CHAPTER 7 BROWSE Browse Screen Buttons Located at the top of the Browse display are two buttons used to select either the Clip Task Manager or the Proxy Manager. Clip Task Manager The Clip Task Manager can be selected from the Browse screen buttons, or via the Proxy generation config, or if a clip Copy and Paste operation is initiated. To close the Clip Task Manager display, simply click on the ‘Close Dialog’ button.
Proxy Manager The Proxy Manager lets you control the proxy generation process. To send a clip to the Proxy Manager right click on the selection from the Folder and Clip Windows, or Media Pool, then select ‘Add Into Proxy Manager.’ To add the entire contents of a folder into the Proxy Manager, right click within the Media storage section and select ‘Add Folder Into Proxy Manager’ from the options. If you prefer, proxies may be pre-generated before a session.
Conform 8
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Overview of the Conform Page The Conform page is where you import edited projects from other applications via EDL, AAF, or XML. This edited project data is used to arrange the clips in the Media Pool into the session that constitutes the program you’re grading. An imported project shown in the Conform page. Its media appears in the Media Pool, the edit appears as a session in the Timeline Management list, and the edited project appears in the Timeline.
Controls of the Conform Page The conform page is divided into six regions, all of which help you to manage the multiple forms of data within a particular project. In DaVinci Resolve, Projects contain one or more sessions organized in the Timeline Management list but displayed in the Timeline. They are divided into individual edit events shown in the Conform EDL list. Each event references a particular clip that’s shown in the Media Pool.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM The Media Pool in the Conform page Right-clicking a folder or anywhere within the clip list shows every menu option that’s available from the Media Pool in the Browse page. For more information, see the Browse chapter. The Timeline Management List This list has all of the commands that are available for creating a project’s master session, creating blank sessions, importing EDL, AAF, or XML projects as sessions, and managing these sessions.
Every EDL, AAF, or XML file you import appears as a new session in this list, and you can have as many sessions as you like within a single project. However, since each session must reference clips in that project’s media pool, multiple sessions are most often used for multiple edited versions of a particular program or reel. Additionally, multiple sessions can also be used to store differently graded versions of a particular session.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM The Conform EDL List The Conform EDL list shows an EDL-style list view of all the edit events within a particular session. Whichever session is selected in the Timeline Management list displays its events here. The Conform EDL list in the Conform page Each clip and transition is shown as an individual event, each of which contains multiple columns of information. If you re-edit a session, your changes are also reflected in this list.
C: The event type (C for cut, D for dissolve or transition) Blank: A number showing the duration of a transition in frames. Src In/Src Out: The Source In and Source Out timecode indicating the originating timecode referenced by that clip Rec In/Rec Out: Record In and Record Out timecode indicating that clip’s position in the Timeline. Comments: Whatever comments were present in the EDL that was imported, typically clip names exported from the original NLE to be used as Reel Names in RED workflows.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To display the originally imported EDL: • Place your pointer over the bottom border of the Conform EDL list so that it turns into a vertical resize cursor, and drag the bottom border up to reveal a split-window showing the text of the original EDL that was imported. EDL Display above and raw EDL text below Note: If the session was imported via an AAF or XML file, nothing will appear in this split view.
The Source and Timeline tabs in the Conform page The Source and Timeline tabs share the following onscreen controls: Duration field: In the Source tab, this displays the total duration of the clip, or the duration from the in to the out point, if these have been placed. In the Timeline tab, this displays the total duration of the currently selected session.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM The Offline tab lets you compare an offline export of a sequence at left to the corresponding graded session clip at right. The Timeline The multi-track Timeline shows the currently selected session in the Timeline Management list.
The main controls found within the Timeline include: Current Frame field: Shows the current timecode value corresponding to the position of the playhead. Timeline Ruler and Playhead: The Timeline Ruler shows the program’s timecode, and the playhead indicates the current frame of the current clip. Whichever clip intersects the playhead is the one that you’ll be working on in the Color page. Dragging within the Timeline Ruler moves the playhead.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Timeline header area with Enable, Track Number, and lock controls Enable Track button: The leftmost button lets you turn tracks on and off. The clips for tracks that are turned off aren’t visible in the Viewer, don’t show up in the Color page, and aren’t available in the Render window. Track Number: Each track is numbered according to its position. The bottom track is V1, and subsequently numbered tracks appear higher in the Timeline.
Undo/Redo/Edit History: Two buttons let you undo and redo, similarly to using the Command-Z and Command-Y keyboard shortcuts. A third button lets you open the Edit History, which shows a list of each edit you’ve made since creating a particular session, for purposes of keeping track of your changes.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Creating and Importing Sessions DaVinci Resolve is extremely flexible, and supports many different workflows such as digital dailies management, custom project assembly, and project import via EDL, AAF, and XML. When importing projects, each format has different advantages and disadvantages, and which one is right for any particular workflow depends mainly on the source application from which the project came.
Creating a Blank Session Once the Master Session has been created, you also have the option of creating new, blank sessions. This can be useful for assembling your own subset of media for grading for example, to sort the Media Pool by Reel No and add all clips from a particular reel, It can also be useful for manually editing together your own sequences of clips. To create a blank session: 1. Open the Conform page, and click the New button, at the bottom of the Timeline Management list. 2.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Conforming EDLs to Discrete Media Files The advantages of working with discrete media files is that they are the “purest” version of the media, without any effects (such as dissolves or superimpositions) that are “baked” into the visuals that might create issues when you’re grading. To create a Master Session: 1.
4. Navigate to the EDL file you want to use, select it, and click Open. The Load EDL window appears. The Timeline in the Conform page showing multiple tracks 5. Choose the options that are applicable to your particular project: Source File: The file you selected in the previous step. Session name: The name of the session (or timeline) you’re about to create. This defaults to the name of the EDL file you selected. Master session start timecode: Not editable.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Set timeline resolution to: Two fields let you specify the width and height of the framesize you want to work at in Resolve. This defaults to your project settings, but can be overridden by turning on the “Automatically set project settings” checkbox. Timeline framerate: Disabled. This defaults to your project settings. Use drop frame timecode checkbox: By default, this is derived from the frame rate of the selected file.
2. If necessary, turn on the “Assist using reel numbers from the:” checkbox in the Project tab of the Config page, and click to choose the appropriate option underneath. For example, if you’re relinking to R3D media, the default setting of the “Source clip file pathname” will base the reel names of each clip on the source media’s file name. If you discover later that you’ve chosen the wrong option, you can change this setting later. 3.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM 5. Select the frame rate of the project from the File Conform Frame Rate dialog that appears. This frame rate should be identical to the “Timecode calculated at:” pop-up you set in step 1. 6. Choose the appropriate options in the “Enter handle size for splitting” dialog that appears: Handle size in number of frames: Enter a number of frames to be added as handles to the first and last frame of the clip.
Because of its similarity to importing XML files, the procedure for importing AAF files can be found later in this chapter, in “Importing AAF and XML Files .” A list of compatible media formats appears in an appendix to this manual. For the most up to date list of compatible media formats, see www.blackmagic-design.com. About XML Import DaVinci Resolve can also import projects that were exported to the Final Cut Pro XML format.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Effects Processing When Finishing in DaVinci Resolve When you’re outputting to tape, rendering a QuickTime master of your project, or rendering a DPX image sequence for film output, all supported effects are rendered by Resolve and “baked” into the output media. Unsupported effects are completely ignored, cannot be seen, and have no effect on media that’s rendered and output.
Speed effects, composite modes, opacity settings, and transitions are handled differently. Even though these effects are visible in Resolve while you work, they’re not “baked” into the final media that you render in preparation for sending back to Final Cut Pro.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM 3. Choose the options that are applicable to your particular project. By default, these options are based on metadata within the file you selected. Source File: The file you selected in the previous step. Session name: The name of the session, or timeline, you’re about to create. This defaults to the name of the sequence that was exported. Master session start timecode: The timecode at which the project starts.
For example, if you’re importing an AAF from Avid Media Composer, you’ll likely want to select the “Avid Media Files” folder, on whichever volume you’ve put it. Be aware that even though Resolve traverses all the subfolders of whichever folder you select, if you select a folder with many subfolders such as your entire hard drive, it may take considerably longer to find the media.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Import a different set of Resolve-compatible media into the Media Pool of the Browse page that has identical timecode and reel names to that referenced by the project. Then, import the AAF or XML file without automatically importing source clips in order. When you do this, the new session is reconformed to the Media Pool clips. To load an AAF or XML file and manually reconform it to clips in the Media Pool: 1.
Dealing With Reel Conflicts While importing projects from other applications, clips with overlapping timecode and reel names will cause reel conflicts. This often occurs when media has been added with timecode but no reel identifier, for example shots from multiple unidentified reels that all start at 0 hour. This may also occur if shots are added to the Media Pool incorrectly, such as when replacement shots are added to the Media Pool but the original media is still there.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM 2. Click the radio button of the correct media file for that clip, and click Apply. The clip in the Timeline changes to reflect the media you selected, and the “C” icon is replaced with an “R,” indicating the conflict has been resolved. Timeline with two clips indicating timecode conflicts To resolve a reel conflict by copying a grade: 1. Right-click the “C” icon of any clip in the Master Session, at the bottom of the Conform page.
Linked and Unlinked Grades in Multiple Sessions By default, any clips that refer to the same file in the Media Pool are linked and share the same remote versions of grades that are applied to them. For example, two clips that are close-ups from the same take refer to the same media file, so they’re both automatically linked to one another and share the same remote grades. This is also true for clips that appear in multiple sessions.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Exporting Sessions Once you’ve graded a program, you may find it necessary to send it to another application for finishing. DaVinci Resolve lets you export individual sessions as EDLs or XML files, for sending to an NLE or finishing application along with its accompanying rendered media.
To create a session with handles: 1. Open the Conform page and select the session you want to add handles to in the Timeline Management list. 2. Right-click anywhere in the Timeline and choose “Create Session with Handles” from the contextual menu. The Session with Handles Setup dialog appears. 3. Adjust the following settings: • Pre Handle Value (Frames) field: The number of frames to add before the in point of the clip.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Keep in mind that sessions with handles have completely different timing then the original session, and are not meant to be used, played, or exported in place of the originally graded session. Sessions with handles are only meant to be used to render media with handles. To export an EDL or XML file, select the originally graded session first.
3. When the Export XML dialog appears, type a name for the file and choose a location for the exported XML file, then click Save. An XML version of that session is saved, complete with internal references to the graded media you rendered, and ready for importing into Final Cut Pro. Exporting CDL Files DaVinci Resolve can export and import basic grading data to and from other applications via a Color Decision List (CDL).
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To export a CDL: 1. Open the Conform page and select the session you want to export an EDL from in the Timeline Management list. 2. Right-click anywhere in the Timeline and choose “Save CDL” from the contextual menu. 3. If a warning dialog appears warning that the Lum Mix parameter is not set to 0, it’s recommended that you cancel the operation and fix the issue. Otherwise, if you’re certain that your grades are set up properly, click Save to continue. 4.
Editing in Source/Timeline Mode DaVinci Resolve has a suite of simple editing tools that make it convenient to perform common online editorial and timeline management operations. There are also effects functions available for making alterations to clip speed, opacity, and composite modes for superimposed clips. Simple Editing This section outlines the different editing techniques that you can use in the Conform page of DaVinci Resolve.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To add clips to the Timeline by drag and drop: Drag a clip from the Media Pool to a location in the Timeline. To insert-edit one or more clips into the timeline: 1. Move the playhead to the frame of the Timeline where you want to insert a clip. 2. If necessary, create a new track if you want to superimpose the new clip. 3. Click the track number control of the track you want to insert the clip onto. 4.
To join two clips together: Drag the playhead to the edit point between the two clips you want to join, and click the Join Clips button. Two clips must be from the same media file to be joined. To remove one clip from the Timeline, leaving a gap: Move the playhead to intersect a clip you want to remove, and click the Delete Clips button (the X). Or, right-click a clip and choose Remove Clip from the contextual menu.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To move tracks up and down: Right-click within the track you want to remove, and choose Move Track Up or Move Track Down from the contextual menu. That track, along with all clips on it, will be moved up or down relative to the other tracks in the Timeline.
Slide: To slide an edit, moving that clip while simultaneously adjusting the out point of the previous clip and the in point of the next clip to accommodate the change, click the Slide tool and drag a clip to the left or right. Ripple clip: To ripple a clip, moving that clip while simultaneously moving every other clip that comes after it back or forward on the Timeline to make room, click the Ripple tool, and drag a clip to a new position in the timeline.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To locate an event in the Conform EDL list: • Drag the playhead to intersect any clip in the Timeline. That clip’s corresponding event, or events if there is a transition, are automatically highlighted in the Conform EDL list. To locate a clip in the Media Pool: • Right-click any clip in the Timeline, and choose Locate in Media Pool from the contextual menu. That clip appears highlighted in the Media Pool.
