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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Resolve on a Mac, first impressions

Gunleik Groven said:
LOL!

So would you call Resolve a Finnishing tool where you could do some basic compositing of graphics, texts and f.ex. sky replacement before you render out/play out your film/show/program?

The last step without having to go back to "something" before delivery?
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No, Resolve is purely color grading tool. You can use it to do very basic chroma key composite, and it can accept external mattes, but that is about it.
 
Liam Hall said:
Hey Jake,

Do you absolutely need a control surface or can you operate it with a keyboard and mouse?
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Yes you can, but personally I would not recommend it, as mouse targets for color adjustments are quite small.
Actually, I'd like to change my answer. I wouldn't recommend using Resolve without any control surface. I just realized, that in Resolve there are no color wheels available for grading. I can't imagine anyone trying to grade with just sliders for colors.
 
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Hans von Sonntag said:
I don't know anything about Resolve on the Mac yet but I know what a finishing tool must do for me:

Editing pictures AND sound, swallowing FCP XML and Avid AAF, OMF and, of course, EDL, exporting OMF and EDL, basic compositing (incl. advanced keying, match moving, etc...), basic grading, text, paint and basic sound effects.

I don't know of any grading application that can do that..
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Pablo can. And to some degree, so can Film Master and Baselight, although I wouldn't necessarily describe either of those systems as "finishing tools."

Power comes at a price. Besides, most of the customer base for a grading application does not have the same requirements as you, in part because there are very few editors who are also great colorists, and even fewer colorists who are great editors. The separation of the programs is indicative of the separation of talents. Efficient, no-excuses professional work requires very directed toolsets in order to allow high level artists to work in client oriented environments in an efficient manner. That's why very few facilities of any note use Smoke for color correction, and why none use Resolve for compositing.
 
what are your current system configurations PCI slot wise? A lot of people have been trying to figure out how to cram all the cards they need in there, including going PCI expander route. Just wondering what you run for your level of performance. 2 video cards, decklink and a SAS card no rocket? And on the case of rocket have had the chance to incorporate it in your workflow, and how does r3d handle if you've tried any? Any details on all these topics would be great, thanks for taking your time to answer.
 
Tom.Wong said:
what are your current system configurations PCI slot wise? A lot of people have been trying to figure out how to cram all the cards they need in there, including going PCI expander route. Just wondering what you run for your level of performance. 2 video cards, decklink and a SAS card no rocket? And on the case of rocket have had the chance to incorporate it in your workflow, and how does r3d handle if you've tried any? Any details on all these topics would be great, thanks for taking your time to answer.
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My card collection is pretty basic.
Slot 1 GTX 285
Slot 2 GT 120
Slot 3 DecklinkHD Extreme 3D
Slot 4 FC

Originally I had purchased 2008 (Mac 3.1) 2.8 GHz 8 proc computer, with 6 GB of RAM. With that computer using R3D files, I was not able to play real time even at 1/16 resolution. The maximum playback speed for that configuration was 17 FPS. I had replaced that computer with 8 processors 2.26 MGz 2009 (Mac 4.1) with 6 GB of RAM. With that computer I got real a time performance at 1/4 Good.
Installation is a breeze. It is done in truly best Mac tradition- one button install. The one button install even includes the Declink and Tangent software. Once the software is installed, all Decklink control is done from within Resolve. Very impressive level of integration.
If anyone has a Red Rocket and would not mind stopping by my office for a test, come on down:-)
 
Jake,

You said Resolve on Mac was single layer only. So it's not possible to grade
a base layer PLUS a composite layer with alpha channel on top? I guess not :emote_rainshower:
 
jake blackstone said:
My card collection is pretty basic.
Slot 1 GTX 285
Slot 2 GT 120
Slot 3 DecklinkHD Extreme 3D
Slot 4 FC

Originally I had purchased 2008 (Mac 3.1) 2.8 GHz 8 proc computer, with 6 GB of RAM. With that computer using R3D files, I was not able to play real time even at 1/16 resolution. The maximum playback speed for that configuration was 17 FPS. I had replaced that computer with 8 processors 2.26 MGz 2009 (Mac 4.1) with 6 GB of RAM. With that computer I got real a time performance at 1/4 Good.
Installation is a breeze. It is done in truly best Mac tradition- one button install. The one button install even includes the Declink and Tangent software. Once the software is installed, all Decklink control is done from within Resolve. Very impressive level of integration.
If anyone has a Red Rocket and would not mind stopping by my office for a test, come on down:-)
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Jake,

Have you always used Blackmagic display cards, or did you switch for the purpose of this system? Do you know if the Kona 3 is supported? Are you also running any kind of editing software on this same box and if so how is that working with your system config?
 
Brandon Kraemer said:
Jake,

Have you always used Blackmagic display cards, or did you switch for the purpose of this system? Do you know if the Kona 3 is supported? Are you also running any kind of editing software on this same box and if so how is that working with your system config?
Click to expand...

