Changing Raw metadata in DaVinci Resolve 14

[Matt Mulcahey]

What are my options for getting the changes I make to a clip's Raw settings in DaVinci Resolve over to the editor?

I typically make editorial proxies so when I tweak Raw settings in the color tab, those adjustments are usually burned into those proxies. But on this show the editor is using the raw camera files to edit and the 3D LUTs I'm exporting for him from Resolve don't carry Raw adjustments to things like ISO, FLUT, or Tint.

If I make changes to those settings in RedCine-X they're tied to the metadata and they carry over when I open the project in Resolve, but that means I have to make adjustments before I put clips on a Resolve timeline.

Any ideas?

 

[Eric Haase]

What are my options for getting the changes I make to a clip's Raw settings in DaVinci Resolve over to the editor?

I typically make editorial proxies so when I tweak Raw settings in the color tab, those adjustments are usually burned into those proxies. But on this show the editor is using the raw camera files to edit and the 3D LUTs I'm exporting for him from Resolve don't carry Raw adjustments to things like ISO, FLUT, or Tint.

If I make changes to those settings in RedCine-X they're tied to the metadata and they carry over when I open the project in Resolve, but that means I have to make adjustments before I put clips on a Resolve timeline.

Any ideas?

Resolve won't modify the .RMD sidecar file that carries changed metadata as far as I know. You would have to do it in RedcineX and make sure 'automatically save red file' is checked in the prefs. I think it may be on by default.

You may need to do a quick pre-grade with metadata settings only in RCX before making LUTs for editor in Resolve. Typically though, are you really tweaking the RAW settings during grading very much? I find that if the footage was shot reasonably well you can get what you need out of it with the non-metadata changing tools in Resolve. I guess if a shot is wildly under or over exposed or white balanced you might need to change the raw settings. I have always thought it would be nice if Resolve modified the RMD file when you change the metadata for each clip.

 

[Matt Mulcahey]

On this movie I've had a few scenes with shots that are more than a stop over or underexposed and in those situations I like to use FLUT to make the adjustment rather than the Resolve grading tools. Also sometimes the DP will dial in Shadow levels in camera on set so there might be a situation where four takes into a scene he decides to adjust the Shadow setting for the rest of the scene. It would be easier for me when I'm grading to go back and adjust the earlier clips by giving them the same Shadow setting as the later takes. Yes, I can adjust the blacks with the Resolve color tools, it's just faster to do it via raw metadata.

This isn't normally an issue because I'm usually transcoding MXFs for Avid for the editor, so any changes I make to the Raw settings will be burned into those transcodes. But on this show the editor is using Premier for a 5K Gemini shoot and he's cutting with the Raw camera files. Looks like I'll have to either make Raw changes in RedCine or use Resolve's regular tools to adjust. Just thought I'd check to see if there was a workaround I didn't know about.

 

[Brent Altomare]

I'm working in Resolve 15 now, so I can't test in 14 - but can't you use the Camera Raw settings in Resolve to alter the RMD? Or do those settings only get saved within Resolve?