Reconform From Folders The “Reconform From Folders” command is useful for helping you to manually choose what media, in projects with multiple Media Pool sub-folders containing duplicate versions of clips, you want the current session to be conformed to. By default, all clips that you add to the Media Pool are stored in the Root folder, which can be seen in the Media Pool Folders list of the Browse page, or at the top of the Media Pool in the Conform page.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Once you’ve organized subfolders of clips in this way, you can use “Reconform From Folders” to select which subfolders you want to conform to the current session. Keep in mind that for this to work, the replacement media that you’re adding to these subfolders must have identical timecode and reel names to the media that it’s meant to replace. If the timecode doesn’t match, you’ll need to manually replace the clip in the timeline.
Force Conform If you have a problem with a session such that an unconformed clip simply won’t automatically conform to any clip in the Media Pool, even if you know the clip is there, you can use the Force Conform command to force a clip in the session to conform to a clip of your choosing in the Media Pool. To force conform an unconformed clip to another clip in the Media Pool: 1. Select a clip in the Media Pool. 2.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Diamond Iris Oval Iris Other The following procedures describe how to work with transitions in DaVinci Resolve. Methods of working with transitions: To add a transition: Drag one clip so it overlaps another. A transition appears where the clips overlap. To add a transition to the beginning or end of a clip: Right-click a clip in the Timeline, and choose Add Start Transition or Add End Transition from the contextual menu. Start and End transitions function as fade from and fade to black.
In more practical examples for titling, if you superimpose a clip that consists of white text against black and set its Composite Mode to Screen, the black background disappears and the white text is combined with the underlying clip. Similarly, if you superimpose and Multiply a clip consisting of black text against a white background over another clip, the white background disappears and the black text is combined with the underlying clip.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM To change a clip’s speed: 1. Right-click a clip in the Timeline, and choose Change Clip Speed from the contextual menu. 2. Enter a new frame rate into the Frame rate field, or click the Up/Down arrow buttons to change the value in one frame increments. For example, in a project set to 24 fps, to set a clip to 50% speed, change its frame rate to 12. To set a clip to 200% speed, set the frame rate to 48. 3. Click Apply.
3. Set a Synchronization Delay to account for any latency between Resolve and the audio playback device, and choose the proper frame rate. 4. When you’re finished, turn on the Enable checkbox and click OK. Once synchronized, LTC timecode output from your Resolve workstation’s video I/O card will lock and synchronize the external audio device whenever you play the session. It’s vital to make sure that the audio frame rate is set correctly or you will experience audio/video sync slippage.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM 3. When the Choose Audio File window opens, located and select the audio file you want to sync the current session to, and click Open. 4. If necessary, change the Start Timecode fields to account for any offset between the start frame of the session and the start frame of the audio in the file, and choose the proper frame rate. 5. Turn on the Enable checkbox, and click OK.
Making Comparisons in Offline/ Timeline Mode When you open the Offline tab of the Conform page, you switch into a mode where you can compare an “offline-identified” media file to a session such that both playheads are locked or “ganged” together. As you play the session, the media file plays as well.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Offline identified clips appear with a magnifying glass icon to the left of their path and name in the Media Pool 3. Open the Conform page, select the session you want to review, then click the pop-up menu in the Offline Clip column all the way to the right of the Timeline Management list, and select the offline-identified clip that you want to compare that session to.
Adjusting the Offline/Timeline Sync Offset Ideally, the starting timecode of the offline-identified clip should be identical to that of the session you’re comparing it to. However, it may happen that the timecode of each is offset by several minutes, seconds, or frames. To adjust the sync offset between the offline clip and your session: 1. In Offline/Timeline mode, play the session until you find an easy-to-identify sync frame, perhaps the first frame of a clip with unique visuals.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Using ColorTrace™ to Apply Grades From One Project to Another ColorTrace™ is a key feature of DaVinci Resolve, which lets you copy grades quickly and easily from the clips of one session to those within another, based on the source timecode of each clip, or using clip names when in Automatic mode. Important: During ColorTrace™ operations, only the default grade is copied from one session to another. All other grade versions are ignored. To use ColorTrace™: 1.
5. Choose which mode to work in by clicking the Automatic or Manual tabs: • In Automatic mode, ColorTrace™ automatically searches for matching clips between the selected session and the current session. Each clip is color-coded depending on the correspondence that’s been identified. • In Manual mode, you copy grades yourself, using the Copy and Paste procedures, or by dragging and dropping using your mouse.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM The ColorTrace™ window shown in Automatic mode, with a selected clip in the Target Session timeline revealing a number of different possible correspondences in the Matching Source Clips timeline. Each clip in the Target Session thumbnail timeline is outlined with a color that indicates its status. Green: A perfect match has been found.
Color/PTZR/Copy Track Marks checkboxes: Turn off the checkboxes of any clip characteristics that you don’t want to copy as part of the ColorTrace™ operation. For example, if you want to copy grades, but you don’t want to copy PTZR or Track Marks (keyframes), you can turn those off. Hide Matching Clips: Hides all clips which have been successfully matched, and only show the clips with multiple or no matches. This lets you focus on the subset of problem clips within a potentially long timeline.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Purple thumbnails in the Target Session timeline indicate that you’ve made a manual match Continue working your way through every thumbnail with Orange and Red Xs until you’ve found matches for every clip in the session for which it’s possible. 4. When you’re finished, click Copy Grades & Exit. Using ColorTrace™ in Manual Mode Manual mode is ideal for situations where you want to copy grades between programs with clips that have no timecode or reel name correspondence at all.
For example, if you’re trying to copy grades from a session that was conformed from individual media files, to another session that was conformed from a flattened master media file, you can use the ColorTrace™ Manual mode to accomplish this. The manual interface consists of two sets of controls that correspond to the source session labeled “Session to copy from”, and the target session labeled “Session to past to”.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM If you’re cherry-picking individual grades from one session to paste into shots in another, you can copy grades one at a time. To copy one source grade to one target clip: • Click a thumbnail in the Source session timeline (on top) to copy from, then click a thumbnail in the Target session timeline (on the bottom), and click Paste. You can also simultaneously copy the grades of entire scenes of clips from one session to another.
To import CDL data into DaVinci Resolve: 1. If you’re importing CCC/CDL XML correction looks: • Open the Gallery page, right-click anywhere within the Stills tab, and choose “Import” from the contextual menu. • When the Import Stills dialog appears, open the CDL/CCC files. When these are finished importing into the Gallery, an ASC logo will appear along with them. 2. Open the Conform page and select the session you want to use ColorTrace™ with in the Timeline Management list. 3.
CHAPTER 8 CONFORM Example CCC file: test corrections for ref_input_image.1920 for mathematical analysis only for ref_output_image.0100 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.
Calculating CDL Functions In order to turn the SOP values into a primary correction, the following math is used by DaVinci Resolve: Output = (Input * Slope + Offset)Power Output refers to the final grade. Input is the value of each pixel within each color channel, on a scale from 0-1) The detente value for Slope is 1. The detente value for Offset is 0. The detente value for Power is 1.
Color 9
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Color The Color screen is essentially the heart of the DaVinci Resolve system. In addition to basic color correction you also have the option of applying a PowerWindow or even Blur, Pro-Mist and Aperture Correction Effects to each clip. The color enhancement process is clip based and centers on the usage of nodes. Each corrector node can be considered a full featured color corrector and multiple nodes can be applied in either Parallel or Serial, depending upon the desired correction.
Viewer Located at the upper left of the Color screen, the Viewer displays the current clip and the current frame. At the top of the Viewer in the center of the window bar, the Project and Session names are shown. To the left of this is a GPU status display and the Playback Speed display in frames per second. DaVinci Resolve uses GPUs for image processing, so the GPU status indicates the percentage of use that the current color correction demands of the GPU.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Viewer Located at the bottom of the Viewer display are controls for playing the clip Forward, Reverse, Fast Forward, Fast Reverse, Step Forward, and Step Reverse. These are accessed by clicking on the appropriate control with the mouse or by using the Transport Controls on the DaVinci Resolve control surface, or a standard keyboard. Below the transport controls, is a scroll bar for scrolling through a clip by dragging the bar back and forth using a mouse.
Interactive Dirt & Dust Removal Tool DaVinci Resolve provides an interactive Dirt and Dust Removal tool which may be accessed from either the Viewer or Color screens by clicking on the Dirt Removal Tool icon, located at the left of the Viewer display. A right mouse click on the button will open the setup window.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Viewer Window Options There are a number of center and right click mouse options for the viewer. You may Zoom In and Out of the image within the Viewer by using a rotary control within the center mouse button. You may also Zoom In and Out of the image within the Viewer display by using the + and – keys on the computer keyboard. If you hold down the center mouse button and drag the mouse, it will move the image position within the Viewer display.
Viewer Stills Display The first few of the pop-up options relates to stills. ‘Grab Still’ will simply grab the current frame to make a still and place it in the Gallery Stills display. This still can then be used as a reference for comparison in other scenes. ‘Grab all stills from first frame’ will grab a still from every clip on the timeline using the first frame of each clip.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR PlayHeads The PlayHeads Viewer mode is commonly used to compare a reference clip with up to three additional clips, by placing a total of four playheads in the timeline. Multiple playheads are useful for many things, for example, comparing clips from the same angle of coverage that you’re trying to balance evenly with one another. Alternately, you could use them to simultaneously view a variety of shots in the timeline with which to preview different looks.
The Gang and Show checkboxes of VTR B are now enabled. 3. Turn on its Gang checkbox to display that playhead in the Viewer. The accompanying Show checkbox automatically turns on, and a second frame appears side by side next to the first one in the Viewer. 4. To select which clip appears in this new frame, turn on the Select checkbox of the VTR you just ganged, and then click a different thumbnail in the Timeline.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR At this point, you’ve set up a side by side view comparing two different clips. You can choose to display up to four different frames in the Viewer, using the Source and VTR A, B, and C controls in the PlayHeads window. The Viewer will show a two-up, three-up, or four-up view as necessary to accommodate the extra PlayHeads you enable, all of which will be output to your client display.
Once you’ve configured the PlayHeads window, the following controls let you reconfigure the available playheads: Gang checkbox: Lets you choose which playheads will play during playback. If a VTR’s checkbox is turned off, that playhead will only display a still image. Show checkbox: Lets you turn playheads on and off in the Viewer. Select checkbox Turning on a VTR’s select checkbox lets you move that playhead to another clip by clicking a thumbnail in the thumbnail timeline.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR 3. Press GANG SRC, GANG A, GANG B, or GANG C to display that playhead in the Viewer. Pressing the same button again hides that playhead in the Viewer. As with the PLACE buttons, the GANG buttons correspond to controls within the PlayHeads window of the GUI. As you press the PLACE buttons, you can see the Gang and Show checkboxes turn on and off.
COLOR 184
CHAPTER 9 COLOR 3D Display Modes For Stereoscopic 3D projects, set the selection “Display Both Eyes for 3D” to see both eyes on the SDI output. The format of the display can be selected from the various display types. Side-by-side, Line-byLine, Checkerboard Anaglyph B&W or Anaglyph Color, Difference or none. Color screen viewer with four playheads active To see these selections on the viewer and WFM check the option to apply the mesh display.
Waveform displays DaVinci Resolve offers a number of built in waveform displays, all of which work at the native resolution of the system rather than at the video standard selected for clip playout. This means you can see the full data range of the source image with the correction applied, regardless of which video standard you wish to master. The displays Waveform, Parade, Vectorscope and Histogram allow you to monitor the levels of the correction that are being applied to the image.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Stills, PowerGrade and Memories In the center top of the Color screen are the Stills, PowerGrade and Memories tabs. While all of these are managed on the Gallery screen, they are displayed on the Color screen for quick selection and are used for color matching during the grading session. As described in the Viewer section, you may compare the stored images to those being graded by using a Wipe or Mix. This provides a simple and fast method of matching grades between scenes.
Stills When you press the ‘Grab Still’ button on the DaVinci Resolve control panel, or right-click ’Grab Still’ on the Viewer, you’re capturing a high resolution still image of the frame currently displayed on the timeline and at the same time capturing the grading metadata information relating to that grade. This means the still can be used for both visual reference and also for direct grade Copy and Paste operations. Note: All stills are saved internally as DPX image files.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Stills can be named/renamed by placing the cursor over the still, right clicking, and choosing the pull down option ‘Change Label’. If your system has Unicode language options loaded you can add names in different languages. Japanese is one of the many languages supported Comparing Stills in the Viewer Selecting ‘Play Still’ via right click on the still, or on the control panel will display the still on the Viewer with a wipe to the current scene/frame.
