RedCineX with DaVinci Resolve for Dailies/Final Grade

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

Hi everyone,

My workflow currently is :
Resolve to DNxHD 36 dailies
Edit in AVID MC
Export EDL (or AAF) back to Resolve

At this point, I don't want to grade the R3D's directly in resolve, but want to grade the R3Ds in RCX and then, tweak in Resolve before I call it a day.

But I'm not sure how to most effectively go about this. Is there a way where I can -
Import the EDL into RCX (I know I can do this)
Create and apply looks to the clips used (I know this is possible)
And Resolve somehow sees these changes? (this is the part I'm not sure about)

Or is there an entirely different way to be doing this?

I'm going to try this out with a few clips, but hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks!
Nikhil

 

[Eric Haase]

Hi everyone,

My workflow currently is :
Resolve to DNxHD 36 dailies
Edit in AVID MC
Export EDL (or AAF) back to Resolve

At this point, I don't want to grade the R3D's directly in resolve, but want to grade the R3Ds in RCX and then, tweak in Resolve before I call it a day.

But I'm not sure how to most effectively go about this. Is there a way where I can -
Import the EDL into RCX (I know I can do this)
Create and apply looks to the clips used (I know this is possible)
And Resolve somehow sees these changes? (this is the part I'm not sure about)

Or is there an entirely different way to be doing this?

I'm going to try this out with a few clips, but hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

Thanks!
Nikhil

You should be able to bring an EDL into RCX and it will conform the sequence using original R3Ds. You can change the metadata on each shot, which should update the RMD file. Then, when you conform in Resolve, these changes SHOULD be reflected as Resolve will read the metadata, provided this is what you have chosen in Camera RAW project settings. I believe you have to conform in a new project AFTER you have made changes in RCX. I think I read that if you make changes to clip metadata Resolve will not automatically update these changes after a sequence has been conformed or clips have been brought into the Media Pool. Also, keep in mind that Resolve will IGNORE any Lift Gamma Gain adjustments you make in RCX and that there is a checkbox in Camera Raw settings in Resolve for using CURVES metadata or not.

I'm definitely not an expert on this but that is my understanding of it. Let us know what you discover!

Eric

 

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

You should be able to bring an EDL into RCX and it will conform the sequence using original R3Ds. You can change the metadata on each shot, which should update the RMD file. Then, when you conform in Resolve, these changes SHOULD be reflected as Resolve will read the metadata, provided this is what you have chosen in Camera RAW project settings. I believe you have to conform in a new project AFTER you have made changes in RCX. I think I read that if you make changes to clip metadata Resolve will not automatically update these changes after a sequence has been conformed or clips have been brought into the Media Pool. Also, keep in mind that Resolve will IGNORE any Lift Gamma Gain adjustments you make in RCX and that there is a checkbox in Camera Raw settings in Resolve for using CURVES metadata or not.

I'm definitely not an expert on this but that is my understanding of it. Let us know what you discover!

Eric

You most likely just saved me hours and hours of experimentation, Eric! Many thanks!

Yes, once I have my workflow squared away, I do intend to document and share it on the net. Specially, as this project has a mix of both Canon h.264 and EPIC footage (don't ask!). I'm using qtchange to add timecode to the H.264 footage. Its a fun workflow to work out.

 

[jake blackstone]

Sorry, but I can't understand the reaoning behind this Rube Goldberg grading solution. What am I missing?

 

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

Sorry, but I can't understand the reaoning behind this Rube Goldberg grading solution. What am I missing?

I had to go to wikipedia to figure out what you meant.

Really, all I have so far is the edit workflow figured out. Once I'm done with the edit, if I have all R3D material, I'm assuming I need to grade in RCX to get access to the full suite of grading tools. No?

Currently, in this workflow, I do have H264 material as well, so that can't be graded in RCX, so Resolve is needed in any case.

Not sure if that answers your question, but... I'm still trying to figure this out.