I got this card specifically for the Resolve. Being, that this is brand new system I din't have to make the choice between BM and AJA.
Kona 3 is not supported at this time.
Yes, I have latest FCP and Adobe suites installed. No conflicts so far. Decklink works with all three.
 
Anson Fogel said:
Hey Jake, hope its all good over there man. You'll know why I'm asking this -
How well does it deal with speed changes in the clips either from AVID or FCP?
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Hahaha, that's funny:-)
Unfortunately nothing new to report. Right now I do not even know, if Resolve can do retiming. I'll check it today. There is still no V7 user guide, so I have to use the old V6 to figure out what's what.
Nevertheless, even if Resolve does retiming, EDL does not support keyframing. I know AAF is much more robust and feature rich, than EDL, but I'm not sure if keyframing is supported in it as well. But even if it was possible, I doubt very much Resolve could match Twixtor's features and quality. In your case, rendered timeline solution, just like we ended up doing, is still the easiest option. But then again, your debayer was done correctly...
 
Is the motion tracking all they claim it to be and more? I saw videos of the demo, where they motion tracked a base ball players face diving across the field almost instantly. But you know how demos are geared towards what the software can actually do. Have you tried something that's been problematic or tricky in the past, and does resolve just eat it alive?
 
jake blackstone said:
When you're talking about the timing of the project, do you mean the retiming of the shots or something else?
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Jake, thanks for your insights!

Sorry for not making my self clear: I meant changing the in and outs of shots, hence changing the timing. All questions answered.

You're are describing an interesting grading tool, surely not a finishing application. But swiss army knifes are rarely the appropriate tool.

One more question: Would you buy a MacPro and all the necessary hardware plus Resolve on the Mac to build a grading suite fro client supervised sessions or are you suggesting that Resolve on the Mac is more suited for all those who have the hardware already and need a grading application on budget besides their NLE and compositing software and work rarely with clients in their neck?

Hans
 
Tom.Wong said:
Is the motion tracking all they claim it to be and more? I saw videos of the demo, where they motion tracked a base ball players face diving across the field almost instantly. But you know how demos are geared towards what the software can actually do. Have you tried something that's been problematic or tricky in the past, and does resolve just eat it alive?
Click to expand...

It is as good as you had seen in the demos. I had tested it with a shot, where a girl is dancing in the room filled with myriad of tiny soap balloons and the tracker tracked her perfectly. It's not real time tracking, but it is very fast.
 
M Most said:
Pablo can. And to some degree, so can Film Master and Baselight, although I wouldn't necessarily describe either of those systems as "finishing tools."
Click to expand...

Didn't know that Pablo is such a wide tool. Good to know.

M Most said:
Power comes at a price.... The separation of the programs is indicative of the separation of talents.... .
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Fully agree.
 
Hans von Sonntag said:
Jake, thanks for your insights!

Sorry for not making my self clear: I meant changing the in and outs of shots, hence changing the timing. All questions answered.

You're are describing an interesting grading tool, surely not a finishing application. But swiss army knifes are rarely the appropriate tool.

One more question: Would you buy a MacPro and all the necessary hardware plus Resolve on the Mac to build a grading suite fro client supervised sessions or are you suggesting that Resolve on the Mac is more suited for all those who have the hardware already and need a grading application on budget besides their NLE and compositing software and work rarely with clients in their neck?

Hans
Click to expand...

That's the beauty of this set up. It is easy to use even for a casual Color user and yet, it has a lot of features, that high end supervised grading session would require. Said that, if occasional, non supervised, non real time grading is needed, Color is still a perfectly valid solution. If you never going to use the high end tools offered by Resolve, than there is no immediate reason to upgrade.
 
Lucas Wilson said:
OMF? (blink)

Would you like some Editdroid DVDs as well?

: )

Lucas
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Haha. No, of course.

For a finishing application OMF export is great to have if you change the timing of the sound or use the application for creative editing. In either case you want your sound conformed or reconformed in a sound studio, hence OMF export.

Hans
 
jake blackstone said:
That's the beauty of this set up. It is easy to use even for a casual Color user and yet, it has a lot of features, that high end supervised grading session would require. Said that, if occasional, non supervised, non real time grading is needed, Color is still a perfectly valid solution. If you never going to use the high end tools offered by Resolve, than there is no immediate reason to upgrade.
Click to expand...

Jake, we surely agree that RT grading is not only desirable for client supervised but also for "private" sessions because keeping the pace up is a vital part of a successful grading session.

Apple Color is not RT if SDI monitoring is used. But Resolve on the Mac seems to be, isn't it? A big reason to invest the 1k, IMO. Funny how ridiculous cheap Resolve on the Mac is if it holds up to the peoples expectations, great times.

Hans
 
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