Copying Grades From Stills When you save a still or memory from a clip using the Grab Still command, DaVinci Resolve also saves that clip’s accompanying grade. The ‘Add Correction’ command applies the entire grade including each node of adjustment, the PTZR and 3D settings, and the Source metadata settings for R3D or Arri Alexa media from a still to the current clip. The clip’s previous grade, PTZR, 3D, and Source settings are overwritten.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Append Grade When right-clicking on a still in the Stills or Powergrade tabs, you can also choose “Append Node Graph.” This adds the entire node graph of the saved still to the end of the node tree of the current clip. In other words, the current clip’s grade isn’t overwritten, the applied grade is added to it.
Copying Individual Nodes From Stills If you want to use specific nodes or adjustments from a particular saved still, you can also use the ‘Display Node Graph’ command to open any still’s node graph and then copy either all of the graph, or any one node. Just select the node with your mouse, click and drag it to the Node Graph display on the right of the main screen, and place it where you would like the correction applied in the image correction path.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Export and Import Stills with DaVinci Resolve eXchange (DRX) color correction metadata To export images simply select the still and right click for Export or Export with Display LUT option. The Display LUT used in this case is the one selected on the Configuration page. All stills exported also have an associated DRX file saved in the same folder which contains the color correction and node graph metadata.
When stills are added to the Still tab they are placed next to other stills from the same scene and generally in record timecode order. You can also select the stills to be sorted and displayed in the order of the source timecode or the creation date and time, or by the clip order with the creation date and time. If you have multiple sessions in your project you can also select to display stills from just this Session or stills from all Sessions.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR PowerGrade The PowerGrade tab shows stills that are always available and referenced to the User Name no matter which Project you have open. Normally stills relate to Sessions within a particular project. You can always copy stills from other Users and other Projects, but this is a manual process and there are times when you may just want to have specific stills, with their Node Graphs, that are always available to you no matter which project you have open.
Memories Within DaVinci Resolve, every scene has a grade that is stored in an active Memory. Colorists consistently refer to this current Memory and compare it to the stills to match grades. You can always clear this Memory to get to a default Memory by using the Base Mem control. Comparison of the current Memory and Memories that are used very often, is easily done using the A to Z Memories, which you will find at the bottom of the Still section.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Node Graph Whenever a color correction or enhancement is performed on DaVinci Resolve, it must be carried out within a node. The Node Graph, found in the upper right of the Color screen, provides a visual representation of the image processing path and node/layer priority for every correction for each clip. The Viewer display and the grading monitor present the output from this Node Graph. There are three tabs in this window: Clip, Track, and Unmix.
The nodes have a yellow dot for the image Input and Output hooks, and a yellow triangle for the Key or Matte Input and Output hooks. It is important that the connecting line from the processing input on the left through the various nodes via the image hooks, is connected to the output on the right. If the connection path is not complete the nodes will not display images, but instead will show an icon and the correction will not be visible on the Viewer or Grading monitor.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Basic methods of adding nodes to the tree: To add a serial node after the currently selected node: Press the S key, choose Nodes > Add Serial from the menu, or press the ADD SERIAL button on the T-bar panel of the DaVinci Resolve control surface. To add a node in parallel to the currently selected node: Press the P key, choose Nodes > Add Parallel from the menu, or press the ADD PARALLEL button on the T-bar panel of the DaVinci Resolve control surface.
• Using the DaVinci Resolve control surface, select any node, and press the DEL CURRENT button (on the T-bar panel). After you’ve deleted a node, the node to the left and right of the node you deleted are automatically connected together so that the node tree is unbroken. Manually Connecting Corrector Nodes Every serial and parallel node you add is a “Corrector” node, which is capable of either primary or secondary correction, depending on whether or not you enable the Qualifier/Window/Matte controls.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Key Inputs and Outputs: The gray triangles at the bottom right and left of each node are used to route the key channel generated by a node’s Qualifier or Window controls, or imported via a Matte clip that you previously associated with a clip in the Browse page. When you connect the Key output of one node to the Key input of another, you basically copy the first node’s key to the second node.
Any output can be connected to multiple inputs (node 1), but corrector inputs can only be connected once (nodes 2, 4, and 5). Nodes intended for combining multiple images have multiple inputs (Parallel node). The order in which nodes are connected in your tree effects the end result of a grade.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR To expand the size of the node tree’s working area: • Right-click anywhere within the node graph (except on a node) and choose Toggle Display Mode. The Viewer disappears and the gallery tabs are moved to the right, so that the node grid is larger. To zoom into and out of the node tree, do one of the following: • Scroll up to zoom in, scroll down to zoom out. • Middle-click and drag to move the node tree around. • Right-click and choose Zoom In or Zoom Out.
Resetting Node Trees Using the Base Memory Commands If you’re dissatisfied with your current set of operations and want to start over again, there are three ways you can reset the node tree. Base Memory: Resets the currently selected node, eliminating all marks, to the default parameter settings. Base Memory All: Resets every single node in the current node tree, without affecting the node tree’s structure; all nodes remain where they were.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Outside Nodes Whenever you use a Power Window or HSL Qualifier to limit a correction within one node, there is a special node structure you can use to automatically create a second node that’s set up to correct the inverse of the isolated region within the first. This is the Outside node, and Outside nodes make it easy to apply separate corrections to an isolated subject and its surroundings.
The External Key Invert checkbox, found within the Key tab Parallel Mixer Node When nodes are connected one after the other this Serial or Cascade configuration effectively links the output of the first node to the input of the next and so on until the last node, which finally links to the Node Graph output. This is the point where the Viewer and Grading monitor is connected. As each node modifies the image it changes the range of data available to the next node.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Parallel Mixer An alternative way to work is to put the nodes in parallel rather than in series. The nodes can then have a common input, the full range data, and each can produce the individual enhancement and output to a Parallel Mixer node. The Parallel Mixer node is a multiple input and single output node for images. (There is a Key Mixer node we will cover later.
Layer Mixer Key Mixer Node The Key Mixer node allows you to mix the key outputs from multiple nodes and combine them within the Key Mixer node in order to produce a composite key signal. To create a Key Mixer node, right mouse click within the Node Graph display and add a Key Mixer node by selecting the option within the ‘Add Node’ section of the menu.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR LUT applied within a node You can apply look up tables (LUTs) to nodes within the DaVinci Resolve Node Graph display. Simply right mouse click on the desired node and apply either a 1D or a 3D LUT from within the options available in the menu. Applying LUTs in this fashion allows you to emulate various effects and can also be used with the qualifiers. The LUT list used here is the same as found on the Config screen.
External Matte Support DaVinci Resolve supports unlimited external mattes within a clip. These external mattes must be linked to the associated image within the Browse screen Media Pool. To recall the external matte within the Color screen, right mouse click on the node within the Node Graph display and select the associated matte file or press the M key on the DaVinci Resolve control panel keyboard. Once the external matte has been associated you may apply a grading inside the defined area.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Compositing Using the Alpha Output The Alpha Output is an optional output bar that you can turn on in the node graph, that appears underneath the Output bar. The Alpha Output bar is useful for creating true transparency in a clip in order to composite it with other clips on lower video tracks. There are many ways of using the Alpha Output, but let’s focus on two examples. In the first one, we’ll use the Alpha Output to composite a greenscreen clip with a background plate.
The Add Alpha Output menu item, next to the actual Alpha Output, located underneath the Output bar. 2. Add a serial node after node 1 and connect its Key output to the Alpha Output bar. This is a fast way to build this composite if you’re confident that the corrections you’ve made in node 1 won’t adversely affect the key, or if you know they’ll improve it by expanding the contrast of a flat-contrast source clip.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR An initial chroma key composite, ready for refinement You’ve already seen that you can import an external matte clip to use for isolating clips in Resolve. Although DaVinci Resolve isn’t compatible with embedded alpha channels, if you’ve exported a clip’s alpha channel as a separate matte clip, you can use that matte clip with a superimposed clip to create an identical composite using the Alpha Output. To create a composite using an external matte: 1.
4. Drag a connection line from the second Key output of the EXT MATTE node to the Alpha Output bar. External Matte Support You should now see a successful composite, with the external matte creating a region of transparency in the foreground clip though which the background clip shows through.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR RED HDR Input Support The RED EPIC and SCARLET cameras are capable of shooting in an HDR mode that effectively “brackets” two different exposures of each frame. The resulting image data stores two channels of image data; the regular exposure, and a “highlight exposure” that’s underexposed by a user-selectable margin (+3, +4, +5, or +6 ƒ-stops difference). By default, the Input bar in the node graph feeds the regular exposure to your grade’s node tree.
The second Source bar, next to the menu command that creates it 4. Delete the connection between the top Source bar and node 3, and then connect the bottom Source bar to the RGB input of node 3. Immediately, the image in the node thumbnail and Viewer updates to show the darker, underexposed version of the HDR image. This is because, by default, the Layer Mixer is mixing 100% of node 3 over node 1.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR 5. Select node 3 and use one of the following two procedures to create a useful combination of the two exposures: • To create a mix of the two exposures, open the Key tab, and drag the Post Mixing Gain slider to the left to lower the contribution of node 3 to the overall image (you can also do this using the DaVinci control panel by pressing the KEY MODE soft button, and then using the Post Mix Gain rotary control).
Isolating a region of the image to replace using the highlight exposure image of a RED HDR clip A Note About RED HDR Media and Performance Since RED HDR media records two complete streams of image data, DaVinci Resolve must simultaneously decode two separate tracks whenever you add a second Source bar. If you don’t add the second Source bar, only the first stream is decoded.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Timeline Directly below the Viewer, Stills, and Node Graph display is the timeline which shows all the clips in timecode ascending order. The timeline can be sorted in Source (C-Mode) or Record (A-Mode) order. In Source mode, no EDL is considered as all clips are placed one after the other in timecode ascending order, complete with holes in the continuity of the timecode.
Correction Management with the Thumbnail Timeline Display When any type of correction is applied to a clip, metadata for the change is automatically saved for the clip into the clip thumbnail. You can copy any corrections from one clip to another by recalling a Memory, a clip number or even by scrolling to another clip, making it current, and copying the correction to the new clip using the center mouse click.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR On the upper right of each thumbnail, you will see the Track number and the clip number in that track followed by the frame number of the current frame if anything other than the first frame is shown. In the case shown above, we are seeing frame 41. If you click and drag the mouse back and forth over the thumbnail, you can view the contents of that clip within the thumbnail and even leave it parked on a specific frame.
Local versions of this clip can be made at any time by the right-click selection ‘Local Version.’ See ’Versions’ later in this section for a description of adding new and switching versions. Common Source Clip Indicator Just to the left of the timecode you may also see a red box. This identifies clips selected for restoration by a DaVinci Revival system. The red box is shown when the clip is selected, at the same time the Revival screen lists the actions requested.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR On the right of the thumbnail you will occasionally see the Tracker indication. This identifies that this clip has Object Tracking. If you have modified the clip length it is a useful reminder to check that the track now covers the complete clip. Tracker Indicator Local and Remote Versions There are a number of time saving right-click options within the clip thumbnail.
Timeline right-click option When you access the New Local Version option from the timeline thumbnail pull-down menu, it will first prompt you for a name for this version. Versions of grades can be loaded, deleted, named and selected using the right-click pull-down menus. You can create additional versions of corrections that have been made for a particular clip. Each version will be available by right mouse clicking on the clip and selecting the version.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Batch Versions When you begin to color correct using the Master Session, all corrections are automatically applied to the other conformed versions. This means that the Master Session is Batch Linked to all the other conformed versions. If you wish to create a different version of the color correction in another timeline, simply select the desired version, right mouse click on a thumbnail, and select ‘Batch Unlink.
Change Input Format Preset for Clips To set Input and Output Format Presets that can be used with Session clips and apply as global presets, make the changes from the Configuration screen or for Clip presets, within the Media Pool. Presets can also be applied from within the Format screen, or as identified here, by right mouse clicking on a thumbnail within the Color or Format screen. These are pre-defined settings for various image scans and are useful, for example, when a film has been over scanned.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Render Cache Clip DaVinci Resolve has a number of Background Render Cache options and one of these options is where the user selects to render cache a clip. The user may flag clips that should be render cached within a Project. This can be done by right mouse clicking on the clip and selecting the ‘Mark for Render Cache U’ option from the menu. The hard disk icon will appear on the top left-hand side of the thumbnail when the clip is selected by the user to be cached.
View Clip Details DaVinci Resolve maintains metadata relating to all clips in the Media Pool. This info is accessible using the View Clip Details option. Clip Info Audio Timeline While DaVinci Resolve is a color correction and enhancement system, it does play back guide audio. When a .wav or AIFF file is selected in the Conform screen to play with an EDL, the audio can be displayed on the Color screen by right clicking on the timeline and selecting ‘Show Audio Waveform.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR RED r3d Clip Decoder Control DaVinci Resolve offers native RED r3d decoding. In the Configuration screen Source tab you can select to use the RED Default decoder settings, the camera metadata, or set project based decoder parameters for DaVinci Resolve to decode and debayer the r3d files. On the Color screen you also have an extra layer of control, a clip-by-clip control.
Master RED Decoder Settings There are three sections to the decoder window. The first is on the top left of the RED Settings window; the configuration here sets the operation for the balance of this window. The Decode Quality setting can be set to use the Project setting as selected on the Configuration screen, Source tab for RED, or you can select one of the other debayer and resolution settings.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR The second setting in this area is to select to source of the RED metadata for all the other decoder settings. If you leave this setting on ‘RED Default’ then DaVinci Resolve will use the decode settings supplied from RED. If you select ‘Camera Metadata,’ DaVinci Resolve will extract the controlling metadata from the r3d file as it was set by the camera. The ‘Project’ setting will use the DaVinci Resolve configuration you set on the Source tab.
Image Decoder Settings Once you have selected the Clip option in the Master RED Decoder Settings, all parameters in the Image Decoder become active. Color Science: The original REDone camera builds used a different color science to the more recent builds. Select here as appropriate.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Clip Decoder Settings Just as the Source Tab on the Config screen offered Project-based RED Clip Decoder settings, this window offers the same controls for each clip. You can easily compare the values of the clip settings to the Project, Camera, or RED Default metadata as these are listed on the right-hand side of the clip sliders. 233 ISO: Similar to exposure this control adjusts gain from the black point to white in a linear manner. 320 is the default.
Color screen Thumbnail Right Click to select Edit RED codec settings RED clips can be ganged together and adjustments to the decode settings applied to all the ganged clips. Simply select the clips in the Media Pool or Color screen timeline, select Edit Red Codec Settings. Now adjust the decode parameters and watch the changes in real time. The decode parameter that you adjust will now display its title in cyan rather than normal grey indicating that you have modified that particular setting.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Primary Tab The Primary tab is located at the bottom left of the Color screen. This area displays the settings for the Lift, Gamma and Gain controls, Offsets, Saturation and the Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Rotate controls for each clip. There is also a status display providing a variety of system status indications. A right mouse click within the Primary Color Correction tab will allow the user to reset all parameters on this tab.
The trackball Lift, Gamma, and Gain controls are displayed as vertical colored bars with Red, Green and Blue values for each. Adjacent to the colored bars is the Luminance value grey bar. These controls are on the left of the panel trackballs, one each for Lift, Gamma, and Gain Luminance level. On the right side of the right most trackball there are also three controls.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Noise Reduction DaVinci resolve has GPU-based noise reduction that’s designed to let you quickly and easily subdue noise in problematic clips, in real time.
Using Noise Reduction The following procedure suggests a method of using the noise reduction (NR) parameters to achieve a controlled result. Applying noise reduction to an image: 1. Move the NR Threshold slider to the right until you strike a suitable balance between the reduction of noise, and an unwanted increase in image softness. As you make this adjustment, the image updates in real time. Left–the original image, Right–the image with noise reduction applied 2.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR NR Radius, How Low Should You Go? Lower NR Radius settings can dramatically improve the quality of high detail regions in shots where you’re using aggressive noise reduction, but it’s not necessary to always jump to the lowest value that provides the highest precision. In many cases, when evaluating an image that you’re applying noise reduction to, you may not actually be able to perceive the additional quality, and you’ll waste processing time on an unnecessary level of correction.
Left, the image with NR (node 2) applied prior to contrast expansion (node 1); Right, the image with NR (node 2) applied afterwards; Noise is reduced in both instances, but detail is handled differently Neither result is universally better or worse then the other. Which is preferable depends on the image you’re working on, and the type of result you’re looking for. You might prefer some shots to be a bit softer, while you’d like other shots to be a bit sharper.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Input Sizing Controls DaVinci Resolve has an optical-quality image resizing engine that can be used to position or resize images with such high precision that you can resize the image using dynamics and see the changes in real time. At the bottom left of the Primary tab, the Input sizing controls, Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Rotate, mirror those found on the Control Panel.
3-Way Color Corrector Control of the RGB balance of the grade in the shadows, midtones and highlights of an image can be made with the 3-Way Color tab. The 3-Way Color controls provide an easy way to adjust and balance the RGB values with a mouse, trackpad or pen and tablet. Values for the controls are reflected in the alternate tab view and you can switch between the Primary and 3-Way Color tabs as needed.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Master Scroll Wheel Directly under these numerical indications are the master scroll wheels. As you click and drag each control to the left or right you will decrease or increase the master level. Note that the Y, R, G and B all move together. You can also use the scroll wheel or the two finger gesture control to use this control instead of holding down the left button of the mouse. Holding the Option key, and adjusting this control lets you control the Lum (Y) individually.
RGB Mixer Tab The RGB Mixer lets you remix different amounts of image data from one channel to another, to accommodate a wide variety of creative and utilitarian uses. Furthermore, the RGB Mixer can be used to remix the color channels, or used to mix the color channels into a monochrome image. The RGB Mixer, next to the Primary tab By default, the RGB Mixer is set to mix any amount of the red, green, and blue color channels into any of the other channels.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR The “With luminance level preserved” checkbox, which is on by default, keeps any channel adjustment you make from altering the luma of the image by automatically raising or lowering the other two channels to compensate. In the following example, you can see when “With luminance level preserved” turned on, lowering the Green control group’s Green slider results in the red and blue channels being raised by the same amount as seen in the Parade scope.
RGB Mixer Examples This is an extremely flexible and open-ended tool, and you’re probably already getting a sense of the creative possibilities. However, here are a couple of more utilitarian uses of the RGB mixer that are a bit less obvious.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR The result will be a visible boost in image saturation, but in a subtly different way then were you to simply raise the Saturation parameter. Experiment with different images to see how this works. The original image on the left, and the altered version on the right.
We’ll see how you can attempt to correct this sort of issue using the RGB Mixer. To patch blown-out channels with sections of other channels: 1. First, identify the region of the image with clipped out highlights or shadows that you want to try to fix, then add a node and isolate the clipped region using HSL Qualification. You can either key a range of color, or luma only using the controls of the Luma tab.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR You should see some nice pixel detail reappear in formerly “flat” areas of the image, although the color channel you’re correcting may become exaggerated as a result. If necessary, you might need to alter the color balance of the highlights or shadows, whichever was clipped to achieve a more realistic coloration within the patched region. The result can be better seen by comparing the RGB Parade scopes before and after this adjustment.
Using the RGB Mixer in Monochrome Mode When you turn on the “To monochrome” checkbox, a pair of parameters within each slider group are disabled so that the only available controls are the Red > Red slider, the Green > Green slider, and the Blue > Blue slider.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Using the RGB Mixer with “To monochrome” turned on gives you the ability to mix your own custom blends of all three color channels to emphasize the creative characteristics you require. For instance, increasing the mix of blue and decreasing red and green can give skin tones a darker, metallic sheen. The following screenshots show multiple versions of the same image with different monochrome mixes.
To exit the RGB Mixer curve controls: • Press the MAIN display button on the center panel. To adjust the principle color regions using knobs: • Adjust one of the four groups of rotary knobs. All are labeled to identify which RED/GREEN/BLUE source channels are paired with RED/GREEN/BLUE destination channels. For example GREEN->BLUE adds or subtracts an amount of the green color channel from the blue color channel.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Curves Tab The Curves tab, at the bottom center of the Color page, has six sub-tabs that provide different, curvebased methods of manipulating the color and contrast of an image. All the sub-tabs found within the Curves tab Each curve lets you adjust a customizable region of the image based on image tonality to make adjustments relative to an area of brightness within the image, or on hue to make adjustments relative to the specific colors within the image.
Control point adjustments affect the entire portion of a curve between the next two adjacent control points. In the screenshot to the right, an additional control point to the left of the one being adjusted limits the area of the curve that is adjusted. By careful placement of additional control points, you can make extremely targeted adjustments to images using the Custom curves.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Each curve control box is square. The default, neutral position of a curve is a diagonal line that runs from the black point of the image at the lower-left corner, to the white point of the image at the upper right corner.
When Custom curve ganging is enabled, changes to one curve are applied to all curves When ganged together, curve adjustments affect a clip’s RGB luma levels identically to using a control surface’s wheel controls. Making this type of adjustment to increase luma contrast also increases image saturation, and since curves can be manipulated with greater specificity then the three contrast wheels, you can make much finer adjustments.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Copying Color Channel Curves Even if you’ve unganged the Custom curves, you can still mirror one curve’s adjustments to another by copying it. To copy a Custom curve from one channel to another: • Option-drag the Curve you want to copy onto the curve you want to paste to. The pointer appears with a plus sign underneath to indicate that you’re successfully dragging one curve onto another.
YSFX Sliders Each of the Custom curves (Y’, R, G, and B) has a vertical YSFX slider at the right of each curve control that lets you invert any or all color channels, to create different types of special effects. Top–Original image, Bottom–Image with the Luma channel inverted using the vertical YSFX slider As with all other adjustments in the Color page, YSFX may be combined with Power Windows or HSL qualification to limit channel inversions to specific portions of the image for creative effect.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR To open the primary curve controls of the DaVinci Resolve control surface, do one of the following: • Press the PRIMARIES display button on the center panel. • If the center panel is currently in CURVES mode, then press the MAIN display button on the center panel. The rotary knobs on the center panel update to show the CHANNEL OFFSET/ CUSTOM CURVES and YSFX controls. To make curve adjustments: • Adjust the DARK LUM, MID-DARK LUM, MID-LIGHT LUM, or LIGHT LUM rotary knobs.
Methods of selecting and adjusting individual control points using the master trackball of the center panel: To select a control point to adjust: Spin the fourth ring control to the left or right to select the next control point in that direction. It takes about half of a turn to select another control point. To move a selected control point: Adjust the fourth trackball to move the control point up, down, left, or right.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Soft-clipping lets you apply a “knee” to any clipping that occurs at the upper or lower extremes of the image, and can be used to quickly ease off any unpleasantly harsh clipping that may occur as a result of blowing out the whites or crushing the shadows. In the following example, the screenshot at top has had the highlights deliberately blown out by boosting the highlight contrast. As you can see, the edges of the clipped area lack detail.
Ganging and Unganging Soft Clip Curves Soft clipping can be simultaneously applied to all three color channels by ganging them together and is enabled by default. Alternatively you can disable soft clip ganging to individually adjust each channel. For example, using soft clipping on individual channels can be useful for legalizing RGB out-of-gamut errors for channels that over or undershoot your QC standards.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Lowering the High Clipping vertical slider, seen at top, reduces the maximum values that are possible within in that node. At the default middle position, image data that you push above 1023 on the internal scopes is preserved, and passed through the image processing pipeline to subsequent nodes. For example, in the following two screenshots, the highlights in the screenshot at top are blown out raising the gain dramatically in node 1.
However, if at any point in a node tree you lower the High Clip vertical slider, even by a single digit, all image data above the new clipping threshold is discarded from that node forward. In the following example, the High Clip slider in node 1 is lowered. The result is that all clipped image data is discarded. As a result, when node 2 lowers the gain, there is no image detail left to retrieve, and all three channels exhibit flattening.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Important: Image data that was clipped “in camera” is not necessarily retrievable using the Soft Clip controls, although there may be some preserved overhead in the highlights of Y’CbCr-encoded video data. Low Soft Clipping Point The Low Soft Clipping Point vertical slider, to the left of each clip curve control, lets you adjust the minimum signal level at which the signal clips. This defaults to a digital level of 0 relative to the DaVinci Resolve internal video scopes.
About the Hue and Sat Curves Three sets of hue curves, and one additional Lum vs Sat curve, let you make other curve-based alterations to the image. Whereas the Custom curves let you make adjustments to the color channels of an image based on tonality, for example boosting the red channel in the highlights while lowering it in the shadows, the hue curves let you make adjustments to the hue, saturation, or luma of elements in an image, based on their hue. For example, you could use the Hue vs.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR You can use these curves to quickly make adjustments similar to those made using HSL qualification, but with one critical difference. Curve adjustments are mathematically smoother then the matte-limited adjustments of HSL qualifiers, so it can sometimes be easier to make specific alterations that blend smoothly with the rest of the image, without the potential for problems at the edges that can sometimes be an issue when keying with qualifiers.
Additional Controls in the Hue and Sat Curves While the Hue vs Hue, Hue vs Sat, Hue vs Lum, and Lum vs Sat curves can be adjusted similarly to the Custom curves, they have additional controls running underneath the curve graph.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Hue vs Hue The Hue vs Hue curve lets you remap any hue to any other hue. In the following example, the image at top is the unadjusted original. The image at bottom has had the magenta jacket remapped to an olive green via a set of three control points. One excellent use of the Hue vs Hue curve is to quickly and subtly alter elements that require only minor adjustments. For example, a sky that appears a bit too cyan can be made into a richer shade of blue with a small adjustment.
Hue vs Hue is also useful for making more radical changes to elements that might be too noisy to successfully key using the HSL qualifier controls. For example, red autumnal foliage blowing in the wind might result in a chattery matte, but you can use the Hue vs Hue curve to change all reds to greens, without having to worry about aliased matte edges giving your correction away. Hue vs Sat The Hue vs Sat curve lets you selectively alter the saturation of any hue within the image.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR The Hue vs. Sat curve can also be a powerful tool for increasing the color contrast of images that seem lackluster and one-dimensional. By boosting the saturation of colorful elements that are distinct from the dominant palette of a scene, you can add variety to an otherwise monochromatic image. Hue vs Lum The Hue vs Lum curve lets you increase or decrease the lightness of elements of specific colors. Darkening the woman’s jacket using the Hue vs.
Lum vs Sat The Lum vs Sat curve is like the Custom curves in that alterations to the saturation of an image are based on image tonality, rather then hue. In the following example, the Lum vs Sat curve is being used to selectively decrease the saturation of everything falling into the highlights and shadows of the image, while increasing the saturation of everything within the midtones. Selective desaturation in the shadows and highlights, along with increased saturation in the midtones, using the Lum vs.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Using Hue and Sat Curves With the DaVinci Resolve Control Surface Using these curves with the DaVinci Resolve control surface unlocks their speed, letting you make fast, controlled adjustments to specific elements within each scene. To open the Hue and Sat curve controls on the DaVinci Resolve control surface: • Press the CURVES display button on the center panel. To exit the Hue and Sat curve controls: • Press the MAIN display button on the center panel.
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CHAPTER 9 COLOR Hue, Saturation and Luminance Qualification To change the grade on a specific section of an image, you must first select the portion you want to change. One selection type is the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance (HSL) qualifier. Select the HSL sub tab, place the cursor over the area of the image you wish to qualify, and select with the left mouse button.
Next adjust the Hue, Saturation, and Luminance Qualifiers to get a cleaner qualification. First, start with the Hue Qualifier, which is shown as a rainbow colored bar to indicate the range of Hue values available. When you select a color on the image to qualify with the cursor or mouse, the selected color will be indicated within a white border on the Hue display. Adjusting the ’Center’ control, will make the white border move up and down the display.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR The next color band shows the Saturation range of the hue selected. Again, the white border is displayed around the pixel value selected. The ‘Low’ and ‘High’ controls adjust the respective Saturation level and ’Soft’ controls the slope to adjust the ramp on either side of this range. The same group of controls are available for the Luminance settings, with the Luminance bar showing a black to white range.
RGB Qualifier Luminance Qualification The next tab is for Luminance qualification. Its adjustments are the same as the Luminance parameters on the HSL tab and have the same function, however in the LUM tab only Luminance values are used to qualify the image. Qualifier Blur Within the Qualifier tabs there are a number of other controls, including the Qualifier Blur parameters. At the bottom left of the Qualifier tab, the first control is for Blur and there are two parameters: Radius and Offset.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Power Windows DaVinci Resolve has the famous DaVinci Power Windows, which provides a number of shapes to use for Matte and Masking of image sections. Once you have made the Power Window, adjusting the grade within the window area, or outside if invert is selected, is as easy as moving the trackballs. You will see the result of the window and the correction applied within it on the Viewer display, and the final result is the image that is seen on the Grading monitor.
Inside and Outside Window Grades It is common to grade inside a Power Window to change the image in a particular area. However, if you wish to adjust the grade both inside and outside the window independently, this is performed in DaVinci Resolve with two nodes with a Link Control that sends the key signal from one node isolation to another node.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Linear Power Window The Linear Power Window (LPW) first comes up as a square, however you may alter the position of the corners and vary the softness for each side. This gives you the ability to create very unusual shapes with LPW; these are often used for masks over circular windows. Polygon Power Window The Polygon Power Window (PPW) is a window with a maximum of 128 points. As with the other two forms of Power Windows, you may apply softness to the shape and even apply auto tracking.
Power Curve Windows To add a Power Curve Window (PCW), or Bezier window as some colorists call it, selection of the window style is no different to others for the UI or the DaVinci Resolve control panel. Unlike the other available windows, there is no default points or shape for the Power Curve Window. Once the PCW is enabled, the “Curve” may be created by clicking in the Viewer using the left mouse button.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Power Window 3D Object Tracking Whether it is a Circular, Linear, Polygon, or even a Power Curve Window, you will eventually need to change the position of the window to follow a moving object within a clip. Fortunately, DaVinci Resolve has a very powerful automatic tracking tool that can be used for tracking the position of an object within a clip. The Object Tracking operation is covered in detail within the Viewer screen description, but here are some basics for the simple operation.
The next tab on the Color screen is Blur, which holds the controls for Blur, Sharpen and Mist. The algorithm for calculating this effect is a precision Gaussian filter, so very high quality adjustments can be made. These controls share a common set of parameters and in fact Blur is the inverse of Sharpen so the same control will give you one effect at one end of the range and another affect at the other. Blur When Blur is enabled, DaVinci Resolve will blur or defocus the image in real time.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Sharpen The Sharpen control can be adjusted via the Resolve control panel or with the mouse within the window on the user interface. The Sharpen control will enhance the image and the filters may be adjusted individually for Red, Green, or Blue or, if Ganged is checked (which is typical), the change will be for all. Sharpen also has a scaling control, again with a ganged and individual RGB values. The scaling adjustments change the recursive filter within the Gaussian algorithm.
Dynamics Timeline On the bottom right of the Color screen is the Dynamics Timeline. This timeline displays and offers control of keframed events such as dissolves or transitions of grades during a clip or for the whole timeline. This display has also been referred to as the List Timeline or the Events Timeline. Principally, this graphical display shows the all the events for every grade change for every clip, one clip or one track at a time.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Dynamics Indicators At the top of the tabs, on the left, the current timecode matches the timeline position. To the immediate right is the clip, or track, timeline, and timecode display. You will see the first of what can be many lines of information, with the first being the master channel with three icons to the left of the channel name as indications of the selected state possible in the channels below.
Adding Dynamics Dynamics can be added in a number of ways. With the UI, right mouse click and select the appropriate function from the pull-down menu that appears within the Event Timeline display. Dynamics Timeline Right Click Add Mark: Will enter an event mark into the timeline, or simply press the ‘Mark’ button on the DaVinci Resolve control panel and a mark will appear in the Dynamics Timeline display.
CHAPTER 9 COLOR Dissolve Type Render Cache Options When working with dissolves from one clip to another, or complex corrections, you may want to generate a Render Cache, as sometimes the two streams of full bandwidth images can not be played or processed in real time. If you select the Cache D mode and play through the clip transition once, the frame rate will play slower than normal the first time. Afterwards, the Cache file will be created and then the clip will play at full speed.
Other Color Screen Features Switching Between Conforms within the Color Page To switch between sessions (i.e., EDLs) within the Color page, simply press the ’Mode’ button on the DaVinci Resolve control surface and then ‘Switch Session.’ On the Legacy 2K panel use the Orange diamond button and then ‘A/C Mode’ button on the DaVinci Resolve Keyboard control panel. The timeline will immediately change to the new session.
Viewer 10
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Viewer The Viewer screen provides a full screen view of the current frame with transport controls, timecode indications and other features as seen in the Color screen viewer display. You can zoom even further into the image by either using the ‘+’ and ‘–’ keys on the keyboard or by using the rotary center mouse button on the mouse. You may also reposition the image in the Viewer by holding down the center mouse button and dragging the image to the desired position.
Full Screen Viewer At the top of the Viewer, in the center window bar, is the name of the Project and Session. To the left of this is a GPU status display and the playback speed display in frames per second. The GPU status indicates the percentage of use that the current color correction demands of the GPU. A full green indication is good, indicating there is plenty of GPU headroom. As the GPU processing resources are used by additional color correction, the green bars will reduce.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Interactive Dirt & Dust Removal Tool DaVinci Resolve provides an interactive Dirt and Dust removal tool which can accessed be from either the Viewer or Color pages by clicking on the Dirt Removal tool icon located at the left of the Viewer display. Within the Dirt Settings section of the setup widget, you may adjust the Algorithm section to select the filtration being used for the correction.
Viewer Window Options There are a number of centre and right click mouse options for the viewer. You may zoom in and out of the image within the Viewer by using a rotary control within the center mouse button and also zoom in and out of the image within the Viewer display by pressing the ‘+’ and ‘–’ keys on the computer keyboard. If you hold down the center mouse button and drag the mouse, it will move the image position within the Viewer display.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Viewer Stills Display The first section of these right click options relates to Stills. ‘Grab Still’ will simply grab the current frame to make a still and place it in the Gallery Stills display. ‘Grab All Stills from First Frame’ will grab a still from every clip on the timeline using the first frame of each clip. ‘Grab All Stills from Middle Frame’ will perform the same function, except use the middle frame of each clip as the source of the still.
PlayHeads The next section of the pop-up menu is the PlayHeads selection. Most commonly used to compare a reference clip with others, playheads allow you to select and play up to four clips and display them at the same time. Within the PlayHeads window you can set which playhead is attached to which clip. Selecting the clips and ‘Place’ will link the clip to the appropriate playhead. Gang them together for synced playback. The ’Show’ checkbox will turn the display of the clip off and on.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Waveform displays DaVinci Resolve offers a number of built-in waveform displays, all of which work at the native resolution of the system rather than at the video standard selected for clip playout. This means you can see the full data range of the source image with the correction applied, regardless of which video standard in which you master. The display option are: Waveform, Parade, Vectorscope, and Histogram.
Object Tracking and Image Stabilization DaVinci Resolve has an incredibly simple, yet powerful, object tracker that allows you to quickly and accurately track any Power Window (Circular, Linear, Polygon, or Power Curve) to follow any moving feature. This avoids the need to manually use dynamics (keyframes) to animate a window’s position. In particular, you can use the tracker to match a window’s position to either foreground or background elements that move within the frame.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER To track any Power Window to match a moving feature within the frame: 1: Move the playhead to the frame of the current shot where you want to begin (you don’t have to start tracking at the first frame of a shot). 2: Turn on any window, and adjust it to surround the feature you want to track. Typically, you’ll have done this anyway, for example, framing someone’s moving face with a Circular Window to lighten their highlights.
Resolve analyzes a cloud of tracking points that follow the vectors of every trackable group of pixels within the window you’ve created, and the results are fast and accurate. After tracking, the window you’ve placed automatically moves, resizes, and rotates to match the motion of the feature you’re tracking. Once a clip has tracking data applied to one of its windows, a small tracking icon appears within that clip’s icon in the thumbnail timeline.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Combining Tracking and Dynamics (Keyframing) Object tracking and dynamics used to animate windows can be easily combined. For example, you’ll typically use object tracking to make a window follow the position and orientation of a moving feature, but you can add dissolve marks to the window track of the correction in the Color page with which to alter its size and shape to better conform to the feature’s changing form. For more information on dynamics and dissolve marks, see XREF.
Object Tracking The Object Tracking controls provide all of the basic tracking functions. Some of these are mirrored within the Tracker menu. Rev button: Initiates tracking from the current frame in reverse, ending at the first frame of the clip. Fwd button: Initiates tracking from the current frame forward, ending at the last frame of the clip. Stop button: Stops tracking (if you’re fast enough to click this button before tracking is actually finished).
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Interactive The Interactive controls let you make manual changes to the automatically generated tracking point cloud that Resolve creates, so you can try different ways of obtaining better tracking results in challenging situations. Controls in the Interactive group Enter Interactive/Exit Interactive: Turns the Interactive tracking mode on and off. When you enter Interactive mode, you can manually alter the point cloud that Resolve uses to track the feature within the current window.
Interpolate The controls in the Interpolate section provide ways of dealing with occlusions, or objects that temporarily obscure features that you’re tracking. Controls in the Interpolate group By marking a hole the middle of two successfully tracked sections of a clip, you can interpolate a motion path to fill the gap so that the vignette moves smoothly from the point where tracking is lost to the point where tracking is found once again.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Adjust Two radio buttons let you set how manual adjustments to the position of tracked windows affect the overall track. Options in the Adjust group Global: In this default mode, changes you make to the position of a window are globally applied to the entire track. In other words, if you track a feature, and then move the window, the window moves along a motion path that’s consistently offset from the original track for the duration of the clip.
These checkboxes must be selected before you perform a track or stabilization operation in order to restrict the transforms that are used. Once tracking or stabilization has been done, disabling these checkboxes does nothing to alter the result. To make changes, you need to enable or disable the necessary checkboxes first, and then re-analyze the clip. Pan: Enables tracking of horizontal position. Tilt: Enables tracking of vertical position. Zoom: Enables tracking of size.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Object Tracking Workflows The next few sections will illustrate how to use the various groups of controls in practical situations. Using the Interactive Tracking Controls Interactive Object Tracking mode lets you manually remove or add tracking points in order to improve tracking performance in situations where the automatic image analysis in Resolve provides unsatisfactory results.
4. Drag a box around the area where you’d like to add new tracking points, then click the Insert button, or press I. New tracking points are automatically added within the box you’ve drawn to whichever features are appropriate for tracking. If no appropriate tracking features can be found, no points will be added. While in Interactive Object Tracking mode you may also choose to add tracking points one by one. To add a single tracking point: 1.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER 8. Do one of the following: • Move the playhead to the last tracked frame in the first half of the clip, and click Mark. Then move the playhead to the first tracked frame of the second half of the clip, and click Mark. With two yellow marks appearing in the Tracking bar, click Between. • Move the playhead to the last tracked frame in the first half of the clip, click Mark, then move the playhead to the first tracked frame of the second half of the clip and click Interpolate Rev.
To manually reposition or track a window that can’t be interpolated properly: 1. Open the Object Tracking Controls of the Viewer page, and click Key Frame to change the tracking mode. 2. Move the playhead to the last frame of the clip that was successfully tracked. 3. Move the playhead frame by frame, adjusting the position of the window at each frame to move along with the feature that you’re trying to track.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER Stabilize: After you’ve tracked the clip and adjusted the previous two controls, you need to click Stabilize to calculate the resulting effect on your clip. Whenever you make changes to the Smooth Frames slider and Stabilization Zoom checkbox, you need to click Stabilize to recalculate the result to your clip. Using Stabilization Image stabilization in DaVinci Resolve is easy, but you need to follow a specific series of steps for it to be successful. To stabilize an image: 1.
To manually reposition or track a window that can’t be interpolated properly: 1. Open the Object Tracking Controls of the Viewer page, and click Key Frame to change the tracking mode. 2. Move the playhead to the last frame of the clip that was successfully tracked. 3. Move the playhead frame by frame, adjusting the position of the window at each frame to move along with the feature that you’re trying to track.
CHAPTER 10 VIEWER 2. If necessary, use the transport controls to move the playhead to the second frame where you want to place a mark, and press MARK. A second Viewer Mark appears in the tracking bar, identifying both the beginning and end of the gap in that clip’s motion tracking data. 3. To perform the interpolation, do one of the following: • If you marked both the first and last tracked frames that surround a gap in tracking data, press the INTRPLT BETWEEN display button.
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Gallery 11
CHAPTER 11 GALLERY Gallery DaVinci Resolve has a database for projects and also for stills or scene grabs that you can use to compare with the current scene. This way, reference or important shots can have their grades replicated in other scenes. You may compare the stored images to those being graded by using a wipe or mix.
Gallery Database Browser At the top of the Gallery screen is the Database Browser and to the right you will see the tabs as selected by this browser. Each of the databases connected to this DaVinci Resolve system will be visible and within each the user names and their projects.
CHAPTER 11 GALLERY Gallery Database Tabs Stills To the right of the Gallery Database Browser are the Stills tabs which reflect the selection made in the browser. This can include stills from the project and Memories. By selecting the ‘Grab Still’ button on the control panel, or right-clicking ’Grab Still’ on the viewer, you are capturing a high resolution still image of the frame currently displayed on the timeline and at the same time capturing the grading metadata information relating to that grade.
Memories Browser A key feature for the stills is the capture and display of the Node Graph which will show the user how the grades were constructed. This also applies to the Memories. A right mouse click on an image within the Stills display lets you select the option ‘Display Node Graph.
CHAPTER 11 GALLERY Orphan Stills Occasionally, you may delete a Project or the links between the Project and Gallery database become disconnected. In this case, the stills are not lost, they just become Orphans and are displayed in a tab for you to delete or move as you like.
Current Project Stills The bottom half of the Gallery screen displays the stills related to the current Project. On the left are the Memories and to the right the Stills and PowerGrades. There are number of right-click options found in the Stills display. Many mirror the operations from the Color screen, however there are some specifically for the Gallery.
CHAPTER 11 GALLERY One Still Per Scene The ‘One Still Per Scene’ selection can ease workflow if you prefer to automatically erase a previous still for a scene when a new one is grabbed. As you grab a still, it replaces the previous still for a scene. Should you have more than one still for any scene before selecting this option, DaVinci Resolve will only delete the extra stills when a new grab is made for that scene.
Stills Import and Export You can import and export images in a number of formats simply by selecting the still and right clicking the Import, Export, or Export with Display LUT option. The Display LUT used in this case is the one selected on the Configuration screen. The supported file formats for importing and exporting are dpx, cin, tiff, jpeg, png, ppm, bmp and xpm.
Format 12
CHAPTER 12 FORMAT Format The Format screen is split into a number of sections. The top half shows the Source image on the left and the Output image on the right, which will also display the resizing adjustments you make. Under these viewers you will see the Transport Controls, the timecode of the current frame, and to the left of the Transport Controls, the same Configuration buttons as found on the Color screen. These, once again, are as presented on the Color screen.
Input All controls on the Input tab refer to the individual clip being adjusted, so the Clip tab is also automatically selected to show the Dynamics Timeline for the current clip. Select another clip and the settings will match the dynamics set for that clip. If you have no input adjustments (i.e., no Pan or Size or Rotation, etc.), the controls will show no variation between clips.
CHAPTER 12 FORMAT Input Transform Controls The first four Input Transform controls mirror the display on the primary tab of the Color screen. Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Rotate adjustments made on the control panel, on the Color screen, or on this tab, will be reflected in the Settings display. Under this group is the input image Width and Height controls. While typically set at Default, they are sometimes helpful for resizing images that are not correctly scanned.
Output If you switch the Dynamics Timeline display to Track mode, this will display the Output tab. By selecting the Output Tab you will also see the Dynamics Timeline switch to the Track tab as these two are related. The Output/Track section is designed to create an overall format change for the entire project. Within the Output tab there are two sections: Output Transform and Output Format.
CHAPTER 12 FORMAT Output Format Presets Output Format Preset Selection Transform Controls Like the Input Transform controls, the first eight Output Transform controls are Pan, Tilt, Zoom and Rotate adjustments, followed by Width, Height, HFlip and VFlip. These controls are available on the DaVinci Resolve control surface and on the Output tab on the Format screen. Unlike the Input Controls, they do not appear on the Color primary tab display.
Output Format This section is used to define the timeline formats and most of the controls match the functionality of those on the Config screen, System tab. While some control the management of the source files, they all set the configuration for the timeline, which directly influences the output image format. You can set the timeline or output resolution from a preset list, which will display the resolution selected for image processing.
CHAPTER 12 FORMAT Slate The third tab of the Format screen is called Slate. It provides control over a simple text character generator used to burn into the image timecode, frame numbers, and simple custom text. To activate this function, click on the ‘Enable’ check box in the Slate and Burn-In Text section. The controls then become active. Slate Tab Under the window you will see a +, -, and chalk icon. Click on the ‘+’ button and a window will pop up to display options for text.
After you have chosen which items will be burnt-in, select ‘OK,’ or select ‘Cancel’ to close the dialog box with no change. When you close the pop-up, the items selected will appear in the Slate tab window. There are a number of controls available that affect the display of the complete list of items. These include Font, Color, Size, Background Highlight, and Opacity controls to make the text viewable on your images. Use the X and Y position controls to move each item individually.
Deck 13
CHAPTER 13 DECK Deck DaVinci Resolve offers video and audio I/O under the control of the Deck screen. There are four main sections of the screen. The right-hand side has two tabs, one for Ingest control and the other for Record to tape. The left top section features a Viewer of the DaVinci Resolve or Deck Video output, depending on mode and transport controls. Below this resides the Batch File Manager.
Deck Viewer The deck viewer displays the video DaVinci Resolve is sending to the deck when in Record mode, or the video being ingested from the deck when Ingest mode. If you have a deck connected to DaVinci Resolve, video with embedded audio and RS422 control, then select the Connect button on the left of the screen just under the viewer and DaVinci Resolve will initiate a connection to the deck.
CHAPTER 13 DECK Ingest Using the settings on the Ingest tab you can ingest material for color enhancement or as an offline reference to check the EDL conform of the hi-res material. DaVinci Resolve stores these ingested images as dpx files. To ingest material into DaVinci Resolve, first verify that the deck I/O settings within the Configuration screen match the standard for the deck and videotape that has been connected.
Source Timecode To ingest just a section of the tape, simply go to the selected areas by using the transport controls under the Viewer, or use the controls on the DaVinci Resolve control surface. Once the correct location has been found, locate the ‘Mark In’ button on the Deck Screen Ingest tab and click to select the start point, then find the appropriate out point on the tape and select the ‘Mark Out’ button to select the end point.
CHAPTER 13 DECK If there is a gap between adjacent clips, this may be retained by checking the ‘Gap Between Clips’ option. The ‘Copy to Batch List’ button will incorporate the manually entered information into the EDL, allowing the user to modify the EDL information. Further information on the Batch List section can be found later in this chapter.
EDL Ingest When you have an EDL, you can use the ‘Load EDL’ button located at the bottom of the Batch List display. Selecting this button will open a Browse window so you can select the EDL to load, and once loaded, you will see the EDL file name listed at the top of the window and all the events in the Batch List.
CHAPTER 13 DECK Record The Record tab provides controls to record images from the media storage disks to a video tape deck. If you have a PowerMaster project it also offers control over the clips to be recorded from the timeline. Select the appropriate clip from disk browser in the ‘Source Selection’ tab. Then acquire the deck by clicking on the ‘Connect’ button and position the tape to the location where you want to record the images, clicking on the ‘Mark In’ button within the Timecode on Tape section.
The Gang Timecodes checkbox allows synchronization of the timecode from the tape with the timecode on the clip. If you want the tape timecode to match the timecode of the clip, select this box and also make sure your deck is configured to accept incoming VITC (Vertical Interval Timecode) and to record this to tape with the matching frame. Timecode on Tape The Timecode on Tape display shows the In point and Out point where the images will be placed on the tape.
CHAPTER 13 DECK Source Selection from Disk Selecting the PowerMaster tab will open the PowerMaster clip selection display, which allows you to select a series of clips or a whole timeline that may be recorded to tape while simultaneously applying the color grading metadata. In this mode you do not have to first render the material to a dpx file before recording to tape. You save time and disk space with Power Mastering and all the images are at full quality.
Deck Viewer Stereo Eye Selection If you are in a stereoscopic deck configuration, simply right click on the deck viewer to select to see the left or right eye. Deck Viewer Stereo Eye Selection Recording Once you have located the file to record and set up the other configurations, select the ‘Record’ button to start the recording. A Record Progress bar will show the amount of the total clip transferred. If you wish to stop the recording process, click on the ‘Abort’ button.
Revival 14
CHAPTER 14 REVIVAL DaVinci Revival As the leading color correction and image enhancement system, DaVinci Resolve also works with the DaVinci Revival, the leading system for film restoration. DaVinci Revival has been used to repair thousands of films over the last ten years, and remains the backbone of many film restoration facilities. DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Revival are operated in very different ways because the end product is quite different.
Marking clips for Revival restoration Clips are marked for restoration using the DaVinci Resolve control panels or via the right click pull-down list on the Color screen timeline thumbnail for the current clip. The options, as described in the Color chapter of this guide, are to Add the Current Frame for Dirt Processing, Add the Selected Clips for Dirt processing, or Add the Selected Clips for Grain Processing. As each selection is made, the request will join the queue listed on the DaVinci Revival screen.
CHAPTER 14 REVIVAL The user controls are: Spatial (0-20): This control provides a blending of pixels with adjacent pixels on a single frame. The edges are softened a bit in order to reduce the fine grain noise. Since this is a spatial control, processing of one frame does not affect adjacent frames. A value of zero “0” will turn off spatial processing. Noise Level (0-50): This control is used in temporal processing of the image. This value represents a ratio of noise to motion.
Here are some recommended starting settings for grain reduction: Spatial Filter - 0 (Off for no spatial blurring); 2 (Low) for low resolution images; 5 (Medium) for high-resolution images (will potentially soften the image) Noise Level - 20 Number of Frames - 3 Patch Size - 0-1 RGB Mode Safe Enabled Here are some recommended starting settings for noise reduction: Spatial Filter - 0 (Off) Noise Level - 20-30 Number of Frames - 4-8 Patch Size - 20-40 RGB Mode Safe Enabled Settings are very subjective and it
Scene 15
CHAPTER 15 SCENE Scene Scene Cut Detector Often images are supplied in continuous recordings or single streams of files without an EDL to split the clips. As DaVinci Resolve associates color grading metadata to each clip based on source clip timecode, any long media files which include a number of clips must have either an EDL or be split into individual clips so the grade can be applied. Splitting clips can be done manually on the Color screen or automatically in the Scene Cut Detector.
Scene Cut Viewers The top of the screen displays three images. The left image is the last frame of a detected clip. The center image is the first frame of the next clip and the right image should be the following frame. Logically, the last frame of a clip will be different from the first frame of the next, and so this timecode represents the scene cut. The second frame of a clip is very likely, unless they are one frame edits, to be similar to the first frame.
CHAPTER 15 SCENE Scene Cut Detector Controls Below the left image are the controls for the Scene Cut Detector. There are three main groups of controls for the Scene screen and their operation is as follows. Automatic Scene Detection Start Detection: This will start the scene cut detection process. Auto Cue: When activated, the current frame cursor will jump to the new scene cut, when detected, and the scene cut will become immediately visible within the Viewer.
Scene Cut Detector Graph The bottom half of the screen is dominated by the graph used to display the results of the Scene Cut Detector’s analysis of the images. As the Scene Cut Detection process is taking place you will see a visual graph forming. Once the process is completed, the scene changes are listed in the column to the right of the Scene Cut Detector graph. The horizontal green bar within the Scene Cut Detector graph represents the sensitivity level for the detector.
CHAPTER 15 SCENE Cut List The right side of the Scene screen displays scene and frame numbers with their timecodes and represents the cut list as generated from the Scene Cut Detection. This list can be saved, recalled, or just used to split the clip and load the files into the Media Pool.
Reviewing the Detected Cuts During or after the Scene Cut Detection process you can begin reviewing the Detector’s analysis of the image to make sure your cut list matches the actual scene cuts. While the Detector is efficient, it can be confused by motion, camera flashes, or even the rolling up to and down from full film speed where the shutter can give multiple ‘flashes.’ The analysis is looking for large changes in the image.
CHAPTER 15 SCENE Splitting and Saving Cut Lists Once you are satisfied that the scene cut information is correct, the next step is to press the ‘Split’ button. This will create separate clips based upon the Scene Cut Detection information, the cut list, and will load these clips into the Media Pool. From there you can begin your Project by creating the conformed timeline and start grading.
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Render 16
CHAPTER 16 RENDER Render The Render screen is used to set up the configuration and initiate rendering of the timeline images. DaVinci Resolve is not restricted by this limitation and this provides you with significant workflow advantages. A simple example of this is using 2K source material and an HD image processing timeline and then setting DaVinci Resolve to render in ProRes 444, and then render in MXF Avid DNxHD, and then 2K DPX.
Render Timeline The Render Timeline displays every clip in the current session, identically as they appear on the Color and Format pages. Render Timeline with Mark In and Out Controls To render a project, you need to select the range of the Timeline to render. To select the entire project: Click the Select All button at the bottom of the Render Timeline. To select a range of clips to render: 1.
CHAPTER 16 RENDER In all cases, In and Out points appear within the timeline ruler to show the range of your program that you’ve selected to render. The in and out fields update with the first and last frame numbers, in timecode and frame count, and the Total Frames field updates with the total number of frames you’ll be rendering. Rendering Versions By default, the currently selected version of each grade is what will be rendered for each clip.
Render Properties All the settings in the Render Properties section of the Render screen are important when configuring DaVinci Resolve to render files. They provide great flexibility and workflow efficiencies, so they will be described in detail below. Render Properties Easy Setup Menu The Easy Setup pop-up menu lets you quickly choose all the settings that are appropriate to rendering media for your workflow by selecting a single option.
CHAPTER 16 RENDER Important: When using either FCP7 Easy Setup, make sure you select the appropriate QuickTime codec from the Output Type pop-up menu before you begin rendering, in case you don’t like the default codec. Render Properties Settings ‘Start rendering at’ indicates the timecode that will be rendered into the dpx file header and this number is also used to label the file, as a frame count.
The next setting is the Frame Rate of the render. This number is typically the same as the ‘Conform’ frame rate as selected on the Config screen, but on occasions you may wish to set this to a variation of this conformed rate. This will adjust the metadata written within the file and is again to aid playback for the range of systems available in the market. Use the pull-down to select from the available options. Output Size settings are simply the resolution for the finished rendered file.
CHAPTER 16 RENDER Render Each Clip to a Separate Directory: Remembering these are source clips with their timecode. This is commonly used when rendering VFX shots for further post work to allow the VFX department to identify clips quickly and distribute the work. Render Clip with Unique Filename: When enabled, every rendered clip is given a completely independent name in order to prevent multiple rendered clips from the same source media file from overwriting one another when saved to the same directory.
The ‘Alternate Pass Offset’ time control allows you to separate the timecode values written into each version with an offset. For example, if the default version is at 01:00:20:00, and you select a 10 minute offset in the Alternative Pass Offset timecode entry, then the second graded version of the clips will start at 01:10:20:00, and the third version will start at 01:20:20:00, and so on until all versions are rendered.
CHAPTER 16 RENDER Stereoscopic Render DaVinci Resolve offers stereoscopic 3D operation with all systems, and with the appropriate hardware, real time grading and playback of two streams of images; the left and right eye. When it comes to rendering these projects there are two options. For the highest quality render the left and right-eye sessions separately, creating two sets of full-frame media.
Render Path Settings The remaining items in this window relate to the Render Path settings. The ‘Source Directory Preserve Level’ selection will retain the source file directory structure when rendering material. It will automatically create sub directories to match the source files. This is followed by an indication of the storage use showing the amount of space available within the target storage area and the new usage based on the selected timeline or clip for rendering.
CHAPTER 16 RENDER Batch Render DaVinci Resolve offers the ability to set up multiple render configurations and make a Batch Render list. No renders are actually made from this list, however it is useful for render management and allows you to set up different resolution, file type, and path settings as batch requests. The Batch Render list shows configurations set in the Render Properties display.
Render Queue The Render Queue allows you to create of a queue of configurations to be rendered. Clicking on + will add the information into the queue from the ‘Render Properties’ display and - will remove it from the queue. As described above, using the ‘Add to Render Queue’ button will move a Batch Request items into the Render Queue. All items added to the queue are placed at the bottom of the list. Use the up and down arrows to move the priority of the event in the list.
Stereoscopic Grading 17
CHAPTER 17 STEREOSCOPIC GRADING Stereoscopic Grading With DaVinci Resolve on Mac systems, dual 4:2:2 Y’CbCr stereoscopic video streams are output via HDSDI on the Blackmagic DeckLink HD Extreme 3D card. You can select either Side-by-Side or Line Mesh output to be fed to your stereo-capable display, depending on what it’s compatible with.
Choosing Which Session to Grade Because each “eye” corresponds to an individual session, whichever session you select in the Conform page is the eye that you’ll be grading. Most colorists work by grading one eye first (typically the left), and rippling their grades to the other eye, making separate adjustments to each eye’s clips when necessary to match undesirable variation between cameras.
CHAPTER 17 STEREOSCOPIC GRADING Line by Line: An interlaced mode where each eye is displayed on alternating lines. The thickness of the lines as displayed in the GUI viewer depends on how zoomed in you are. Checkerboard: Displays both eyes via an alternating checkerboard pattern. This is an excellent mode for identifying individual regions of color or geometry variation within a 3D shot.
Grading Stereoscopic 3D This section covers the various commands and parameters that are available to help you manage grades in stereoscopic projects. Stereo Batch Modes There are two Batch modes that are used for stereoscopic grading that are available when you rightclick a clip in the Thumbnail Timeline: Stereo Batch Copy: Copies every grade from one stereo-identified session to the correspondingly numbered clips in the other, for example from the Left-eye session to the Right-eye session).
CHAPTER 17 STEREOSCOPIC GRADING Protecting Stereo Adjustments When Copying Grades Independent stereo adjustments are stored, along with the PTZR settings, for each version; 3D and PTZR settings are processed prior to node-based corrections in the Resolve image processing pipeline. To prevent accidental overwrite of convergence and alignment data when copying grades, you can Right-click in the Stills or Powergrade tab of the Color or Gallery pages and choose “Copy Grade: Preserve Stereo Adjustments.
Automatic Color and Geometry Matching DaVinci Resolve has a set of auto-matching features that are designed to help you skip some of the tedium of dealing with mismatched color and geometry between the left and right eye media for each shot. These features are designed to Stereo Color Match Due to the design of different stereo rigs, it’s sometimes the case that the color and contrast of one eye’s media doesn’t precisely match that of the corresponding eye.
CHAPTER 17 STEREOSCOPIC GRADING To automatically match one eye to another, independently graded eye: 1. Right-click the Thumbnail Timeline, and choose Stereo > Ripple Link > Solo. 2. Make a primary adjustment to a clip in the Left-eye session to create a simple base grade. 3. Right-click the Thumbnail Timeline again, and choose Stereo > Switch Eye. This only works if you use the Stereo Color Match commands on an ungraded eye, to match it to the graded eye. 4.
STEREOSCOPIC GRADING 388
Remote Grading 18
CHAPTER 18 REMOTE GRADING Remote Grading To enable colorists to work interactively with their clients across the globe, DaVinci Resolve offers a remote grading option. It allows two matching DaVinci Resolve systems to be synchronized via an Internet connection such that changes made on the colorist’s system are immediately sent across and applied on the client DaVinci Resolve. Cue commands are also synchronized to ensure that both systems are always on the same frame in the timeline.
Restrictions To allow operation over low bandwidth and potential long latency Internet connection there are some restrictions to remote operation. • Grabbing stills on the colorist’s DaVinci Resolve will not have any effect on the client system so no stills will be grabbed on the client system. • Wipes on the colorist’s system will have no effect on the client DaVinci Resolve.
DaVinci Resolve Control Surface 19
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE DaVinci Resolve Control Surface The DaVinci Resolve Control Surface panels feature workflow ergonomics and ease of use so Colorists can quickly and accurately construct simple or complex creative grades. The panels feature highresolution liquid crystal displays (LCD) and backlit hard keys to accommodate a darkened grading environment.
For example, on the Fader panel, next to the shift up key is the Base Mem key. If you select ‘Shift Up’ and then ‘Base Mem,’ the operation is to Base Mem ALL, as designated on the upper left corner of the Base Mem key. To select Base Mem Current, first select ‘Shift Down,’ then ‘Base Mem.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Clip/Track/Unmix: This is a toggle key. The color corrections in DaVinci Resolve are generally associated to each individual clip and so most of the time you will be in ‘Clip’ mode. Occasionally, you may wish to make a grade or correction, enhancement, or even add a matte to the whole timeline. In this case, select ‘Track.’ The ‘Unmix’ function allows pre-conformed clips with dissolves to be un-mixed when using an EDL.
Session Management When making a grade to clips, colorists often try different looks. This group of keys offers a quick way to navigate through these versions and also to split and join clips on the timeline. Split (Shift Up Undo): This key will split the clip at the position of the cursor on the timeline. Undo: Undo is one of the favorite keys of colorists. Try any grade, and if you don’t like it, simply Undo. In fact, you have an almost endless tree of undo operations by using this key.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Marking Dynamics On the bottom right of the Color screen is the Dynamics Timeline display for the current clip in the timeline. The Marking Dynamics group of keys is used in association with the Dynamics timeline and controls the selection of keyframe points for the start and end of dynamic transitions of the grade. Start Dynamic: This key is used to select the first keyframe in a transition, a Dynamic.
There is an exception to rule to clear the Base Mem. It is possible, in fact very helpful sometimes, to have a preset to a clip that is not cleared when you select Base Mem. The simple example is when a film is over scanned and the frame edges are shown as well as the image. Instead of making an input resize adjustment for every clip to remove the framing, a preset resize can be made and stored, with a label, and this preset is not deleted when using Base Mem.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Menu Navigation and Node Control DaVinci Resolve is a nodal-based color enhancement system. All grades are not stored in layers, but in nodes. In operation they can appear to be in layers, if you select the serial nodes, but greater grading flexibility is available by using the parallel and layer nodes. This group also gives you quick access to the main operations to control primaries, secondaries known here as Vectors, image sizing and windows.
Add Serial: The most common node to use on the Node Graph is a serial node. A Serial node is a full-featured color correction system offering primaries, secondaries, windows, tracking, image sharpening and blur, matte blur, etc. Serial nodes are added one after the other in a cascade mode similar to adding one layer of correction on top of the last. All grades in a preceding node(s) will impact the source image and therefore the grades in following nodes.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Reference Configuration This area of the fader panel include six keys and the fader T-Bar. It is primarily used for control of stills display with and without reference wipes. The fader bar controls the mix or wipe position when the appropriate mode is active. 403 Key: This key is not yet implemented. Circle: This key is not yet implemented. Wipe: The Wipe key selects a wipe for reference comparison with the current image.
Trackball Panel The center panel has the traditional four trackballs, each with a surrounding control ring and no end stop in either direction. Three variable controls are on each side of the panel, three keys above the trackballs, three below the left and right most trackballs, and on the LCD panel, three LCD displays, each with eight variable controls and four keys. The LCD screens are menu-driven and thus the controls, soft keys, and the display itself depends on the current mode.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE On the right side there are three more controls, from top to bottom: Saturation, Hue (has the effect of hue rotation), and Luminance Mix. Above the three left most trackballs you will see these three keys: RGB: This key resets the RGB balance only to detent. All: To reset both RGB and level. Level: If you wish to reset the level while maintaining RGB differential.
Transport Panel Reference Configuration Located at the top left-hand side of the Transport panel are the Deck and Still Select keys. These are all related to controlling the deck, virtual decks when in multi-playhead mode, and the grabbing and selection of stills. There is also an Undo and Redo key, a Shift Up and a Save key.
CHAPTER 19 407 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE D: When using playheads this key selects deck D I: This key is not implemented E: When using playheads this key selects deck E J: This key is not implemented Shift Up: Use the Shift Up key as a pre-selector for the keys with an upper option. Select the keys sequentially and do not hold the Shift Up key while selecting the second key. Preroll: The Preroll key us used in conjunction with the numerical keypad to select a preroll time.
Transport Control Keys Most colorists will use the Transport Control keys every minute of every grade, so they are located for quick and easy access. While not technically within this key group, the Job and Shuttle knob is directly above these keys. Jog: Rotate the jog control to step forward or backward a few frames at a time. Shuttle: On the outside of the Jog rotary control is the shuttle knob.
CHAPTER 19 409 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Step Forward Keyframe: (Shift Down Step Forward) For keyframe steps forward on the clip/ Track timeline display. Previous Scene: Selects the first frame of the previous scene. Next Scene: Selects the first frame of the next scene. Rewind: The rewind key places the transport, or timeline in rewind. Reverse: To play the clip/timeline in reverse select this key. Stop: You guessed it. This stops the current transport operation.
Memory Access Keys For fast and direct access to memories, the A to Z Memories, or Mems, use this section of the Transport panel. This is an extremely powerful feature. With any clip selected on the timeline, with a single key press, for example “A,” the grading parameters stored in memory A, including the node structure, sizing, etc. will be automatically applied to the current clip.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Numerical Entry Key Group On the center right-hand side of the Transport panel is the Numerical Entry key group. Here you will find numbers 0 to 9 and associated keys for entering timecode and clip numbers. You will notice the numbers you type are displayed in a scratchpad area to the right of the menu bar on the bottom of the GUI. 411 Current: To store a new grade in any memory, first select the Current key and then the memory of your choice.
List Marking The List Marking keys are on the bottom right hand side of the Transport panel. The functions are replicated on the Fader Bar panel. The List Marking group of keys is used in association with the timeline and controls the selection of keyframe points for the start and end of dynamic transitions of the grade, called Dynamics. Delete: This key deletes the Dynamic. Start Dynamic: This key is used to select the first keyframe in a transition, a Dynamic.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE Menus, Soft Keys and Soft Pot Controls All three panels have liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and within this display, a selection of soft keys and soft pots for variable control of different parameters. The functionality of these keys and pots is based on the menus displayed on the LCD and changes dynamically with the operation of DaVinci Resolve.
In this mode, the Fader panel soft menus are used for window control. When windows are selected on the Trackball panel, these menus do not change. This allows the user, for example, to select PowerCurve windows on the Trackball panel and adjust its parameters simultaneously with a Circular PowerWindows on the Fader panel. The Transport panel soft menus are used to control input or output sizing, which provides a way to set sizing without changing the main work surface.
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE PRIMARY PRIMARY CHANNEL OFFSET / CUSTOM CURVES MASTER OFFSET RED OFFSET GREEN OFFSET BLUE OFFSET LUM CURVE RED CURVE GREEN CURVE BLUE CURVE NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS PRIMARY YSFX LUM YSFX RED YSFX GREEN YSFX TRACKBALL OFFSET VECTOR QUALIFIERS HSL PARAMETERS / QUALIFIER BLUR BLUE YSFX POTS HUE SHIFT CLIPS SAT GAIN CURVE MONITOR LUM LIFT LUM GAIN BLUR OFFSET KEY MODE PRINTER LIGHTS PRIMARY / POTS PRIMARIES LUM / GREEN POTS PRIMARI
PRIMARY / KEY MODE PRIMARIES CHANNEL OFFSET / CUSTOM CURVES MASTER OFFSET RED OFFSET GREEN OFFSET BLUE OFFSET LUM CURVE RED CURVE GREEN CURVE BLUE CURVE NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS KEY PROCESSING KEY PARAMETERS PRIMARIES HSL PARAMETERS / QUALIFIER BLUR POST MIX GAIN POST MIX OFFSET HUE SHIFT QUALIFIER GAIN QUALIFIER OFFSET EXT KEY GAIN EXT KEY OFFSET MATTE / MASK INVERT MATTE / MASK INVERT POST MIX INVERT SAT GAIN LUM LIFT LUM GAIN BLUR OFFSET PRINTER LIGHTS PRIMARY / KEY
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE VECTORS / IMAGE MODE OR QUALIFIER MODE IMAGE BLUR GAUSSIAN IMAGE BLUR IMAGE BLUR H/V RATIO NODES SIZING VECTOR QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS QUALIFIER BLUR PRIMARIES VECTORS VECTORS QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS HUE CENTRE HUE WIDTH HUE SOFTNESS HUE SYMMETRY LUM LOW CLIP LUM LOW SOFT LUM HI SOFT LUM HI CLIP SAT LOW CLIP SAT LOW SOFT SAT HI SOFT SAT HI CLIP S&G OFFSET S&G RADIUS QUALIFIER BLUR H/V OFFSET PRESETS COLOR PICKER
VECTORS / IMAGE MODE OR QUALIFIER MODE IMAGE SHARPENING IMAGE SHARPENING CORING VECTOR QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS VECTORS QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS RED SHARPEN GREEN SHARPEN BLUE SHARPEN SOFTNESS HUE CENTRE HUE WIDTH HUE SOFTNESS HUE SYMMETRY LUM LOW CLIP LUM LOW SOFT LUM HI SOFT LUM HI CLIP RED RATIO GREEN RATIO BLUE RATIO LEVEL SAT LOW CLIP SAT LOW SOFT SAT HI SOFT SAT HI CLIP S&G OFFSET S&G RADIUS QUALIFIER BLUR H/V OFFSET NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE VECTORS / IMAGE MODE OR QUALIFIER MODE IMAGE SHARPENING IMAGE SHARPENING CORING SHARP AMOUNT NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTOR QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS VECTORS QUALIFIER KILOVECTOR HSL QUALIFIERS SOFTNESS RED LOW CLIP RED LOW SOFT RED HI SOFT RED HI CLIP BLUE LOW CLIP BLUE LOW SOFT BLUE HI SOFT BLUE HI CLIP LEVEL GREEN LOW CLIP GREEN LOW SOFT GREEN HI SOFT GREEN HI CLIP S&G OFFSET S&G RADIUS QUALIFIER BLUR H/V OFFSET VECTORS SIX V
VECTOR / COLOR PICKER HSL + HSL - SOFTNESS + SOFTNESS - SIZING REFERENCE WIPE SIZING PAN NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS OUTPUT TILT INPUT SIZING ZOOM ROTATE PAN H SIZE V SIZE INPUT PRESET REF ADJUST V - FLIP SOURCE BLANKING REF ADJUST REF ADJUST ENABLE H - FLIP TILT MODIFY PAR ZOOM ROTATE H SIZE V SIZE H FLIP V FLIP SIZING / OUTPUT OUTPUT BLANKING LEFT NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS INPUT RIGHT OUTPUT PRESET TOP H FLIP OUTPUT SIZING BOTTOM V FLIP PAN USE DEFAULT
CHAPTER 19 DAVINCI RESOLVE CONTROL SURFACE SIZING / OUTPUT / BLANKING OUTPUT SIZING STANDARD PRESETS 1.33 1.66 1.78 2.35 1.
WINDOWS / LPW PRIMARIES CHANNEL OFFSET / CUSTOM CURVES POWER WINDOW LINEAR MASTER OFFSET RED OFFSET GREEN OFFSET BLUE OFFSET ZOOM LUM CURVE RED CURVE GREEN CURVE BLUE CURVE PAN TILT NODES SIZING PRIMARIES VECTORS CPW LPW SOFTNESS PRIMARIES HSL PARAMETERS / QUALIFIER BLUR ROTATE HUE SHIFT SAT GAIN RESET PPW PCW CLIPS CURVE MONITOR LUM LIFT LUM GAIN QUALIFIER BLUR H/V OFFSET KEY MODE PRINTER LIGHTS POWER WINDOW CIRCULAR ZOOM ASPECT SOFTNESS ROTATE CPW LPW PPW PCW MATT
Glossary 20
CHAPTER 20 GLOSSARY Glossary 10-Bit: The identification for 1023 levels within the digital signal. 24p: This is a 24 frame progressive format. 16 X 9: This is a term that describes a wide screen television format that has the measurements of 16 X 9. 2K: A color correction system developed by DaVinci Systems. It is also a data file with the resolution of 2048 X 1556. 2K Plus: A color correction system developed by DaVinci Systems.
Best Light: This generally refers to a color correction which is not quite a scene-by-scene color correction and not a one-light color correction. It’s generally a correction which is designed to be finished later in a tape-to-tape correction. Bit: A name which is applied to one fragment of digital data. Buffer: This term refers to data storage within RAM. Byte: A name which pertains to a group of eight memory bits.
CHAPTER 20 GLOSSARY Color Temperature: A term which refers to the measurement of a light’s color. Warmer colored lights measure out to a lower color temperature, while bluer illumination measures out to a higher color temperature. The measurement is carried out on a scale known as Kelvin. Color Timing: A name which is applied to the balancing of image and color in motion picture laboratories by a color timer.
E EBU: A term which is short for European Broadcasting Union. EBU Color Bars: A color bar signal which was created by the European Broadcasting Union. EBU Time Code: A 25 frame per second time code standard which was created by the European Broadcasting Union. Edit Decision List: This is a list of in and out points which has been created by an editing system; it is also known as an EDL.
CHAPTER 20 GLOSSARY GSN: This term is short for Gigabyte System Network and is a high speed network standard. GUI: A term which is short for Graphic User Interface. H Handles: A term which is applied to additional material which is required beginning and end of each clip. It is usually required when effects such as dissolves are to be added. HDTV: A general term which applies to High Definition Television. Head: This refers to the beginning of a roll of film.
J JPEG Compression: This refers to a lossy compression algorithm method. JPEG is an abbreviation for Joint Photographic Experts Group. K Kelvin: The name for a scale that measures the color of a light source. Key frames: A term which generally refers to events or marks within a clip or scene. L Leader: A section of film at the beginning of a film roll. Leader can be in the form of blank film, a countdown or even a clock.
CHAPTER 20 GLOSSARY MOS: An abbreviation for “mit out sound”, meaning “with out sound”. MPEG: This is an abbreviation for Moving Picture Experts Group and is associated with a group of compression standards. N Nitrate: A term which refers Cellulose Nitrate film stock. A stock which was used until the mid 1952 and was highly flammable. Node: A channel of processing within a non-linear color enhancement system which can be used for primary or secondary color correction.
Primary Colors: A term that is applied to the three primary colors, red, green and blue. Progressive Scan: A scanning method which has each video frame with one field of full resolution information. Q Quality Control: The act of inspecting a program to ensure that it is free from defects or problems. R RAM: This also known as Random Access Memory. It is computer memory which is unsaved. Real Time Effects: A term which is applied to effects which can be utilized without rendering.
CHAPTER 20 GLOSSARY T TAF: An abbreviation for “Telecine Analysis Film”. It is a test film used widely in telecine suites. Tail: A term which is applied to the end of a roll of film. Technicolor: A trademarked color process for motion pictures. Telecine: A machine which is used for transferring motion picture film to video. Theatrical Release Print: A positive film print which is created for the express purpose of being projected in a theatre.
X X-axis: This refers to the horizontal repositioning of an image or shape. XGA: An abbreviation for Extended Graphics Array. Y Y-axis: A term which is applied to the vertical adjustment of an image or shape. YCM: An abbreviation for the colors, Yellow, Cyan and Magenta. YCrCb: This is also known as YUV. The Y is the luminance information and the Cr and Cb are the chrominance information.
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